Bonita Lakes

Bonita Lakes

	Bonita Lakes
Location:	Mississippi
Nearest Town:	Meridian
Directions to Trailhead:	The trailhead is in the park at Bonita Lakes right behind the new mall. Go to the back of the park. Park in the last lot and then bike back up the road about 300 yards. The trailhead is through the grass to your left...you will see it just before you come down the hill to the parking lot.
Trail Description:	Bonita Lakes is a series of trails connected by brief gravel/dirt/mud roads. Ride it once, discover a good route, then ride it again knowing where you are going. The trails are tight single-track, with long extended cardio-straining hills but long windy down-hills also. Its not too hard for the novice or beginner but challenging for the expert...there are several sections which balance becomes key...I rode it after mountain biking only a few months and really enjoyed it...plan to go back soon...
Trail Length:	7 miles
Trail Type:	Singletrack
Skill Level:	Intermediate
Submitted By:	alan

troy from pascagoula, ms Date: June 20, 2003 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: this trail system has several routes mixed in with old trails to new trails that have been cut in over the past few years. i have been riding bonita lakes for 9 years now and i still think it is the best trail system in the state of mississippi for a serious cardio workout and one of the top trail systems in all of the southeastern united states. this place is a real blast and worth the 3 hour drive from the coast.	Overall Rating:

E Double E from Phoenix, Az Date: May 4, 2003 Trail Ridden: Please Select
Recommended Route: None Other recommended trails in the same area: None in this state
Review: Aaron is a qucak plus he rides a hard tail. Get a full susp. bike this trail is very easy. took me about 25 mins to finish this trail. Very easy for newbies.	Overall Rating:

E Double E from Az Date: May 4, 2003 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: None Other recommended trails in the same area: Any thing not in this state
Review: Come out of that Missippi Muds crap, to some sweet trails in the South-West. That guy Aaron must be a really drok. Watch out for the roots on a misty day ...... Blah Blah blah. He must rides a real shitty hardtail, go full-susp. Dork.	Overall Rating:

Aaron Eckard from Meridian, MS Date: March 18, 2003 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Straight from the boat ramp/parking lot in between the green garbage can and gate. Other recommended trails in the same area: Haven't riden other trails in area.
Review: These trails have pretty steep climbs,downhills and roots. Watch out on a misty day. Roots become very slippery. There are a lot of intertwining trails so if you're not with a local, you could get lost. Stay away from the fire trails/roads due to the trails are shared by horseback riders and they really tear them up. Surface is mainly clay, leaves and pine needles. You might want to bring a disposable camera, there are some pretty good pic opportunities of nice sized beaver damns and other naturistic things. I would rate the trails a 5-6 as far as technicality goes and an 8 as far as aerobic workout. Overall they are very good trails and maintained very well for the amount of horses that ride on them. The local bike shop in the area is called Heart and Soul and those guys are really good with their customer service and tune-ups. They do a really thorough job.	Overall Rating:

adam from meridian Date: January 30, 2003 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: any of the singletrack Other recommended trails in the same area: doesnt matter, bonita is the best
Review: these trails rock. lots of steep climbs and then the fun part...going back down. these trails really test all your skills:endurance, technical skills, strength,etc...Also, there is way more than 7-10 miles of trails out there. i have personally ridden 16-20 miles out there before without ridding the same trail....and that wasnt even all of them. if you are skeptic about these trails, come out and ride them-you wont be disappointed. you wont find any better trails than these in mississippi or the southeast for that matter. i recommend the singletrack for moderately experienced riders all the way up to the most advanced experts. be careful, though because you can get hurt real easy if you are careless....just ask ed...ha,ha.	Overall Rating:

Shawn from Meridian Date: February 25, 2002 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Any and all. Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: After entering the park drive to the back, (go across the damn), park by the boat ramp, unload and hit it! I like the first single track 50 feet on the right, just off the main fire trail. Follow that bad boy back to the fire trail, cross it and hit the other ST. It will bring you out on another fire trail, take it about 4-500 yards and go right to the very back, from there you'll have to go fast or jump off at the bottom of the hill to get across the creek. Follow the trail to the left, cross the creek on the make shift bridge, your in the very back! Not much riding goes on back there from what I can see, but lots of wildlife, logs and branches to cross, big hills. It is a great place to enjoy the outdoors. Follow it back to the firetrail and find the ST on the right, it will take you back to the firetrail. Go back to the picnic table, take the fire trail down two hills and hit the ST on the left follow it back to the parking lot. Just a little trail I like, there are many others to ride, you don't need to follow my line. It is possible to get lost for a few hours out there because are so many trails, but they all lead back to the black top in some shape or fashion. If you just look around you can find some great jumps and drops to work you skills or supension. Check it out, if you need parts after your ride (which I do or one of the dudes I ride with usually do), check out the local bike shop, (Heart and Soul) those guys are great. After talking to a few MTB'er from around the state of MS, it sounds like this is the best trail with-in a few hundred miles of Meridian, great resource thats free and good for the body (somewhat speaking).	Overall Rating:

Rick from Austin, TX Date: June 11, 2001 Trail Ridden: Once a year
Recommended Route: The G Trail Other recommended trails in the same area: All the other trails at bonita - what a great resource. My favorite time to ride is when it's muddy. They close the trails down here when there's the smallest amount of dew for fear of erosion. By the way - if anyone's ever in Austin - the best trail is at Emma Long Park ("the motorcycle trails"). Barton Creek is a close second...
Review: I'm glad to see so many people are riding/enjoying a trail I designed and built. I now live in Austin, TX, but I grew up in Meridian and, beleive me, there's not much to do...so I tried to bleed my excess energy by building trails. Sure, it's wrong to build outlaw trails...but they're legit now! The best trail I built was the one that starts at the west end of the dam. I spent months in the woods; first figuring the best layout and then, painstakingly scraping it off with my feet, hands, or shovels. I didn't open up the ends 'til it was finished - for fear of the man. I had since ridden that trail knowing that someday those local numbnuts are probably gonna pave the whole place. The mall already took off a nice size section of it. Anyway, now that I'm gone from there, I will say that being able to ride that trail is THE only thing I miss about that crappy little shithole. So, next time ya ride it, twist a tree for me. Oh yeah, that was my trail signature...I took small saplings that were near the trail and wrapped them together by twisting them horizontal to the ground. Last time I came through there (and rode the trail), these are now big twisties.	Overall Rating:

Scott from Pensacola, Florida Date: April 29, 2001 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: We started at the back of the park, after crossing the dam, and went in by the green can and fence post. Later, we went up the road a little and jumped in by another trash can. I pulled up the area on Mapquest and had little trouble finding the trails. Other recommended trails in the same area: see www.porc.org
Review: I got to say I was really impressed with these trails. They were much better than I expected and were the 1st trails in Mississippi I've ever been on. This trail is nearly all singletrack with a nearby fire road which we crossed a few times. The trail has lots of good climbs and fast sections - there are also some fairly technical areas so I would not recommend beginner riders for this trail (beginners should go to Clarko State Park nearby). Nice scenery with an outstanding overlook of Meridian along the fire road. No sand at all and most of the trails were in excellent condition. The original review says 7 miles...there's got to be way more than that..we rode for a while and did not get to all of it. With the way the trails go all over the place, it's hard to say how much we rode but I feel like we got at least 10 miles or more. The only drawbacks: we were lost much of the time because the trail will split or travel in different directions without any signs to indicate the best traveled path. Also, some of the trails also show signs of damage by the horses (by the way, we did pass a few horse folks on the trail and I must say there were very nice to us). Also, on a nice April Sunday afternoon, I saw no MTBers out there at all, only equestrians...which I thought was a little strange given how nice these trails are I figured the parking lot should have been full of cars with bike racks. But overall - great trails and certainly worth the drive from Pcola! I will return for more. Also, check out www.porc.org for pics of this trail.	Overall Rating:

Ed from Meridian Date: November 9, 2000 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: Get in there and explore. Try to hook up with some of the locals if you're from out of town, they know where the best trails are. It can get somewhat technical with some challenging climbs similar to Clear Springs in a lot of ways. I've heard guys from Jackson complain that it wasn't that great. After questioning them further, I found out that they mainly rode on the fire road and missed the best singletrack...what a shame. Bonita blows Forest Hills away. Tons of little known trails way back there. I give it 4 stars out of five. For southern trails it's right up there. Have fun!	Overall Rating:

Curt from Meridian Date: July 27, 2000 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Cross the main dam and follow the pavement to the boatramp parking lot. Enter the trailhead between the main gate and the green garbage can, and look for the singletrack trail entrance immediately on the left. If you are just looking for a casual ride, don't turn left and stay on the main fire road, but be prepared for some fairly steep climbs and fast descents. Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: A very good workout, and a very nicely kept trail system. The singletrack will definitely test your wind and stamina, as well as your technical skill in some places. The singletrack is really nice, but if you like some speedy fire road action and aren't afraid of steep, short climbs, and a few hair raisingly fast descents, try the fire road in this direction: enter the park, hang a left, and park your car on the left hand side of the main dam. Ride the main road up the paved hill to the left until the road starts to going downhill. When the road starts to curve to the right at the bottom of the hill, enter the trailhead next to the gate-- ENJOY! One word of caution, however. If you plan on enjoying the fire road, you'd better do it soon, because city leaders are planning on surfacing it to make it passable for emergency vehicles. So get it on it while it's still DIRT! The good news, though, is that they are leaving the singletrack alone. Bottom Line: singletrack for intermediate to expert; fire road for anybody who wants to have fun.	Overall Rating:

Jeff from Meridian Date: June 29, 2000 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: The state games route is probably close to the best route.....get on to the main trailhead and hit the single track that starts almost immediately on the left and hang on!! Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: There is a good bit of singletrack here and a wide "fireroad" type trail that circles the lake and splits off and would probably send you to the coast if you kept riding it,just kidding..(I was lost on it for a while one time).There is also a little known/ridden single track loop on the other side of the lake that is fun too.The best way to find this trail is to circle the lake,come out onto the paved road, ride down the paved road till you end up at a circle(turnaround) and the singletrack starts to your right/or the side directly across from the water and picnic tables. One thing i would like to add to the description is that there definately more than 7 miles of trail out there or at least it feels that way. The singletrack is for intermediate riders and the wide trail is for anybody who wants to get out there and is comfortable on there bike.	Overall Rating:

Ross Dodds from Ocean Springs, Ms Date: June 26, 2000 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: I have only ridden the course set up for the Ms State Games Other recommended trails in the same area: Bonita in my opinion compares to the Black Warrior trails in Tuscaloosa.
Review: My daughter and I just got back from the State Games held this past weekend(25 June 00). It was really nice to race with an uphill challenge(we flatlanders from the coast don't get alot of this). The lakes were beautiful. The trails are well marked and fast in some of the downhill sections. The people were really friendly too. The heat during the day was killer and made the hills that much more difficult. All in all we had a great experience and will definately return.	Overall Rating:

Robert from Mobile Date: April 14, 2000 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: I also did the springfest race and was very surprised at the riding. The trails were great with actual hills ( a novelty now that I reside in Mobile). I would go back to Meridian just to ride, It is worth it.	Overall Rating:

Bart from Mobile Al Date: April 9, 2000 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: see review abouve Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: did the springfest race this past week, found trails to be in excellent condition and course was fast.. to bad there is not a regular race here.. very much worth the drive from Mobile..	Overall Rating:

alan from jackson Date: March 16, 1999 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: compared to fruit loop or clear springs I give it a 3 but compared to not having anywhere else to ride, or not being close enough to get to clear springs or to fruit loop, I give it a 5. average 4.	Overall Rating: