Accotink Trail Conditions

[Dirt]

Greetings.

We had quite a bit of rain last night and there are a few sections of Accotink that should be avoided. We didn't head over to it, but the side near the Picnic Grounds is usually quite muddy unless there has been no rain for a week. Knowing this, we stayed away from it entirely today.

The cinder trail had some water on it that was in the process of drining. We encountered no mud at all on the parts that we rode.

The singletrack starting near the Electrical Power Station at the West end of the park is good and firm. We encountered no mud at all as we rode towards the dam.

The other section that was muddy was the part that is always flat and swampy right before you get to the paved walking trail above the dam. We avoided this and just turned back to hit all the singletrack on the way back to the parking lot. You should avoid this section of trails for the next week or so.

We were careful to ride in areas that were firm and stable. The trails were rock solid. We met two other groups of cyclists and told them about the areas to avoid.

We didn't even attempt the new sections of trail. They should be packed in by plenty of weeks of dry riding before you put any mileage on them. Please stay off them if they are the least bit muddy.

Happy Trails.

Peter

http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/Accotink_11-13-04/I_MG_0842.JPG
Jason and Bob

http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/Accotink_11-13-04/I_MG_0833.JPG
My clean bike wondering why the heck I'm goofing off with the camera instead of riding like I should be.

[Dirt]

I rode Accotink on Thursday afternoon and found that it was in pretty good shape for the most part. The upper trails along the railroad tracks were in good shape, with only a few soft spots.

There are definitley places to avoid. The new trails are too soft. I rode 15 feet into it then turned back. There is a swampy section that is always soft near the paved trail that meets up with the cinder trail. It is sloppy and muddy. Don't ride it. I didn't even go to the area behind the picnic grounds. It always has muddy spots this time of year and shouldn't be ridden. Maybe we can work on that area at some point and get a reroute around the swamp.

Hope that helps a little. Let me know if you've got questions.

Peter

[TrailVictim]

I rode Accotink yesterday for the first time in several months (actually it was the first time in several months riding anywhere) and the new trails look good but still a bit muddy so I went around. As I was rolling along the upper trail (by the tracks) I came upon a small but cruel log jump that wasn't there last time I rode. It was on a corner(just after the second steep climb) and not built up real well. While picking my lazy ass up off the ground I began to feel better as I watched 3 of the 4 riders behind me go down on the same jump.
Can we get rid of this annoyance?

[Dirt]

http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/Accotink_11-13-04/I_MG_0825.JPG

Its a little more ramped than it originally was.

Peter

[dmofot]

While picking my lazy ass up off the ground I began to feel better as I watched 3 of the 4 riders behind me go down on the same jump.
Can we get rid of this annoyance?

You could also walk back 20 yards and try riding it again...and again...and again...

DT

[crashmore]

You could also walk back 20 yards and try riding it again...and again...and again...

DT

As I recall that's one of the more fun log hops over there and I did just that. :)

On a side note I think Peter will soon have every square foot of trail documented so he can post photos anytime someone makes a reference to a particular section. :)

[TrailVictim]

I went back over it on my next couple laps but it has that buzz killing effect. If you ride up by the tracks it's the last steep climb before you head down towards the swamp.