I had some Corp IT work I had to run in the morning but I got over this park to help build trails late morning. Its an interesting place. There are remnants of the former land owner's summer house abandoned in 1988.
You can see Long Island on the horizon on clear day from this spot!
It's hard to tell from this photo but there is quite a drop off here. Note the compass etched in stone.
As soon as we finished the trail work, there was an enormous heavy downpour and my plans to ride the new reroute over in Mianus seemed unrealistic.
The heavy rain kept up for quite a while so I opted for a fancy pizza and beer at Stamford Coalhouse Pizza (expensive for lunch but exquisite!) and waited it out until the rain cleared.
Mianus
I got to Mianus and the sun peaked out off and on, The forest was a freakin' steam bath and I stupidly had long jeans and my rain parka so I was dripping...
But I got to the new reroute on Indian Rock. I didn't clean it first time but I'll be back. It does not seem impossible (even for a XC weening like me!)
I got started around 2 pm Sunday afternoon but it was not too hot as the Fall weather seems to be the norm now. I did a few trails in the reverse of what I normally do and that made the ride a little more fun. Once up in the Central Maze I stopped to photograph the braid blockage on the Yellow Slab Rock Section. I can't believe it -- braiding is so prevalent here - its a shame!
Braiding Blockage - Yay!
Braiding has always been an issue in the Valley. The Park--being unmonitored and unsupervised basically by either the Town or State (co-landowners)--has brought a certain sense of freedom and creativity in the "evolution" of trails but the all-too-often dumbing down occurs as well.
It's a shame because there really are an enormous amount of trails with a wide spectrum difficulty levels. The Yellow Trail traverses through the Central Maze across a challenging series of rock slabs. It's not overwhelmingly hard and really can't even be called a "rock garden" but it offers a great chance to hone your skills for an intermediate! :-)
Why folks braided this is beyond comprehension! It has been one of my favorites trails in the park for years. Kudos to the Pequonnock Valley Trail Care crew for blocking this totally unnecessary braid! Ride the White Trail if the Yellow is too much for you!
Braid Blockage - Slab Rock Section of Yellow Trail
Descending from the Central Maze, I rode down the side trail (nearer the Fire road) instead of the usual Main Yellow and did the mini roller there - no big deal but it's been a long time since I tried that!
I turned around on the White before the dam and headed back north and decided - since it was dry -- to take the offshoot before the boardwalk in the Serengeti. Much to my surprise the dead-ended trail that used to head further south thru swamp was gone! Totally overgrown now - it shows that loops are needed to make a trail worthwhile to ride and of course mucky swampland and mosquitos can make any trail less enticing no matter how interesting the plant life is around you! :-)
I did a quickie loop of the valley today, trying to get some well-needed recreational exercise before the heat wave set in.
Starting from Whitney, I rode south on the White until the Dam and came back via the Blue. I was having some clothing issues* and decided to quit earlier just as the temperature went up quite a bit.
Its been ages since I visited this spot. It nice to see folks have built up a stone walkway across the river here. My son and I used to come bombing down the hill from the rail trail across the river and try to make it across on our bikes. We never succeeded making it all the way across and ended up with wet feet!
These classic spots looked nice in the mid morning sun
After my fiasco a couple of weeks ago at Trumbull where I needlessly got all banged up from my worn out shoes -- I bought a new pair and am back in business...
It was a beautiful day: vey sunny and a little hot but the humidity seemed tolerable for a change. I decided to skip Trumbull today and head back up to Farringtons and hit Huntington as well.
Farringtons
The parking lot at Farringtons was crowded like I have never seen it. Turns out it was a Boy Scout Troop that had just finished exploring, clearing and GPSing the hiking trails. I said hello and mentioned I had already made a bike map of the park. The eagle scout and his Dad have a project with the city to create a map for the kiosk. Some of the old hiking trails (mapped here) will finally be official!
Anyways, I stopped for the usual photo op by the lake and a little further on, I saw a red fox scamper by. Once again, I didn’t attempt the mountain trail and just rode the lower trails. I was the only rider in the park! It started to get hot and I was ashamedly already getting tired…
Sanfords Pond
Huntington
I let my phone GPS guide me to Huntington and it took a little less than half hour. I parked at the upper Dodgingtown’s lot. It was pretty hot by now. I rode straight in to Stratocaster and did the loop counter clockwise. It is such a great trail!
I noticed some new stunts and they looked doable by an XC weenie rider like me. This is a great spot to hone your skills (I hope to return on "off hours" to do just that :-) )
I did do the easier short flat one - Blink and You'll Miss It!
I stopped for a breather at the intersection where Stratocaster veers off from South Pond and snapped a photo. Its a really excellent trail - just check out the contours of the hill ascent - total PRO!
Although I helped construct this trail, the real kudos go to those who planned the route. Thank You FCNEMBA and CT NEMBA trail planners!
It was a beautiful day - not too muggy for a change. At around 9:15 AM, I waltzed into the Whitney north lot and found it completely full. My first reaction was to go park in the lot up by dog area but there were signs even there now stating a Trumbull parking pass was needed. Bah Humbug!! Rather than risk a ticket, I parked right off of Whitney Ave on Riverside Dr.
It was actually a treat as I never really saw this beautiful view before right next to where I parked. (Note park bench!)
As a fun warm up, I first rode up to the area just north of Rt 25 and rode the loops there...
Next, I rode in the usual way from Whitney, crossing over the river on the North Bridge and today, heading south on the Blue along the river.
At the start of the Serengeti, I GPSed a section of the trail as I want to tweak the GPS data for the stretch on the full page Google map I did a while ago. (Once that data is added, I will change the date on the legend)
A word of caution to folks who take the trail along the billboard cliffs. The fallen tree is finally shedding the dirt at it roots and a strange blob of dirt, roots and branches blocks the trail.
Right after I passed over the blockage, I stopped to converse with another biker named Bernard from Portugal. We had a nice talk and then I rode on, staying on the White/Blue trail, and ascending to the Red connection with the White near the south end.
Once I got on the Red Trail, I ran into "Red" -- who I hadn't seen in quite a while. He invited me to ride up a bit more to see the freerider crew (Brian, Heather, etc.) but I opted to stay lower and stopped shortly thereafter at the spot right where the Yellow branches off to Mulholland Drive for a breather.
Next I rode down the Red and hit the Berms we recently built. Holy Smoly!! I was flying without even trying to go fast. No Pics as I was impossible to stop (It would spoil the flow!!!)
Heading north on the Yellow and then the White (once past the Serengeti) I decided to stop and take a quick 360 of the Tall Pines Area. The sun was out real nice and it looked beautiful. Sadly the video was a bit rushed and it's always hard to capture the ambiance of actually being there "in the midst of it" at that moment in time...
Tall Pines Area
(I am situated right in between Green Monster (a.k./a. The Wall ) and Turtle Rock...
Sadly I felt a little bushed (it was getting hot and the the air was heavy without a breeze) so I opted to high tail it outta there.
A final stop at the North bridge - reveals just how sturdy it continues to be many thanks to the trail gnomes who added the steel beam underneath.
Trumbull never fails - it is always awesome: any time... any day... any season!
What a pleasant surprise - Would you believe it? ...a fun bunch of mountain trails in Schenectady's Central Park!
I got off to a very late start (a series of SNAFUs) but finally parked off Fehr Avenue and started riding at noon. Although the overall park is relatively flat, there were a lot of ups and downs and tightly-curved switchbacks to make the most out of every hill available! :-)
Loop One
Much of the first section of the trail I rode traversed thru marshy area. Fortunately--being late July--the place was bone dry but there were a lot of boardwalks in various shapes and sizes to keep the ride interesting.
Not exactly knowing where I was going, I simply followed the most well-beaten trail and the Green arrows.
If you like roots--then this is the place to go! There were sections of the trail that were as rooty as I am used to in Connecticut but frequent sharp turns and switchbacks make the sight lines limited so the ride was always full of unexpected surprises. (Quite a few log up and overs as well in all sizes!)
There were many spots with tight berms as well as long stretches with great flow so you could bomb much of the ride and have a blast. Obviously--if you come here often enough to really know the trails --the faster you bomb, the better it will be each and every time:-)
Loop Two
The first loop took me back to the car but I headed on to try more trails. The initial part of the next section was quite hilly. One section especially was pretty wild--the hillside was riddled with twists and turns. Nicely contoured switchbacks keep you climbing and focused on the curves but nothing was too steep or over strenuous - these are nice trails!!
There are many instances thru out the trail system where you
have to squeeze thru tree like this - Fun!
Finally after paralleling a stream for a while, I took the Orange trail and ended up on the Fireroad. A short jaunt northward took me right back to the car.
The Obligatory Wound PIC - just a minor skinned knee from a no-big-deal fall I took after hitting a root,.
Conclusion
Was it a fun ride? - Yes
Were you sufficiently challenged, yet not overwhelmed? Yes
Would you come back again? - Most definitely! There are parts of the park I still haven't ridden and I look forward to re-riding what I did (the more ya know it - the faster you can bomb!)
I rode Bennetts ages ago with my son and remembered it being a fun place. My return today--quite a few years later--was a disappointment. The park seemed disheveled and unkempt and the trails weren't as nice as I remembered them to be... Did the Friends of Bennetts Pond Park unfriend the place?
A quick loop
After a steep uphill at the entrance, you ride into the former site of Colonel Louis D. Conley’s enormous nursery (more info >). Now, a way overgrown field with a nice view, the trail winds thru this but it has hasn't been trimmed in ages and I was ripped apart by pricklers....
The Field
My legs and arms were ripped apart by sharp pricklers
Once you get thru the overgrown fields (there are two of them) you enter the woods and it is pretty much a coast downhill for the next 10 minutes. There is one section nearer to the bottom where you are flying - it is wide and super steep.
At the pond, the old bridge to the trail on the north side was no longer there!
I remember a bridge being here...
I rode back westward along the relatively easy trail by the south side of the pond and was rewarded by a nice view (I put a crude panorama together to demonstrate). Sadly, sections of this trail were eroded and/or strewn with branches and fallen trees.
Pond side trail heads thru fence
I wasn't headed this way today but the bridge is mighty skinny!
Narrow footbridge that heads into the Leibowitz/Hemlock Hills section
Looking back--I had just come along the trail on the left and was headed back out on the trail on the right...
Looking back at the bridge - panorama
Once I got on the narrow single track heading upward--it felt great. This was a good trail--roots for sure but a gradual climb and obviously well traversed and maintained.
Nice single track going back up the hill to the parking lot
The nice trail ends up right by the main sign.
I was hot, sweaty and scratched up from the pricklers so the cold beer waiting in my cooler hit the spot!
