Trail Review: Chicopee Woods

Chicopee Woods are 21 miles of incredibly well maintained mountain bikes trails created by SORBA in Oakwood, Georgia. I've been hearing about the insane trails at Chicopee Woods in Oakwood, GA for a couple of months now. Patrick has made his way up there on several occasions, but it had sounded a little too intense for me. Unlike the other trails I had ridden previously, Chicopee's loops don't have an easy out. Once you're in, you're in until the end.

We finally made our way up yesterday so that I could see what all the hype was about. And, man, they didn't disappoint!
The trails were probably the most technical I'd ever ridden. There are lots of roots, rocks, punchy climbs, and fast descents, that make even the beginner trails a little sketchy.

The trails are separated into several different loops, varying in difficultly from beginner to advanced. From the parking lot, we started on the easiest loop, known as the Tortoise. It made for a solid warm up, allowing time to hone in on the challenges ahead and get your legs burning on a couple of relatively easy, but long climbs.
Honestly, I can't tell you where we go from there. The trails quickly split off into several, non-directional loops. We ended up riding everything, except Copperhead Gap, the most advanced trail. Patrick has done that one on previous trips. He reports that it's a lot of climbing and really technical, but I don't really have much more information to report on it than that. I'll do it next time, promise!

While I may not have known exactly which trail I was on the majority of the time, I can say that the Flying Squirrel loop is one that no one should miss! It's a little climby, with one insane, rocky hill that nearly took me out a couple of times. (Keep in mind, I would rate my personal riding skills at just below intermediate so what I regard as tough, may be more or less challenging for other riders). However, any climb on any of these trails has an incredibly fun pay off at the end. There is almost an exactly equal amount of climbing as descending. I haven't smiled my way through an entire trail system before Chicopee.

Aside from that, I really only remember that I kept getting lost between White Tail and Red Tail, finding myself riding the same section of trail over again, only to then turn around. White Tail is probably the best trail for someone looking to get more comfortable with fast descents, without any crazy climbing in between. There are some cool, hidden drops that I accidentally did (without dying!)

Yesterday was an insanely hot day, so it's important to make lots of time for water and food breaks when you can. There aren't any water fountains at the trail head, so make sure you're fully stocked up before heading out there!

We ended up getting soaked by a spontaneous thunderstorm for our last 2 miles. While I never recommend intentionally riding wet trails, it definitely made the final stretch that much more enjoyable. We got back to the car covered in mud, absolutely exhausted, with ~15 miles under our belt for the day.

Chicopee Woods are about an hour outside of the city and definitely worth the trek up north. I can't wait for our next trip up there. I can't recommend those trails enough!