Little Bennett

[sierra11861]

Admin: FYI Bennett has 2 T's not one. I know it is counterintuitive:rolleyes:

After a long hiatus from MTB (mostly rails to trails for the past several years) I decided to take a swipe last weekend at Little Bennett. I was impressed with the trails there and would rate it as a solid medium in difficulty due to what I thought were relatively short distance climbs (maybe one mile at the most?).

I enjoyed the fact that many of the trails wondered in and out from wooded single track to grass fields and thought they were very well laid out taking into account the terrain that was there to work with. Overall condition of the trails was very good, minimal wet spots considering this has been a very wet spring season. Crossing the streams (literally - that is - without a bridge) was a blast, so many I lost count, at least 3 or 4 I thought I remembered.

I hope there is a group ride there sometime, I took my kids and they moaned the entire way. I would like to go out there with some adults sometime, let me know if anyone is interested in planning a group ride anytime Sat or Sun

dave

[denisvtt]

I hope there is a group ride there sometime, I took my kids and they moaned the entire way. I would like to go out there with some adults sometime, let me know if anyone is interested in planning a group ride anytime Sat or Sun

dave

Dave:

I sometimes ride LB late afternoon (around 6p) on weekdays. I could let you know the next time I do it (probably this week).

Like you, I think LB is one of the best trail systems around, and probably the most challenging in Montgomery County. The horses are hard on some spots, though.

[sierra11861]

Dave:

I sometimes ride LB late afternoon (around 6p) on weekdays. I could let you know the next time I do it (probably this week).

Like you, I think LB is one of the best trail systems around, and probably the most challenging in Montgomery County. The horses are hard on some spots, though.

First place I ever shared horses with and I honestly I felt pretty good about it because it was clear that bikes cause considerably less trail damage than horses:o
Not to mention the fact that bikes don't defecate.

Ok, let me know, it would be a hit or miss on whether I can make it or not, I usually prefer weekends because I am less tired.

[MyOtherBrotherL]

Admin: FYI Bennett has 2 T's not one.

Fixed..............................

[epickering]

For what it's worth, my buddy and I just took a crack at the Little Bennett trails a few weeks ago and were a bit disappointed. The trails were generally nice, but we felt it involved an excessive amount of climbing for only a moderate amount of downhill as a reward for all the climbing. And then when there WAS downhill, it was slow and tedious to avoid loose rocks and exposed roots (that were taller than my front wheel). And last but not least, the trails were barely marked and often what looked like a trail just abruptly ended and we ended up having to backtrack.

It was a nice little escape, though, and could very well have just been due to a lack of maintenance. I can't really complain about the chance to get away from the city (and Little Bennett certainly is in the middle of nowhere). All in all we had a good time, but a beer was of the utmost necessity after all the climbing. Overall, a lot more work than play. But still beats the cubicle life. :-)

[mbonsby]

I realy dont understand why me and Tony P are the only people who love Little Ben!! I ride all over the place but would rather ride LB than anywhere.

[bones]

I like Little Bennett a lot, and used to ride there more than anywhere else, as I prefer the uphills to the downhills. But I don't go there as much since I switched to single speed. LB on a single speed is NOT fun. And I'd rather not pull out my old geared bike, the tank, as that would mean admitting defeat. And earlier this year it was just too muddy to ride.

I do like the new Pardum trail extension, the one that dead ends at the parking lot (though I can no longer make it up the steep hill on the way back). But I hate the grassy trail that parallels Rt 121. The grass just grabs my tires the whole way, like riding with the brakes on. The grassy Tobacco Barn trail is a nice ride up, though, especially when you go right and then on to the golf course. Challenging, but do-able on a SS.

On my SS I can last a bit over an hour, and then my legs are dead, and I end up walking up too many of the steep hills. I try to ride the whole park, with all the extensions and going UP all the big hills, but haven't made it yet, at least this year.

So yes, LB is quite nice, especially in the evening when nobody else is there, but I need fresh legs to ride it.

[saxman]

Right now is probably the best time to ride LB. The trails are dry and pretty firm. The key to having fun at LB is to pick a good loop.

I lead night rides at Little Bennett, but right now, I don't have anything up on the calendar.

[wrench177]

Little Bennett has a lot of potential and Austin Steo has been working hard get stuff approved and built. Problem is building new trail requires people willing to help and I hear that has been an issue. So, if you like Lil Ben and want to see new & improved trails, talk to Austin (austinstrails(at)gmail(dot)com. I'm sure he could use some help.

[keyjey]

hey everyone, a friend of mine invited me to ride the Black Hills Regional Park trails this weekend.
It will be the first time there for the both of us. I would say we are still beginners though we have ridden Schaeffer farms and Seneca greenway trails a few times. Could you guys recommend a good trail to try, hopefully one that is easy to follow and we won't worry about getting lost :D
thanks!

[saxman]

hey everyone, a friend of mine invited me to ride the Black Hills Regional Park trails this weekend.
It will be the first time there for the both of us. I would say we are still beginners though we have ridden Schaeffer farms and Seneca greenway trails a few times. Could you guys recommend a good trail to try, hopefully one that is easy to follow and we won't worry about getting lost :D
thanks!

Black Hill is pretty easy to navigate. All the trails are pretty good, flow well and are not overly technical. If you've ridden Schaeffer and the Greenway, you'll have no troubles with Black Hill. The Cabin Branch trail is probably the most fun to ride. Here's a link to the trail map:

http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkTrails/trails_MAPS/trailmap_pdfs/black_hill_trails.pdf

Stick to the trails that are within the main part of the park. The loops north of Clarksburg Road are on very steep terrain.

[keyjey]

thanks a lot saxman! :)

Stick to the trails that are within the main part of the park. The loops north of Clarksburg Road are on very steep terrain.

are those the turkey hill, lake view, osprey heights loop?

[saxman]

thanks a lot saxman! :)



are those the turkey hill, lake view, osprey heights loop?

Yes, and the Cool Spring Run. Cool Spring is kind of neat, but has some extremely steep sections.

They are worth a look-see if you really want to work your cardio. The hills are actually longer and steeper than Little Bennett's