The harsh winter has made the usually mundane River Trail a bit more interesting with downed trees and major erosion.
Anyone know what the singletrack looks like? I didn't have the time or inclination to explore up there.
Last i was there, back in April, the single track had a lot of downed trees on both sides, especially on the vf side and the logjam area and a ton of erosion on the betzwood side throughout. I've also heard that tty he Rangers are not as friendly to mountain bikers as they'd been in years past.
Last time I rode there I was chased off by rangers. Fun times.
But don't worry I'm sure the equestrians will get right to clearing those downed trees.
Edit: second to last time. I passed through the singletrack on the betzwood side on a mixed-terrain ride a few weeks ago. What I rode seemed to be in OK condition. Not sure if the wetlands area is above water yet though.
No idea. The older guy seemed to be training a new ranger at the time, so maybe he's forced to do things "by the book" now? They basically told me the river trail is the *only* trail that bikes are allowed on though. Pretty shitty.
If only the philadelphia metro area had an IMBA-affiliated trail advocacy group to organize trail days and work with land managers to secure access to trails on our behalf... :skep:
I remember hearing about the fatal accident on the tracks a few weeks ago. Local newspaper report said they were out for a morning walk. What ever happened to common sense?
If I'm reading my GPS logs right, it looks like the day me and my brother got yelled at was back in January. So it might be worse now, but the ball had started rolling in that direction long before.
Not sure what is going on this year but the trails towards the stone barn have been very swampy. Additionally, the trail elves don't seem to be at like in prior years. I was out "hiking" in that area today and was pleasantly informed that bikes were not allowed in that area by a old, budding photographer. Something going on that I haven't heard about? As far as I know, nearly all of those trails exist due to riding....is there some sort of crackdown in effect?
I rode there Monday night with no issues. The loop that goes out away from the river trail and around the pond on the northwest side of the park had a little bit of flooding, but was easy to walk across and could ride the rest. Keep an eye out for pricker bushes though. I came home looking like I was mauled by a cat.
Technically, as per Federal/National Park Service rules, cycling is only allowed on the paved and gravel paths. I do know that in the past, mountain biking has been tacitly allowed with a wink and a nod. It may be that the deaths on the train tracks led to this, it may be that because of increased erosion (ironically, mostly caused by horses, who are allowed on the trails), It may be because of discourteous trail users or possibly pushback from people trying to ride the trails during the govt shutdown last fall. I'm not sure. I do know that trail maintenance is either done on the DL by volunteers or by park service personnel and many of the volunteers who had done covert trail work in the past (myself included) are now riding elsewhere. It's a shame, Betzwood is basically where I learned to ride and has been one of my favorite places. I would hate to see it go away.
I was/am very close to heading out with some tools. The logjam area could use some chainsaw work which I would be happy to do. Just don't want to violate any federal laws in doing so. Also wouldn't mind going through some areas with a weed wacker.
I ride there couple times a week, i park at the stone lot off pawlings road, When i cross over the river along 422 to the VF side. I only ride the loop between the tracks and the river though, I usually ride around 4pm and have never had any issues. I think i seen 7 guys out on tuesday riding, most i have ever seen, I have only been across the tracks 1 time with someone else that knew the trails in the park. I'm guessing you guys are talking about the park side.
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