saxman
July 15th, 2003, 12:45 AM
I was there on Sunday 7/6 and 7/13
While many MTB riders have stayed away from the trails while its muddy, the can't be said for the equestrian crowd. There isn't at least one part of any trail that hasn't been torn up terribly ny horse traffic. Some trails, such as the twisty decent on Loggers Trail from the intersection at Hard Cider trail to the parking lot are completely impassable. The decent on Loggers is almost entirely soft mud churned up to at least four inches in depth.
Some of the other trouble spots which should be avoided:
Purdum trail past the Browning Run trail is blocked by several fallen trees.
Browning Run between the woods on the south side of Clarksburg Road and Clarksburg road itself is very swampy and not easily passable.
The creek crossing at Browning Run and Tobacco Barn intersection is very muddy and not passable.
Froggy Hollow/Schoolhouse trail was wet even last fall before all this rain...I didn't even try to take a look at it this time.
Only the Kingsley trail, which is a gravel road and the paved portion of Purdum trail are free from the mudholes.
The remaining trails are soft with sporadic mud holes created by equestrian traffic. If you ride, you will find yourself dismounting frequently, or reversing course to avoid these muddy areas.
It's a pity, this was one of my favorite places to ride. I can't see myself returning until we either have a period of no rain for two weeks, or until the ground freezes up in the winter.
Someone ought to get a camera and document the current woes of the Little Bennett trails. The damage to these trails caused by the horses is so far beyond anything a mountain bike could ever do.
While many MTB riders have stayed away from the trails while its muddy, the can't be said for the equestrian crowd. There isn't at least one part of any trail that hasn't been torn up terribly ny horse traffic. Some trails, such as the twisty decent on Loggers Trail from the intersection at Hard Cider trail to the parking lot are completely impassable. The decent on Loggers is almost entirely soft mud churned up to at least four inches in depth.
Some of the other trouble spots which should be avoided:
Purdum trail past the Browning Run trail is blocked by several fallen trees.
Browning Run between the woods on the south side of Clarksburg Road and Clarksburg road itself is very swampy and not easily passable.
The creek crossing at Browning Run and Tobacco Barn intersection is very muddy and not passable.
Froggy Hollow/Schoolhouse trail was wet even last fall before all this rain...I didn't even try to take a look at it this time.
Only the Kingsley trail, which is a gravel road and the paved portion of Purdum trail are free from the mudholes.
The remaining trails are soft with sporadic mud holes created by equestrian traffic. If you ride, you will find yourself dismounting frequently, or reversing course to avoid these muddy areas.
It's a pity, this was one of my favorite places to ride. I can't see myself returning until we either have a period of no rain for two weeks, or until the ground freezes up in the winter.
Someone ought to get a camera and document the current woes of the Little Bennett trails. The damage to these trails caused by the horses is so far beyond anything a mountain bike could ever do.