New Patapsco - Avalon Conditions Thread

[punga]

As requested...

[stanley02]

Does anyone know what the trail conditions were like in 2003? Did a quick walk on Cascade falls trail today during lunch and they were a little damp. Might be fine for tomorrow.

Paul

[mike a]

Does anyone know what the trail conditions were like in 2003?

Not to bad.

[BikerMiker]

Trails were fine this morning on the HoCo side. We rode cascade and ridge and there were some wet spots (standing water) but there was pretty-much no mud. The trail surface is firm and there's no slippy-slidey stuff out there except for the leaf-litter which is holding some moisture.

If you have an itch to ride, I'd say you are fine. You'll come out a bit wet with a bit of dirt and leaf-litter but I'd say it is rideable. There are passing showers today but I don't think that will ruin it.

If you are super-conservative, you might THINK it's too wet but it's not. Most of the trail you can't even see tire treads in the dirt from the guy right in front of you. That's what I call rideable.

mike

[BikerMiker]

I bet things have turned for the worse by now. Hard to say how much rain has fallen up there but there have been passing showers around town all day...

mike

[eroc]

Man, I was ready to go...anybody been in the park this afternoon?

[dmcgoy]

I was just there on the HoCo side. It's.....OK. Anything that was remotely wet is now very wet. The higher elevation stuff ranges from good to a bit slick. It'd be best to not go, in my opinion.

[cbass]

Nice drying later in the day. We didn't get the rain that hit east of here to Annapolis.

I scouted it out this afternoon and most everything is ok to good, with the exception of the horse farm loop in the usual boggy section. Balt Co side - buzzards, charcoal, santee were very good. I was prepared to turn around went I went out, but I had no qualms about riding...other than not being able to make the trail work fun this morning. :(

If it doesn't rain tonight or tomorrow I would say Sunday will be very nice out there. Hit it earlier in the day as the forecast calls for a decent chance of crap weather from 2pm on.

[eroc]

Thanks for the intel!

[eroc]

Went out this morning. Rode both sides. Stayed off the farm. Lots of folks out hiking and biking. Trails are mostly good. Some of the usual muddy spots are pretty muddy.

[leroy]

Out between 10 and 2 today. Rode both sides. Conditions good.

[RubberSideDown]

I'm back baby! After being sidelined with shoulder surgery since the beginning of March, I was able to get out and do short HoCo loops yesterday and today. Everything is sweet right now. And with 95% of the mountain bike population going to the Bakers Dozen (or so it seems) the trails look to be wide open for the weekend.

Even the Belmont loop was nice! Enjoy!

[eroc]

Trails and wx are perfect. Play hookie.

[escatmore]

any reports on current conditions, would like to ride tomorrow afternoon if possible.

eric

[urbaindk]

any reports on current conditions, would like to ride tomorrow afternoon if possible.

eric

I'm playing it safe and have rescheduled my ride for Thursday, but a first hand reports would be appreciated...


I should also add: If you get a chance to ride the community college loop - do it. I've never seen it so green. The whole place is a giant green blanket of wild violets. Beautiful.

[cbass]

any reports on current conditions, would like to ride tomorrow afternoon if possible.

eric

If someone will let me borrow a kayak and a life vest I'll go scout it out. :D

Wed afternoon would make a solid 48hrs of drying time. I'd say there's a decent chance that Wednesday after 3pm would be ok, but it's not a certainty.

Drying conditions are good right now (sunny and breezy), but we did get a ton of rain Sunday/Monday.

I'm going to cut through the park on a road ride this evening. I'll see what the dirt looks like at a few of the trail head's.

[cbass]

I'm playing it safe and have rescheduled my ride for Thursday, but a first hand reports would be appreciated...


I should also add: If you get a chance to ride the community college loop - do it. I've never seen it so green. The whole place is a giant green blanket of wild violets. Beautiful.


word! the fresh greenery frames the singletrack perfectly. i need to remember to bring a camera next ride.

[tpoz]

Just hiked a little around the CCBC loop at 12:30pm. They were in great shape...not even top slick. I think the dryer areas are going to be fine, like the baltimore county side...but knowing how the horse farm is, would probably stay away from that area..though the ridge trail may be ok. (although I haven't been to that side, just basing it on past experience).

It seemed that if they were in the sun they were in good shape and if you wait a few more hours..will probably be good even in the shader areas.

tpoz

[atldc9]

Did 10 miles on the Balto County side this afternoon. Trails were in very good condition. The stream crossings were a bit deep, but the majority of the trails were very dry.

[old_bashturd]

Did the HO Co side this afternoon. Everything was good except areas on the Belmont loop were muddy, I'd give that area another day or 2. The stream crossing on Cascade was really deep!!!

[kevin29r]

Rode the Soapstone, Vineyard Springs, and Ridge trails tonight. The conditions were perfect, except for being mucky at the stream crossings. Get out there and ride tomorrow morning before the thunderstorms arrive in the afternoon!

[old_bashturd]

We had a good storm overnight, about 1/2 inch. Trails should recover quickly, but I'd stay off them today. Chance of more rain tonight and Tstorms Monday:(

[mtnbkr]

Anyone been out to see what it might look like for a late afternoon ride today? What about tomorrow? Thoughts? Thanks.

[cbass]

I've got a scout taking a peak at the trails this morning. I'll report back later.

[tpoz]

I've got a scout taking a peak at the trails this morning. I'll report back later.


I'm not the scout..but I did do a really quick hike into the park from the Rolling Road Park'n'ride before work to see how the trails were. The park'n'ride trail is usually the worst if the trails are bad so I figured I could gauge the rest of the park with how that trail looked.

It was actually pretty good. The trails were hardpacked, maybe a little soft in spots. Still wet in the usually bad spots, but if this trail is any indicator of the rest of the park I think by later afternoon with the sunny weather holding, the dryer trails should be perfectly fine to ride. Overall it was much much better than i expected with how much rain we got on Monday.

[old_bashturd]

I'm planning on heading out tomorrow afternoon. Agree with the others below, the high stuff should be ok this afternoon. Avoid the Belmont loop for now. With the amount of rain We had it will be muddy there I'm sure.

[cbass]

Another report that the HoCo side trails are good this morning and getting better. The Belmont loop is probably muddy in the usual spots, but my scout didn't actually check it out.

Too bad I'm stuck at work. :(

[kdweb]

Upstream should be perfect tomorrow.

The higher trails are good but the lower stuff and down by the river could do with another 12 to 24 hours of dry out. For a little cool down, I went north to the Henryton Tunnel and every low spot on the single track on the HoCo side of the river was muuuuuddddy.

Oh yeah, watch it on Switchback down by Marriottsville Road...an old standing dead is standing no more. The tree fell right on the trail just as the it makes its final drop. If you are flying, you are not gonna see this thing until it's too late:eek::eek::eek:

[escatmore]

Upstream should be perfect tomorrow.

The higher trails are good but the lower stuff and down by the river could do with another 12 to 24 hours of dry out. For a little cool down, I went north to the Henryton Tunnel and every low spot on the single track on the HoCo side of the river was muuuuuddddy.

Oh yeah, watch it on Switchback down by Marriottsville Road...an old standing dead is standing no more. The tree fell right on the trail just as the it makes its final drop. If you are flying, you are not gonna see this thing until it's too late:eek::eek::eek:

Forwarded to Amy

eric

[eroc]

Rode both sides. Mostly really good. Local spots of mud, some standing water. Belmont east of the access road is really bad (I hoofed it to alleviate guilt).

[Mrs. Outlaw]

There's a tree down on Nun's Run (aka Second Tunnel Trail). Eric, could you please forward this to Amy? Thanks!

[drevil]

There's a tree down on Nun's Run (aka Second Tunnel Trail). Eric, could you please forward this to Amy? Thanks!Hey, that one's fun! :( :p

[Mrs. Outlaw]

Hey, that one's fun! :( :p

It's pretty big and didn't look like anyone was riding it, should have realized that people with mad skillz like you don't leave chain ring marks. :cool: If people like it leave it!

[DavidM]

Anyone know if the trails are rideable today?

[leroy]

The NOAA Weather info. (www.crh.noaa.gov/data/obhistory/KBWI.html) for BWI shows big rain on Friday. It's been overcast with little dry time. I would stay away.

[drevil]

It's pretty big and didn't look like anyone was riding it, should have realized that people with mad skillz like you don't leave chain ring marks. :cool: If people like it leave it!If there is no chain ring marks, then it's not the one I'm thinking of. I chainsaw the one I'm thinking of :D

How tall is this one you are talking about?

[atldc9]

The one that comes to mind id about 2/3 the way up nun's, and is about 30 inches high on the low side, several feet on the high side. I haven't seen any chain marks on it for a while. While it sucks on the downhill, when climbing nun's, it is a nice break to have to climb off and over. Just kidding. Chain saw it out.

[escatmore]

There's a tree down on Nun's Run (aka Second Tunnel Trail). Eric, could you please forward this to Amy? Thanks!

The one that comes to mind id about 2/3 the way up nun's, and is about 30 inches high on the low side, several feet on the high side. I haven't seen any chain marks on it for a while. While it sucks on the downhill, when climbing nun's, it is a nice break to have to climb off and over. Just kidding. Chain saw it out.

It's doable but difficult. The downhill direction is easier than up, though I've seen it cleaned both directions ( no bragging, just saying is all ). It's an unmaintained trial and such I doubt Amy will want to touch it, I'll check with her though. If she does hopefully I can convince her to leave it once it's completely down.

eric

[drevil]

It's doable but difficult. The downhill direction is easier than up, though I've seen it cleaned both directions ( no bragging, just saying is all ). It's an unmaintained trial and such I doubt Amy will want to touch it, I'll check with her though. If she does hopefully I can convince her to leave it once it's completely down.

eric
Yeah, Eric, Riderx & I were discussing this log a few weeks ago. So it is the one I'm thinking of...

[DavidM]

That log is really annoying. I haven't had the guts to try and roll over it because the penalty for screwing up is being tossed down a steep hill.

[cbass]

That log is really annoying. I haven't had the guts to try and roll over it because the penalty for screwing up is being tossed down a steep hill.

The fact that it's off-camber makes it tough. I've seen it done by a rider much more skilled than me. He made it look easy. I've been too chicken to attempt it, for the same reason as you. The risk-reward is not that attractive. Now, maybe I would try it if someone was handing out beer to those that cleaned it....hmmmm.

You could attempt it on the high side to lessen the likelihood of falling down the ravine. :D Though I guess the high side is pretty friggin high.

[escatmore]

Now, maybe I would try it if someone was handing out beer to those that cleaned it....hmmmm.

Funny you mention that, it's what got me over it:D

Practice makes perfect!

[old_bashturd]

The fact that it's off-camber makes it tough. I've seen it done by a rider much more skilled than me. He made it look easy. I've been too chicken to attempt it, for the same reason as you. The risk-reward is not that attractive. Now, maybe I would try it if someone was handing out beer to those that cleaned it....hmmmm.

You could attempt it on the high side to lessen the likelihood of falling down the ravine. :D Though I guess the high side is pretty friggin high.

I with you Chris, its the ravine. If I had 2 big burly guys standing on the edge to catch me if I F'ed up, I'd try it. I saw Perkins go over it and I don't think either wheel touched the log :eek:

[drevil]

I with you Chris, its the ravine. If I had 2 big burly guys standing on the edge to catch me if I F'ed up, I'd try it. I saw Perkins go over it and I don't think either wheel touched the log :eek:

Doesn't surprise me, ChrisPy has da skillz.

[RubberSideDown]

So has anyone taken their scuba gear out to check the current conditions? I know it will most like be unridable for a few more days (and they're calling for more in a couple of days) but how wet are they out there? Any erosion damage?

[stanley02]

I was out during lunch taking a walk on cascade trail and it was very wet in most areas. There was water running across the trail in areas where there usually isn't water. I was going to take a look again tomorrow during lunch to see if there was any way they would be ridable after work tomorrow.

[RubberSideDown]

Thanks for the scout report. If you don't make it out there at lunch tomorrow, I have a buddy who is definitely going for lunch. I will report his findings. Of course I will not have my hopes up too much.

[kevin]

I'm interested to hear what your scouts report. I was on a road ride around the park last night and checked out a couple trail heads. They were very saturated with water still - no great surprise I guess.

Unless you get a good trail report from someone whose seen the trails firsthand this afternoon, I would stay on the pavement today based on what I saw last night.

Kevin

[tpoz]

I'm interested to hear what your scouts report. I was on a road ride around the park last night and checked out a couple trail heads. They were very saturated with water still - no great surprise I guess.

Unless you get a good trail report from someone whose seen the trails firsthand this afternoon, I would stay on the pavement today based on what I saw last night.

Kevin

I hiked in with the dog this AM and did some of the CCBC loop. Some higher places seemed o-k, but overall I would not ride them today and give them another 24 hrs to dry out. There were definite, definite soft spots and even some water running across the trail where I've never seen water before.

I can only imagine how bad the Howard County side would be.

Ride road..its only one more day. :)

[RubberSideDown]

I hiked in with the dog this AM and did some of the CCBC loop. Some higher places seemed o-k, but overall I would not ride them today and give them another 24 hrs to dry out. There were definite, definite soft spots and even some water running across the trail where I've never seen water before.

I can only imagine how bad the Howard County side would be.

Ride road..its only one more day. :)

Thanks T!

Yeah, my buddy only peeked into the two Landing Rd. trail heads. Still very soft. We are hitting the road tonight too. Last weather report was that the rain has been pushed back to tomorrow night so maybe there's a chance tomorrow.

[DavidM]

So, anyone planning on checking out the trails at lunch today? I've got my bike in my car today - hoping to get a ride in after work today.....

[kevin29r]

So, has anyone taken a look at the trails today?

[tpoz]

So, has anyone taken a look at the trails today?

I looked yesterday and they were still really really saturated and that was in the usual good spots BEFORE it rained. I would hate to see what they look like now, especially the low lying shady spots.

I think another 24hrs at least...with LOTS of wind.

tracy

[micky]

I started at the park and ride and when I got to the bottom I was covvered in mud. I rode on the gravel or roads instead and went back. It was a mess. Total time away from the car was about 30 min.

Ironic since my neighborhood in Rockville MD near Rock Creek is relatively dry. Oh well.

[RubberSideDown]

More rain last night and this morning with more rain in the forecast until tomorrow... I don't think they will be ridable until this weekend, at the very earliest. :mad:

[BikerMiker]

With two more days of rain ahead (weather.com), I would recommend staying off the trails all weekend. I bet there will be plenty of non-MORE-ons out there this weekend tearing up the trails so it's probably better to head elsewhere... I'm going to check the Gambrill conditions stuff now...

mike

[RubberSideDown]

With two more days of rain ahead (weather.com), I would recommend staying off the trails all weekend. I bet there will be plenty of non-MORE-ons out there this weekend tearing up the trails so it's probably better to head elsewhere... I'm going to check the Gambrill conditions stuff now...

mike

Agreed. I was just hoping that they are wrong about this much rain... (may be wishfull thinking, but it's almost a good bet).

Fortunately, I'll be up at Big Bear this weekend getting my riding in.

Looks like more road riding/trainer this week... I HATE THE TRAINER!

[mike a]

What's funny is this time last year I had never seen the trails so rock hard and dusty... :(

[DavidM]

My butt is not going to happy being on the gym bike this week........really need to get a cheap road bike. Curse the rain! Well, maybe we won't have a drought this summer. That'd be good, I suppose.

[mike a]

........really need to get a cheap road bike.

Your mtn bike will work on the road as well... :D

[DavidM]

Your mtn bike will work on the road as well... :D

Well, I don't really want to tear up my tires on pavement. Also, I run a 1x9 so I run out of gears on pavement really quickly.

[RubberSideDown]

Well, we had some very light rain pass through at about 6:30 for about 20-30 minutes. I was on the roadie when it hit. It looked like it was really going to dump on us, but it blew through pretty quickly. Now hopefully if the rain holds out for the rest of the evening and tomorrow, the trails could be good for the weekend. Everyone cross your fingers.

[bikerRob]

Well, we had some very light rain pass through at about 6:30 for about 20-30 minutes. I was on the roadie when it hit. It looked like it was really going to dump on us, but it blew through pretty quickly. Now hopefully if the rain holds out for the rest of the evening and tomorrow, the trails could be good for the weekend. Everyone cross your fingers.

05/21/08 >> Ditto RSD....Some how we dodged a bullet today. Most of the rain passed north of Patapsco. We did get a light drizzle that lasted 20min. The roads never even got wet enough to glaze over. I went down to take a quick look on the Ho. Co. side just before sun set. Unfortunately I was not pleased with what I saw. Lots of wet and/or muddy spots and this on the upper Cascade trail which tends to dry pretty quickly. I guess the nearly 1" of rain we had yesterday did its work. What really surprised me was all the fresh bike treads I was seeing. As I walked the trails it was very clear to me that conditions were not good for riding . Much of the trail is still wet. As I walked I could hear water squishing even on patches that looked dry. I also saw multiple muddy sections. Need I say, this was not good stiff mud but rather slippery/slimy mud. It took me all of 5 minutes to make this evaluation. So this begs the question...What %$*&^#$ ride the day after a 1" rain? :mad: Like RSD said if there's no more rain we might get the weekend in...maybe friday if we're lucky and things warm up a bit.

[RubberSideDown]

The nice thing we have now is that it's suppose to be windy all day today. Hopefully that will help speed the drying. But Rob is right, Friday if we're lucky. After what I saw last night, I don't think the non-more-ons will stick to that (yes, I saw people dropping in from Landing last night. That explains the fresh tracks you saw).

[urbaindk]

It's probably pointless to even to ask but does anybody have a report on the Baltimore side? Specifically Hilltop? I'm guessing the entrance to Buzzard's Rock is a quagmire. Just want to confirm. Thanks.

[RubberSideDown]

It's probably pointless to even to ask but does anybody have a report on the Baltimore side? Specifically Hilltop? I'm guessing the entrance to Buzzard's Rock is a quagmire. Just want to confirm. Thanks.

The last time I did a road ride up Hilltop, the whole side of the road next to that trail was under water. I will be hitting the road again tonight and maybe (if my legs are up to it) I will hit Hilltop again. If no one else gets a report in before I do, I will dip in Buzzard's to sneak a peak and post a report.

[RubberSideDown]

So I took the roadie through the park and up Hilltop to Buzzard's Rock trail head. First off, I hate Hilltop. Damn thing... Anyway, while cruising through the park I did not notice the usual water coming down from the high ground that you usually see after a good rain. The road was try and so was the bike path, even at the bottom of Buzzard's Rock. We did see a couple of mountain bikers coming across the swinging bridge. I could not tell if they had ridden any trails. If they did, there were no signs of mud. I did not ask either to avoid any confrontations.

So on to Hilltop (did I mention that that hill SUCKS!). So I pulled over and walked into the trail head at Buzzard's and was pleasantly surprised that the trail was perfect. I walked to just past the first yellow blaze on the tree in the middle of the trail. I was able to see about 30-40 feet down the trail and noticed much of the same. I saw evidence of where a small puttle was, but it looked dried up for the most part. No standing water and the ground was firm.

So back onto the bike towards Frederick road... The trail that follows Hilltop was less promising. The low spots still had a couple of good mud puddles. No standing water in them, but definitely thick mud. So what does that mean to me? The high stuff is drying out very nicely, but I can't say for sure what the rest of the park looks like.

Anyone else go scouting tonight???

[euler]

I ran soapstone to the road and it was way too muddy to ride in my opinion. One large tree down as well (but I guess everyone already knew that judging by the number of tracks). I did pass 4 riders while I was out. I would say Saturday at the earliest.

[tpoz]

I got another report and it definitely wasn't favorable...I think it definitely needs another 24 hours to dry out.

tpoz

[RubberSideDown]

That's why I asked for more reports :)

I wasn't about to say the whole park was good from just seeing 200 feet of trail. Thanks Tpoz and euler for the updates!

[old_bashturd]

:)Took a quick hike on the HO side. Everything I saw has dried out. A few soft spots and a few small puddles, but overall good. Ran into several groups of riders, all were pretty mud free and reported good conditions.

[RubberSideDown]

:)Took a quick hike on the HO side. Everything I saw has dried out. A few soft spots and a few small puddles, but overall good. Ran into several groups of riders, all were pretty mud free and reported good conditions.

Yep. I also got a recon report. The waterbars is the only section left that is still pretty bad. Other than that, the report was "good conditions".

[2big2ride]

Still a little wet in some spots (farm loop) that were walkable. However, with the sun and wind today, I will be back out there tomorrow afternoon with an even bigger smile:D

We hit both sides, as always the Balto. Co. side was drier. That doesn't mean stay off the Ho Co side, just be ready to walk a few spots....

[BikerMiker]

Patapsco is KILLER!

Watch out, there are tons of people hiking around out there so take it easy.

The trails are GREAT! There are a few wet spots but nothing to keep you from riding...

mike

[mike a]

Patapsco is KILLER!

Watch out, there are tons of people hiking around out there so take it easy.

mike

Several downed trees too!

[urbaindk]

Several downed trees too!

Yep, I have two to report:

There is a tree down parallel to the trail in the trail bed in the short section between the Hilltop parking lot and the little gravel road and another (which may have already been reported) on Vineyard Springs just after one of the big dips which could catch you by surprise.

Otherwise the trails were great yesterday. Of course, it's supposed to rain today so all bets are off for tonight and tomorrow. :(

[leroy]

Looks as if the big storms hit north of Patapsco last night. No rain, lots of wind :). Things look good until maybe Saturday afternoon.

[cbass]

yup. no rain last night. should be good out there.

[rupped]

I am supposed to meet some friends for a ride tomorrow morning at Patapsco. We got a lot of rain where I am. I would appreciate it if someone closer to Avalon could weigh in on how much rain today/anticipated conditions tomorrow. Don't want to make the drive and not be able to ride (responsibly).

Thanks in advance...

[kdweb]

I think there's a sticky out there for these places

http://home.comcast.net/~srwx/

this is a weather station just over the hill from the valley ( I take it you are headed to Avalon?). If this doesn't take you to the page I was just looking at, go the 7 day summary and you should see that they just under a 1/4 inch today

[kdweb]

I thought Jab put a stickey up on this but I could not find it...here's the thread that has a bunch of links

http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10761&highlight=weather+stations

Don't hurt the dirt!

[old_bashturd]

We had some pretty hard showers this afternoon, NWS said about .3 inch. They should recover quick, but tomorrow morning might be pushing it.

[cbass]

yup. it really wasn't a lot of rain and it ended by late afternoon. by this afternoon i think there's a good chance they are ok.

[rupped]

Thanks for the local knowledge. We bailed on this morning. I got to do home projects instead :(

[eroc]

So I snuck out after lunch today. Did both sides, but stayed off the farm. Some parts were pretty muddy, with some standing water. Lots of it was slick on top but firm underneath. Hiked some greasy ups to keep from tearing things up. Definitely worse than it was on Thursday.

[cbass]

i hit both sides as well later in the afternoon.
waterbars = sloppy, but just surface slop, not real muddy. there's water seeping out of there somewhere (spring maybe?) that has kept them sloppy.

rockburn loop = slightly damp in spots, but pretty solid, no worries.
vineyard = same
ccbc = same
santee, charcoal, buzzards = good
cascade = mostly dry, very solid
morning choice = pretty much dry

conditions overall were such that the trails were mostly good with the occasional surface slick spot and only a couple of brief sloppy spots where you'd pick up some splatter. i avoided a few areas on the horse farm loop that likely have the usual mud pits.

we got a 10 minute shower this afternoon. nothing to speak of.

tomorrow should be good barring more rain.

[leroy]

Anyone have a report? Did yesterday's storm have an impact?

[DavidM]

There's no way it's rideable today. It'll probably be sketchy tomorrow too.

[BikerMiker]

Tuesday night RIGHT before the storm, it was in GREAT shape. I got about 100 feet out of rockburn before getting dumped on at around 8:10pm. i was in the car by then...

I don't think it's going to be ok today. More rain tonite would be bad.

mike

[rciracing]

Do you think it will be ok for Saturday's race if dry and hot all Friday?

[DavidM]

Do you think it will be ok for Saturday's race if dry and hot all Friday?

That'll depend on tonight, I think. If there's another dump of rain tonight, the park might not recover in time. A lot of rain has been dumped in the last couple of days (~1.5 inches).

I imagine the park rangers will require good conditions to let the race happen.

[BikerMiker]

If past experience is any indication, the park will let it run. Years ago, (10?) races went off in pretty-much all conditions.

At least that side of the park is the best in terms of resistance to rainfall. The full canopy will help as will thirsty trees and short-duration rainfall. A little bit of rain over a longer period is worse than a lot really quick for out there cuz it just runs off. The humidity won't help, that's for sure.

I'm not sure who is making the call on the race or when. I imagine they'll be able to make the call tomorrow afternoon but I have no clue.

mike

[old_bashturd]

I did a quick check of the trails on the HO CO side. The course is marked out and it looks like they have removed most of the downed trees on the course, which is on the Orange and Purple trails. Conditions were iffy, some damp and slick but no deep mud. Lots of deadfall. Higher stuff was drying out nicely. Roots were real slick. Sunday would be the better day to ride. Go early or late to avoid the heat.

[bikerRob]

6/07/08 >> I did a quick walk-through on the Ho. Co. side off of the Cascade trail around 6:30pm. Conditions ranged from moist to wet. Mostly moist, although there was some squishing under foot in a couple places. What mud holes/spots I saw were not too bad, mostly thick/firmer mud. The worst mud spot I saw was just as you leave Landing Rd and head down the Cascade trail. It is the first mud hole you come to. It seems this mud hole never really goes away unless conditions are really dry. IMO, this spot is badly in need of some armoring. I say go for it if you need an evening ride. Should be even better by tomorrow if it doesn't rain. This seems to be the year for rain..:(...because of this, I tend to be a little more lenient when it comes to deciding when or when not to ride. Doesn't it figure though, as soon as the rain stops the heat stroke season moves in. :( ( ** update: It rained two hours after I made this post...(sigh)...)

[leroy]

The Elkridge rain gauge shows that about .20/inch of rain fell last night. BWI shows about an inch. I don't know if it's alright to go.:confused:

[jed]

It was pretty borderline out there yesterday.

[DavidM]

It was sketchy during the race yesterday. I wouldn't go today. Easy for me to say since I'm totally beat....

[jon_baler]

Rode most of the HOCO side tonight including horse farm, a little soft in a couple places but overall very good.

If it doesn't rain, trails will be great tomorrow so join us!
http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11242

[Cowboy]

Well, we did get some rain last night, any idea what the trails will be like this afternoon/evening?

[bikerRob]

Well, we did get some rain last night, any idea what the trails will be like this afternoon/evening?

6/11/08 >> 3:00PM > I was up when it rained. It was just a sprinkle that lasted maybe 15 minutes. Humidity has dropped a lot in the last 6hrs so things should be drying out. It might still be damp but that shouldn't stop you from riding.

[Cowboy]

6/11/08 >> 3:00PM > I was up when it rained. It was just a sprinkle that lasted maybe 15 minutes. Humidity has dropped a lot in the last 6hrs so things should be drying out. It might still be damp but that shouldn't stop you from riding.
Thanks for putting up that info:)

The trails were in really good condition this afternoon, a few wet spots, but nothing more than the regular "puddles".

I should say, we went in from the Rockburn Branch side, crossed Landing road, down through the orchard, over to the 4-way intersection at the top of the mogul hill...I can't remember all of the trail names; but those familiar with Patapsco should be able to interpret were we were. We only did about 7 miles total, my buddy was having knee problems so we cut it short.

[bikerRob]

...I should say, we went in from the Rockburn Branch side, crossed Landing road, down through the orchard, over to the 4-way intersection at the top of the mogul hill...I can't remember all of the trail names; but those familiar with Patapsco should be able to interpret were we were. We only did about 7 miles total, my buddy was having knee problems so we cut it short.

6/12/08 >> ..glad to hear it worked out. When you mentioned "Rockburn" that reminded me...Sunday I did a quick ride-through of Rockburn Park while testing some lights. There were tons of blow-downs all along the back southern most loop ( think closest to the rear ballpark ). Hopefully, the park people will clear it. It is major doo-doo.

[BikerMiker]

I'm planning on picking up a 'community' bob trailer from a buddy and get out there on chainsaw patrol in the near future. Now to figure out when to do that...

mike

[leroy]

Anybody know how bad the storms hit the park area yesterday afternoon/last night?

[jon_baler]

Anybody know how bad the storms hit the park area yesterday afternoon/last night?

should be fine today. I'm just southwest of the park, and we barely got touched.

[cbass]

yeah, we only got a short period of rain yesterday.

i rode this morning and both sides of the park were in good shape.

watch out for downed trees & branches.

[leroy]

Surf's Up.

[kevin29r]

Rode part of the Baltimore side last night. Conditions were good, with only a few puddles. Tonight should be perfect.

[old_bashturd]

Same for the HO CO side this morning. Good to go!!!:)

[leroy]

Rode Ho. Co. side Thursday evening. Wow what fun. Seems as if the showers have been missin dem dar woods. Go now.

[old_bashturd]

Both sides..................:):):):):):) :):)

"Get on your bikes and ride"

[kevin29r]

Lot's of people riding and hiking today on the trails. I passed about 20 people. So, stay alert out there!

[eroc]

Dittos. It's absolutely fabulous (and crowded!)

[leroy]

:confused: What's up with the new sign on the Charcoal Trail, it has the no bikes symbol on it (biker with red slash)? I know that all the signage out that way was damaged by the "spray paint bandit", but the new trail has always been multiuser. Could be a park goof; I hope. Oh yeah, trail was in great condition :).

[escatmore]

where's the sign exactly, if you can pinpoint it on a map I can get a quicker answer. email to ecraw4d at gmail dot com.

eric

[BikerMiker]

Anybody out there today? I got a request for riding tomorrow after work.

How's it looking?

mike

[cbass]

it was bone dry this weekend. the trails could use a bit of moisture in spots where it's getting loose and dusty.

we got some thunder and wind yesterday evening, but i don't think it rained. the roads, sidewalks, yard were all dry this morning.

there are still some trees down throughout the park. and all of the vegetation limited sight lines. stay alert if you're bombing downhill.

[leroy]

where's the sign exactly, if you can pinpoint it on a map I can get a quicker answer. email to ecraw4d at gmail dot com.

eric

From the camp ground road I took a left onto Santee Branch trail which runs into the Charcoal trail. I saw the new sign soon after getting on Charcoal. The original signs in this area had been sprayed over with brown paint.

[BikerMiker]

Thanks for the report.

When will we catch the brown paint bandit?!

mike

[escatmore]

From the camp ground road I took a left onto Santee Branch trail which runs into the Charcoal trail. I saw the new sign soon after getting on Charcoal. The original signs in this area had been sprayed over with brown paint.

I'll check it out Tuesday.

eric

[euler]

The HoCo side was getting dry, dusty and loose in spots. Actually managed to drift a few turns :) Hope it rains tonight...

[escatmore]

if it rains you are officially off my xmas card list!

[euler]

if it rains you are officially off my xmas card list!

:D not enough to cancel the ride of course!

[escatmore]

alright, maybe you're redeemed.

[BikerMiker]

I've got the bike and am ready to ride, save some negative feedback from y'all.

mike

[cbass]

I've got the bike and am ready to ride, save some negative feedback from y'all.

mike


we got enough rain to speckle the sidewalk...just a few minutes of intermittent rain drops. i'm guessing it's still dry and dusty in the woods.

[escatmore]

Your bike sounds like a newly formed mummer band practice session!

Ha!

[DavidM]

I was out on the Baltimore side from 7-7:45. It was raining. Not very hard though. The trails were just starting to get soft when I got back to my car. The trails should be awesome today.

[BikerMiker]

Wow. I got DUMPED on at home. It was monsoon-style. Major wind and water.

Glad to hear that the trails are in good shape.

mike

[laxdad]

rode the landing road side last nite. fast,fast,fast.

[urbaindk]

Conditions last night: dusty! cough cough.

[leroy]

Rode both Ho. Co. and Balt. Co. sides midday. Hot and humid, really humid. Humidity in the air and steaming off the ground. Trails were moist in some spots, but still solid. Other areas were bone dry. Looks like some rain fell last night, but overall conditions are excellent.

[matasw]

Anybody been out there today? Got a slight drizzle here in Columbia about an hour ago.

[jon_baler]

I rode the HOCO side tonight (Horse Farm, Morning Choice, Cascade, Ridge (south end only). With the exception of the upper portion of Cascase (stream bed climb, rooty downhill), everything was in good shape. The rain tonight was a very small system, and the north end of the park appeared to get more rain. We rode from 6:10 until 7:45, just after the sprinkles passed through.


Now for those saying: "that jerk rode just after rain showers!?!?!". Let me defend myself with my pre-ride activities:
-Checked multiple weather stations on wunderground.com to see the rain accumulation the day before -> only about 0.1"
-Check radar before heading out -> showed a very small system moving north of the park, not through it. (again wunderground.com has detailed radar maps)
-Sat at the trailhead and witnessed the entire rain period before the ride, which was only about 10 minutes of light rain. Started riding only after it stopped raining.
-Evaluated trail conditions at the beginning of the ride before committing to the full ride. We didn't find the borderline conditions on the upper cascade until we were at the farthest point from our starting point (Belmont Road).

Not sure about the Baltimore side....

[escatmore]

things Baler didn't mention:

attending every single trail maintenance date at the park for the last 2 + years.

he's also very involved in the advocacy work your local trail liaison heads.

if you're on a road ride with him there's no need to pedal as the draft he creates is huge.

he's a helluva nice guy, i think i might be in love...

eric

[RubberSideDown]

Plus... to be honest, the trails could use a little rain. They have been pretty dry and dusty. Like he said, the rain was not a heavy soaking rain. The canopy it pretty full too so there.

Jon, you're still the man.

[BikerMiker]

Yeah, nobody's sayin' nothing. Plus, even if we did, your man-lover Crawford would beat us up!

I'll be dropping in from Rockburn Branch Park around 5:30 tonite with little Foley in tow.

mike

[kuru]

I was in the park when it started to rain yesterday. It wasn't even enough to make it thru the canopy in most places.

[leroy]

Rode all of Ho. Co. side today. It's good out. A little bit of brownie batter mud; but most was setting up. Farm loop(s) was fine.

[RubberSideDown]

Just finished a ride on the HOCO side. We only did an hour of riding. We started right at 9 and it started raining a few minutes in and didn't stop until shortly after we finished. Suprisingly (or maybe not) the rain we have been getting has not been getting through most of the heavy covered trails. In fact, even toward the end of our ride, there were still bone dry areas under the conopy. We stayed away from Belmont and any of the fields, but the trails are holding up well. Just as long as the rain stays light and scattered like they have been. No standing water at all so far.

[jon_baler]

Rode the entire park on Sunday morning, and conditions were pretty good. We had some rain again last night, but total rainfall for the month of July is still only ~.1". So once the sun comes out for a little while today, the trails should be good. More rain in the forecast though...

[old_bashturd]

Dry and fast:)

[DavidM]

Rode both sides on Thursday (7/10). Trails were in good shape, except for a few puddles from the Wednesday (7/9) thunderstorm.

[RubberSideDown]

Rode a lot on both sides. The farm loops was surprisingly dry in most spots. A few usual puddles. The trails were very tacky and in good shape.

[kevin29r]

Trails were mostly dry, with a few soft spots.

Watch out for fallen trees. There are now four on the trail coming down from Rolling Road (Soapstone). Also watch out for the boulder in the Bull Run stream right before entering the park pavement. It has been moved directly into the middle of the normal line. The line to the right side of the bolder is very soft, which could cause you to get your feet wet. Be prepared to pedal! :D

The HoCo side was mostly perfect!

[BikerMiker]

OMG it is dry out there right now.

Coming out of Rockburn Branch parking lot when you get near that big-a$$ tree where you hang a left before heading up towards the field, there is about 4" of sand in there...

The trails are SO dry. Seems like hungry plants, full canopy and short rains have not affected the park.

Not a lot of trees down but I just looped around and around on the HoCo side...

mike

[leroy]

Yup, its dry. Rode both sides. Big tree down at the creek where Santee Branch meets Sawmill Branch (Balt. Co. side), required dismount. Watch for branches that have been falling with all the gusty winds today. I removed some big ones that were blocking the trail.

[escatmore]

we saw that one last night too. Amy's making a list and will hopefully be out there soon ( tons of other stuff on her plate... ).

eric

[jon_baler]

Did a ride starting shortly after 6. Soon into the ride, we got rained on with a quick, hard rain near CCBC. Rode the roads back home, and discovered there had been no rain on the horse farm loop. go figure.

[cbass]

Did a ride starting shortly after 6. Soon into the ride, we got rained on with a quick, hard rain near CCBC. Rode the roads back home, and discovered there had been no rain on the horse farm loop. go figure.

Yeah, we got a couple of minutes of rain on the HoCo side. Should be a nice weekend for riding.

[cbass]

So, as I sit here at work reflecting on this weekend's riding and coughing from all of the dust in my lungs I thought I would post an update on trail conditions.

Dry
Dusty
Loose

This seems to happen every year. We head into drought mode. Interestingly, the creeks still seem to have plenty of water, but the trails are super dry.

We could really use a bit of rain to tamp down the dust and lend some tacky traction to the trails. Two wheel drift is cool sometimes, but I like knowing that my tires are sticking to the dirt when zipping down some of the curvy bench-cut singletrack where there's not a lot of room for error. ;)

Any word on when the white trail (off of Ridge) is going to be re-opened?

[escatmore]

we continue to negotiate, i feel good about it though...

eric

[Mrs. Outlaw]

Big tree down on Cascade near the top of the climb from Ridge.

Thank Amy for taking care of of the tree down on Vineyard Spring!

[escatmore]

will do.

eric

[BikerMiker]

OMG Patapsco is dry. WAY dry. I'm hoping there's some measurable rain up there today to return some tacky goodness to the trails. It's a freeway out there right now.

mike

[zap602]

What about the tree down on Cascade just a few yards from the waterfall. I know it is a huge tree, but that thing has been down for about two weeks now. Does the DNR need help? I have time this weekend to gather up some friends and have at it.

[escatmore]

Forward to Amy, they'll get it. Please don't do anything crazy like walk in to the park and swing a chainsaw around without prior authorization, the management frowns on that sort of thing.

eric

[escatmore]

Amy said,

"We took care of this tree yesterday. Please let people know that we have a crew full time on the trails now. People will start seeing a difference very soon.

Thanks so much,

Amy Lutsko"

That's fast service, ask for it and it's done yesterday!

How did she do that?

So cool.

[atldc9]

Any chance of clearing the tree towards the top of Nun's?

[escatmore]

which nuns? The one that goes straight down hill along a sewer line cut ( stinky nuns run ). Or the one that goes through the tunnel at the bottom ( backside of nuns )?

The answer is likely no either way because neither is a maintained trail. That said, if it's dangerous I might be able to convince the powers that be to go in and take care of it for us.

My personal opinion: If we're talking about the one about 3/4's of the way up the backside of nuns, I would say leave it. It's doable, very difficult but doable, at least in the uphill direction, never been brave enough to try it in downhill mode. and it has a ridearound to the left that opened up a few weeks ago. If that's not the log you're talking about shout.

eric

[cbass]

yes, backside that runs through the tunnel.

i think it's a suspended fallen tree that is ridable by someone with powers of levitation.

you can squeeze by on the side hill (trail right when descending) but the ground on the side hill is very loose, sending you into the sharp end of the fallen tree. not a very good scene.

hurray for Amy and the trail crew! do they accept beer hand-up's?

[escatmore]

maybe if we just dropped it to the ground everyone would be happy? i think it would still provide a ride around if your levitation powers were all used up on the triple log hop further up-trail.

I honestly thought it was good after the opening appeared on the right

[patrickgmiller]

I love the nun's log.

It's one of the few logs that has not been ramped up and is a challenge both ways. With so many other logs being cut out or ramped, the later of which too often leads to a sketchy pile of pine that goes without maintenance and takes the A line instead of being a ride-around situation, I'd love to see it stay as is.

[cbass]

I think I was confused. I know the log you guys are talking about and it's tough, but a keeper.

I was thinking there was also a recent chest-high tree blocking the trail, but I might be confusing it with another trail.

[escatmore]

there is a chest/head high tree across the Soapstone that they plan to get to shortly ( at least it was there last week ). maybe that's yours? it's perpendicular to the trail and easily passable underneath, probably a little on the dangerous side to just leave it though.

[atldc9]

The one I was thinking of has no marks on the top, so if you are riding over it, you are truly cleaning it!!!

[DavidM]

What is all this wet stuff coming from the sky? It's making the ground all soft!

Anyone talk a walk recently and see how the trails are holding up? They've been so dry and the foliage so thick that there's a chance they aren't soggy yet...

[BikerMiker]

I bet they are rideable...

mike

[leroy]

Unless it really starts dumping rain the trails should be great. It's been so dry, lots of sand and skechy traction. Some rain should help.

[DavidM]

Just rode the trails, HoCo side. Trails are still super hard, but wet. It's kind of weird. Very slick. I guess there's a really thin layer of "mud" on top of the trails. Should be great tomorrow.

[DavidM]

Conditions great. Except that EVERY SINGLE log/tree was removed from the Charcoal trail area. Even smaller ones. They went all crazy with the chainsaw!

[kevin29r]

About thirty yards from the Park and Ride trailhead, there is a chest high suspended tree across the main Soapstone trail. Stop and dismount!

[escatmore]

yeah I heard about the clean sweep of the charcoal...

I will continue to stress the fact that we are in the woods fer cryin out loud.

eric

[DavidM]

yeah I heard about the clean sweep of the charcoal...

I will continue to stress the fact that we are in the woods fer cryin out loud.

eric

But WAAAAA, I want my money back!

Be careful out there tomorrow - there's bound to me tons of families walking around.

Oh, Eric, on Saturday I saw a kid on a motorbike enter from Landing Road. Who should/can I call if I ever see that again?

[urbaindk]

Oh, Eric, on Saturday I saw a kid on a motorbike enter from Landing Road. Who should/can I call if I ever see that again?

I saw the same two weeks ago. 2 kids, no helmets. I stopped them and gave them a talking to. They didn't seem impressed. I'm guessing it's one of the same two. They were leaving, so there wasn't much I could do. They live off Ilchester somewhere.

Oh, and I rode Rockburn with my wife and the baby trailer last night and it was way dry.

[escatmore]

Oh, Eric, on Saturday I saw a kid on a motorbike enter from Landing Road. Who should/can I call if I ever see that again?

Maryland Natural Resources Police
(410) 260-8940 or toll free1-800-635-6124

They even have a moto of there own, though I'm not sure why exactly...

[zap602]

I ran into a park ranger on a motocross bike two Sundays ago. He asked if I had see any ATVs in the park. They must have had quite a few calls to spend that kind of money for one of the rangers to partrol the trails.

[RubberSideDown]

Trails are in great shape, but there is a HUGE tree down on Cascade. From Landing Rd right before the big pipe in the ground and the first bridge. It's even hard to walk around.

[escatmore]

forwarded for Amy's crew

[BikerMiker]

Greetings Earthlings.

Anybody check out the trails today? I was thinking of riding tomorrow after work.

Bueller?

mike

[cbass]

Greetings Earthlings.

Anybody check out the trails today? I was thinking of riding tomorrow after work.

Bueller?

mike


I haven't checked 'em but a neighbor took his kids for a ride through Rockburn yesterday afternoon and said they were fine. My yard is pretty much bone dry again. I'd say go for it, but keep your eyes open for debris on the trails from all of the wind.

[RubberSideDown]

A friend hiked the trails yesterday around 4 PM and he said they were surprisingly in great shape. A lot of branches and debris down (of course) and a couple of usual puddles, but everything looked good. He did also mention that people were riding and going AROUND the branches and such instead of moving them. Silly people.

[denisvtt]

I rode Patapsco yesterday. Didn't even come back with mud on my bike!

[Welsh1]

We did too had the same result...:D

Tom

[zap602]

How about today, 9/9? It poured down rain in Harford county today. Wondering if we can ride this afternoon.

[RubberSideDown]

How about today, 9/9? It poured down rain in Harford county today. Wondering if we can ride this afternoon.

No. We got a good amount of rain here too. I will see if my friend is going to check the conditions later and post something up if someone else doesn't get to it first.

[Mrs. Outlaw]

Baltimore County side was good last night, just a few small puddles. Should be really good today.

[jon_baler]

Did a short loop on the HOCO side tonight on the south/west side. Trails are good.

[RubberSideDown]

Went in from Rockburn and crossed over Landing. Looked to the right and saw that big puddle just past the first log over. We didn't bother going toward the farm loop. Went up to the left to the log trail and cut over to main trails to the waterbars (cross the field and past the houses). Down the waterbars over to Vineyard and down the singletrack soapstone. Cut back to the swinging bridge up to ridge and across and out.

The trails are holding up nicely. Tastefully tacky. :rolleyes: One or two minor slick spots and not as many puddles as you might think. You can't fly and really open it up since some of the debris and leaves are slick. Also saw signs of a four wheeler again. If the rain holds off tonight (had a minor spinkle this evening) everything is good.

[leroy]

Rode all of Ho. Co. side yesterday; all is well. Farm loop was fine. It was a sweaty hell yesterday. Even the rocks were sweating. Ouch, it hurt. I'm hopeful that was summer's last blast.

[escatmore]

saw signs of a four wheeler again.

Where? The last report of ATV use around Rockburn Branch could be associated with park staff. They used one to clear the race course ( about which I lost my mind on your collective behalf ).

eric

[kevin29r]

I rode both sides this afternoon. Trails range from perfect to very dry and loose.

[RubberSideDown]

Where? The last report of ATV use around Rockburn Branch could be associated with park staff. They used one to clear the race course ( about which I lost my mind on your collective behalf ).

eric

Sorry Eric. Just now saw your post. If you dropped in from where Rockburn crosses Landing into the park and go straight down the hill, cross the creek, up the hill passing the log trail on your left. Then climb that little bit and turn left before that first bridge. That turn showed definite signs of a hard turn by a 4-wheeler. Dug out a nice little trench. I'm sure the park wouldn't do that.

I think they play it smart and race through there right after a rain when they know most people stay off the trails.

[urbaindk]

With the deluge over the weekend and another 1/2" or so last night, what are the chances of a ride tonight? :confused:

[jon_baler]

a scouting report this morning said not recommended.

[cbass]

and it's now raining (2:30pm)

[thelankymanx2]

Will the trails be ok by tomo after the rain we have had?

[atldc9]

I did 14 miles on the Howard County/Rockburn side this afternoon. Great conditions! Just tacky enough to not be dusty, and only a few of the regular puddles. Leaves are starting to fall, and the temp was cool- fall riding is here!!

[Welsh1]

I was out today and it was awsome!!! I love the fall riding weather!!!!:D

[jago61]

no surprise, both sides in great shape saturday afternoon.

[escatmore]

Our beloved trail gnome Amy Lutsko finished the Baltimore Marathon this weekend and beat 30% of her class!!!

Give her a pat on the back next time you see her!

eric

[BikerMiker]

WOW! That's great!

This weekend is the first time I'm attepting the thru-trail from Avalon to Sykesville-ish and back. Sunday morning.

I rode some of the stuff north to the river crossing and it's nuts! There is a lot of stuff up that way including a super-steep rocky section that blew my mind! This thru-trail thing is rad.

Here's hoping. If you've done it before and want to help me dead-reckon my way around, lemme know.

mike

[riderx]

WOW! That's great!

There is a lot of stuff up that way including a super-steep rocky section that blew my mind! This thru-trail thing is rad.
Over by Rt. 40 on the Balto. Co. side? Great descent and the return trip on the earthen dam is cool too.

[BikerMiker]

Yeah. The descent that takes you to where you wade through the river. A bit hectic.

I made it almost the whole way down before trying to mate unsuccessfully with a tree.

We'll see how it goes on Sunday.

mike

[atldc9]

I still have not found a good route from Daniels to the rt 40 bridge. I have tried, unsuccessfully to date, to find one of the unmaintained trails thru the Pickall area down to the river. In order to avoid crossing the river, having a trail thru Pickall, down the fall line to the river, and then continuing on the Balto Co side to join the trail at the 40 bridge would be ideal. I seem to always end up bushwacking.

Also, the last time I did it in the early summer, there were a ton of trees down on the trail from 40 to Ellicott City. The big, bushy, nasty kind of trees.

What time are you going?

Still a good time.

[BikerMiker]

Some time Sunday morning. 8 at the latest to keep the pressure off.

From what I was told, once you cross the river north of Oella, you stay low along the river bank and that takes you past that stuff up on the ridge where you end up bush-whacking your way back down. That's my plan.

I still don't have a firm grip on where the hell I'm going which should make it plenty of fun.

mike

[riderx]

I still have not found a good route from Daniels to the rt 40 bridge. I have tried, unsuccessfully to date, to find one of the unmaintained trails thru the Pickall area down to the river. In order to avoid crossing the river, having a trail thru Pickall, down the fall line to the river, and then continuing on the Balto Co side to join the trail at the 40 bridge would be ideal. I seem to always end up bushwacking. The Pickall side is way overgrown. Heading upstream, the way I do it is to descend the scree field Mike mentioned earlier, go under Rt. 40 and hoof it up to the bridge. Cross the bridge and enter the park, take the Old Ranger Trails (fun bit of recently improved singltrack by MORE and the park), then cut off on the powerlines towards Rt. 70. When you can't go any further, head into the woods and find your way down to the river. It's not too hard and conditions are much better than the Balto. Co. side. I've pitched Amy (Patapsco trail chief) about putting a switchedbacked connector trail in this area and early response was positive, but it could take a while for it to see light.

[BikerMiker]

Boy am I hoping somebody comes out of the woodwork to go on this ride with me!

Paging Patapsco Pilot!

mike

[pbayne]

Good timing on discussing the thru-trail. I rode the northern section today down to Pickall area and spent about an hour bushwacking around looking for a way to get to the area under the rt. 40 bridge.

The only way I can find to connect is to wade the river under the rt. 40 bridge. Has anyone done this? Is it safe? Its gonna be too cold to do that soon.

I've also tried the hike-a-bike up under the bridge when coming from the south and then heading over to the Old Ranger Trail. I explored the power line cut but it was summer and overgrown. I couldn't seem to find a way down. But I was looking for something trail like. How far down the power line cut should one go? It starts to drop off steeply; keep going there?

I agree that the best solution seems to be resurrecting a trail down to the river from the Pickall area. There is a relatively unused trail that loops through the area already, as shown on the map. I can't find anything that resembles the other trails though.

[atldc9]

Good timing on discussing the thru-trail. I rode the northern section today down to Pickall area and spent about an hour bushwacking around looking for a way to get to the area under the rt. 40 bridge.

The only way I can find to connect is to wade the river under the rt. 40 bridge. Has anyone done this? Is it safe? Its gonna be too cold to do that soon.

I've also tried the hike-a-bike up under the bridge when coming from the south and then heading over to the Old Ranger Trail. I explored the power line cut but it was summer and overgrown. I couldn't seem to find a way down. But I was looking for something trail like. How far down the power line cut should one go? It starts to drop off steeply; keep going there?

I agree that the best solution seems to be resurrecting a trail down to the river from the Pickall area. There is a relatively unused trail that loops through the area already, as shown on the map. I can't find anything that resembles the other trails though.

I know the loop thru Pickall that you are referring to. As it rounds the campground, point the bike down the fall line and go. It will take you straight to the river. However once there, it is bigtime bushwacking until 40. There are remnants of a deer trail, but it is really overgrown.

It seems that there are a lot more folks riding the thru trail lately, any ideas what it would take to get the park to work/allow us to work on a solution.

I haven't tried the HO CO side mainly because I wanted to avoid crossing either the Daniels Railroad bridge, or the Rt 40 bridge. With the water as low as it is, it probably isn't an issue as you can just ford the river, but a single, mostly continuos trail would be ideal.

[escatmore]

we're working on it. the park has many priorities, it's coming together slowly but surely.

eric

[old_bashturd]

Is it mating season? I did the HO side yesterday afternoon, and no fewer than a dozen times did a squirrel suddenly dart out right in front of my tire, thus causing me to grab a handful of brake and blurt out a curse word. Is it a nut gathering frenzy before winter perhaps? I just glad they weren't deer.:)

[riderx]

I know the loop thru Pickall that you are referring to. As it rounds the campground, point the bike down the fall line and go. It will take you straight to the river. However once there, it is bigtime bushwacking until 40. There are remnants of a deer trail, but it is really overgrown.Where's there a campground in Pickall (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/pickall.html)? I'm guessing you just mean the pavillion area because the rest of the description is spot on. (Unless you are talking about the Hollofield camp area)

It seems that there are a lot more folks riding the thru trail lately, any ideas what it would take to get the park to work/allow us to work on a solution. We are still hashing out ideas on the final (official) route. There are a few challenging areas, for example where the park doesn't own land and roads may need to be used. Since the idea was first conceived there has been a surprising amount of progress. We have a wish list of pieces to go in next and the Rt. 40 / Rt. 70 area is high on the list.

I haven't tried the HO CO side mainly because I wanted to avoid crossing either the Daniels Railroad bridge, or the Rt 40 bridge. With the water as low as it is, it probably isn't an issue as you can just ford the river, but a single, mostly continuos trail would be ideal.You can cross the Old Fred. Rd. / Johnnycake metal bridge. Still need to bushwhack up to the powerline cut to get to Old Ranger. from there you can work your way into Ellicott City and take some roads to Main Street if you dont want to cross the Rt. 40 bridge.

[atldc9]

Sorry, I meant the pavilion in Pickall. I've forded the river before, and caught a short single track trail on the HO Co side that runs down to the dam at 40, and then recrossed to pick up the trail, but if the river is running deep, this is not really a good option.

[kevin29r]

Patapsco had one inch of rain yesterday, most of it around 4:30 PM, so riding today is doubtful, but there might be a slim chance of riding the Rockburn Branch and Ridge trails late today. If anyone rode or scouted any of the trails today, please post the conditions. Thanks!

[urbaindk]

All good yesterday afternoon :cool:.

[kevin29r]

Trail conditions were fast, dry, and tight today. Watch out for the deer, as I almost ran into one that crossed my path while speeding down the water bars on the Ridge Trail fireroad. :eek:

[jon_baler]

Trails were good late yesterday. The leaves make things a little more interesting, though.

[BikerMiker]

Sweet. You getting back out there tomorrow afternoon?

mike

[jon_baler]

Sweet. You getting back out there tomorrow afternoon?


doubtful. you still looking at a tour de patapsco around thanksgiving?

[zap602]

Great ride yesterday, but want to put out a warning that there were two large trees down on the orange trail on the Howard County side in Avalon. Other than that, the riding was fantastic.

[BikerMiker]

Yeah, there are some trees down on the ridge trail just upstream from the four corners with Rockburn. Big sucker, one of 'em.

It was really nice out there. I was feeling like crap so I took it easy but I saw 50-60 riders. Many weren't very friendly...

Yeah, day after Thanksgiving for a Thru-Trail Tour de Patapsco. 8:30 start and no lolligagging. It'll be 7 hours, most likely. Rockburn Branch to McKeldin and back, including a dip in the river (mandtory) and minimal roads.

mike

[escatmore]

11/16 Cross post!!! Bwahahahahahahaha (http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showthread.php?p=136220)

[BikerMiker]

Evil Crawford...

Trails are more than perfect.

mk

[leroy]

Just built up a repaired frame. Need to give it a run. Any trail condition updates?

[jon_baler]

The rain Monday was pretty light and Tuesday was just a couple of drops. We've had a fair amount of sun and wind since then, so I expect them to be pretty good. I'm going out later this morning, and will try to post back around mid-afternoon.

[jon_baler]

Did a big loop on the HOCO side, and things were mostly good. ride on.

And since the Patapsco night ride thread is temporarily lost (http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13787). I'll say here that the ride should be on for tonight. I won't be there, but we have folks signed up.

please sign up here, if you are riding.
http://thebikesite.org/sign_up_pt1/

[BikerMiker]

Baler, you hitting the 8am/9am ride tomorrow?

mk

[jon_baler]

Baler, you hitting the 8am/9am ride tomorrow?

mk

nope, got my patapsco riding in today so the fredneck events won out for tonight and tomorrow. Considering your ride on Friday...

[kevin]

Anyone have a report on trail conditions? We have to decide if we can run the Patapsco night rides tonight...

Thanks,

Kevin

[BikerMiker]

New date for Thru Ride: Dec 21 - shortest day of the year. Yeah, I'm an optimist. Winter Solstice celebration so I'll have to hide some beers along the way somewhere...

And it looks like we'll be riding through Ellicott City with a direct descendant of the Ellicott family...

mk

[atldc9]

Went out yesterday for 15 miles - cascade, ridge, and buzzard rock trails, amongst others. Most trails were good, but a little slick in spots. The usual wet spots were puddling, and the streams and river were all way up. Hopefully the trails will freeze soon, and all will be well.

[cbass]

Howard County side report

Trails were good yesterday after work and this morning. There were a few spots with some surface slickness, but solid ground underneath. Otherwise, everything was either loamy or dry.

Of course, if we get rain this afternoon all bets are off.

You shoulda been here yesterday! :D

[269er]

Did anybody ride Patapsco today?
I'm riding there tomorrow morning and was wondering what the trails are like.

[DavidM]

Did anybody ride Patapsco today?
I'm riding there tomorrow morning and was wondering what the trails are like.

I also plan on riding tomorrow. I'm going in the morning, when everything is frozen, so I don't need to care about how wet it is.

[269er]

I'm starting at 10:30 and plan on being in there for at least three hours.
The ground will thaw before my ride is over.

[jon_baler]

i am doing a ride starting at my place (<1 mile from belmont/horse farm) starting at 7 am. Only can ride for about 1.5-2 hours, due to later commitments (i.e. social city riding and beer). PM me if interested.

[mtbGreg]

Anybody know what the trails are like today, and more importantly, any predictions for tomorrow?

[DavidM]

Anybody know what the trails are like today, and more importantly, any predictions for tomorrow?

I rode yesterday. By 10am it was starting to soften up. I'm sure today will be worse as the remaining snow slowly melts.....

[jon_baler]

The temp dropped considerably late afternoon yesterday, and things were firmed up by 6:00ish. (not that I rode there, :rolleyes: ). It was very cold overnight (20 F), and temps are expected much over freezing today. But not looking good after tonight....

[stanley02]

I went out during my lunch break today and did my usual walk that starts at Landing Road on the Howard County side and I head toward the farm and I noticed that it looks like someone covered up the "not your momma's trail" and the other trail that is in that area. I thought it was just maybe the leaves falling, but all the logs have been been removed. I believe that part is private property and not part of the park. Anyone else notice this? I guess it must have happened last weekend.

[escatmore]

It's a fair bet the the park removed it. They came across it last week or the week before last. Everything I've seen indicates it's on park land.

eric

[BikerMiker]

Yeah, I thought it was private land and it ain't. Crawford is on this one. Fo sho.

mk

[old_bashturd]

I stopped by the "Boardwalk" off of Belmont Road on my road ride this morning and it was completley ripped out. Pity, That was a fun section :nope:

[ForestBear]

I'm currently out of town and hoping to ride Avalon when I get home tomorrow- probably 2:00PM-3:00 PM Saturday. Are things too muddy after the thaw?

Thanks!

[jon_baler]

I don't have first hand trail conditions, but a general rule is that the Patapsco/Avalon trails are NOT ridable unless it is frozen during this time year. The combination of low temps, short days, and freeze-thaw cycles prevent it from drying out.

[mtbGreg]

I don't have first hand trail conditions, but a general rule is that the Patapsco/Avalon trails are NOT ridable unless it is frozen during this time year. The combination of low temps, short days, and freeze-thaw cycles prevent it from drying out.


Think this rule will hold true after two days of sunny/breezy and highs in the upper 40s?

[escatmore]

I walked around Friday night, just inside the trail head on Hilltop Road. Due to the leaf litter holding whatever moisture falls, the place was a mess.

I'll do the same again this afternoon and report back.

eric

[urbaindk]

Due to the leaf litter holding whatever moisture falls, the place was a mess.

I'll do the same again this afternoon and report back.

eric


Take a rake with you next time... Problem solved. :)

[old_bashturd]

:thumbsup: Rode the HO CO side this morning including the Farm Loop. Conditions were pretty good, some loamy spots but mostly dry.