Hey CT.'ers what is your favorite CT. Trail???

This is a really hard one for me to answer.... HMMM.....

I'm going to say Case Mtn., no i'll say Nassohegan in Burlington, no i'll go with Nepaug...

Like I said it's a tough decision :D

Hey CT.'ers what is your favorite CT. Trail???

This is a really hard one for me to answer.... HMMM.....

I'm going to say Case Mtn., no i'll say Nassohegan in Burlington, no i'll go with Nepaug...

Like I said it's a tough decision :D
There is no riding in CT?! I'm sure there is, but there are no riders in CT (at least very few on MTBR).

I'm taking it that your not a "rider" either. :p

I'm taking it that your not a "rider" either. :p
Just kind-of PO'd that I posted in October about wanting to bring my bike with me on a trip back to CT over Thanksgiving and I didn't hear from anyone until it was too late...

My favoritte trails are those closest to where I lived at the time:

When I was at Uconn it was the Nipmuck, rode that virtually every day from Ashford(?) to The Hollow. Nothing beats a lazy summer day ride along the river and around the lakes.

When living in Manchester it was Case Mountain. Could ride all day here and still only cover half the trails.

Now I'm in Madison and it is Chatfield. Though I can only scrounge up about 10 miles here, it is far and away the most technical, lung busting singletrack that I know of. Westwoods is good but it doesn't compare to Chatfield for technical cross country singletrack.

I feel your pain... I would be PO'D as well..... :mad:

I know it's not the biggest or most extreme, but Bluff Point in Groton is my favorite. It is easy place to make it to after work, before going home (at least in the summer time when it's not pitch black outside when I get off work). Still get a good singletrack ride there everytime without too much traffic.

case mtn is my personal favorite. but i havent even come close to exploring it all, and im already in love.

Tyler Mill is great for twisty singles.

Middlesex is great for more Technical singles.

Castle Craig (my backyard ride) is good for varied terrain.

How can you beat what's available at W.Hartford?

Never gone to Case but I hear it's great

.....lots o' fun for xc and freedriders alike....

Have any of you guys ever ridden trout brook trails.

There are some riders over on the NEMBA forums that like the westwoods trails.

I have not ridden any of them yet, but I plan on it soon.

Too many to mention but I'll try:

Case Mountain,
Shenipsit State Forest - Soapstone Mtn
Nepaug
Nassahegon
the W. Hartford Reservoir
Westwoods
Cockaponsett STate forest
etc. etc.

Too many to mention but I'll try:

Case Mountain,
Shenipsit State Forest - Soapstone Mtn
Nepaug
Nassahegon
the W. Hartford Reservoir
Westwoods
Cockaponsett STate forest
etc. etc.

I guess I'd want to add in Salmon River, and I'd have to delete Nassahegon since I haven't ridden there. This board doesn't get much viewage - if you're looking for a ride in CT - try Bikerag, Ridemonkey or NEMBA.

John

Too many to mention but I'll try:

Case Mountain,
Shenipsit State Forest - Soapstone Mtn
Nepaug
Nassahegon
the W. Hartford Reservoir
Westwoods
Cockaponsett STate forest
etc. etc.
1) Morris, North of Thomaston huge ride lots of technical trails and hills. I love it. Big 12 mile loop. Long technical climbs, steep.
2) Nepaug is great, but it is short (about 7 miles) unless you do different cut throughs and ride the same sections twice.
3) Burlington is great, Devils Kitchen (down only!!), across Stone Rd, New section on the west side of RT 69 too much to list
4) Middlesex, awesome when it's dry
5) Tyler Mill in Hamden, not super hard, but nice trail system, races held there. Pretty big area
6) South Mtn...It's pretty beat up from ATV A$$holes who illegally ride there. It's was nice 4 years ago, but now it's a mudfest when it sprinkles.
7) West Hartford Reservoir.. WHat can I say, I ride it to death and still love it. Has everything.
8) Only been to Case mtn twice, but it was really good riding. lots of everything, especially rock sections.
9) Cockaponset once, it was OK.
10 )Nipmuck at Storrs campus (UCONN). My bud went to school there, he knows a lot of the trails, avoid when it has rained hard, flooded in some places, high water and erosion.
11) Burr pond in Burrvile. Very short loop (2.1 miles) around the lake. Ride it CCW. Technical rock sections. Wish I knew the surrounding area better, it's loaded with trails.

12) Thomaston Dam... UGH... Forget it, MXers ride legally there and it shows it. Beat beat beat. No fun.
13) Kensington , behind the Timberlin golf course. In the mountain range. Was there only once, but it was cool.

3) Burlington is great, Devils Kitchen (down only!!), across Stone Rd, New section on the west side of RT 69 too much to list

*** IS this near the Tunxis Trail / Cemetery between Bristol/Burlington?
*** Do you know where Tory's Den is? Have you ridden up around there?

6) South Mtn...It's pretty beat up from ATV A$$holes who illegally ride there. It's was nice

4 years ago, but now it's a mudfest when it sprinkles.

*** Have you ridden from Lake Compounce - North?????



7) West Hartford Reservoir.. WHat can I say, I ride it to death and still love it. Has everything.

*** I have occassionally driven by and did not think it would be all that big?

3) Burlington is great, Devils Kitchen (down only!!), across Stone Rd, New section on the west side of RT 69 too much to list

*** IS this near the Tunxis Trail / Cemetery between Bristol/Burlington?
*** Do you know where Tory's Den is? Have you ridden up around there?

6) South Mtn...It's pretty beat up from ATV A$$holes who illegally ride there. It's was nice

4 years ago, but now it's a mudfest when it sprinkles.

*** Have you ridden from Lake Compounce - North?????



7) West Hartford Reservoir.. WHat can I say, I ride it to death and still love it. Has everything.

*** I have occassionally driven by and did not think it would be all that big?
I work at the UConn Health center and teh Reservoir is in my backyard practically - if you want a tour come springtime shoot me an email!

Take care,

Mark

also try bustedspoke.com, but they are down for the moment, they got hacked and shut down the other day.

I work at the UConn Health center and teh Reservoir is in my backyard practically - if you want a tour come springtime shoot me an email!

Take care,

Mark


Sounds Great - I have been to the UCONN Health Center more then once. The last time my wife cracked her head during an adventure race at Winding Trails!

3) Burlington is great, Devils Kitchen (down only!!), across Stone Rd, New section on the west side of RT 69 too much to list

*** IS this near the Tunxis Trail / Cemetery between Bristol/Burlington?
*** Do you know where Tory's Den is? Have you ridden up around there?

6) South Mtn...It's pretty beat up from ATV A$$holes who illegally ride there. It's was nice

4 years ago, but now it's a mudfest when it sprinkles.

*** Have you ridden from Lake Compounce - North?????



7) West Hartford Reservoir.. WHat can I say, I ride it to death and still love it. Has everything.

*** I have occassionally driven by and did not think it would be all that big?Yes Burlington, park across from the cemetary, I think it's Scoville Rd. Trails all over for MTB. Never heard of a reference to Tory's Den, but I have probably ridden it if it's in the Nashehegan State park.

Yes, I have ridden down towards Lake Compounce by accident from the top of the mountain in Wolcott, it sucks going back up!! I'm not strong enough for that kind of climb. It's like riding up the south side of Mt Southington. No fun. It's also mostly part of the property that belongs to the Bristol Fish and Game club, so don't go in the day during hunting seasons. A large part of that ride is Water Dept property, but some is private. Too bad the ATV's have ruined so much of it.

WH Res is a big 9 mile loof if you stay on the main property. Plus there are about a dozen other little trails and loops to make ot interesting. I always park in the main back lot in back. I haven't been there since it got dark earlier, and only when the ground is clear on weekends now.

Excellent info, thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!! I grew up in Bristol and sometimes go down to see my sister. I am looking at ways to leave the wife and kids and head out for an afternoon.
When I was a kid I used to bring my BMX bike up into the "Hoppers" pre-mtb era unless you lived in California. I doubt it is big enough for extended MTB though, I haven't been in there for twenty years.

There are tons of places to ride around here. I've been riding in CT for about 8 years and I've only explored a little. It's one of my goals next year to explore more.
I live in the west end of hartford and like to make a big ride by starting at my front door and riding to the res. and going north to rt. 44. I cross over 44 and take the paved road north to the dirt road on the other side of res. #6. I take some trails to rt 185 and cross over into pennwood state forest. I'll cruise around there and then double back to the west hartford res. Altogether its a 40+ mile ride including 10 miles on the road. If anyone is interested in doing this next summer let me know. I try to do it at least once every two weeks. I have staggered days off(1 on monday, the other on thursday for example). This allows me to get more riding in on days off and smaller rides for recovery on work days.
Another good one is to go to Case Mountain in Manchester and try to follow the Shnipstet trail. You'll need a good map because the trail has a couple housing developements on top of it.
Cockaponsette is 16,000 or so acres and has a ton of riding. I raced there and had a blast until I had the dreaded full body cramp.
Speaking of racing, last year I did 13 races and got to see a lot of excellant CT mountain biking that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Racing is a huge investment in money and especially time if you want to be able to compete. I think that even applies to beginner. I race sport for now. I upgraded because I work until 1am on saturday night and beginner starts too early. Anyway racing is a good way to find people to ride with and places to go. Racing is a lot of fun and I really think if you enjoy riding off road you should try racing. You have nothing to lose but 30 bucks and maybe you'll suffer a little too.

I live in the west end of hartford and like to make a big ride by starting at my front door and riding to the res. and going north to rt. 44. I cross over 44 and take the paved road north to the dirt road on the other side of res. #6. I take some trails to rt 185 and cross over into pennwood state forest. I'll cruise around there and then double back to the west hartford res. Altogether its a 40+ mile ride including 10 miles on the road. If anyone is interested in doing this next summer let me know. I try to do it at least once every two weeks. I have staggered days off(1 on monday, the other on thursday for example). This allows me to get more riding in on days off and smaller rides for recovery on work days.


That's a big loop. I'd be interested in joining up with you next Summer to ride it. I work in West Hartford and we have a small group that goes out on Tuesday nights. The route doesn't go North of 44 but it's a good ride. I think the most dangerous part of your route must be dodging traffic when you cross 44 (lol).


Speaking of racing, last year I did 13 races and got to see a lot of excellant CT mountain biking that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Racing is a huge investment in money and especially time if you want to be able to compete. I think that even applies to beginner. I race sport for now. I upgraded because I work until 1am on saturday night and beginner starts too early. Anyway racing is a good way to find people to ride with and places to go. Racing is a lot of fun and I really think if you enjoy riding off road you should try racing. You have nothing to lose but 30 bucks and maybe you'll suffer a little too.

I agree. You must have raced in the smartcycles series, right? I have biked for a number of years but only really got into it this year. Without doing any specific training I ended up racing in the last race at Winding Trails in October. I didn't finish very high but I accomplished the goals I had set (including finding out whether I like the race environment). Now I'm doing some more formal training to get ready for the Spring. I plan on doing some of the root66 series races (Beginner class).

If you're ever looking for someone to ride with let me know. The guys I ride with from work put their bikes away for the Winter but I am continuing to ride at least once a week, and I have next week off so I plan on exploring some new places. I've heard good things about Burlington so I plan on going there.

That's a big loop. I'd be interested in joining up with you next Summer to ride it. I work in West Hartford and we have a small group that goes out on Tuesday nights. The route doesn't go North of 44 but it's a good ride. I think the most dangerous part of your route must be dodging traffic when you cross 44 (lol).



I agree. You must have raced in the smartcycles series, right? I have biked for a number of years but only really got into it this year. Without doing any specific training I ended up racing in the last race at Winding Trails in October. I didn't finish very high but I accomplished the goals I had set (including finding out whether I like the race environment). Now I'm doing some more formal training to get ready for the Spring. I plan on doing some of the root66 series races (Beginner class).

If you're ever looking for someone to ride with let me know. The guys I ride with from work put their bikes away for the Winter but I am continuing to ride at least once a week, and I have next week off so I plan on exploring some new places. I've heard good things about Burlington so I plan on going there.
Burlington = Nassahegon = good stuff!! :)

Yeah, crossing 44 takes forever most of the time. I'll lean up against the telephone pole at the small parking lot and waite and waite to get from south to north. On the way back you can only see about 50 or 70 yards in either direction. With cars doing 60 you have no time to get across. I usually go up the hill about 150 yards to the next dirt road entrance and cross there. Up there you have an unobstructed view of the road for maybe a half mile in both directions. The main thing is to be very patient, it's taken up to 15 minutes for a big enough hole in traffic to cross. I like to have plenty of room in case something crazy happens like my bike doesn't work the way it's supposed to.
For the most part I did the smartcycles races and then I found out about the root66 race series. Unfortunatly the smartcycles series isn't going to be around next year. They are retiring from running a series. I think most of the races will continue with root66 and efta is going to pick up a few.
The winding trails races is a good event. I've done it a bunch of times. I'm returning to racing after about 5 years off. Most courses are a bit more technical than that one, but it's still a lot of fun.
I'm always looking ofr someone to ride with. This time of the year it's crazy busy where I work so I try to ride or get to the gym 2 days a week and when I ride it's on the road. I'll be going off road in march though.
Later

Did a ride at West Rock in New Haven yesterday, yeeeehaw. That's some good stuff. Maybe a bit too much on the road, but some wicked pucker stuff.

John

might want to try Arcadia on Rte 165. Jim

I have rode all thro-out new england, mostly CT, but i think that one of the best spots is Cockaponsett State forest, people who have been there and say it's bad have not left the lake, its HUGE, (as far as CT goes) ive been riding then for years, theres technical, hills, drops, everything... it does help that my back yard is part of it. SO anyone looking for some awesome riding go to Cockaponsett!!

Since I've only been to Trumbull, Westwoods, and Mianus, I'll say those with Trumbull and Westwoods the better of the three.

ya trumbull is an excellent place.. great for xc riders and freeride and .. not really downhillers but def for XC and freeriders... for the freeriders there are drops ranging from 1ft to 20 feet and theres a ride down that is 30 feet high and it is STEEP almost straight down in some parts.. i used to go there every single weekend but now its to cold / wet cause in ct.. it snows... then melts.. its a mess

1) Morris, North of Thomaston huge ride lots of technical trails and hills. I love it. Big 12 mile loop. Long technical climbs, steep.
2) Nepaug is great, but it is short (about 7 miles) unless you do different cut throughs and ride the same sections twice.
3) Burlington is great, Devils Kitchen (down only!!), across Stone Rd, New section on the west side of RT 69 too much to list
4) Middlesex, awesome when it's dry
5) Tyler Mill in Hamden, not super hard, but nice trail system, races held there. Pretty big area
6) South Mtn...It's pretty beat up from ATV A$$holes who illegally ride there. It's was nice 4 years ago, but now it's a mudfest when it sprinkles.
7) West Hartford Reservoir.. WHat can I say, I ride it to death and still love it. Has everything.
8) Only been to Case mtn twice, but it was really good riding. lots of everything, especially rock sections.
9) Cockaponset once, it was OK.
10 )Nipmuck at Storrs campus (UCONN). My bud went to school there, he knows a lot of the trails, avoid when it has rained hard, flooded in some places, high water and erosion.
11) Burr pond in Burrvile. Very short loop (2.1 miles) around the lake. Ride it CCW. Technical rock sections. Wish I knew the surrounding area better, it's loaded with trails.

12) Thomaston Dam... UGH... Forget it, MXers ride legally there and it shows it. Beat beat beat. No fun.
13) Kensington , behind the Timberlin golf course. In the mountain range. Was there only once, but it was cool.

I am firmiliar with Morris and Tomaston I am originaly from Watertown, but have no idea where this great ride you are talking about is. I have explored the fire roads around the resevour but never found anything worth riding twice, I would apreciate some helpfull directions if you are willing to share. Thanks for your time. Chris.

Just remember children there are no stupid questions just stupid riders.

I know it's not the biggest or most extreme, but Bluff Point in Groton is my favorite. It is easy place to make it to after work, before going home (at least in the summer time when it's not pitch black outside when I get off work). Still get a good singletrack ride there everytime without too much traffic.

I like Bluff Point too, and for the same reason, i can get there after work... There's a couple trails at Haley State Park too...

There is no riding in CT?! I'm sure there is, but there are no riders in CT (at least very few on MTBR).Heh, yeah, well... I tried to get you out on ride a la Crankfire, but sadly it was not in the cards :( But, yeah, this board is pretty quiet overall.... I just started visiting a little more frequently myself.


1) Morris, North of Thomaston huge ride lots of technical trails and hills. I love it. Big 12 mile loop. Long technical climbs, steep.
Rode there many many years ago, I remember it being fun, but extremely off limits? Unless this is not the place. We got harassed by authorities waiting by our cars just about every ride :(

3) Burlington is great, Devils Kitchen (down only!!), across Stone Rd, New section on the west side of RT 69 too much to list
My back yard! Some good stuff out there for sure, just did the kitchen last thursday, nasty nasty good stuff. We were messing around the Stone road area for a bit and saw 2 moto's tearing the trails up - as in intentially wholeshotting :madmax: Good place though, I am very thankful it is my local ride.

Do you know where Tory's Den is? Have you ridden up around there?
I have hiked to Tory's Den (http://www.skyweb.net/~channy/Toryden.html) from the reservoirs near Chippens Hill but never tried to link it with the Nass trails. Should be possible though....

When I was a kid I used to bring my BMX bike up into the "Hoppers" pre-mtb era unless you lived in California. I doubt it is big enough for extended MTB though, I haven't been in there for twenty years.Yeah, not really worth it. They have been torn up by atv's and such. Loose doubletrack. Still kinda nice back there though.

Otherwise, here are my votes:

For the best singletrack:
Middlesex - I love that singletrack. technical, tight, titilating. Easily my personal favorite riding in the state

For 'Freeriding':
Trumbull and Westwoods, niether are epic rides, but there is so much natural stuff to play on. So much fun.

For Epics:
Meshamasic. Big. Has some great great trails. Also has some horrible torn up trails. You have to know where you are going or else you could spend an awful lot of time on doubletrack and fire roads not enjoying yourself.

Honorable Mention:
Nepaug: Has some great singletrack there and all sorts of stuff to really hurt yourself on.

Huntington: Not great, but Nemba has put a lot of effort into the place and it is starting to show. There are some fine trails there, its just another place you kind of have to know where you are going.

Heh, yeah, well... I tried to get you out on ride a la Crankfire, but sadly it was not in the cards :( But, yeah, this board is pretty quiet overall.... I just started visiting a little more frequently myself.

Ah, well. It wasn't in the cards. I'll bring my own bike next time - I was hoping for the kindness of others to prevail but it didn't work out. The offer still stands that if you make it to my area, I've got a couple of spare bikes. I might eventually have a beater to export to my parents' place in Stamford just so I have one for the couple of times a year I visit.

I have tried uploading a couple of .GPX files to Crankfire to build the CA database, but it doesn't appear to show my uploads.

I've seen a couple of the CF guys around on these boards - in the regional forum and occasionally on the Intense forum. I'm new to Intense as I just built a Tracer in April - it's a scream!

Ah, well. It wasn't in the cards. I'll bring my own bike next time - I was hoping for the kindness of others to prevail but it didn't work out. The offer still stands that if you make it to my area, I've got a couple of spare bikes. I might eventually have a beater to export to my parents' place in Stamford just so I have one for the couple of times a year I visit.

I have tried uploading a couple of .GPX files to Crankfire to build the CA database, but it doesn't appear to show my uploads.

I've seen a couple of the CF guys around on these boards - in the regional forum and occasionally on the Intense forum. I'm new to Intense as I just built a Tracer in April - it's a scream!
And I still have not got the future loaner Spooky rebuilt :(

Your map uploads are there though (and thanks for uploading!!!):
http://www.crankfire.com/trails/trailslist.php?o=2&state=CA&trailid=
The problem is that the little "summary" maps use entered waypoints (like parking areas and such) instead of parsing the gpx files to show those locations. I should really do something along the lines of using the gpx files....

Henry Coe Clusterf__k: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=93
Joaquin Miller and Redwood: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=91
Shell Ridge: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=92

It's nuts looking at those maps compared to really any map/trail system in CT = different worlds!!!

Yeah, we got a couple guys that are Intense fanatics, I am pressured daily to get a 6.6.

And I still have not got the future loaner Spooky rebuilt :(

Your map uploads are there though (and thanks for uploading!!!):
http://www.crankfire.com/trails/trailslist.php?o=2&state=CA&trailid=
The problem is that the little "summary" maps use entered waypoints (like parking areas and such) instead of parsing the gpx files to show those locations. I should really do something along the lines of using the gpx files....

Henry Coe Clusterf__k: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=93
Joaquin Miller and Redwood: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=91
Shell Ridge: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=92

It's nuts looking at those maps compared to really any map/trail system in CT = different worlds!!!

Yeah, we got a couple guys that are Intense fanatics, I am pressured daily to get a 6.6.

OK, good to know my data is not going to waste. I have about 20 more .GPX files to contribute. I've been uploading them to Geoladders.com also. I make one or 2 a week.

I've found that as I branch out to travelling and mountain biking, the different worlds scenario can be given to any different place I've ridden. Little Rock, Arkansas is very different from anything in CA or UT. Even in CA, the Bay Area, Palm Springs, Tahoe and Santa Monica are all very different from each other - the diversity of trail conditions in the Bay Area alone is very wide. I think we have a few trails here that are like some of the trails in CT, but for the most part the trees are not as dense here.

What have you noticed in regards to the differences in CT .GPX files (or trails for that matter)?

My Tracer is my first real FS bike. I've pretty much got it dialed in - took me months to figure out the link and chainstay positions and the fork and shock air pressures. I'm still trying to get tires that handle well at rated pressures - I've been running all of my various WTB tires at 25psi to get sufficient grip and the sidewalls are showing premature wear because of it. I've posted pics of it here but perhaps I should share with the CF folks...

I've been advised to ride the Tracer into the ground and trade in the remains on a Spider, 5.5 or 6.6 using the Intense trade-in plan, so I might do a 6.6 eventually.

OK, good to know my data is not going to waste. I have about 20 more .GPX files to contribute. I've been uploading them to Geoladders.com also. I make one or 2 a week. Keep 'em coming! :) I will have to fix that summary map deal.

What have you noticed in regards to the differences in CT .GPX files (or trails for that matter)?
Well, I suppose its all obvious stuff, but really the elevation and overall look for of "trail systems" stand out to me. While I am sure there are more trails branching off those tracks, I am fairly certain they are not the spaghetti messes we have here! (Though I am grateful for them)

For example:
Map of Huntington SP here in CT: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=24
Map of Shell Ridge, CA: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=92

Things are so much more spread out and epic looking on your end. We are hard pressed around here to put together a 15 mile loop without doubling back, covering similar ground etc.. And did i mention the overall elevation change? The Henry Coe Reverse Shuttle (http://www.crankfire.com/trails/data.php?dataid=155) track you uploaded blows my mind = (and makes the page look awful, I have to rewrite my elevation profile module) Change in Elevation: 1997 feet! Last years 24HOA course had a 800 foot elevation change and i thought that was tough.

Terrain wise I don't really know, never ridden much outside the east coast, farthest west I have rode would probably be Jim Thorpe in PA.

One of these days though....

Keep 'em coming! :) I will have to fix that summary map deal.

Well, I suppose its all obvious stuff, but really the elevation and overall look for of "trail systems" stand out to me. While I am sure there are more trails branching off those tracks, I am fairly certain they are not the spaghetti messes we have here! (Though I am grateful for them)

For example:
Map of Huntington SP here in CT: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=24
Map of Shell Ridge, CA: http://www.crankfire.com/map/index.php?tid=92

Things are so much more spread out and epic looking on your end. We are hard pressed around here to put together a 15 mile loop without doubling back, covering similar ground etc.. And did i mention the overall elevation change? The Henry Coe Reverse Shuttle (http://www.crankfire.com/trails/data.php?dataid=155) track you uploaded blows my mind = (and makes the page look awful, I have to rewrite my elevation profile module) Change in Elevation: 1997 feet! Last years 24HOA course had a 800 foot elevation change and i thought that was tough.

Terrain wise I don't really know, never ridden much outside the east coast, farthest west I have rode would probably be Jim Thorpe in PA.

One of these days though....

I have very little experience of riding trails in CT as a mountain biker. As a kid, I rode the horse trail system in North Stamford on my BMX all over the place. It seemed that there were trails everywhere and they went into Greenwich, New Canaan and Pound Ridge if you crossed a few roads. I can't picture that any of my rides back then were more than 3-4 miles continuous and mostly flat in comparison. In a more mature sense, I'm sure I was poaching private property as well.

The most extreme cris-crossing situations I've seen so far were Camp Robinson in Little Rock that has 50 miles of trail in 1 square mile of land and Rockville Hills in Fairfield, CA that has about 20 miles in 1 square mile. In either case, I get bored after 10 or 15.

As far as elevation profiles go, the CF site seems to calculate difference between min and max elevation. In this area where the highest mountains are about 4K' and many parks are at or near sea level to start, the difference can be fairly large, but the elevation gain is usually calculated as the cumulative addition of every little climb in between. TOPO!, Motion Based and other applications calculated our Clusterf__k ride as 7500' gain / 5500' loss. See imjps' post here: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1596656#poststop.

By the elevation gain/loss calculations, our 24HOA - Laguna Seca has about 1500' elevation per 10.5 mile lap. The Sea Otter Classic XC race is on part of the same trail network and ends up at about 3500' per 20 mile course.

I have very little experience of riding trails in CT as a mountain biker. As a kid, I rode the horse trail system in North Stamford on my BMX all over the place. It seemed that there were trails everywhere and they went into Greenwich, New Canaan and Pound Ridge if you crossed a few roads. I can't picture that any of my rides back then were more than 3-4 miles continuous and mostly flat in comparison. In a more mature sense, I'm sure I was poaching private property as well.

The most extreme cris-crossing situations I've seen so far were Camp Robinson in Little Rock that has 50 miles of trail in 1 square mile of land and Rockville Hills in Fairfield, CA that has about 20 miles in 1 square mile. In either case, I get bored after 10 or 15.

As far as elevation profiles go, the CF site seems to calculate difference between min and max elevation. In this area where the highest mountains are about 4K' and many parks are at or near sea level to start, the difference can be fairly large, but the elevation gain is usually calculated as the cumulative addition of every little climb in between. TOPO!, Motion Based and other applications calculated our Clusterf__k ride as 7500' gain / 5500' loss. See imjps' post here: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1596656#poststop.

By the elevation gain/loss calculations, our 24HOA - Laguna Seca has about 1500' elevation per 10.5 mile lap. The Sea Otter Classic XC race is on part of the same trail network and ends up at about 3500' per 20 mile course.
Yup, for elevation difference I just grab the min and max get the difference. I suppose that is not exactly "all telling" is it? Too bad all the math and physics and such I learned in college is all gone. Though I do like Topofusions approach to this though, they calculate all sorts of cool ratio's and effort indexes and such.

Here is your shuttle ride:
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2407/tfstats4hb.th.gif (http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tfstats4hb.gif)

I did hatch a plan to bother some professors at some local colleges to make some students help me extract some stats from all the data i have, but I have been a little too lazy / busy.

Yup, for elevation difference I just grab the min and max get the difference. I suppose that is not exactly "all telling" is it? Too bad all the math and physics and such I learned in college is all gone. Though I do like Topofusions approach to this though, they calculate all sorts of cool ratio's and effort indexes and such.

Here is your shuttle ride:
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2407/tfstats4hb.th.gif (http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tfstats4hb.gif)

I did hatch a plan to bother some professors at some local colleges to make some students help me extract some stats from all the data i have, but I have been a little too lazy / busy.

I'll tell you straight off that there are several ways to present maps on websites and from a graphical standpoint, the TOPO! maps and B&W aerials are pretty cool. 0gre has a site with maps, too, but doesn't portray GPS data yet. Check this out: http://ogrehut.com/map/ - he's using the googlemaps underlay.

I just uploaded some more data for my neighborhood park - Briones. The fact that I can overlay tracks from multiple .GPX files is a really neat option, too. If only it would display the data...I'm sure you can find a script to download for free from somewhere without having to enslave some UConn undergrads...

Trubull and Meadow Muffin Madness race site are my two favorites. Bluff point is really good becuase its closer to were I live (stonington/new london).