Best "Sleeper" Riding Areas

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Stephens State Park, NJ
Ringwood, NJ
Sals aka Walking Purchase, PA

Forgot to add Glen Park, PA......and Blue Mtn and Mtn Creek bike parks.

If it wasn't for those places I would not have survived 6 years in NJ. I have been lucky to ride alot of places around the US and eastern PA and northern NJ holds up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YZJdItQ_3o

[DolphinSki]

Brown County, Indiana. Gonna stop through and ride there this fall for the first time in years

[bagtagley]

Mtn Creek is pretty well known to DHers on the right coast. That and the weekend crowds preclude sleeper status, IMO.

[snowaddict91]

When I went to school in Gunnison 26 years ago I thought the riding at Hartman’s Rocks was super fun. I never hear people talk about it so maybe it qualifies as “sleeper”. Probably over shadowed by CB, but they are very different.


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Its gotten a little busier as people have figured out during mountain monsoon season its often still sunny down in Gunni, but yeah midsummer days are often deserted there and its not like its crazy hot.

And yeah what was said above, CC is great on a midweek fall day.

[jamal]

I was pretty impressed with the stuff around crowsnest pass, although I don't get out much. It's kind of a place most people are just driving through on the way to somewhere else, like fernie which is only like 30min away.

[HankScorpio]

I'll plug Millstone in central VT. I ride here several times a week and I can't believe how few riders there are. It's old school, rocky and has some of the most unique terrain around. You'll never ride anything like it in Vermont. Just pay the $10 trail pass fee so it can continue to be maintained and improved.

[thefortrees]

If you're passing through the 95 corridor near DC/MD/VA, Fountainhead Regional Park - approx. 13 mi of rolling singletrack with lots of fun man made features to spice it up.

[PNWbrit]

Tiger Mountain and Raging River near Snoqualmie, WA..

Sleeper?

[mtnjam]

Midwestern riding areas are pretty much all under the radar:

Human Powered Trails - LaCrosse, WI
The Underdown Trails - Merrill, WI
9 Mile Forest - Wausau, WI (not really sleeper)
Chequamegon Trails - Cable/Hayward, WI (again, not really sleeper, but not all that popular either)

[robnow]

I was pretty impressed with the stuff around crowsnest pass, although I don't get out much. It's kind of a place most people are just driving through on the way to somewhere else, like fernie which is only like 30min away.

+1 on Crowsnest Pass (Coleman and Blairmore, Alberta). Its been on the map now for a few years (the Enduros have made it so) and the local community has done a fantastic job securing government grants and putting the work in, however its still very quiet around there. Its slowly become a bit of a Calgary shoulder season go to as it melts out quicker than locally but almost everybody continues past to Fernie. For CalgaFernian weekenders it really should be the Friday drive pitstop.

[goldenboy]

Buena Vista has some fun new trails that are worth a couple hours if you're heading between Cb and the front range. Not as sleepy, but the S Mountain trails in Salida as well.

[grskier]

Salida non Crest trails in general. I haven't ridden the BV stuff yet, have it on the list for next trip to see my sister in Taos if it isn't too cold or hot.

[El Kanone]

Another somewhat over looked zone is the Fraser Valley stuff in southern Bc. Such as Mission, Vedder, Abbotsford. Mainly because it is near other more famous stuff.


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[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Mtn Creek is pretty well known to DHers on the right coast. That and the weekend crowds preclude sleeper status, IMO.

True, but when you tell most people in places like CO/MT/OR that they have pro races in NJ they kinda look at you funny.

[lifelinksplit]

I think they just look at you funny because New Jersey in general...

[frorider]

Sleeper?

And black rock? I guess Whistler is a sleeper too.

[robnow]

And black rock? I guess Whistler is a sleeper too.

Black Rock in Falls City, OR...does it get a lot of love? I don't know, every time I've been not another group there.

[rideit]

This is the kind of thread we need more of on here.

[LeeLau]

Another somewhat over looked zone is the Fraser Valley stuff in southern Bc. Such as Mission, Vedder, Abbotsford. Mainly because it is near other more famous stuff.

Agreed. Shuttle, pedal, flow, loam, jank its' got it all

[concretejungle]

Lyons Ghetto Singletrack. You'll need a tour guide.

[gravitylover]

Forgot to add Glen Park, PA......and Blue Mtn and Mtn Creek bike parks.

If it wasn't for those places I would not have survived 6 years in NJ. I have been lucky to ride alot of places around the US and eastern PA and northern NJ holds up.

MC and Ringwood are so far from sleeper areas. Those are destinations. If you want a sleeper lift served area look at McCauley Mt in Old Forge or Powder Ridge in CT (don't tell PJ09 I suggested the place ). Ringwood is part of a larger network of north Jersey tech that people travel for, I know that i have and have friends that do it with some frequency.

Mtn Creek is pretty well known to DHers on the right coast. That and the weekend crowds preclude sleeper status, IMO.

The crowds are outrageous and paying for parking is a real letdown.

I think they just look at you funny because New Jersey in general...

Yup

There are some true under the radar spots in the eastern Lower Hudson Valley that are truly wonderful and don't see more than a dozen riders a week. You'd think that chunk, tech, mud, rocks and raging descents would draw them out in the open but after 30 years but it hasn't happened yet. Hit me up for details but don't expect me to put the names out there.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I guess my definition of sleeper means traveling across the country and already knowing about the place = not sleeper.

Never heard of anyone traveling more than 6 hours (racers) to ride any of the places I mentioned. Besides MTN creek and those people traveling more than 6 hours to ride there are pros not regular joes.

When I lived in NJ I knew lots of good riders who lived within 90 minutes of Ringwood and had never heard of the place. These were more central NJ people. If you live up north or in NYC you know about Ringwood it seems.

[gravitylover]

I guess I'm just special then I don't live in north Jersey or NYC and I know about them.

[SchralphMacchio]

Black Rock in Falls City, OR...does it get a lot of love? I don't know, every time I've been not another group there.

I’d still call it sleeper ... I mean it’s fairly well known in the PNW and in the west coast bike industry, but no one is self-promoting it or writing bike mag articles about how you need to camp on Falls Creek in your $150K Sprinter right past the “get off my property or I’ll blow your brains out” signed houses, next to the trimmigrant encampments on Socialist People’s Road. Oh yeah, plus the town cop hiding out on the blind corner where the speed limit changes from 45 to 25, on the lookout for those troublemakers from outta town. The developed acreage and trail set are minimal (yes they are sick), no cell service, no infrastructure or services within 20 miles ... yeah I’d call that sleeper!

It’s definitely worth a stop on your way to ride overhyped disappointing sandy XC trails in the greatly publicized town of Bend, where you can pedal uphill both ways to get to a cold pint and growler fill!

[mmmm...pow!]

Susanville. No reason to ever go there, not really on the way to anything unless you are heading to Shasta from Tahoe or Reno, but more fun than anything on the map within a few hours of Tahoe right now.