New to Wildcat, route suggestions

[all_mt_clyde]

I'll be checking out Wildcat for the first time, hopefully make up for last week's exploration let down. Looking at the routes on Trailforks, here's my current route plan: park at Rt.513 and lower Hibernia road and do the 14 mile loop on TF counter clockwise; south on Beach Glen West, Beach Glen East, Richter Mine Trail, part of Wildcat Ridge to Oreland, Hermod to Hudsonia Overlook, Mjolnir, and Snake Hill Road to the parking.

This seems to skip a few popular trails in the middle, Upper Hibernia and Hawk Watch Trail. Any pointers?

 

[roc]

@JimN ?

 

[Jmann]

I would recommend doing that clockwise. A route I like is: snake hill rd to mjolnir, new telemark bypass to shotgun, the trail behind ball field to oreland, wildcat trail to orange hawk watch trail, descend new way down (red) from hawk watch to beach glen back to lot. I’m sure that is confusing, I’ll see if I have a strava route.

Edit: here is strava route https://strava.app.link/WeqB6Sr1Xab

 

[Patrick]

I'll be checking out Wildcat for the first time, hopefully make up for last week's exploration let down. Looking at the routes on Trailforks, here's my current route plan: park at Rt.513 and lower Hibernia road and do the 14 mile loop on TF counter clockwise; south on Beach Glen West, Beach Glen East, Richter Mine Trail, part of Wildcat Ridge to Oreland, Hermod to Hudsonia Overlook, Mjolnir, and Snake Hill Road to the parking.

This seems to skip a few popular trails in the middle, Upper Hibernia and Hawk Watch Trail. Any pointers?

What type of terrain do you really like? And do you want climbing with rewards, or more interested in a more-funner loop.
(this may be a fitness level or pucker level question)

 

[JimN]

Where do you normally ride, and how much do you like rocks?

Unless you are looking for 4+ hours moving time, don't worry about hitting all the popular trails on your first go. There's too much good stuff there now.

Also, @68nova200 needs to change the Trailforks names to match Strava for the trails on the other side of Green Pond Rd. I never know what people are talking about when they use those names.

 

[extremedave]

I'll be checking out Wildcat for the first time, hopefully make up for last week's exploration let down. Looking at the routes on Trailforks, here's my current route plan: park at Rt.513 and lower Hibernia road and do the 14 mile loop on TF counter clockwise; south on Beach Glen West, Beach Glen East, Richter Mine Trail, part of Wildcat Ridge to Oreland, Hermod to Hudsonia Overlook, Mjolnir, and Snake Hill Road to the parking.

This seems to skip a few popular trails in the middle, Upper Hibernia and Hawk Watch Trail. Any pointers?

Hawk watch is mainly for the view, I wouldn’t worry about it. my only reservation is climbing Mjolnir (lake Ames super D on strava). I dunno if I’ve ever seen anyone go up it, probably someone did then swore off biking forever.

if climbing is your jam, have at it. I generally do either the Snake hill side to banana hammock (or Darlington) to Oreland. Or Orange to upper Hibernia, across the dam, down Richter and out blue, but I‘m more of a downhill guy. Either of those is about two hours.

Like Jim said, trying to do both sides will probably eat up four hours or so. If you’ve got the time have at it.

Don‘t forget it’s a WMA and technically off limits due to hunting except Sunday.

 

[extremedave]

Side note: the beaver has been winning the battle and causing flooding where Hermod ( never heard it called that) passes the pond. Its just after you cross the road from Oreland. You can ride the road for a few hundred yards and cut in at the soccer field if so.

 

[Patrick]

Side note: the beaver has been winning the battle and causing flooding where Hermod ( never heard it called that) passes the pond. Its just after you cross the road from Oreland. You can ride the road for a few hundred yards and cut in at the soccer field if so.

get your beaver trapping permit and take care of it.
that is a 3fer. wma $ support, help biking, new hat.

couple days left in season.

 

[extremedave]

I don't know if I could take the years of beaver double entendre. But "licensed beaver hunter" is a fun moniker.

 

[jackx]

There must be someone who is a beaver achiever.

 

[Jmann]

Not to further derail the thread

 

[Soundguy]

I'll be checking out Wildcat for the first time, hopefully make up for last week's exploration let down. Looking at the routes on Trailforks, here's my current route plan: park at Rt.513 and lower Hibernia road and do the 14 mile loop on TF counter clockwise; south on Beach Glen West, Beach Glen East, Richter Mine Trail, part of Wildcat Ridge to Oreland, Hermod to Hudsonia Overlook, Mjolnir, and Snake Hill Road to the parking.

This seems to skip a few popular trails in the middle, Upper Hibernia and Hawk Watch Trail. Any pointers?

This is a good loop. I agree with @Jmann tho, I think clockwise rewards more fun. Shotgun trail is really cool. Honestly we ride everything both directions, if you go counter clockwise you’re just starting with a really techy climb up to a really long climb which could have all been a long downhill...

 

[graveyardman67]

Hawk watch is mainly for the view, I wouldn’t worry about it. my only reservation is climbing Mjolnir (lake Ames super D on strava). I dunno if I’ve ever seen anyone go up it, probably someone did then swore off biking forever.

It's actually a great climb. No parts are really steep and the turns are better climbing than going down (very tight).

The initial loop described works well either way. The issue most people have at WC is that there are many trail junctions with only of the 3 choices being the "right" way. It's very easy to go off course. Keep your eyes on the map.

 

[all_mt_clyde]

Thanks for the advice everyone, very helpful. the hard decision on direction was trails on TF seemed the better DH. Was going on Sunday because of hunting season. Good call out on counter-clockwise for Mjolnir and ending on a DH as well as overall time-on-trail. To answer some questions:

• I climb for the reward; the DH and/or pucker-uppers. I'm about 205-210 dry and ride a 31lbs Bronson; not afraid or climbs but not aspiring for any FKTs but also never looked at an east coast trail and thought 'wish I had an e-bike'.
• Mostly ride Sterling and Ringwood. I prefer Sterling b/c a bit more flow(-ish); RW for the white trail DH and some (SOME) of the red trail tech. I admit that I bypass the part of the red trail at the top of the climb from lot C, but that's because I started at Shepard's Lake and starting to feel fatigue.
• My more-funner loop is = climbable trail to a rockin' DH with speed and tech.

Thanks again, this has been on my radar for a while; hoping to have a third local riding option

 

[goldsbar]

Beware the "Mjolnir" side of 513 can be hard to follow. It's gotten a lot better, even over just the last year, but it can still be confusing even if your staring at your GPS.

As to your comments that you climb for the reward of rockin' DHs with speed...well, this isn't always the place for that, especially with the otherwise good route that you picked. Top fast DHs I can think of off the top of my head would be Orange down to where you proposed to park, Red/"New Way Down" from Hawk Watch and White down going in the opposite direction towards the reservoir.

Beach Glen will be a real deal climb (mostly due to the tech) that does not lead to a "rockin' DH." Richter Mine is just a long, moderate fire road climb until the end where it's not moderate. Also does not lead to any sort of killer DH. Oreland you'll like and you're doing it in the more DH direction.

Highly encourage you to ride Wildcat, but just trying to set your expectations. It's nothing like Sterling or Ringwood unless you include the Skyline Drive part of Ringwood.

 

[extremedave]

Lemme think about this, how much time are you allotting to this ride?

Thanks for the advice everyone, very helpful. the hard decision on direction was trails on TF seemed the better DH. Was going on Sunday because of hunting season. Good call out on counter-clockwise for Mjolnir and ending on a DH as well as overall time-on-trail. To answer some questions:

• I climb for the reward; the DH and/or pucker-uppers. I'm about 205-210 dry and ride a 31lbs Bronson; not afraid or climbs but not aspiring for any FKTs but also never looked at an east coast trail and thought 'wish I had an e-bike'.
• Mostly ride Sterling and Ringwood. I prefer Sterling b/c a bit more flow(-ish); RW for the white trail DH and some (SOME) of the red trail tech. I admit that I bypass the part of the red trail at the top of the climb from lot C, but that's because I started at Shepard's Lake and starting to feel fatigue.
• My more-funner loop is = climbable trail to a rockin' DH with speed and tech.

Thanks again, this has been on my radar for a while; hoping to have a third local riding option

 

[Fat Trout]

I don't know if I could take the years of beaver double entendre. But "licensed beaver hunter" is a fun moniker.

I couldn't help myself

 

[extremedave]

I couldn't help myself

This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

 

[shrpshtr325]

Richter Mine is just a long, moderate fire road climb until the end where it's not moderate.

the richter mine section of trail has two lines top to bottom, one is a fireroad, the other is a blast of a trail to ride downhill (you have to climb up from the damn a bit first, but then its all fun)

 

[dmkalemba]

the richter mine section of trail has two lines top to bottom, one is a fireroad, the other is a blast of a trail to ride downhill (you have to climb up from the damn a bit first, but then its all fun)

Two things.

First, I like to start at the splitrock reservoir lot and do the outer loop clockwise

Second

Winnona's Got a Big Brown Beaver