Kingdom Trails *GROUP* Bike Trip
- Thread starter qsilvr99
- Start date
Mare
Well-Known Member
I am seriously thinking about it. I have never "rough" camped with my dog before so I am doing a trial run over the next few weeks. But if ya'll go in on a house or something, I'd be more inclined because I know that works, assuming you don't mind a dog tagging along. I'll look up a few things and post here.
bradmcnutt
Member
What kind of pup do you have? Pic? I love pups.
Mare
Well-Known Member
German and Australian Shepherd mix. He loves people!!!
He was too tired to finish his bone....
Attachments
bradmcnutt
Member
😀 Great pic.
Mare
Well-Known Member
I like this one. I emailed him to see if dogs are allowed. Does anyone else plan to bring dogs?
http://www.cyberrentals.com/rental/p172679#propertyInquiry
http://www.cyberrentals.com/rental/p172679#propertyInquiry
bradmcnutt
Member
So many options. Once a date becomes closer to finalized, I'd need to check with the misses to see if she would want to come up with the kids for a weekend getaway. In which case, we'd probably get something ourselves as I doubt any of you wants to spend the weekend with a newborn and 2 year old. Otherwise, it would just be me and I'd definitely bringing up my pup - 25 lb mix of terrier and dynamite.
Mare
Well-Known Member
Last edited:
Glenlivet12
Well-Known Member
Not much compares to sidewinder as far as how awesome it is. Burnham down is a new trail that was fun to ride. We just rented a condo at Burke mtn. I think it on mountain road just up the hill from town. The condos there are great and you can ride to town and ride home or stage a car at the bottom. All the trails are awesome, you won't be dissapointed on any of them. Check in at the trail visitor center and pick up some passes. They'll hook you up with a nice route and tell you which trails are closed(. They are logging so a few are off limits)! Have fun...
mwlikesbikes
Well-Known Member
I'll be there in one week 😀😀😀😀
Im going up there august 14 15 16, a buddy of mine was there last week. most def!
VelocityBoy
"Sleeveless Joe"
I'll be there 7/31-8/2.
Have fun everybody!
Have fun everybody!
elzoller
El Guac-Oh
Bloomberg write up
I got this email today 😉
A 'Good Day in Heaven' Eating Dirt on Vermont's Biking Trails
2009-06-29 04:01:00.3 GMT
Review by Jason H. Harper
June 29 (Bloomberg) -- I am not afraid of falling off a bicycle.
Good thing, too, as I've already got rich Vermont dirt in my teeth and
the next section of the mountain-bike trail I'm on is even trickier.
The path spindles through the narrow gap between two trees.
Either I thread the eye of the needle or I'm dining on bark next.
Mountain biking was born in California and gained fame in the
Colorado mountains and sandstone canyons of Moab, Utah. So it's no
surprise that the West rules when it comes to fat-tire playgrounds.
Which is why Northeasterners-in-the-know rejoice at Kingdom Trails, 100
miles of world-class mountain biking in Vermont's upper reaches.
The epicenter is in East Burke, a tiny hamlet near Burke Mountain,
two hours from Montreal, three from Boston and five from New York.
Ridership in the Northeast Kingdom swelled in the 1980s and in 1994, the
non-profit Kingdom Trail Association was formed to develop and manage
the expanding network.
Kingdom Trails now gets 32,000 visits a year, according to the
association, and was branded the best trail network in North America by
"Bike Magazine." A daily pass is $10; a yearly membership only $50.
Many of the paths are spread over Darling Hill Ridge, a landmass
originally formed by a glacier that sits between two branches of the
Passumpsic River.
"Basically, it's a monstrous sand hill dumped in the middle of
northern Vermont," says Tim Tierney, KTA executive director. "That's why
we have such smooth trails."
Triple-Black Trails
Similar to ski runs, trails are rated from green (easy) to triple
black (body armor recommended -- seriously), and range from wide paths
that lollygag through waving-grass meadows to tight, narrow tracks that
switchback through dense pines and maples.
The soil is firm and fast with few rocks, though exposed tree
trunks can turn a tire and send a rider tipping over handlebars (I speak
from experience).
I mountain bike once or twice a year, just enough to cling to
intermediate status and convince myself that I can handle the more
challenging trails. This time I'm riding with a much more experienced
friend, David Gray, who cut his two-wheel teeth in the hills outside of
Edinburgh. We get maps, trail advice and Trek rental bikes and helmets
from East Burke Sports for $50 a day.
I also opt for cycling shoes which clip into the bike pedals, a
system which lends more stability and pedaling power but means you're
potentially locked onto the bike when you fall.
Rolling Ridges
We're staying on Darling Hill Road, close to many trailheads. (The
charming and intimate Wildflower Inn is a good lodging option, with
rooms from $190 a night.) Within minutes, we're flitting through
expanses of glorious green and loping along rolling ridges.
David blithely pedals over a bridge of wet boards spanning a small
gorge. I stop and walk my bike, imagining myself toppling off the drop
while still locked in a lover's embrace by my shoe clips. No thanks.
The trails are varied and extremely well cared for. One is
imaginatively named "Tap & Die," and as we roar down a series of steep
switchbacks, kicking up dirt, it's easy to see why. If you maintain a
steely nerve barreling through the curves, the full-suspension mountain
bikes will carry you through. Tap on your brakes however, and your
weight will shift, the rhythm will be destroyed, and you're likely to go
vaulting into the trees.
By the end of the first day, I'd hit the ground a half dozen times
before I hit my biking stride. David's crash card was spotless.
Slippery Roots
The following morning we set off in a light rain ("Just like
Edinburgh," David grouses), a condition that leaves tree roots as slick
as ice. More spills are in my future but it's the best time I've ever
had on two wheels.
At one point I wheel around a corner to find David picking himself
off the ground, all sheepish grins. They all fall down sooner or later.
Another notable fact about the trails: They wouldn't exist except
for the largesse of local landowners. More than 90 percent are on
private land.
"We have written permission from 50 contiguous land owners, which
is extraordinary," Tierney says. "They recognize it as a positive for
the community, especially as it's a very low-maintenance form of
tourism. No beer bottles or trash. It's a low-trace crowd."
Tierney says riders are now coming from biking meccas like Colorado
and Utah. "I never thought we'd see that."
"It's a wonderful way for others to experience this area which I
love," agrees landowner Tony Donn, who lives in Burklyn, the historic
yellow mansion on Darling Hill Road. He and wife Linda agreed to lend
access to their land more than 10 years ago.
"The Northeast Kingdom is like being on top of the world," he says.
"I take a walk and pass the guys on the bicycles and we all wave at each
other. It's like heaven on a good day."
Information: +1-802-626-0737; http://www.kingdomtrails.org.
(Jason H. Harper writes about autos and travel for Bloomberg News.
The opinions expressed are his own.)
I got this email today 😉
A 'Good Day in Heaven' Eating Dirt on Vermont's Biking Trails
2009-06-29 04:01:00.3 GMT
Review by Jason H. Harper
June 29 (Bloomberg) -- I am not afraid of falling off a bicycle.
Good thing, too, as I've already got rich Vermont dirt in my teeth and
the next section of the mountain-bike trail I'm on is even trickier.
The path spindles through the narrow gap between two trees.
Either I thread the eye of the needle or I'm dining on bark next.
Mountain biking was born in California and gained fame in the
Colorado mountains and sandstone canyons of Moab, Utah. So it's no
surprise that the West rules when it comes to fat-tire playgrounds.
Which is why Northeasterners-in-the-know rejoice at Kingdom Trails, 100
miles of world-class mountain biking in Vermont's upper reaches.
The epicenter is in East Burke, a tiny hamlet near Burke Mountain,
two hours from Montreal, three from Boston and five from New York.
Ridership in the Northeast Kingdom swelled in the 1980s and in 1994, the
non-profit Kingdom Trail Association was formed to develop and manage
the expanding network.
Kingdom Trails now gets 32,000 visits a year, according to the
association, and was branded the best trail network in North America by
"Bike Magazine." A daily pass is $10; a yearly membership only $50.
Many of the paths are spread over Darling Hill Ridge, a landmass
originally formed by a glacier that sits between two branches of the
Passumpsic River.
"Basically, it's a monstrous sand hill dumped in the middle of
northern Vermont," says Tim Tierney, KTA executive director. "That's why
we have such smooth trails."
Triple-Black Trails
Similar to ski runs, trails are rated from green (easy) to triple
black (body armor recommended -- seriously), and range from wide paths
that lollygag through waving-grass meadows to tight, narrow tracks that
switchback through dense pines and maples.
The soil is firm and fast with few rocks, though exposed tree
trunks can turn a tire and send a rider tipping over handlebars (I speak
from experience).
I mountain bike once or twice a year, just enough to cling to
intermediate status and convince myself that I can handle the more
challenging trails. This time I'm riding with a much more experienced
friend, David Gray, who cut his two-wheel teeth in the hills outside of
Edinburgh. We get maps, trail advice and Trek rental bikes and helmets
from East Burke Sports for $50 a day.
I also opt for cycling shoes which clip into the bike pedals, a
system which lends more stability and pedaling power but means you're
potentially locked onto the bike when you fall.
Rolling Ridges
We're staying on Darling Hill Road, close to many trailheads. (The
charming and intimate Wildflower Inn is a good lodging option, with
rooms from $190 a night.) Within minutes, we're flitting through
expanses of glorious green and loping along rolling ridges.
David blithely pedals over a bridge of wet boards spanning a small
gorge. I stop and walk my bike, imagining myself toppling off the drop
while still locked in a lover's embrace by my shoe clips. No thanks.
The trails are varied and extremely well cared for. One is
imaginatively named "Tap & Die," and as we roar down a series of steep
switchbacks, kicking up dirt, it's easy to see why. If you maintain a
steely nerve barreling through the curves, the full-suspension mountain
bikes will carry you through. Tap on your brakes however, and your
weight will shift, the rhythm will be destroyed, and you're likely to go
vaulting into the trees.
By the end of the first day, I'd hit the ground a half dozen times
before I hit my biking stride. David's crash card was spotless.
Slippery Roots
The following morning we set off in a light rain ("Just like
Edinburgh," David grouses), a condition that leaves tree roots as slick
as ice. More spills are in my future but it's the best time I've ever
had on two wheels.
At one point I wheel around a corner to find David picking himself
off the ground, all sheepish grins. They all fall down sooner or later.
Another notable fact about the trails: They wouldn't exist except
for the largesse of local landowners. More than 90 percent are on
private land.
"We have written permission from 50 contiguous land owners, which
is extraordinary," Tierney says. "They recognize it as a positive for
the community, especially as it's a very low-maintenance form of
tourism. No beer bottles or trash. It's a low-trace crowd."
Tierney says riders are now coming from biking meccas like Colorado
and Utah. "I never thought we'd see that."
"It's a wonderful way for others to experience this area which I
love," agrees landowner Tony Donn, who lives in Burklyn, the historic
yellow mansion on Darling Hill Road. He and wife Linda agreed to lend
access to their land more than 10 years ago.
"The Northeast Kingdom is like being on top of the world," he says.
"I take a walk and pass the guys on the bicycles and we all wave at each
other. It's like heaven on a good day."
Information: +1-802-626-0737; http://www.kingdomtrails.org.
(Jason H. Harper writes about autos and travel for Bloomberg News.
The opinions expressed are his own.)
VanDbtRiver
Well-Known Member
nice write up. I gotta get up there
VelocityBoy
"Sleeveless Joe"
nice article!
"Tap N Die" is like a SideWinder mini-me.
"Tap N Die" is like a SideWinder mini-me.
RacinStart
New Member
Dang, so far I am the only one going for the July 16th-19th weekend. ..... 🙁 Facebook friends don't rsvp....