New Trails at Black Hills?

[skillet999]

Noticed that there seems to be a lot of "new" trails being formed at the end of the "Hamilton" trail - pretty extensive through the area marked as private property. I can't tell if this was organized trail work or someone doing their own thing but the trails looked like they were cut with the help of a tractor or other mechanized means. Anyone got the scoop?

[jimweber1]

I ride/run at Black Hills a decent amount, but I am not sure which trail you mean when you mention the "hamilton" trail. I've never seen a trail marked with that name and I can't find it one on the map. However, I assume you may be talking about the North end of the Cabin Branch Trail, just to the West of the park entrance and the main park road (Lake Ridge Drive). In this area, it looks like the park boundary does not extend all the way up to to West Old Baltimore Road, and there is a section of private land there instead. Last time I was up there, I had hiked up the utility easement (gas pipeline?) that is on/near the park boundary line tothe NW of the Cabin Branch Trail, and I eventually left the easement and followed what appeared to be a cut thru or connector to the Cabin Branch trail. However, I ended up on a few interconnected trails which looked like they hade seen a bunch of ATV traffic. I saw at least one private property sign, along with a sign at or near the North end of the Cabin Branch trail that indicated the end of the park...even though the trail itself continued north ward. I just assumed that this land was all private property and that someone was building a small section of ATV trails just North of the park boundary.

[skillet999]

I don't ride there that often but there is new signage off of the Cabin Branch that would seem to indicate that this new trail is named "The Hamilton Trail". I rode there on Sunday and again yesterday - don't remember seeing the sign on Sunday so maybe it has been put up in the last few days?

The trails I saw were recently constructed... like in the last day or so as the dirt was very "loamy" and I saw no tracks - certainly not any ATV tracks. Next time you are out there, see if you can figure out the mystery, hopefully it is good news for MTBing.

Cheers,

Dave

[jmcgonigle]

It was signed on August 5th when I rode it. They changed the Cabin Branch trail and named part of it Hamilton. Haven't had a chance to hit all the new trails and figure out the best loop. Lots of weird extensions, hard to find a good flow.

More trails should be a good thing. :)

[jimweber1]

I think some of the confusion definitely has to do with the Cabin Branch re-route. Based on what I've heard and seen, they re-routed part of the upper Cabin Branch Trail (I've seen the old trail blocked off and I have ridden part of the new re-route)...and it looks like part of it is now called the Hamilton Trail. Sounds like all of this new trail is legally rideable, and within park limits. However there is another "new" section at the North end of the Cabin Branch Trail that I do not think is part of the re-route. The trails in this section did not look like mountain bike trails to me, and I believe they were all beyond the North boundary of the park, or what appeared to be private property. I'll probably head out that way for a ride tomorrow AM and take a look.

I have not yet seen an updated trail map showing the re-route.

[fumoffu]

Yea, I am finding this stuff confusing on what is going on. It sucks that I need to be off my bike for another couple weeks so I just can't go over there and check it out! This is my understanding of what's going on there:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=116143231962216679652.000437c2 85a2576deee2a&z=16&om=1

[jimweber1]

It sucks that I need to be off my bike for another couple weeks so I just can't go over there and check it out!

Off the bike? Did you get hurt? If yes, I wish you a quick recovery!

I was out there this AM and did some extensive recon...here is the full scoop. Apolgies if this is too much information!

Before the re-route, pretty much everything to the West of the Lake Ridge Drive (LRD) was part of the Cabin Branch Trail (CBT), which had several connectors and extensions.

After the re-route, you now have two separate trails on the West side, and both are basically "point to point" trails, with no connectors or extensions...although a small section of trail is “shared’ by both the newly named (but not newly created) Hamilton Trail (HT) and the CBT.

One end of the CBT is at the Boat Ramp on Black Hills Road (BHR) and the other end is at LRD, directly across from the Hard Rock trail head.

One end of the HT is at BHR, and the other end is at the park’s North boundary. The HT basically parallels LRD going North (roughly).

Here is how the HT looks from the bike, starting at BHR:
1) The HT goes left toward Little Seneca Lake, then turns roughly North. Shortly after this, there used to be a trail to the left (see the current park map) that went across a log bridge then eventually crossed the creek and connected to (or became) the CBT. This trail is now closed/blocked from the HT.
2) Continuing on the HT, you come to a new trail to the right (first CBT re-route section, exactly as drawn on fumoffu's map) that winds around and eventually drops you on LRD. Along the way you will cross a trail (now closed/blocked) that used to be a direct connector from LRD to what is now the HT. The only part of the original connector trail still in use is the last 100 yards that dumps you onto LRD once the CBT re-route section ends.
3) On the other side of the HT, directly across from the CBT re-route section mentioned above, there is an old trail (now closed/blocked) that used to go down to the creek and connect up with the CBT connector trail mentioned in #1 above. This trail is now closed, but if you followed it down to the creek, there is a still a structure there that says Cabin Branch Trail Bridge…but the trail is closed and there is no bridge. This trail used to go across the creek, then uphill, and then hit another section of the CBT.
4) From here, the HT and the CBT share the same trail for awhile. However, the red loop on the West side of the HT on fumoffu’s map is actually further up the HT…I believe it begins after the point where the direct connector from LRD used to come in. Other than it’s location on the HT, the drawing of this second CBT re-route section is accurate, with the re-route heading West and downhill from the old trail, then heading back uphill to the East to join it again. The HT and CBT share this section of new trail, and the old section of trail is closed/blocked.
6) After this re-route section loops you back to the old trail, you parallel LRD again (you are still onboth the HT and the CBT), until you come to “Y” where the HT goes straight and the CBT bears left. The HT continues straight until it hits the North park boundary, where there is a sign saying “End of Trail. Respect Private Property.” The trail does continue straight, as well as right and left. This is the private network of what I assumed were ATV trails (wider than single track). If you go left here, I believe you eventually hit the gas pipeline. If you go right, you also hit the gas pipeline, right near the park entrance (along with a PRIVATE PROPERTY sign). Not sure what happens if you go straight, but I assume it is more private trail.

Here is how the CBT looks from the bike, starting from the Boat Ramp
1) From the ramp, the trail heads up the pipeline, crosses a foot bridge with no rails, then leaves the pipeline and turns right into the woods. Soon it crosses another footbridge with rails (built maybe a year ago?), and then it passes a closed/blocked trail that used to lead down to the “Cabin Branch Trail Bridge” creek crossing mentioned in #3 above.
2) After this, the CBT heads thru section of rollers (whoop de doos) and then it turns and drops down to a NEW footbridge with rails (built in the last few months) that crosses over the creek.
3) After this, the CBT joins the HT, and they share the trail (including the new re-route loop mentioned in HT #4 above). Shortly after this re-route, the HT goes straight, heading out to BHR, while the CBT takes a hard left and follows the first new re-route mentioned in #2 of the HT description above.

[fumoffu]

Off the bike? Did you get hurt? If yes, I wish you a quick recovery!


Thank you :) Just some stupid "sprain/pain/overuse thing" with my knee (thats the official diagnosis now) thing that just need to get better at this point.

Yea, that all sounds like the way the trails were when I was last out there on the 24th of July. Well except for the new trail name. And I also didn't know about the older CBT stuff, since I haven't quite been biking a year. I tweaked the map a little more to update how I think it is, it's not to scale or anything but I think it get's the idea and should help anyones understanding.

What I would really like to see is an official trail that goes from the end of the new Hamilton trail at the utility lines to one of the spurs across the Lake Ridge drive!