[DaveVt]

Rode Millstone today. We were a little unsure about conditions, but as Pierre said, the place take moisture really well, and we found the trails to be in good condition despite the fact that we rode in a light rain all day. In alot of cases the rain wasn't even making it thru the canopy. Trails there are really fun. we rode most of the red loop. It's great low speed noodling thru birch and maple. Nice woods with kewl boulders and chunks of granite, great vieas of the old quarry operations and the occasion piece of spent machinery or car scattered about. This place is a lesson in cornering, and it seemed like the more you slowed it down, the faster you went. Try to go too fast and you would blow thru a corner or be force to brake too deep into a turn. Next time we might mix in some of the blue loop to get a better mix of fast rolling, and the great slow speed flick fest that the red loop offered up. Big props to everyone involved. If you're looking to ride in VT and moisture is an issue, this is the place. Or if you're looking for a new zone to explore and you've never been here, you SHOULD REALLY go. Next week...Mont-g and the first trax stuff....

 

[Whitebike]

I rode there a week ago, I hadn't been since the first year they were opened. They've been very, very busy building trail! It seems like they are building fast (rake and ride style) which is fine... but, there could be some more benching going on IMO. The way they are building seems kinda 'old school' to me. We dropped money in the 'honor box' and then reached for a map... EMPTY. It was tough navigating with no map, every trail junction was a debate; which way should we go? What do you think? There are lots of trail junctions.

It's a great effort they have going on, the trails seem like they would be really fun with a map and pre-planned route. I wouldn't recommend trying to ride without a map or guidance.

 

[DaveVt]

You can pretty much just follow the arrows and everything leads back to the Base area. Blue loop..10 miles and intermediate...red loop 15-17 miles and advanced with a couple loops marked as optional which start and end at the same place. Once you figure that out you can get your flow on a bit more. As far as construction goes, it's rake and ride. How the trails hold up will be a question of how well the original trail is layed out and how much traffic they get. The trail layout seemed pretty good. The one thing I noticed as the most common "mistake" if you want to call it that, and I'm nit picking here because I had a great time there so don't get all pissy with me for being negative, is turning around a large tree. The root will eventually get uncovered, then the turn becomes an off camber rooty turn. Go to the inside of the tree and the turn will eventually be rooty, but it will be bermed. The trail work with these types of trails is going to remain pretty intensive to keep the same quality that is has right now. As roots get exposed they will have to be removed, or material will need to be replaced once the original soil has been displaced. Removing the roots is easier, but then the trail bed starts to wear in deeper and deeper and the becomes the lowest spot, then starts holding water and even minor grades will erode faster and faster...but depending on traffic that could take years, or even decades. Since the place is not that hilly, and the trails are never really steep, this process will take even more time so by then, you could just close off entire trails and replace them them with new sections and let the forrest reclaim the old lines. In steeper terrain you have no real choice but to bench cut. In flatter woods...I've seen rake and ride work real well and last a good long time. We'll see, but for now it rides really good. Go!

 

[Whitebike]

Yes, GO! It's really worth supporting a 'ride center' like that. It was really fun riding, I just would have liked a map. I also think maybe we were following red arrows that didn't necessarily correspond to the 'red loop', I think we figured out it was actually a snowshoe route not the 'red loop', we did manage to find TNT and Locomotion which, I guess, are 'don't miss' trails.

 

[hado_pv]

Millstone

I have to say, Millstone is one of the most fun places to get in a couple hour hammer. Superbman, the kid and I headed up from Massachusetts yesterday and had a blast. Really fun trials, working in nicely. The arrow marking sure worked better than trying to follow the map. Loved the Fellowship of the Ring trail!

Great stuff.

 

[hoga98]

I rode Millstone on July 4 and it was great. The trails really seem to be improving since they opened. Fellowship of the Ring was awesome and TNT is pretty fun as well. If I lived close, you'd never get me out of there.