By
runhard
in
8/29/2008 5:57:49 PM
|
In a review of our ride on 8-22-08 I said that I was disappointed that the description of the trail was wrong and that only about 10 miles of the 35 mile trail described is actually open. I want to add that the five mile long portion of the trail between Mosier and Hood River is an excellent trail with beautiful views of the Columbia River Valley.
If you do this portion of the trail, you won't be disappointed. Just don't expect 35 miles of trail.
Lyle Clugg
By
runhard
in
8/29/2008 5:49:55 PM
|
Apparently this is the summer that major changes are happening on the trail. We started at the Manning Trailhead on Pihl Road, just off Highway 47. The parking lot was filled with construction equipment and gravel piles. Another trail user told us to go a hundred yards east to Pongratz Road and continue north on the gravel road until we met the trail again. It was about a 1 1/2 mile detour, but when we got there, we could see the trail was under construction and will probably be complete in a couple of weeks. I just viewed the area on Google's satellite view and saw that when the picture was taken, at least part of this section was a cultivated field. It should be completed shortly.
We continued on up the trail, now a beautiful newly paved path with a woodchip border for equestrian traffic. It was a steady uphill climb for the next seven miles. The only exception was the horseshoe trestle just south of the state park picnic area. It too is under construction and looks like it will open any day now. In the meantime, you take a good but steep path down and up the other side of the valley to the picnic area. We continued on several more miles to another crossroad in the state park. Beyond the road was a steep grade and a ballast trail, so we decide to turn around at this point and enjoyed a zippy ride down to our starting point. A 2 or 3% grade kept us at 15 mph without pedaling, all the way to the detour.
Even though it was a hot day in August, trail users are under a tree canopy for most of the ride. It is a thoroughly enjoyable trail.
Lyle Clugg
By
runhard
in
8/22/2008 10:21:33 PM
|
Today my wife and I planned to do a 25 mile section of this trail between Mosier and Cascade Locks. The trail description says, "The center portion of the HCRH, between Warrendale and Mosier, is presently open for use." It is not.
The trail is open between Mosier and Hood River, about 5 miles. It then dumps out on to the city streets of Hood River (highway 30), and then 30 merges back into Interstate 84. There is no trail for the next 20 or so miles until Cascade Locks where it starts up again and goes about 5 more miles to Interstate Mile Marker 40 where it ends near Moffett Creek Falls. For now these are the only portions that are exclusively hike/bike trail. Further west, Old Highway 30 is open to vehicle traffic to Troutdale.
To summarize, only about 10 miles of this supposed 35 mile trail is open. It may be planned to extend these two segments, but no contruction has started.
By
runhard
in
11/29/2007 10:21:53 PM
|
My wife and I walked a portion of the Santa Fe Trail on the day after Thanksgiving in 2007. There was an inch or two of fresh snow that had fallen during the night which made it a beautiful but somewhat slippery walk. The Rabbit Road trailhead is easy to reach by going south on St. Francis, Santa Fe's main drag. Continue past I-25 to the dead end and turn right. The railroad tracks are about a half mile west, and a small parking lot is on the left. We saw broken glass mentioned by an earlier reviewer (five years ago), but local friends go there to run frequently and say the parking is safe.
The trail is great for walking or running, but it would be a pretty good workout on a mountain bike. For most of the mile we walked to the south, there were usually two choices. You could stay near the tracks where the trail was reasonably level, or you go up over the small hill for a good workout. After each small but steep hill, the two trails would come back together and then split again at the next hill. Even in the short distance we went, the views were beautiful, particularly on a snowy day. We are anxious to come back with our bikes so we can do more of the trail.
By
runhard
in
11/14/2006 12:00:00 AM
|
"My wife and I rode the first six miles of the trail on Columbus Day, 2006. It was dry and an excellent mountain bike ride. The trail is grassy and sandy with a lot of roots in some places, so it provides a good workout. The 60° temperature was perfect. On a twelve mile ride, we saw no one else on the trail.
Finding the trail is somewhat confusing. As you head northeast out of Awendaw, ignore the Wambaw cycle trail signs. There is a good parking lot about 1/4 mile past Steed Creek Road, but you have to go past it to turn around since it is a four lane parkway. I've submitted a picture of the sign at the parking lot.
The Palmetto Trail actually begins two miles northeast of here along US 17 at the Buckhall Recreation Area. You can avoid the day use fee by parking at the Swamp Fox trailhead near Steed Creek Road. From there, you join the Palmetto Trail about 100 yards into the woods. Just make sure you take the correct turn when you return."
By
runhard
in
11/14/2006 12:00:00 AM
|
"My wife and I rode from Leetonia to Lisbon and back on 10/21/06. It was cool, but a beautiful day. The leaves were falling and covered the trail in many spots.
We stopped in Lisbon the day before to scope out the trail. The parking was confusing at the trailhead. It seems that all the signs say ""Wrong Way"", no matter which way you are going. We drove a block north, then west and sort of came in a back alley. The next day when we rode in from Leetonia, someone came up to us and asked if it was OK to park there. They were as confused as we were.
The Leetonia parking area was a bit hard to find, but a local biker pointed us in the right direction.
It was a very pleasant ride. I hadn't remembered reading about the covered bridge, so that was an interesting side trip. Three kayakers were putting in to the swiftly running creek just below the bridge.
We saw a number of decorated bird houses along the trail. It looked like one of the local schools had a project to have their classes put up birdhouses. I submitted a photo of one of the more interesting ones.
When coming from the north, the trail ends at a road. There are no directional signs there, so bear left to pick up the trail again in about a quarter mile.
All in all, a very pleasant, easy ride with good services along the way."
By
runhard
in
10/30/2005 12:00:00 AM
|
"After a beautiful drive from Charlottesville, VA, by mid-afternoon we arrived in Durbin, WV during a light rain. Durbin is a tiny town with very limited motel facilities, so we decided a short walk under umbrellas would be much more fun than a thirty mile bike ride in the rain with no hot shower at the end. Elkins, WV, about 30 miles north of Durbin, has a number of motels to choose from.
The trail head is easy to find on the west edge of this small town. There is a small, undeveloped, but quite adequate parking area at the trailhead. Only one other vehicle was there during our stay.
The rain ended during our walk and left us to appreciate one of the prettiest trails we've seen on this trip. The trail has no improvements, and grass grows between the tracks, but the surface is surprisingly smooth, and would be an easy ride on mountain bikes. We saw enough of the trail to know that it will be worth the trip the next time we head east from Colorado. It is only one of three excellent trails we've ridden in West Virginia this fall."
By
runhard
in
10/30/2005 12:00:00 AM
|
"I couldn't find the Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park on any maps I had, and we didn't see it when we passed by (it is a very narrow strip of land), so we turned south on Hwy 7 and followed it a mile or so until we saw the trail and another park on our right. From the park, we rode up the creek to mile 15, just past the coke ovens near Masontown, and then returned on an easy ride back down the hill into Morgantown.
When we returned, we continued on to the riverfront park. Once there, it was hard to see how we missed it (it is near the intersection of Garrett St. and Don Knotts Blvd, about 3 blocks SW of the Hwy 19 bridge.)
The trail itself is paved in town, then changes to an excellent crushed gravel surface for the rest of the journey. You pass through but are disconnected from the town for a few miles, then the creek dominates your thoughts as you continue past waterfalls and rapids and through beautiful woods. We turned around at mile marker 15, just past the unique abandonded coke ovens. Although it was uphill most of the first 15 miles, it is an easy grade. It just sets you up for a wonderful return."
By
runhard
in
10/29/2005 12:00:00 AM
|
"We had a bit of trouble finding where to start in Piedmont, but after crossing the trail several times, we came to the Eubank Welcome Center (it is located near the intersection of Hughes and Daily Streets). Once there, we obtained a trail map and started toward Georgia.
The first five miles of trail is paved, but the next nine miles to the border was a mixture of ballast, dirt, gravel, sand, grass and water. That portion of the trail was the most fun because it passed through some beautiful, isolated countryside. The major trestle was a bit tricky, since it was missing a number of ties. Some of the worst spots were covered with plywood, but it was still an adventure to cross.
You know when you reach Georgia and the Silver Comet Trail, because once again it is a wide paved trail.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable way to spend a late September day. If you go, take plenty of water, since there are no facilities east of Piedmont."
By
runhard
in
10/29/2005 12:00:00 AM
|
"My wife and I took two great rides on the Cardinal Trail. In late September, 2005 we rode twenty miles of the trail starting in Muncie, and then two weeks later on our way back from the east coast, we rode the section in Richmond. The trail is well marked and well maintained in the sections we rode. Unique stone mile markers are situated along the trail. Excellent parking facilities with restrooms are conveniently located at most trailheads.
We started in downtown Muncie, where a large overhead arch identifies the trail, and rode north to the end of the trail, and then headed for the south end. Numerous street crossings are the only drawback on the northern section. To the south, there are fewer crossings.
This is an excellent trail."
By
runhard
in
10/29/2005 12:00:00 AM
|
"We rode the section of the trail from Cairo to Pennsboro(15 miles) on a beautiful Fall morning. That section of trail has lots of tunnels and bridges, and both towns are interesting to wander through. It is easy to find the trail in Cairo, since it passes directly through the downtown. The old Bank of Cairo is now the county visitor center. The local bike shop is at the other end of the square, and both are adjacent to the trail.
Pennsboro seems to be the center of glassworks in the area. We bought some beautiful glass marbles at a shop near the station in Pennsboro, and saw piles of molten glass next to the trail at a factory in nearby Ellenboro."
By
runhard
in
8/6/2005 12:00:00 AM
|
"We were eager to take a cool, early morning ride on the Little Mountain Trail on our way from Colorado to Yellowstone. Following the clear instructions, we arrived easily at the trailhead, only to find that this end of the trail is closed from March 1 to September 1 because of nesting. The trail runs through a wildlife management area.
Only upon returning home was I able to dig deeper into the trail website to find that there is another trailhead than the one described on the RTC website.
Don't make the same mistake we did."
By
runhard
in
4/3/2005 12:00:00 AM
|
"My wife and I have ridden rail trails and mountain bike trails in over 30 states in the last few years. We both agree that the Pemberton Trail is the best of all those trails.
We rode the trail on March 29, 2005. Our timing was perfect to catch the desert in full bloom in one of the best years for wildflowers in recent memory. Temperatures hovered around 60 degrees on a beautiful sunny, windy day, a perfect day for a ride in the desert.
Before the ride, we stopped at the new visitor center where they recommended riding the trail in the counter-clockwise direction. It was a good suggestion. We parked in the spacious trailhead staging area where we found picnic facilities, water and porta-potties. The 15.4 mile loop trail is accessible in either direction from the parking lot.
Going CCW, you start on an easy, rolling three miles of single track. The trail is very well maintained and marked. The surface is mostly hard packed fine gravel, with some stretches of sand and rock. There are signs at each junction and excellent maps are available at the visitor center.
After a good three mile warmup, you get to the service road at Cedar Tank. The service road roughly parallels the northern park boundary, rising steadily but easily before it turns south to Granite Tank. The service road didn't sound too exciting, but it was just a nice double track bike path, not very different from the rest of the trail.
Around the seven mile mark, after passing Granite Tank, the real fun begins. The single track heads steadily downslope, but with enough creek crossings and short uphill stretches to keep you working. You can take short cuts at the Stonman Wash, Bluff or Tonto Tank Trails, but if you keep going, you find a several mile long stretch where you can cruise at 15-20 mph without ever pedaling or braking. It is a fantastic ride. After you reach the bottom of this long ride, it is about a mile of rolling hills back to the trailhead.
During our 2 1/2 hour ride we saw fewer than ten people, but far more animals and birds including quail, rabbits, chipmunks and one snake. We couldn't ask for a better day."
By
runhard
in
10/12/2004 12:00:00 AM
|
"My wife and I have ridden rail-trails in 29 states and this trail was a real disappointment. We rode this trail in early September 2004.
The trail has great potential since it traverses some beautiful countryside, but it doesn't live up to that potential. It appears that most of the trail maintenance is done for and by a local snowmobile club.
We started at the western end of the trail, where we found ample parking. The sanitary facilities at the park (the only ones we saw in ten miles) consisted of one of the dirtiest portapotties I've ever seen.
From the parking lot, it is about 100 feet to the rail trail, but there is no signage pointing to it, and the access trail is undeveloped - just paths worn by the many users. The only signs are on the actual trail itself. They were just little signs telling who could use the trail, symbols for hikers, bikers, snowmobiles, etc. We saw no trail maps, distance markers or other useful information. There was a 45 mph speed limit posted for snowmobiles.
The trail has been converted from a rail bed, and orginally had a coat of crushed gravel. In many places the gravel has washed out, leaving ruts or patches of sand. The worst places have been patched, but the repairs have been done with railroad ballast, making it almost unusable for bikes. One of these sharp shards pierced my mountain bike tire causing a sudden blowout.
The three short tunnels referred to in the description are really large culverts under roads. They are dark with uneven surfaces and a moderately steep climb to each of them. It is recommended that bikers dismount before entering the tunnels.
This trail has a lot of users. It makes a good running or walking trail, and I'm sure the snowmobiling would be good. Road bikers beware, and mountain bikers be careful.
The next trail we rode was the Missiquoi Valley Trail in northern Vermont. That trail is a model of what rail trail can be like. New Hampshire should look around and see what can be done with their beautiful trail."
By
runhard
in
10/12/2004 12:00:00 AM
|
"We weren't expecting what we got when we did this trail, but we had an enjoyable ride. These are not rail-trails. We rode about 11 miles of the trail in early September 2004.
We started our ride at the L.C. Bates museum on the Good Will-Hinckley campus. This school for dis-advantaged boys and girls was founded in 1889. Before the ride, we watched an interesting film on the history of the school, and then toured the eclectic museum.
The map available at the museum is not very detailed, which tends to make the ride more interesting. The trails on the map are numbered, but we saw no signs or markings on the trail that related to the map. No scale is shown on the map. It was roughly five miles to the road north of the campus where we turned around.
We started behind the chapel on the large campus. With guidance from a helpful passerby, we headed up the road to the school's farm and the start of one of nine numbered trails. We missed the turn at the cemetery and got an extra tour of the farm, but we eventually found trail #4.
The trails are primarily geared to ATV's and snowmobiles, but our mountain bikes were easily up to the task, mostly on narrow double track. We wound past the cemetery, through fields and into the woods. There is an occasional blaze to mark the trail, but it requires some map reading skills and blind luck to figure out when you are at an intersection. Luckily, there were only a few of those. The trail crosses several creeks, some bridged, some not. Prepare to get a bit muddy. It must have rained recently, because we scared up lots of frogs as we splashed through the frequent puddles.
We eventually got to the paved road about five miles north of the campus, at the end of trail #3, and we turned right and rode, looking for the power line that marked the trailhead for #2.
That took us past the 100 acre field and down to the new 160 acre field (these are how the landmarks are described on the map). We came to a muddy creek of undetermined depth. Taking off the shoes and wading proved to be prudent, but unnecessary. Eventually, #2 met #5 and a bit more travelled road. From there, we easily found our way back to Highway 201 and an easy jaunt back to the campus. This unexpected but enjoyable ride is one we will remember for quite a while."
By
runhard
in
10/12/2004 12:00:00 AM
|
"This is one of the best rail trails my wife and I have ridden in 29 states. Like another reviewer, we also had trouble finding the trail in Bristol. We went about a mile north of the trail's southern end and parked in an ample trail parking lot near the entrance to Colt State Park. From Newport, follow highway 114 up through Bristol to the Colt SP entrance. Although it was a large lot, it was full when we got back from our Saturday morning ride. The other parking symbols shown on the website map don't help very much in actually locating parking. The instructions for parking at the north end of the trail are exactly on, so use them if arriving from the north.
This trail has excellent views of the bay, pleasant woodland stretches, small town and big city views. The superb asphalt trail is well marked with mile and 1/2 mile markers the entire distance. The narrow I-195 bridge crossing is an adventure, but worth the trip. The only downside to the trail is the lack of sanitary facilities. The only ones we saw were at about mile seven, so plan ahead. Overall, this trail rates a 10."
By
runhard
in
10/12/2004 12:00:00 AM
|
"The west end of the trail in East Hampton is hard to find if you are not familiar with the area. You enter off of Smith Street in East Hampton, but the trailhead is not marked on the street. It appears to be just a driveway or street. It turns out to be a rather large parking lot with a tall sign (see the pictures) over the trail at the other end of the lot. The sign is about 50 yards from the street and hard to see from the Smith Street. The search is worth it. This is a very well maintained trail to Hebron.
Where the trail crosses Highway 2 can also be confusing. It ends at a large parking area. You must get on the street, go up and down a hill to where the trail resumes on the other side. There are no signs telling you where to go.
The only recommendation I can make for this trail is that they add a few more signs. The trail itself is great."