So if not Kingdom Trails -- Where?

[Nooch]

Is there anywhere else that someone might suggest for a mountain bike focused destination within say, 6-8 hours of NYC for a novice/intermediate mountain biker looking for some fun flow trails...?

Kingdom Trails was on my short list, but with everything going on up there I'm inclined to say it's not the best time to consider it (unless things work themselves out before like, April...)

Thanks!

[tv_vt]

There is a trail network around Mt Ascutney in VT, off I-91. Home to the Vermont 50 in the fall. A group turned the closed ski area into a multi-use rec area with a pretty good trail network. I'm not a MTB'r, but I've heard about it through friends. Not nearly as big as Kingdom Trails, though.

[blindwilly]

Is there anywhere else that someone might suggest for a mountain bike focused destination within say, 6-8 hours of NYC for a novice/intermediate mountain biker looking for some fun flow trails...?

Kingdom Trails was on my short list, but with everything going on up there I'm inclined to say it's not the best time to consider it (unless things work themselves out before like, April...)

Thanks!

What's going on up there??

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a30285231/kingdom-trails-landowners-revoke-bike-access/

[PaMtbRider]

Allegripis Trails at Lake Raystown.

https://www.raystown.org/things-to-do/allegrippis-trails-at-raystown-lake

Avoid the Dirtrag DirtFest weekend when the trails are packed and you will have a great time.

[unterhausen]

I was going to suggest Raystown. If you get tired of those trails, you can go just a bit north to Rothrock, which is just north of Raystown. There aren't too many easy trails in Rothrock, but I have fun riding those trails and I'm not very good. Just be ready to get through rock gardens, hike-a-bike works for me. Rothrock has a very extensive network of gravel roads too.

[eBAUMANN]

not as big/awesome as KT but stewart state forest (https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8014992/stewart-state-forest) is pretty fun and very close to NYC. which i guess makes it less of a "destination" but definitely worth checking out. there are/were several races there every year (singlespeedapalooze, dark horse 40, etc) that were great.

the land use issues up in KT are a serious SERIOUS shame. the trails on the land in question (the "3 T's") are some of the best non-downhill descent trails in the entire northeast. its an absolute shame that its come to this but based on the fact that ONLY mtb'ers are no longer permitted, it sounds like things may have finally gotten a bit out of hand up there this past summer. really really sad. im still hoping a change of mind happens somehow.

[Nooch]

not as big/awesome as KT but stewart state forest (https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8014992/stewart-state-forest) is pretty fun and very close to NYC.

the land use issues up in KT are a serious SERIOUS shame. the trails on the land in question (the "3 T's") are some of the best non-downhill descent trails in the entire northeast. its an absolute shame that its come to this but based on the fact that ONLY mtb'ers are no longer permitted, it sounds like things may have finally gotten a bit out of hand up there this past summer. really really sad. im still hoping a change of mind happens somehow.

As am I..

Haven't been to Stewart in a long while, but that said, it's too close for this :) I'm looking for a 'getaway' after my busy season at work is over..

[YoKev]

Is there anywhere else that someone might suggest for a mountain bike focused destination within say, 6-8 hours of NYC for a novice/intermediate mountain biker looking for some fun flow trails...?

Kingdom Trails was on my short list, but with everything going on up there I'm inclined to say it's not the best time to consider it (unless things work themselves out before like, April...)

Thanks!

We love going to Rutland of all places. Pine Hill is really fun for a few hours and it's still fun if you get back at it the next day too. Then, you can ride some other areas that are relatively close by. Good food and beer are downtown. Worth mentioning is that we've ridden Gurney trails (off of the Northway in Queensbury) on the way there in the past. They definitely have some flow.

Closer to home is Jockey Hill and Onteora Lake in Kingston. Exit 19 on the thruway. NYS DEC just pumped a ton of money into land acquisition and purpose built flow trails linking to typical (awesome) bone shaking single track of the area. The construction just ended a few weeks ago, but they're been fun on the fattie. It's probably not hard to get 20-30 miles in if you ride everything.

I last rode Stewart in August. The volunteer crew (S.O.S.) dissolved this past year due to personal reasons, and the maintenance really fell off. It was fun, but extremely brushy. Also, the dirt bikes came in and took over somehow. Darkhorse Cycles was bought was Bikeway, who at last I heard, had said they would be taking over the maintenance

[CNY rider]

We were in Old Forge visiting Water Safari over the summer.
I saw some newsletters and information for the mountain bike trail network they are building out there. It looked impressive and we plan to get back there next summer to ride.

[pdonk]

While I have not been in a few years, Bromont Quebec has great trails. Some lift assisted plus a velodrome.

The resort has nice condos and there us camping blouse by.

With the CAD$ so bad right now it would be a "bargain"

Slightly further and still worth the drive would be mte ste anne near quebec city.

[Hilltopperny]

Brandt Lake in the Adirondacks has a nice trail system. I have not ridden it, but it is a beautiful area for any kind of riding.

[trener1]

Stewart has some nice trails, but it's not a "destination" by any means....
I think at the moment no one really has an answer....
It's a huge loss, and I am not sure at the moment what if anything can replace it.

[Cantdog]

KT was a junkshow this summer. Not surprised one bit by the landowners, between huge packs of folks, dogs and ebikes hopefully KT will get the message. Riding Troll Stroll and Tap N Die late in the season I kept thinking that the place was gonna be destroyed at the current rate. Giving those trails a rest won’t be a bad thing.

How about Stowe? Great riding at Cady Hill and Trapps, easy to hit Waterbury, Richmond, Waitsfield or Sleepy Hollow. More food options around too.

[Nooch]

I suppose I should mention that I'm not necessarily looking for downhill/lift-assisted, as well, I'm terrified of heights and have a lowly hardtail with 80mm of travel up front, at the moment :)

[tele]

--Ascutney is cool. Not sure about novice riding but definitely intermediate and up. There is a 3.5 mile loop at the state park that was built for novices but I've never been there. Good for a day but not really a destination.

--Heard good things about Green Woodlands in NH: http://www.greenwoodlands.org/mountainbiketrails.html
Trails are wide and I have heard no tech really yet. Havent been myself and not sure its a destination but I think a lot of the trails here are KT-esque.

--Stowe has a lot of variety and would be more a destination.

If your time frame is April to ride in northern New England you might be disappointed. Snow still on the ground most years or mud season.

[Nooch]

How do we feel about Lake Placid/Whiteface?

[skiezo]

My son lives within a stones throw of this state forrest. It seems be be a great MB destination.
https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8013819/michaux-state-forest

[DRZRM]

Another vote for Raystown. Awesome trails, really amazing.

Allegripis Trails at Lake Raystown.

https://www.raystown.org/things-to-do/allegrippis-trails-at-raystown-lake

Avoid the Dirtrag DirtFest weekend when the trails are packed and you will have a great time.

[peanutgallery]

Michaux is awesome, lots of gravel and challenging singletrack, free range mtb riding. There used to be no maps and no signage, gps has changed that. It's a shared resource with dozens of user groups competing for it at this point. Not all rosy, next few years will be interesting as things are coming to a head

My son lives within a stones throw of this state forrest. It seems be be a great MB destination.
https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8013819/michaux-state-forest

[sailorboy]

Wow, this sucks. I only first made the trip last year, and went twice this year. Was looking forward to more time there in future seasons. Hopefully they'll patch together some additional access but it would be helpful to see exactly what is now off limits.

I have to say though, having grown up in a ski town in Vermont, that the peak tourist times were always met with mixed feelings. As innkeepers, our family livelihood depended on the guests but yes, there were always a few visitors who made their presence known in the worst ways.

[PaMtbRider]

My son lives within a stones throw of this state forrest. It seems be be a great MB destination.
https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8013819/michaux-state-forest

Michaux use to be one of the best kept secrets for east coast mountain biking. As mentioned above, gps changed that. It is definitely not what I would describe as a fast and flowy trail system. It is more rocky technical single track.

[peanutgallery]

Shhhhh. You're supposed to sucker people out and let the rocks punish them

Michaux use to be one of the best kept secrets for east coast mountain biking. As mentioned above, gps changed that. It is definitely not what I would describe as a fast and flowy trail system. It is more rocky technical single track.

[unterhausen]

there's a Purple Lizard map of Michaux now. They make great maps. For the longest time, they only had a map of Rothrock. Now their offerings are pretty extensive.

[dan_hudson]

Late to the party... another +1 for Raystown, especially given the original poster's comments on flow + novice riders. Not that Raystown isn't a hoot for more experienced folks too - just go faster!

A big plus for Raystown is right around the corner is dozens + dozens of miles of classic central PA rocky goodness. Pretty nice one-two punch to do Rays along with Tussey (https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/3697369/tussey-mountain-trail) or something similar by State College.

Regarding Ray's accommodations, camping of every kind available right at the USACOE facility centered on the trails. Also a number of vacation rentals close by if a bed is more your speed then a tent - we had a good stay at Sunshine Acres. Definitely plan to head to town - Huntingdon - for a meal during your stay. Great town with some nice earthy pub options (Boxers!).

[Cantdog]

Other option—direct flight from NYC to Bentonville. I’m currently here riding and it’s 50+ miles of flow and jump trails.

[MrCannonCam]

Raystown easy....or extend your drive a few hours to western NC...ride Warrior's Creek in Wilkesboro on your way to the whitewater center, lake norman, than your pick of any killer trail systems in the Asheville area....

OT but in the next 5-10 years Port Jervis NY is going to be a destination point for MTB. They are pumping a lot into that town to make it a bike/whitewater destination point. It's already coming a longggg way. DJ and his crew are making some epic trails and it's on a massive piece of watershed land that they have clearance to fully develop with trails.

[merlinmurph]

Let me throw this out just to confuse the issue.

The Littleton/Franconia/Bethlehem NH area has been trying to get into the mt biking scene lately. I have not ridden any of the trails, but have heard about them and talked to people about them.

In Littleton, there are the Parker Mt trails (https://prkrmtn.org/).

Franconia has a network here (https://www.nemba.org/trails/new-hampshire/franconia-area-trails)

And Bethlehem is starting their initiative to build a network here (https://www.bethlehemtrails.org/)

No, this isn't Kingdom Trails, but it's three trail systems very close to each other. Littleton and Franconia both have very gook LBSs with all the info you need. Plus, this is just a great area to be in. We'll be in Franconia for a month starting mid-June.

Best of all, each town has a brewery. Worth a look.

[fmradio516]

Other option—direct flight from NYC to Bentonville. I’m currently here riding and it’s 50+ miles of flow and jump trails.

Are the trails pretty diverse or is it mostly crazy jump trails? Saw some vids from a friend and they were doing stuff i wouldnt even think of doing.

[EB]

That part of Northwest Arkansas is a treasure. All kinds of trails there including Back 40, which is primo flowy trail riding: https://www.trailforks.com/video/23855/

Jumps and bridges and features too if you’re into that, but plenty more. Also great food, beer, and one of the better American art museums (Crystal Bridges).

Cue the discussion of Walton money, but I would highly recommend a visit and can’t wait to go back myself.

[Cantdog]

There are a ton of machine built jump trails in Bentonville, but nearly all of them have routes so those who want to keep tires on the ground can still have fun. Some big lines that are more like what's found on lift serviced trails, but all quite rideable. No issues taking my partner who doesnt ride on many of the trails.

More natural stuff around Bella Vista and other parts of NW Arkansas. Something for everyone. There are A LOT of trails. It's really impressive.

Crystal Bridges and the 21c museum is wonderful, but I will say that riding here is a complex experience. There is a very large confederate monument in the town square, and you're riding on trails that you realize were made possible because of the tremendous redistribution of wealth that walmart brought about. Someone in the bike shop said it well-- 'its like living in a mountain town...without a mountain'.

[zambenini]

Raystown easy....or extend your drive a few hours to western NC...ride Warrior's Creek in Wilkesboro on your way to the whitewater center, lake norman, than your pick of any killer trail systems in the Asheville area....

OT but in the next 5-10 years Port Jervis NY is going to be a destination point for MTB. They are pumping a lot into that town to make it a bike/whitewater destination point. It's already coming a longggg way. DJ and his crew are making some epic trails and it's on a massive piece of watershed land that they have clearance to fully develop with trails.

I would never dissuade anyone from coming down the Blue Ridge - awesome stuff. But. I had fun at Warrior Creek, but I have to say eventually I was tired of all the berms. I guess I like old school singletrack? I think that's the only thing that keeps Bentonville off the top of my list of MTB destinations. Maybe I would feel the same way about KT.

Anyway, if you like that kind of thing, I think you could also hit Roanoke, VA on the way down; not far from Wilkesboro. See Mickey D. describing his trail-building efforts there ATH at VS. Probably get what you want in VA. That's out of the way from a lot of stuff, though. I ride a SS, so in NC, stuff like DuPont scratches the itch for me - nice mix of old and new (but more old).

[Nooch]

Let me throw this out just to confuse the issue.

The Littleton/Franconia/Bethlehem NH area has been trying to get into the mt biking scene lately. I have not ridden any of the trails, but have heard about them and talked to people about them.

In Littleton, there are the Parker Mt trails (https://prkrmtn.org/).

Franconia has a network here (https://www.nemba.org/trails/new-hampshire/franconia-area-trails)

And Bethlehem is starting their initiative to build a network here (https://www.bethlehemtrails.org/)

No, this isn't Kingdom Trails, but it's three trail systems very close to each other. Littleton and Franconia both have very gook LBSs with all the info you need. Plus, this is just a great area to be in. We'll be in Franconia for a month starting mid-June.

Best of all, each town has a brewery. Worth a look.

I *do* like breweries.... :)

[chrismoustache]

Raystown and Rothrock for sure. Michaux isn't too far from Rothrock, either.

Jake's Rocks is a great system near Warren, PA close to the Allegheny National Forest. There's plenty of developed and dispersed camping in the ANF, as well as miles of gravel.

Warren is definitely not going to have the same MTN town feel as Vermont, but It's still pretty neat!

[dan_hudson]

Jakes Rocks (https://www.instagram.com/trailsatjakesrocks/) is super-fun. Has a lot more variety than Raystown as well. Current demerit for Jakes is local accommodations - pretty much only camping right by the trails. If you want a bed, best bet is probably an hour away in Ellicottville - not that that is bad as E'ville has some nice old-school trails of their own.

But that is getting to be a pretty big drive from NYC for the original poster.