Sat Apr 2 2015 was my first time at Schaffer Farms. Rode the white trail and part of yellow and green. All trails dry and in good shape. Will be back to ride the rest of the trails.

Similar Products Used:

Rosaryville, Fairland, Patapsco

Tons of fun. I'm new to trail riding after a ~20 year hiatus. This is a fantastic place to start. It ranges from beginner to intermediate. Has a lot of fun bumps and jumps and a good bit of steady climbing to get the gravy pumping. It's a blast to jump on the bike and get a nice ride in while still being able to catch some good scenery. Nothing too crazy or technical, and it's a great place to take beginners to get their chops up and teach them how to keep their wheels under them.

Customer Service

White loop, yellow loop. Orange loop is fun and quick as well.

Similar Products Used:

Seneca Ridge Trail, Seneca Creek State Park.

Very nice trail system. Lots of cars in the parking lot but I only saw a few other riders on the trail on account of the length of the ride. Many different loops you can take, all are well marked and color coded. Also a very well maintained trail, with well built bridges and signage. Not very technical or difficult, but a great aerobic workout since you can go just about as fast as you want and make as many loops as you want. Ripping though the corn fields is fun, just watch for riders coming the other way. There a few stream crossings, logs, and quick drops and climbs to get the heart rate up, as well as more slow paced level sections. Can't wait to hit it again!

Customer Service

All loops are fun, but I especially liked the red and orange since they offered the biggest challenge.

Similar Products Used:

Patapsco-Avalon
Rosaryville
Greenbrier

Just wanted to chime in quickly on the Farm...my normal destination close to home is Patapsco/Avalon. I work near Shaffer, so I try to get by when I can. While it has been a year or so since my last visit, I have to say that it doesn't disappoint. Can it get crowded, yes, but the "crowd" has not presented a problem. Still, the trails are a lot of fun - very different from my normal haunt, so I welcome the change. It's hardpack and fast. MORE did a great job in laying the trails out and keeping it interesting. Beginners should find this trail network a blast and experienced riders can let it all hang out. The trails are never one thing for too long - your up, down, left, right, off camber, roots, logs, streams, bridges - good times. I think the posted overall rating doesn't do the network justice. Perhaps if you ride here all the time, you want "more", but I find it a refreshing difference that most anyone can enjoy.

Customer Service

Doesn't matter - I typically make the broadest loop I can first, then wind back through the connectors. Trails are well marked and mapped at intersections.

i love this trail. i moved out to cali, but i still miss this trail mainly because i hate climbing, but love the obstacles and everything there. props to the guys who built up the logs and trials style obstacles...i wish there are more of those built! the one post is right, you can pretty much ride it all in your middle chain ring...but it's fun and that's what it's about.

Customer Service

from the parking lot, i hang a left and go around that loop. then when it hits back up to the main trail i hang a left and go around the rest. i don't go out to where everyone does way out the yellow (?) trail...i think it's boring. that first loop has log crossings, and some fun trials obstacles. there's a fun log ride at the start of that yellow trail that goes up between the trees, i don't know why people keep moving that ramp that goes down out of the way (hint hint!).

Similar Products Used:

frederick watershed but you'll never find the good stuff unless you know people...don't even try it on a cross country ride. everyone talking about gambrills must be riding something else, cuz i see more people walking their bikes there than riding...maybe it's cool to talk about riding gambrill. the rock gardens there are insane and you need to have your chops together.

Great and fun trail, can be difficult enough if you have a heavier bike. Has plenty of logs, creeks, and hills to keep you entretained. Orange trail is one of the funnest ones to me because its seems to have the most logs and technical stuff around. I ride here at least 2 times a week maybe more and i have never been disapointed, always go a different way.

Customer Service

All trails are fun, just connect them all and you'll have a fun day riding.

Similar Products Used:

Gambrill's, the watershed, patapsco.

This trail was a lot of fun, but not aerobically challenging. It is not as technically difficult as many trails in the MD/WV area, making it a great place for those just starting out. The trails are really a lot of fun, and it was very well designed, I guess by mountain bikers. the trails are well marked and there are plenty of maps posted to find your way around - rare on most trails. It is mostly singletrack, and winds through the woods into wide, open fields. The one thing it lacked was a good, long climb. It could be named "Middle Chainring at Schaeffer Farms" because that's all you really need. It does have many fallen logs and small creek crossings to keep you on your toes, too. Be sure to check out the orange trail where there are some fun whoop-dee-doos through a ravine. I'll be back, that's for sure!

Customer Service

Most riders could easily ride the whole system in a few hours.

Similar Products Used:

Gambrill State Park in Frederick, MD is far more technical.

Good intermediate trail, not too hard for anyone. I have to add a comment about all the Horse v mtb that I have been reading. My mother inlaw is very active in MD legislature and lives 2 doors down from the MD DNR, so I asked her to look something up for me. The answer is simple. First - MCPR does not have any power of anything at Seneca Creek STATE PARK. 2nd- The charter that created Schaffer Farms trail system as it reads, Schaffer Farm trail system was created for the development of Mountain Bike trails, by MORE and MD DNR. Later in the charter its states that the park area known as Schaffer Farm trails will be open to all non motorized park users. 3rd- Horse/ equastian use is not listed in the charter, in fact MD DNR does not want horses in the park, but because mountain bikers want the trail open to everyone they convinced the DNR to allow them. SO for all you equstrian user, be aware, by the charter MTN bikes cannot be banned from the park, because the charter specifically states that the park was designated for mtn bikes. Horses are not stated and only implied by the non-motorized clause. Therefore they can add an addendum to ban horses, but cannot ban MTN bikes, and in order to do so, they would have to ban all users and shut the park down for not less then 3 years before another charter for the area can be established. If you don't understand any of this feel free to email me. or just do a search on www.dnr.md.state.us and you can find and read the charter for yourselves.

Customer Service

ALL

Similar Products Used:

Patapsco, better trails and more of them

A great trail for beginners learning the basics to experts training for the local race series! It doesn't hold up well to wet weather, though - I won't go unless it's been dry for several days. Equestrians can take their fat-assed, 1000-lb post-hole-digging, sh*t-spewing TRAIL DESTROYERS somewhere else. This park was conceived, planned, and built by and for mountain bikers, so naff off, you poosties!

Customer Service

270 to exit 15. Left, then right, then left, then left, then park. or something like that.

Similar Products Used:

Gambrill, Fountainhead (VA), Wakefield/Accotink (VA), Great Falls/Riverbend

i don't think you really care about the environmental damage as much as you want the trail all to yourself and your horse. the trail was developed by mountian bikers for mountain bikers from what i've read. there's too much development in gaithersburg for anyone to be under the illusion that they can ride their horse for 7 miles along creeks and through fields without encountering anyone. for every one horserider there are 50 mountain bikers at shaeffer. they get more use out of the park and yet i've never heard of a mountain biker trying to ban horse-riders.