Hemlock Hills - Ridgefield CT
My Route Today
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| clockwise... |
I got off to a decent start and got to the Windwing Trails entrance around 9 am (its close to an hour’s drive from my house). I was still handicapped by a jerry-rigged hard tail with crappy brakes (my XC bike is in the shop) but I was anxious to explore the park as I have only ridden it a couple of times and remember it being stunning.
I parked by the baseball fields and rode through the Windwing Field Loops (aerial) for starters. These easy trails were created by locals to encourage young riders to hone their skills and have fun riding together off road.
Windwing field loops
I had to stop by the lake and snap a photo...
A kiosk greets you at the intersection with the Red.
I road west on the Red by the lake and then turned around and climbed up the middle trail to get to the Orange.
Once I rode up the first hill, I then turned west on the Yellow. The Yellow was a double tracked stoney hilly jeep road. Mistakenly thinking it was the main trail (since that’s where the double track headed), I bombed down a side trail and ended up on North Shore road... (bummer!)
... but headed back up and found the blazes where the Yellow turned into single track and headed up some steep hills. The trail thru here was awesome and the scenery super rugged. Massive granite cliffs loomed ahead while the trail was challenging rocky, rooty and hilly!
The Landscape
Finally right before the Yellow started plunging downward, I found the side trail going eastward. That was equally awesome and I ended back at the Orange. Getting my bearings, I headed north on the Orange double track and turned to struggle up the Yellow. After the hill, it got easier and then merged with the Blue.
But after the next intersection where the Blue veers of the left, the Yellow to the right was an absolute beast: rocks, rocks and more rocks and I ended up walking most of it :-(
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It was treacherous for a long stretch and although I was intending on going to the Ives Cottage Ruins, I decided instead to take the Blue where it turned westward. It was partly down the rock strewn hill but once I got going on it, it was a little easier. There where a few ball breakers thru this stretch as well!
Rugged Rock Strewn Trail - Hike a Bike for Me :-(
Finally I took a breather where the Blue met the Red. Carrots in my Camelback hit the spot!
Lastly, I rode the Red back westward and settled in a little better - this was more my level of riding although there some tricky sections there as well. This park will waste you - the scenery is rugged and awesome but the trails are tough: rocky and super hilly much of the way. Flow is few, but stamina, fortitude and balance is mandatory!
where the Red meets the Blue...
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