East Coast Riding

Norm

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Nothing specific in mind here - no vacations planned or anything like that. Just interested.

If you were to be able to mtb ride anywhere on the east coast, where would it be? Alternatively, what spots on the east coast are really worth travelling for? I know there's an epic IMBA ride out in PA, for instance. And Kingdom Trails somewhere in New England. What other places are worth the trip, so to speak?
 
normZurawski said:
Nothing specific in mind here - no vacations planned or anything like that. Just interested.

If you were to be able to mtb ride anywhere on the east coast, where would it be? Alternatively, what spots on the east coast are really worth travelling for? I know there's an epic IMBA ride out in PA, for instance. And Kingdom Trails somewhere in New England. What other places are worth the trip, so to speak?
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I was on a similar quest earlier this year and I was directed to Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina. TONS of NICE trails. It's a great place to spend a few days riding.

Ryan H.
 
I would DEFINITELY recommend the great riding destination of Harrisonburg, VA. It's only about 5 hours form NNJ, and well worth the trip. I've been down there several times over the past 4 years now for training, riding, racing, and taking in the bike culture. I even had the chance to ride with Jeremiah Bishop, Susan Haywood, and Nick Waite on one trip. The mountain biking is EPIC and if you're into road riding, too, the roads are SWEEEEET!

Check out Chris Scott at www.mountaintouring.com and give him a shout. He runs the touring company down there and it's worth every penny you'll spend on his tours. He's also the promoter of the Wilderness 101, Shenandoah Mountain 100, and IMBA honcho down there.
 
xc62701 said:
I was on a similar quest earlier this year and I was directed to Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina. TONS of NICE trails. It's a great place to spend a few days riding.

Ryan H.
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I've heard the same thing - Pisgah is a great place. I've never been, but have some friends that live in Asheville and have talked about how great it is.
 
Kingdom Trail in East Burke, VT. 100 miles of trails, very bike friendly up there. Approximately a 6 hour drive up there.

The trails are smooth rolling fun! Great Single Speed riding, too. Oh, and legal night riding! Buy a trail pass and you can ride their any time of the day/night.
 
There is some amazing riding to be done upstate NY: Blue Mountain, Ninham, 909, etc.
Definitely not smooth, with big drops, rollers and more. Maybe not epic (although...), but so much fun.
 
Berkshires

The trails they use for Pedrosfest, in western Mass, are pretty awesome. The locals have some epic loops, and we hook up with them when we're up there for the festival every year. Even if you don't go up on your own, definitely consider attending the festival; it's a super-fun event. Usually late July or early August.
 
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yep'r

ChrisG said:
The trails they use for Pedrosfest, in western Mass, are pretty awesome. The locals have some epic loops, and we hook up with them when we're up there for the festival every year. Even if you don't go up on your own, definitely consider attending the festivall; it's a super-fun event. Usually late July or early August.
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Um.. Yeah.

Some people even ride bikes with gears at Pedros!

Much fun to be had.

In reality the actual group rides are good but Chris and I have hooked up with the locals who have shown us the the VIP loop. It is really really good.

j
 
A few years ago we did this weekend trip and it was great in that there was a variety of riding each day:

Friday morning drove to Michaux State Park in the neighborhood of Gettysburg PA (about 4 hours). The park reminded me a bit of Chimeny Rock, LOTS of babyheads, really nice ride. We did 3 hours and there was a lot more we could have done.

Drove to Frederick MD after the ride (about 2 hours) and stayed in a hotel. Saturday morning rode at Gambrill State Park in Frederick - specifically the Catoctin trail. We did a 6 hour ride and there was a lot more we could have done (well not physically, but potentially). Great trail system that has a bit of everything. Spend the night in Frederick.

Sunday morning drove back towards home and stopped at Patapsco near Baltimore. We were pretty beat but this is a fun and fast park that is a little like a bigger KVSP (actually it's a lot like the old Watchung trails if you remember those).

Home Sunday late afternoon
 
I rode at Fountainhead Park in northern VA last week and it was great. Smooth trails, lots of ups and downs and just a blast overall. As someone mentioned Gambrill is another great spot down there. Both are 4 to 5 hrs from northern NJ.
 
i used to go to kilington with a group of friends twice a year, pre-family. everything was self contained, with both dh and st options - plenty of riding for a long weekend.

glanicng aft posted a vid from killington:

http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=893

and if i remember correctly, the accomodations were VERY reasonably priced with lift tickets included. i am planning on going back next year with meg and the kids.
 
Interesting that you mention Michaux as there's a series of 3 races out there, the MIchaux Mega Series. The overall winner of all 3 races gets some cash prize, don't know what. Top 2 places this year were Harlan Price and Chris Eatough. Based on the times, these seem similar to the All-A-Muchy course. I'm bouncing around the idea of going out for one of the races.

If you look at the monster route maps some of the routes cross a whole lot of contour lines.
 
normZurawski said:
Interesting that you mention Michaux as there's a series of 3 races out there, the MIchaux Mega Series. The overall winner of all 3 races gets some cash prize, don't know what. Top 2 places this year were Harlan Price and Chris Eatough. Based on the times, these seem similar to the All-A-Muchy course. I'm bouncing around the idea of going out for one of the races.

If you look at the monster route maps some of the routes cross a whole lot of contour lines.
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wow, i haven't even thought about this place since i left college! i used to be at the gettysburg bike shop like every other day during the fall...well, when i wasn't in "fall training" for lacrosse, anyway. i never got the chance to ride that park, but rode the battlefields a lot. well, at least until the horse people won. 😡
 
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bonefishjake said:
wow, i haven't even thought about this place since i left college! i used to be at the gettysburg bike shop like every other day during the fall...well, when i wasn't in "fall training" for lacrosse, anyway. i never got the chance to ride there, but rod the battlefields a lot. well, at least until the horse people won. 😡
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Yeah, I enjoyed the place - none of us had ever rode there before, but all of the trails are numbered and the map they have is very good. It's about 4 hours from North Eastern NJ so I'm not sure I'd go back if it wasn't en route to another ride. Although the senery around the Gettysburg area almost makes it worth it.
 
normZurawski said:
Interesting that you mention Michaux as there's a series of 3 races out there, the MIchaux Mega Series. The overall winner of all 3 races gets some cash prize, don't know what. Top 2 places this year were Harlan Price and Chris Eatough. Based on the times, these seem similar to the All-A-Muchy course. I'm bouncing around the idea of going out for one of the races.

If you look at the monster route maps some of the routes cross a whole lot of contour lines.
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I did a few of those Michaux races and they are fun! The one time it was 95 degrees and I was completely bonked at the end of it. Then, when I finally made it back to the parking lot, they were giving out Coors Light beers! Wow, talk about a buzz on only 1 beer.

It is an amazing 80,000 acre State Forest (and a section for ATV & dirt bike usage, too).
 
NJ-XC-Justin said:
I rode at Fountainhead Park in northern VA last week and it was great. Smooth trails, lots of ups and downs and just a blast overall. As someone mentioned Gambrill is another great spot down there. Both are 4 to 5 hrs from northern NJ.
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How much is there to ride in Northern VA? Is the network that expansive where you can spend a few days or a week? I'm looking for a Christmas break getaway.

Ryan H.
 
I've done many of the Michaux races, dating all the way back to 1997. They are great races--a real grass-roots feel mixed with a big-time event. The loops are fairly epic. There is more fire-road than All-A-Muchy, but the overall difficulty of the singletrack is higher at Michaux. It's certainly a similar feel, but the huge rocks and long climbs make Michaux a unique experience.

There's always a good chance you'll see Bishop and Eatough and Haywood out there...good folks who know how to rip it up. Also, the Cupcakes from Gettysburg ride over that stuff like it's paved. Harlan and Lichtenwalner are certainly a spectacle, but don't forget about the young gun Brandon Draguales, who's had some special year as a rookie pro. You'll have all these top-end folks as well as first timers having a ton of fun on their mountain bikes.
 
B.L. said:
I've done many of the Michaux races, dating all the way back to 1997. They are great races--a real grass-roots feel mixed with a big-time event. The loops are fairly epic. There is more fire-road than All-A-Muchy, but the overall difficulty of the singletrack is higher at Michaux. It's certainly a similar feel, but the huge rocks and long climbs make Michaux a unique experience.

There's always a good chance you'll see Bishop and Eatough and Haywood out there...good folks who know how to rip it up. Also, the Cupcakes from Gettysburg ride over that stuff like it's paved. Harlan and Lichtenwalner are certainly a spectacle, but don't forget about the young gun Brandon Draguales, who's had some special year as a rookie pro. You'll have all these top-end folks as well as first timers having a ton of fun on their mountain bikes.
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BL - thanks man. Good stuff. I really want to do one of the races this year.
 
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