Black Hill Regional Park Conditions

[crashmore]

Black Hills Regional Park 11/23

Rode Black Hills this afternoon. The Cabin Branch trail was in rough shape, really muddy in a few spots and a fair number of big trees still across the trail. The Hard Rock trail was in much better shape but the leaf cover is pretty heavy there making it a bit slick and difficult to see the underlying rocks.

[crashmore]

Black Hills Regional Park 12/22

I went out this morning and did the hard rock trail. The trails are pretty much clear and it's been drying out nicely. A couple spots would have been a bit muddy but were frozen pretty solid this morn making for a pretty descent ride.

[crashmore]

Black Hills Regional Park 1/4

I went out both yesterday and today and I was suprised to find the trails in excellent shape despite the little spurts of rain we've had these last two days. I spent most of my time on the hard rock trail which must drain well since it was in such good shape.

[cowboy00242]

The hard rock trail is in pretty good condition, but there are a few new trees down on the trails. Once you cross the road into the cabin branch trail (?) area, the mud gets bad in several areas. The area down near the stream especially has been bad (and getting worse) during the past season, and is in serious need of help.

[crashmore]

I hit Black Hills for my workout ride this morn. Hard rock was in great shape. 99.9% of the trees down have been cleared.
The trail was very dry and in overall great shape.

The Cabin Branch trail was in good shape for the most part. There was some mud in the typical areas ecspecially down near the stream etc....

[cowboy00242]

I was on hand for the trailwork done on 3/14/04. We did some trail rerouting on the Cabin Branch Trail, so be aware that some things have changed. Especially note that the stream crossing near the "swinging bridge" was changed to an area just upstream. We are hoping that the park service will consider completely rerouting this trail to get it out of the valley, as it now follows a major water channel and is eroding at an incredible rate. The downhill sections near the other bridge on this trail were also changed, either by reroutes or with diversion ditches to cut down on erosion. The reroutes also created at least 2 new log jumps! :) Park service is supposed to remove larger trees to preserve the trail as opposed to a reroute that looks like horses have made. Some smaller water crossings were opened up to keep them flowing, with some diversion ditches created. Black Hills has been needing some help, and it certainly got it! Great job, everyone!

[hophead]

Glad to hear that the Cabin branch trail got much needed maintainence. I ride Black hills often. I live next to the park. I have only been on the back section of Cabin branch once this year and it was in rough shape. I totally agree about the re-route.

I was working at Scheaffer this past Sunday and heard that there will be a trail built in the near future connecting Black Hills with Schaeffer. That will be sweet!

I hope to get out to Black Hills this week (maybe even this afternoon) and check out you handy work.

[cowboy00242]

I was out on Sunday, and Black Hills was still fairly damp in several places. Skipped the Cabin Branch trail altogether because the Hard Rock trail (which dries out faster) was still soft in many places. If no rain this week, should be in good shape for the weekend.

[IFBikeMD]

Went out to Black Hills today (assuming that Schaeffer would be too muddy) and was really surprised by the great condition of the trails. The Black Hill and Hard Rock were slightly damp, but no standing water or muddy areas. The section along the AT&T right of way had some unrideable muddy sections and the Cabin Branch trail (especially the "swinging bridge" area) were also too muddy to ride. By unrideable, I mean that your front tire sinks to the bottom of your disc brakes...

Bottom Line: The trails on the left side of the entrance to the park are in great shape. The trails to the right have some bad sections.

[cowboy00242]

The trail set on the right of the entrance road consists primarily of the Cabin Branch Trail and smaller subsidiaries. They are perpetually wet, and have gotten worse. The areas by the bridges are nearly impossible to ride without tearing up the trail completely and adding 5-10 lbs of mud to your bike. IMHO the trails in that section need a complete rerouting. However, the Hard Rock trail is still one of the best beginner trails around, and dries out pretty quickly. I have introduced many people to mountain biking in that park... it's a shame to see the Cabin Branch Trail disintegrating. :(