Destination or Local Mountain Bike Rides

[Wilhelmson]

How far do you usually travel to get to your riding location? Of course the ideal situation is to live at a destination area.

When we go away I always bring my bike and look into the trails in the area. I'll go to destination area a few times a year to meet some friends or I have a day to myself.

There are some good singletrack within a mile from my house that I ride for 60 or 90 outing to get some exercise. The are enough small hills and exposed ledge to make it interesting. There are some other good areas 4 or 5 miles away I can either ride or drive to depending hon how much time I have.

 

[scott43]

I take what I can get. Some relative short stuff is ridable from the house. Favourite destination is a half hour drive. Otherwise just depends on where we're vacationing.

 

[Crank]

My regular trail system is good for an hour to and hour and a half and is mostly intermediate riding with some short but steep climbs. Called Mianus River Park on the border of Stamford and Greenwich, CT. It's about a 15 minute drive. Lots of dog walkers on the first mile of trail then the traffic is mostly gone. A fair amount of RAW action in the evenings as Stamford, CT has a ton of corporate offices.

20 minutes in the other direction we have a trail system called Sprain Ridge Park that I don't really love. Tilted and narrow, shoehorned in between the Sprain River and Sprain Ridge Parkway in Yonkers, NY. Gets a lot of urban riders and is, I think, the closest real riding to NYC. I will hit every once in a while just for something different.

For weekend rides we have some really good places about 40- 50 minutes drive:

Huntington State Park in CT has a really nice network of carriage roads and at least 12 miles of purpose built singletrack. I helped build a couple of the trails. I used to live 20 minutes away and was a regular there for years.

Blue Mountain Reservation about 40 minutes north of us in Peekskill, NY has really nice techy singletrack and a lot of climbing for our neck of the woods. We go there when feeling strong and looking for a challenge.

And then we have some bigger rides an hour away that we like, Most notably Stewart State Park near Newburgh, NY. Many miles of mostly smooth, flowy trails that wine around land that used to be farms. There is a really nice lift served place in MA but that is a 2 + hour drive and we may get there once a season if that. It is called Thunder Ridge and in the winter it is called Berkshire East.

 

[Philpug]

We have small trail network that we can get to right from our door but to get the world class Tahoe riding, it is anywhere from 15-45 min away.

 

[UGASkiDawg]

My regular trail system is good for an hour to and hour and a half and is mostly intermediate riding with some short but steep climbs. Called Mianus River Park on the border of Stamford and Greenwich, CT. It's about a 15 minute drive. Lots of dog walkers on the first mile of trail then the traffic is mostly gone. A fair amount of RAW action in the evenings as Stamford, CT has a ton of corporate offices.

20 minutes in the other direction we have a trail system called Sprain Ridge Park that I don't really love. Tilted and narrow, shoehorned in between the Sprain River and Sprain Ridge Parkway in Yonkers, NY. Gets a lot of urban riders and is, I think, the closest real riding to NYC. I will hit every once in a while just for something different.

For weekend rides we have some really good places about 40- 50 minutes drive:

Huntington State Park in CT has a really nice network of carriage roads and at least 12 miles of purpose built singletrack. I helped build a couple of the trails. I used to live 20 minutes away and was a regular there for years.

Blue Mountain Reservation about 40 minutes north of us in Peekskill, NY has really nice techy singletrack and a lot of climbing for our neck of the woods. We go there when feeling strong and looking for a challenge.

And then we have some bigger rides an hour away that we like, Most notably Stewart State Park near Newburgh, NY. Many miles of mostly smooth, flowy trails that wine around land that used to be farms. There is a really nice lift served place in MA but that is a 2 + hour drive and we may get there once a season if that. It is called Thunder Ridge and in the winter it is called Berkshire East.

Trails that wine around? Sounds like my kind of riding

 

[Ski&ride]

Of course the ideal situation is to live at a destination area.

I don’t know where you live and how you define a “destination area”. What are some examples of “destinations”?

But where I live, there’re so much good riding I can’t tear myself away in the summer!

Do people travel to ride here as a “destination”? I don’t know. But I know I don’t travel to other places just to ride.

I do travel in the summer. But it’s more for a change of scenery. Not because I can’t find the kind of riding near home.

 

[luliski]

There's no real mountain biking in my town since it's flat, which is why I gave up mountain and started road when I moved here. I started mountain biking again a few years ago, but I have to drive to get to the areas. There are some decent areas 30-40 minutes away, and then within a 1-2.5 hour radius: Santa Cruz, Auburn, Tahoe, Sonoma County, Napa County, Marin; all awesome areas to ride. I do often take a bike when I go to the mountains.

 

[coskigirl]

Generally, I drive 10-30 minutes to most of my ride locations. Occasionally I will go further such as to Frisco, Steamboat, or this weekend the Vail area. Once to Carbondale. Usually, those include overnight stays. Once a year I fly to Oregon to ride with my family there. I want to do some Fruita and Moab trips but I'm guessing that won't happen for a few years due to my school schedule.

 

[Josh Matta]

I have 3 miles out my back door I built and I have 25 mile trail system 10 minutes of driving away. I spend most of my time at the trail system 10 mins from home.

 

[Josh Matta]

My regular trail system is good for an hour to and hour and a half and is mostly intermediate riding with some short but steep climbs. Called Mianus River Park on the border of Stamford and Greenwich, CT. It's about a 15 minute drive. Lots of dog walkers on the first mile of trail then the traffic is mostly gone. A fair amount of RAW action in the evenings as Stamford, CT has a ton of corporate offices.

20 minutes in the other direction we have a trail system called Sprain Ridge Park that I don't really love. Tilted and narrow, shoehorned in between the Sprain River and Sprain Ridge Parkway in Yonkers, NY. Gets a lot of urban riders and is, I think, the closest real riding to NYC. I will hit every once in a while just for something different.

For weekend rides we have some really good places about 40- 50 minutes drive:

Huntington State Park in CT has a really nice network of carriage roads and at least 12 miles of purpose built singletrack. I helped build a couple of the trails. I used to live 20 minutes away and was a regular there for years.

Blue Mountain Reservation about 40 minutes north of us in Peekskill, NY has really nice techy singletrack and a lot of climbing for our neck of the woods. We go there when feeling strong and looking for a challenge.

And then we have some bigger rides an hour away that we like, Most notably Stewart State Park near Newburgh, NY. Many miles of mostly smooth, flowy trails that wine around land that used to be farms. There is a really nice lift served place in MA but that is a 2 + hour drive and we may get there once a season if that. It is called Thunder Ridge and in the winter it is called Berkshire East.

I love Stewart State Forest. Its one of my stop when I drive from Vermont to Pa.

 

[martyg]

300 miles of designated single track out my door. Couple that with FS rds and it is unending. Our local pros travel the world. Yet they always come back, saying that there is no place in the world like Durango.

My wife and I just had a discussion about taking a vaca. But where would we go? Vegas is the only obvious choice. Otherwise we’d be someplace not quite as nice, in a so-so AirBnB, and eating food less healthy than we eat here.

 

[Mike Thomas]

there is no place in the world like Durango.

My wife and I just had a discussion about taking a vaca. But where would we go? Vegas is the only obvious choice.

Seriously??? Send me money, I'll take your vacations and send you photos. I've got more imagination.

 

[Tom K.]

We live in mtb heaven -- Hood River, Oregon. I ride Post Canyon all the time (a five minute spin from my house), as well as the Road 44 trail system and the Falls Creek trail system.

But we still travel to mtb. In fact, our vacations are centered on family, skiing and mountain biking. This fall we are going AWOL for October and doing an unstructured tour of the southwest, towing a small RV.

Destination ideas for good camping, riding and hiking are more than welcome!

 

[martyg]

Seriously??? Send me money, I'll take your vacations and send you photos. I've got more imagination.

A lot depends on how much you’ve traveled.

I was an independent product developer in the outdoor industry, I had to travel to see clients across the US, I also commuted between my offices in the US and Asia - some months a week in US, a week in Asia, a week in US....

My wife and I have some serious lodging benefits at high end establishments. We just looked at going to Beaver Creek. But why would we drive 5+ hours to to there, what we can do here?

I’ve traveled plenty as civilian, and Military - guided in Mongolia, Patagonia and across the US. A month of hell & cat skiing every winter. Kind of over it. I’ll go to AZ for extended training blocks in winter, but that is about it.

 

[martyg]

We live in mtb heaven -- Hood River, Oregon. I ride Post Canyon all the time (a five minute spin from my house), as well as the Road 44 trail system and the Falls Creek trail system.

But we still travel to mtb. In fact, our vacations are centered on family, skiing and mountain biking. This fall we are going AWOL for October and doing an unstructured tour of the southwest, towing a small RV.

Destination ideas for good camping, riding and hiking are more than welcome!

Hit me up if you come to Durango. From when monsoons end in August until snow is my favorite time of year here.

 

[Tom K.]

A lot depends on how much you’ve traveled.

Truth. I had an eight year window in my career that had me on airplanes for 150,000 miles a year, and that was back when airline travel was still sort of fun.

I still recoil at the thought of getting on a plane. If it's less than 1,000 miles, we drive (but we have the time these days).

Hit me up if you come to Durango. From when monsoons end in August until snow is my favorite time of year here.

Definitely, and thanks!

 

[martyg]

Truth. I had an eight year window in my career that had me on airplanes for 150,000 miles a year, and that was back when airline travel was still sort of fun.

I still recoil at the thought of getting on a plane. If it's less than 1,000 miles, we drive (but we have the time these days).



Definitely, and thanks!

I flew to Denver to meet our new puppy, who was flying in from Dulles. As I was walking through DIA I thought, "Man, I do not miss this one bit!"

Watch weather. October is typically blazing color, warm days, crisp nights. It would be cool to hook up. We have everything from desert / slick rock to high alpine riding here.

Safe travels.

 

[Crank]

We flew out to Moab last September and did 3 days of riding 2 hikes and a couple of hours kayaking on the Colorado River. Then we drove to Telluride to meet friends at the Blues and Brews fest. We rented bikes one morning and did some hiking the other 2 days we were in town. That was a really fun vacation.

Couple years back we flew to Whitefish just after Labor day and did 2 days of riding the Whitefish trail system and some hiking in a foot of snow in Glacier. Another really fun vacation.

We have travelled by car up to Kingdom Trails and Stowe for shorter getaways as well. All good.

I love a good road trip and exploring new places. I used to travel a fair amount for work, a long time ago, but that never really soured me on air travel. I don't love it but you got to get from here to there somehow.

 

[Tom K.]

@Crank, Whitefish Trail FTW!

We love riding that. It's SO different from our local riding.

And I can squeeze in a two or three hour ride every morning, and be back before the in-laws even miss me (if they ever do)!

 

[Crank]

@Crank, Whitefish Trail FTW!

We love riding that. It's SO different from our local riding.

And I can squeeze in a two or three hour ride every morning, and be back before the in-laws even miss me (if they ever do)!

Very different from our local riding as well, which is all rocky rooty, ledges, downed trees broken up stone walls and shyte like that. When we returned the rental bikes one day the shop guy asked what trails we hit. "Wow that's really rocky." he said. Naw, smooth as a baby's bottom compared to what we are used to.