Trail List : Montana de Oro State Park

If the trail doesn't get chya, these will

Finding a worthy trail across the country can be challenging. When Patrick and I started planning our trip to California, countless hours were spent researching various trail systems. To our advantage, his family lives out there, so a quick call-to-action via Facebook resulted in countless options. Thanks to MTB Project by REI, we were able to take a virtual tour of the trail without ever leaving our couch.

The trails within the park are clearly marked

After shifting through suggested trails, we decided that it was important to keep it a short drive from the city, have enough miles of trails to make it worth the drive, provide camping, and be challenging with a huge payoff. What we landed on was Montana de Oro State Park. The park sits just north of San Luis Obispo and offers 20+ miles of out and back trails, camping, and amazing views of the ocean and mountains. (Seriously, my favorite part about California is being at the beach and in the mountains at the same time!)

View from the top of Hazard

Soon after setting up camp, we set out to Hazard Peak Trail. Rated as an easy/intermediate trail, it had come highly recommended so we were eager to test it out.
The trail starts with an easy climb up the ocean side of the mountain. After the initial climb, we were greeted by a flat, winding trail through the brush. If you're visiting, make sure to enjoy this part of the trail while you can! From there, the trail gets a bit tougher. The trails quickly changes into a moderately steep climb of loose rocks. Most riders will be able to make it up, just make sure to be drinking tons of water as the whole trail is exposed.
The climb is made all the sweeter by knowing this trail is an out and back. All of the climbing at the start soon becomes a crazy fast and flowy descent.
Confidence is key! With the large amount of loose rock on this trail, there doesn't leave much room for excessive braking. Once you make it off the steep part of the mountain, you're back in the grove where there is a ton of room for bike surfing on small berms. For those experienced riders, there's plenty of opportunity for small jumps, as well.

Once back at camp, we spent the rest of day 1 drinking beers and soaking in the views. Not all of the trails at Montana de Oro are bike-friendly! It's worth it to take some time to hike along the bluffs, though.

The next day, we wanted to check out an easier trail that promised just as amazing views. Oats Peak has all the fun that Hazard does, just with an easier climb to the top. It is an out and back, as well, so any efforts put in on the way up will soon be rewarded.
Oaks Peak is switchback city, making the climb all the easier and the descent all the better.
The trail is doable by beginners, but it does feature a ton of exposure which may rattle some nerves.

All in all, I'm very stoked that we chose to visit Montana de Oro. It was close to civilization while feeling worlds away. The trails introduced me to a whole new kind of riding that I wasn't sure if I could accomplish. The camping facilities are wonderfully maintained and the views made everything worth it.

Oh! Make sure you grab a bell at the top of biking trails, as this area is popular for hikers!

Trail Review : Sope Creek

Atlanta really is lucky with how many awesome trails we have such a short distance from downtown. If you're pressed for time but still want to get in a really great day of riding, I highly recommend checking out Sope Creek. 

A short 20 minute drive from the city, it's one of the most underrated trails close to the city.
(And if you're really feeling yourself, it's possible to ride from the city to the trail! It's been reported that during high traffic areas, it's actually faster to ride there.)

Since it's still cross season, I spend pretty much any free time I have on my cross bike. So what better way to spend some quality time with my bike than to take her to a mountain bike trail!
I had been to Sope a handful of times before. Once on my cross bike, maybe twice on my mountain bike. The most recent time, however, was the first time I actually got why people think so highly of this trail. 

From the parking lot, you're greeted with a finely ground gravel road that offers a nice scenic warm up alongside the river.
Once on the actual trail, it's mostly singletrack with all the roots, rock gardens, and berms you could hope for.
It's exceptionally fun on a full rigid bike when you're given the added bonus of having to pick the best lines to avoid the dreaded pinch flat. 

The only downside to the trail it has a rule that "bikes yield to pedestrians." I've never had any real issues with hikers and typically they'll move if they see you coming. It is one of the more populated trails I've been to and sometimes you have that one hiker who doesn't quiet understand how it works and ends up walking in the same direction you're going.

Sope is officially rated as an intermediate trail. When I first started going, it was a little too challenging for my skill set. I spent most of my first trip participating in a great hike a bike. My most recent time going, I was able to clear mostly everything.
If you're looking for a well rounded riding experience, Sope is definitely worth a visit. 

Trail Review : Enterprise South

The Enterprise South Nature Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee were some of the first trails I went to when I began mountain biking. It features approximately 10 miles of looped trails. There's no doubt that these are appropriately labeled as beginner trails, but don't let that be a deterrent for your visit. What these trails lack in gnarly factor, they make up for in fun.

Enterprise South is divided into three directional loops. I've done both directions and I highly recommend the Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, although there are still tons of fast downhills the Tuesday Thursday Sunday direction, too. Each of the loops are about the same difficulty, even though technically they're considered beginner, intermediate, and advanced. As I said, they were my favorite trails when I started mountain biking and I never came across anything that I couldn't handle....except for the occasional rock garden but that's a personal hurdle I'll overcome eventually.
Each loop has its own defining features.

The loop we started on is known as Black Forest. It's a quick singletrack with a handful of punchy climbs, roots, and loose ground. (There's also the most fun downhill run into a parking lot if you're doing the M, W, F, S direction). From there, you go into TNT, my personal favorite. There is a tiny bit more climbing on this loop, but the pay off is wonderful. This loop has a lot of roller sections which is a heck of a good time regardless of how much speed you're comfortable with maintaining. The Log Rhythm loop is the last one we came to. For advanced riders, this area can be used as your playground. It has an elevated bridge, pump track, and log obstacles. For those not comfortable with the advanced features, they're easily bypassed without taking anything away from the all around experience.

I definitely won't be making any trips to Chattanooga that I don't make time to visit this trail at least once. It's a good way to get in a couple of really solid miles on your bike. For those riders looking to amp up their mountain biking skills, it's a really great place to work on getting comfortable with maintaining speed. For those just looking for a good place to ride, this is a decently easy trail that doesn't feel like a snooze fest.

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!