Sugarloaf

[stewey]

I'm new to the area and trying to find an easy ride for my wife. Is Sugarloaf open? I called the Stronghold properties phone #, but got no answer.
Thanks.

[saxman]

Sugarloaf's natural trails are closed to mountain biking until next spring. I believe the season is May 1st - October 1st but I haven't been out there in a couple of years. The road leading up and down the mountain is open year round.

Also, Sugarloaf is not an easy place to ride a mountain bike. The trails are steep and fairly rocky. It's been described as a "mini-Gambrill". If you are looking for some place easy to take your wife, I would strongly recommend Black Hills Regional Park. Black Hills is not too technical for the beginner, but not too boring for the more experienced rider.

The roads around the base of Sugarloaf Mountain make for a very nice road ride. It's about an 11 mile circuit around the base of the mountain. The hills are fairly steep, but you are on pavement or gravel roads.

[Derek is cool]

I love sugarloaf, mainly because its about 2 mies from my house and its great for singlespeeding. Its open year round on weekdays so it makes a good ride if youre around after work, school for us younger people. Im 15 now and have been riding it since i was atleast 8 so im sure a beginner could handle it.

[DKEG]

I love sugarloaf, mainly because its about 2 mies from my house and its great for singlespeeding. Its open year round on weekdays so it makes a good ride if youre around after work, school for us younger people. Im 15 now and have been riding it since i was atleast 8 so im sure a beginner could handle it.

Are you sure it is open year round? The last time I was out there it said it was closed in Oct. till whenever.

[saxman]

I drove past Sugarloaf last night. Posted on several signs:

"No Mountain Bikes Labor Day to Memorial Day"

[VFDRider]

Has anyone ridden the loop trail there or any where else on the property? Worth Riding?

[philvw]

Mostly double track, with some short spurts of really tasty single track thrown in. It's open to bikes Memorial day to labor day, but weekdays only. No riding on weekends. Decent elevation gain, Fast descent. Really nice when combined with MNRA. See the other thread about that.

[VFDRider]

Might have to check that out after things dry a bit -

[philvw]

The way i usually rode sugarloaf was to park at stronghold, and enter the exit where the cars come down from the mountain. enter the yellow trail there, follow that it will come to a 'T' bear right (left only goes back out to the road) That is some great singletrack, it puts you onto double track, keep following yellow, cross the road and just before it puts you back across the road, there is a little more singletrack parallel to the road on your left. Then you start the double track climb up the saddleback. At the ridge at 5 forks where the blue crosses, there is double track (yellow I think) going straight ahead, but look closely right there for the singletrack going off to the right just past the blue intersection. This is also great singletrack. Thiswill ut you back out onto doubletrack all the way down the fast descent. There used to be more singletrack at the bottom, but that has been dozed into double. It all should be fairly dry, they have dozed past the problem wet areas. It's about a 8 mile loop. Probably 5/3 dub/single.

[VFDRider]

Thanks for the info!