| JMP Ride 8/23/07 |
|
delmundor
Beginner
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 08 Mar 2007
Posts: 47
Location: Hayward
|
|
|
|
JMP Ride 8/23/07
Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:15 pm
|
|
|
|
|
I guess I will be the first to post a trail review. Today we did JMP and I must say that although the trails are NO UCSC or Saratoga, it was very good for being so close to home (Hayward). I will not say the trails that we rode on but know this, we rode legal trails the whole night and one seemed like nobody ever uses it. We had quite an uphill climb to the top (steep at some sections), where the observatory is located, then a great descend back to the ranger station. I think all an all I just enjoy riding my bike.
Hope others post their rides with or without locations.
Enjoy the Ride
|
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
s1lv3rsc00by
Beginner
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 2
|
|
|
|
napa/solano county rides
Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:32 pm
|
|
|
|
|
I live out in napa... do my riding at skyline park in napa and rockville pak in cordelia.
skyline:
there is a usage fee if you go in through the front gate. but there is a "back entrance" that is open during the summer that you can ride in through. From hwy 29 north, go right @ soscol (to napa/lake berryessa), turn left @ napa valley college sign. Turn left and park in "formal garden" parking lot. There is no fee to park there. Take the bike path back to soscol and it leads across the street directly to the back entrance into the park. It's a good warm up for your legs with some steady climbing and some technical climbing before the real climbing begins. Follow the trail all the way to the fire road. Once there, you have a few different options once you reach the fire road. Either way, you will have to climb for a couple of miles and then go around lake marie before you descend back down the other side. Normally I take Buckeye (up to the right) all the way around the lake to the Chaparrel trail, and then to the Manzanita trail. Once you're around the lake, there is a little climbing here and there. But overall it has a good mix of technichal dh, flowing singletrack, and switchbacks. Once you come down, you end up at the parking lot and just make your way back to the fireroad to the trail leading out of the park. That last trail in itself is a nice little 5-10 minute fast singletrack ride home.
For a noob like me, the loop from riding in and back to the car takes about 2 hours. Of course, there are some other trails you can go on, as well as riding the loop backwards. Be warned though that there is hike a bike sections as some of the tech sections are pretty steep and technical to ride up. Also, the "hikers only" trails, are truly for hikers only. The first and last time I tried it, a couple weeks ago, I found that most of those trails are too narrow for even people to walk on, with a lof of fallen trees and big rocks/drops along the narrow trail. So it makes it hard to get some speed and a good rhythm going. I know that at other parks, hiker trails are some of the best. but here, I wouldn't recommend it. Occasionally you will encounter hikesr/trail runners/even horseback riders on the trails. But they are all courteous and friendly.
rockville park:
this is a smaller park than most others. But the nice thing is being able to continually link up various trails and even do them over again. If you know the park, you can probably ride for a good 4 hours without ever riding the same trail in the same directions twice. I don't really know the names for the different trails, just kinda made up names and descriptions for them with friends and other riders. There is not much long climbing here except for the fireroad (which you can avoid) and cardiac hill on the back side. So if you just want to ride the rockgardens, upper tilly's rock gardens, steep dh sections, or flowy singletrack, this is a good place. There is a group ride out here every thursday @ 6pm. I've personally never ridden with this group as I ride earlier. But I've seen them as I'm on my way out and it's been a pretty good sized group of 10+ riders. The park definitely lives up to it's name. There is a lot of techical terrain to practice your balance going both downhill and uphill. So you might want to wear some knee/elbow pads here. Since it is a smaller park, you may run into some hikers besides other riders, but they have all been nice.
With ALL this being said, I go to Skyline if I only have a 2 hour window to ride and I just want to get my riding fix in. If I have some time on my hands and just want to wander and ride or practice my tech riding, I go to rockville. Both are equally fun. And I would recommend to anyone who comes out this way. If anyone's ever in the area or going to be in the area, hit me up.[list=][/list]
|
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
East Bay Rich
Sport
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 292
Location: Walnut Creek
|
|
|
|
Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:02 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
I once went out to Skyline in Napa a few weeks after the rains had stopped and the singletrack was closed. They ended up keeping it closed for a few weeks to keep erosion down. Otherwise, it is a great ride.
|
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
