Progressive Mountain Biking: Redeux
Locust Shade Park in Dumfries, VA has a great skills area that allows riders to progress their skills.
Several years ago I wrote a pretty extensive post on Progressive Mountain Biking: Local trails, from easy to hard to help new riders develop their skills in the appropriate environment. The post is long and has a lot of detail, so I figured I’d put together a much more concise version with relatively less detail to point to riders to some of my favorite regional rides.
If you are just starting, or want to bring a noob friend along for the ride and ensure they keep riding, this is the order I highly recommend you ride our regional trails in. All the trails below, except for a couple of recent regional additions, are documented in one of my books.
Easy trails
Laurel Hill in Lorton Virginia - mostly flat with virtually no technical trail features. The gravel can be tricky though. Laurel Hill holds up great after rain; it may be better since it keeps “the marbles” together.
Conway Robinson in Western Prince William County (avoid the orange trail). Very little elevation change. Wide corridors and easy to navigate. Like Laurel Hill there are virtually no technical trail features (except the orange trail). Unlike Laurel Hill, however, it does NOT due well after even the most minor sprinkle.
Cedarville State Forest in Southern Maryland. Flat all around. It will, however introduce you to another challenge, equestrians…
Ten Mile Creek (aka TMC, Black Hill West) in Montgomery County. This trail is super fun. It’s a classic flow trail. While there is elevation change, you are having so much fun on the rollers you just don’t notice it. The views are also great
Intermeidate trails
Meadowood Recreation Area in Lorton, VA. Marbles like in Laurel Hill, but meadowwod adds elevation, technical trail features and lots of other users in a confined space. Practice patience and diplomacy here.
Wakefield/Accotink Park in Annandale, VA. Wakefield has been an incredibly popular destination in our region for two reasons, its proximity to the beltway and the friendly nature of the trails. This is another congested area where you can practice your people skills. You can venture into Accotink for a little more challenging ride. While there is not a ton of mileage, Accotink does serve up some challenging punchy climbs and classic NoVA singletrack.
Locust Shade Park in Dumfries, VA. Locust Shade has a great skills area (95th St.) that you can session over and over to help you get better. It also offers great options for intermediate and advanced riders. LS is my local favorite.
James Long Park, also in Prince William County, VA is a recent addition to the inventory and has some great new singletrack trails for Beginner/intermediate riders.
Andy Guest Park (aka Shenandoah State Park) has a great network of trails with lots of elevation change and flow. Also, great views of the Shenandoah bends.
The Green Loop at Fountainhead Regional Park in Fairfax Station, VA. Fountainhead is a stacked system. the further you go the harder it gets. Despite the first short loop being advertised as a green trail I would classify it as a challenging blue. Plenty of beginners have ventured here and never ridden again because of the experience.
Rosaryville State Park in Southern Maryland. One of the first trails in our region to feature “flow”. Rosaryville is super fun. Also, has the “equestrian” factor.
The Hoyles Mill Connector or the Seneca Ridge Trail (SRT) in Montgomery County. These are probably two of the best single track ribbons in the general DC region, the SRT is pretty spectacular. Because both are point to point trails you can ride out as far as you want and then back. anchoring both of these trails is Schaffer Farms, a regional favorite. I highly recommend you check out MORE’s MoCo Epic annual event. Marked trails, aid stations and a super cool vibe after you’re done.
Little Bennet Regional Park has had a recent renaissance and many of the trails have been re-aligned and updated to make them friendlier. Super fun place to ride.
Lake Fairfax Park in Reston Virginia is a super popular destination and straddles the beginner and intermediate categories. If anything, go to LFX for an after-ride brew at the Bike Lane Brewing. The trails at Lake Fairfax can be a little intimidating simply because they are a maze. Your best bet is to connect with a local group ride so you can just follow and focus on your riding. LFX does have a dedicated jump line section that offers beginners, intermediate and advanced riders multiple line options.
Advanced trails
Patapsco Valley State Park in Howard County Maryland. There are over 200 miles of trails at Patapsco. Some of them can be quite punishing. Patapsco is challenging and is incredibly fun. Once you tackle any of the above trails you must visit this regional destination, preferably with someone who knows the way. Avalon is the most popular area, but not the only one.
Bacon Ridge and Waterworks. You can probably pick an easy loop here, but to truly enjoy these trails you must venture out. Like Patapsco and built by riders who cherish old school singletrack. There are punchy challenging climbs and descents that will test your fitness, stamina and bike handling skills.
Fountainhead Regional Park, Blue and Black loops. As mentioned above, Fountainhead is a stacked system. The further you go out, the harder it gets. Keep that in mind as you venture out there.
Expert trails
Gambrill State Park in Frederick, Maryland is full of chunky rocky goodness.
The Frederick Watershed has become not only a regional, but also national destination because it has some of the most challenging and rewarding trails in the east coast. Rocks, and more rocks are what’s always on the menu here.
Virtually any destination in the George Washington National Forest (GWNF), including Elizabeth Furnace. The Figure Eight of Hate will earn you your mountain bike Diploma. Tackle this ride and you’re ready for anything this region can throw at you.
Regardless of the order you choose to ride the trails above you should always be prepared. I highly recommend that you follow the advice below:
Don’t ride alone. If you must, always tell someone where you are going, for how long and when you will be back. I ALWYAS wear a band from road ID just in case, so it can speak for me when I can’t.
Always have water. I love my Polar water bottles because they keep water cool, even on the hottest days. For longer rides I always wear a USWE pack. Anything from USWE will do the trick. Their packs are superb and worth the price. You won’t even know they are there.
Know how to fix a flat or a broken chain and have a tool kit. I carry along a super compact Topeak Ratchet Rocket Lite multi tool along with some heavy duty Pedro’s tire levers. I also carry a Muc Off CO2 Inflator kit. These are small enough to fit in a saddle/top tube bag, handlebar bag or even in your pocket. One of my favorites is the EnCase since it will fit essential tools in my pocket O longer rides I will also carry a spare tube and mini pump.
Finally, not all miles are created equally; 10 miles at Laurel Hill are not the same as 10 miles at Gambrill; trust me; Plan accordingly.
