Rides Within a Half-Day Drive

[krink]

That brings up a great question:

of all the places that are "wake up and ride there at noon" which have you done or liked? I think of all the ones Im listing, Kingdom trails are the best developed infrastructure and trail system, but others certainly are as big. Leaving out more "local" stuff like Wiss, White Clay, anything in Jersey or in PA east of Reading/Wilkes-Barre.

Patapsco - Ellicott City
Laurel Highlands- Ohiopyle
Rothrock/Rattlin Creek - State College
Allegrippis - BFE

@Norm posted

I have ridden all but Ohiopyle - I have never heard of this. I would not go out of the way for Patapsco. I mean no offense to that place but it is not remotely close to the caliber we are talking in this thread.

You could probably throw Lake Placid into a list like this. Green Woodlands in NH is pretty awesome but just a hair far for a day. North Conway, NH is up & coming as well.

Good convo but you may want a new thread on it.

Im surprised by your response to Patapsco. I rode the Southern stuff, the Avalon section, and thought it was as good as Wiss or White Clay. But, different strokes. On that note, I'm in the camp that Raystown/Allegrippis is very overrated.

Ohiopyle is a growing place. its 5 hr away and has 4 places to ride within 30 min and a great local scene.
Coopers Rock State Forest WV
Big Bear Lake WV
Quebec Run/Forbes Forest
Ohiopyle/Shugarloaf Knob
and two more within an hour: Yellow Creek State Park and Allegrippis.

Im not saying its superior to the others on the thread, just a place to maybe check out.

 

[Cassinonorth]

Intently watching this thread.

Year 1 of riding I basically sampled every major NJ trail system a couple times, year 2 I basically memorize my local trails ad nauseam, year 3 I want to make more trips within 2-3 hours.

 

[krink]

Intently watching this thread.

Year 1 of riding I basically sampled every major NJ trail system a couple times, year 2 I basically memorize my local trails ad nauseam, year 3 I want to make more trips within 2-3 hours.

Great places for a quick trip?

Got a few days off to ride with a couple of buddies. We all like mooch/ringwood. We are looking at 2 nights, 3 days of ridding. Maybe one day at a lift served mountain that has low tech trails off the lift. We are driving from north jersey. We haven’t been to kingdom in forever, but we’ve...

www.mtbnj.com

@JimN posted this in the other thread. Its a great resource.

 

[Jeremy]

Massanutten and the surrounding area’s are really good. They’re about a 4-5 hour drive. Tons of cabins to rent as well.

Western Slope Trails – Mountain Biking at Massanutten

Explore Massanutten’s Western Slope trails! Ride scenic, challenging & flowy singletrack perfect for all mountain biking skill levels.

www.massresort.com

 

[Norm]

Yeah not sure how I forgot Massanutten. Totally worth it and a great town to go with it.

 

[teabagger11]

Natalie/Aristes system in PA it's awesome and they are building more all the time

 

[Norm]

Natalie/Aristes system in PA it's awesome and they are building more all the time

Is that Roaring Creek here:

Roaring Creek, Shamokin on Trailforks

Roaring Creek Mountain Bike, Hike, Trail Running trails near Shamokin, Pennsylvania. 70 trails with 52 photos

www.trailforks.com

Looks interesting, though I admit a lot of these random parks in the middle of nowhere are really hit or miss. I pick a lot of places randomly when driving up to Boston (I know, this is in PA I am just making a point) and some are good, some less good, but since it's just a stop on the way, it's a win-win for me. Swatara is close to this which was on the way to Indianapolis for us in the fall (on the way to BV). Definitely not a destination but it was on the way and easy to navigate.

We really should consider a wiki for this. Let me think on how we could do this better/best.

 

[krink]

Is that Roaring Creek here:

Roaring Creek, Shamokin on Trailforks

Roaring Creek Mountain Bike, Hike, Trail Running trails near Shamokin, Pennsylvania. 70 trails with 52 photos

www.trailforks.com

Looks interesting, though I admit a lot of these random parks in the middle of nowhere are really hit or miss. I pick a lot of places randomly when driving up to Boston (I know, this is in PA I am just making a point) and some are good, some less good, but since it's just a stop on the way, it's a win-win for me. Swatara is close to this which was on the way to Indianapolis for us in the fall (on the way to BV). Definitely not a destination but it was on the way and easy to navigate.

We really should consider a wiki for this. Let me think on how we could do this better/best.

I used to live in Hershey. You’ve mentioned Swatara a few times. You should try govenor dick/mt Gretna. It’s a few miles off the turnpike and very cool. It’s maintained by a few local die hards and the trails are techy great.

 

[iLuveketchup]

Frederick Watershed is my favorite within a half day drive.

 

[Norm]

I used to live in Hershey. You’ve mentioned Swatara a few times. You should try govenor dick/mt Gretna. It’s a few miles off the turnpike and very cool. It’s maintained by a few local die hards and the trails are techy great.

I love me some dick...oh wait.

We were in Manheim last spring but decided to head to Reading for the day. GovDick was on the radar but we wanted to try PA's #1 rated park system (according to TF). Next time we'll opt for the dick.

Swatara was a fly-by based on distance from the highway & a recommendation. We just needed an hour ride that day. It's certainly not a destination but easy to follow (I mean wow, the trails are literally named A-B-C, etc) and compact so we did the whole thing easily enough. Then drive for another 8 hours or something.

 

[roc]

Elm ridge near windham is fantastic.

I’m not sure why, but I don’t love KT. I’d rather hit Millstone in Barre or Green Mountain Trails in Pittsfield, plus they are closer. If you leave early, or not even that early, you can get there by 12 easy.

 

[iLuveketchup]

^ Plus Elm Ridge is right next to Round Top, Tannersville, and the bike park. Definitely a good trip.

 

[Rusty]

The Hershey Hospital Trail is very good riding, lots of fun and one lap through there is a lot of elevation, even though it looks tiny on a map. Well built and growing, directional, jumps, flow, small amt of rocky tech, fun. I'm a huge fan, been there 3 times now and will go back.

https://sambabiker.com/hmc-hershey-medical-center/
https://www.strava.com/activities/5231496305

 

[xc62701]

For me, PA is where it's at. Go to Rothrock or Rattling Creek and you won't be dissapointed. Singletrack for dayz!

 

[krink]

For me, PA is where it's at. Go to Rothrock or Rattling Creek and you won't be dissapointed. Singletrack for dayz!

Yup. Love them both.

 

[teabagger11]

I love me some dick...oh wait.

We were in Manheim last spring but decided to head to Reading for the day. GovDick was on the radar but we wanted to try PA's #1 rated park system (according to TF). Next time we'll opt for the dick.

Swatara was a fly-by based on distance from the highway & a recommendation. We just needed an hour ride that day. It's certainly not a destination but easy to follow (I mean wow, the trails are literally named A-B-C, etc) and compact so we did the whole thing easily enough. Then drive for another 8 hours or something.

Best wY to do swatara is start out and take all rights until you back where you started then turn around and do all lrfts on the way back

 

[krink]

We were in Manheim last spring but decided to head to Reading for the day. GovDick was on the radar but we wanted to try PA's #1 rated park system (according to TF). Next time we'll opt for the dick.

You mean the Mt Penn Trail system? Ive never done it. I've done the trail round blue marsh a number of times, but thats it. Do you recommend Mt Penn?

 

[teabagger11]

Is that Roaring Creek here:

Roaring Creek, Shamokin on Trailforks

Roaring Creek Mountain Bike, Hike, Trail Running trails near Shamokin, Pennsylvania. 70 trails with 52 photos

www.trailforks.com

Looks interesting, though I admit a lot of these random parks in the middle of nowhere are really hit or miss. I pick a lot of places randomly when driving up to Boston (I know, this is in PA I am just making a point) and some are good, some less good, but since it's just a stop on the way, it's a win-win for me. Swatara is close to this which was on the way to Indianapolis for us in the fall (on the way to BV). Definitely not a destination but it was on the way and easy to navigate.

We really should consider a wiki for this. Let me think on how we could do this better/best.

There is 2 ways to ride here start on the Natalie side and just ride everything you see you will get twisted and turned around because it is such a maze and all fun techy smooth and twisty
Start at aristes and ride the east side trails then cross 42 and ride big mountain trail out and back or try to do it all either way is good riding so I guess that's 3 ways I mean there are other ways to ride too like drop down the mountain to the reservoirs there's single-track down there to just don't drop down the south side to the strip mining ops

 

[Norm]

You mean the Mt Penn Trail system? Ive never done it. I've done the trail round blue marsh a number of times, but thats it. Do you recommend Mt Penn?

Yeah Mt. Penn. It was fine, not worth going out of the way. Probably best if you have a local guide, which we did not.

 

[gcab]

Agree on the Ohiopyle area for sure. Some other trails near Friendsville MD there as well if you're in the area, though not as big as the other systems stated.

Also @Robin can attest as well, but the trails on the Geisinger Stewardship Forest behind the hospital in Danville PA are worth a stop. Also a smaller segment of trails close by called "Hopewell Park." And they are just off 80!