Best "Sleeper" Riding Areas

[Foggy_Goggles]

Help me internet, do we just assume that every trail in outed by Strava and whatever the other websites are with that kinda thing? It is came on to Instabrag even in the trail are "non-system" and promotion increases the likely hood of shutdown? Is it no big deal when a trail gets shut down because the city kids can just rinse/repeat somewhere else? Does it not matter that the "Influencers" generally don't even ride with a saw let alone actually build and maintain trail?

You guys heard of this one https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/5943538/contrivance ? It looks fun.

[grskier]

Help me internet, do we just assume that every trail in outed by Strava and whatever the other websites are with that kinda thing? It is came on to Instabrag even in the trail are "non-system" and promotion increases the likely hood of shutdown? Is it no big deal when a trail gets shut down because the city kids can just rinse/repeat somewhere else? Does it not matter that the "Influencers" generally don't even ride with a saw let alone actually build and maintain trail?

You guys heard of this one https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/5943538/contrivance ? It looks fun.

No, don’t assume that, although mtbproject, strava, trail forks et.al do have a tendency to do so, for better and worse


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[jono]

OP said "sleeper" not "secret." I take that to mean trails that are well established, not at risk, probably heavily trafficked, but not attracting people from great distances. Strava et al are assumed, and in cases where a system gets support from local government etc it seems unlikely that a little more traffic is going to shut these down, more like it's going to generate more support for expansion. Ninja trails need not apply, whether they've been "outed" on some website or not, IMHO.

[skaredshtles]

Always loved swinging off of 40 to hit the trails in Vernal, UT. The McCoy Flats Trail system a few miles West of town feels a lot like Fruita back in the late 90s before everything became single track and a half. Great camping out at the trailhead too, just cross your fingers the cattle haven't been out there

Definitely was a sleeper when we went out for a long weekend back in October. Saw a handful of other people on the trails over 3 days of riding. Bike shop is good people, too. And the tacos downtown at El Sombrero are LEGIT.

[Sirshredalot]

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.

Fountainhead is fun, but it's all rolling Piedmont Clay and it's just the one stacked loop. Plus it's busy. But it's pretty damn fun.

For a sleeper, you've got to hit Meadowood in that area or maybe go across the river to Murderland to ride Fairland Park.

Or get lost in Patapsco or the Shed for a while. Or head out to Stokesville or Front Royal for endless tech jank.

For my money, the real sleeper in that part of the world is the whole Canaan Valley area. That wetter climate gives you some loamy soils that are hard to find on the East Coast. With Timberline's financial troubles, the town needs visitors. Everyone ought to go visit.

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[JerseyDave]

Love the Front Royal stuff. Great place to break up the drive N S with riding from the camp site at the bottom. Douthat is a great second destination on the N S 81 trip. Both good Va sleeper spots.

[CKSPADDLER]

Penitente Canyon outside of Del Norte.


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[evasive_MT]

Fountainhead is fun, but it's all rolling Piedmont Clay and it's just the one stacked loop. Plus it's busy. But it's pretty damn fun.

For a sleeper, you've got to hit Meadowood in that area or maybe go across the river to Murderland to ride Fairland Park.

Or get lost in Patapsco or the Shed for a while. Or head out to Stokesville or Front Royal for endless tech jank.

For my money, the real sleeper in that part of the world is the whole Canaan Valley area. That wetter climate gives you some loamy soils that are hard to find on the East Coast. With Timberline's financial troubles, the town needs visitors. Everyone ought to go visit.

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I learned to ski at Timberline. My folks live in Stafford now, and someday I’d like to check out the Quarry trails, since they’re nearby and F’burg has some decent breweries and restaurants.

[hick]

Salmon, ID


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[Telemarketeer]

Anyone ridden Anniston, Alabama? Supposed to have some great trails built in the last few years. I grew up going to visit my grandparents there and hated it, but now I kinda want to go back and check it out.

[grskier]

Same as above, but way far away..

Has anyone here ridden Meeker?

[rudy]

The OP mentioned Meeker in the very first post

[grskier]

The OP mentioned Meeker in the very first post

I forgot to italicize it for sarcasm? And that was like, over a week ago man.

My bad. That flow trail just came up in my social, I totally forgot about that post.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

I learned to ski at Timberline. My folks live in Stafford now, and someday I’d like to check out the Quarry trails, since they’re nearby and F’burg has some decent breweries and restaurants.

No fucking shit? I grew up in Stafford and my dad still lives there. When I was growing up there was almost nothing official around there and most of those trails were just starting to get built out when I left for college. I remember having to drive all the way to Harrisonburg, Roanoke, Lynchburg, etc to find races.

[evasive_MT]

No fucking shit? I grew up in Stafford and my dad still lives there. When I was growing up there was almost nothing official around there and most of those trails were just starting to get built out when I left for college. I remember having to drive all the way to Harrisonburg, Roanoke, Lynchburg, etc to find races.

Yeah, I grew up in Montclair. My parents live in Seven Lakes now. My early MTB experience was poaching trails in the Prince William Forest NP. We could just pop across 234 and be right on a trail, and in the early 90s it went under the radar.

The riding at Catoctin or even Fountainhead sounds more to my liking, but who can be bothered with the traffic. I left in 1996 and it’s orders of magnitude worse. NYC metro was far better.

[bagtagley]

Canaan was a MTB destination in the 80s and 90s largely because there wasn't much riding in the region, particularly around DC, Baltimore, Richmond, etc. As those places began to see the light and build legal trails, with the loss of the Sods, and I think loss of interest and probably some exhaustion from figureheads in Davis, things slowed down a lot. The new owner of Blackwater Bikes is highly motivated and is working to make it a destination again. IMO, it's a bit of an uphill battle. It's rocky, technical, pedally, and often muddy. Basically the opposite of the flow trails a lot people have come to expect. Timberline has been struggling for years due to poor management. Both struggle due to the wacky weather, though Canaan less so since it's state-owned. On the plus side, Davis and Thomas have seen a bit of a renaissance. The state is putting some money into reviving the area, and there's enough general tourist traffic to keep things going. I agree with Shred. Go there, it's beautiful. The North Fork Mountain trail near there is worth the trip alone, but there's a ton to do in addition to mountain biking.

[SKIP IN7RO]

Penitente Canyon outside of Del Norte.

Del Norte's only bike shop is no longer in business, I learned today.

[simple]

These little rural towns in CO are dying a slow death of cycling. Not all of them have a plan in place like Fruita or Durango.

Del Norte used to have mtn bike races to try to generate interest in the area.

Luckily the trails still exist and some of us like to explore and don't need apps, maps, and YouTube videos to make an adventure happen.

[Dantheman]

Just a couple years ago I was in the area for work and was unable to ride Penitente because there was a 12-hour race happening. A guy sent me out to Limekiln instead which was pretty meh. I should have gone back to Middle Frisco instead. I had ridden that the day before and it was killer.

[ADKmike]

Hartschorne Woods is supposed to be good. That jumps right off the beach and heads up the hill. Every year I say I'm going to get down there, this might just have to actually be that year.

This is my usual ride, 10 mins from home. Send me a message if you end up coming down. If I'm available I could meet up for a ride maybe.

[Name Redacted]

These little rural towns in CO are dying a slow death of cycling. Not all of them have a plan in place like Fruita or Durango.

Del Norte used to have mtn bike races to try to generate interest in the area.

Luckily the trails still exist and some of us like to explore and don't need apps, maps, and YouTube videos to make an adventure happen.

So "Sleeper" is good, but not too "Sleeper" to support a bike shop and a race?

Del Norte isn't exactly the poster child for these small towns. Silverton just put together a plan for a big ass, multi-year trail expansion.

[skaredshtles]

So "Sleeper" is good, but not too "Sleeper" to support a bike shop and a race?

Del Norte isn't exactly the poster child for these small towns. Silverton just put together a plan for a big ass, multi-year trail expansion.

It's about fucking time. Silverton has squandered YEARS. Talk about just about a perfect area to create a ridiculous trail network...

And yeah, I know - Bender did some work up there a long time ago... was probably a bit too early at that point.

[toast2266]

And yeah, I know - Bender did some work up there a long time ago... was probably a bit too early at that point.

I got to ride those trails years ago. So fun, and so sketchy. The big gap at the bottom was kind of hilariously janky.



(some random pic off of MTBR)

[Dantheman]

Jesus, that landing is tiny for a jump that size. LOL at the color of the creek.

[toast2266]

Jesus, that landing is tiny for a jump that size. LOL at the color of the creek.

Yeah, I think the worst thing about coming up short on that jump is that you'd instantly get cancer.