[Bill Payer]

so much information it is hard to make sense of it all, plus everything sounds great, what I really need is a local to set me straight, no forum or guide book knows it like a local. :thumbsup:

I would like to pop down from Southern Ontario for 2 days of riding. (late July, mid week) I have never ridden in Western New York before and would like to see 2 of the "must see's"... I think Letchworth and Holiday Valley? am I right?

How far between them? where would you stay? good maps to buy? anyone interested in guiding one or both?

As you are probably aware, on these short trips you need hard facts and direct advice, no time to wonder around and no time for marketing hype that does not deliver.

I would gladly provide specific planning info for Southern Ontario riding if anyone is interested.

 

[kdiddy]

Letchworth

No concierge is needed for Letchworth. Get the map at wnymba.org and follow the instructions on how to get to the Hogsback overlook and do an out-and back ride from there. Letchworth is one trail (the Fingerlakes trail) that has only a few off-shoots. If you follow the main trail - it is hard to get lost, especially if you print out a map. As far as Ellicottville (Holiday Valley) goes, post on wnymba.org and I'm sure someone will set you straight. The two locations are probably a one hour drive apart following mostly back roads between them.

 

[Blendthree]

Just got back from Holiday Valley, it's pretty far from Letchworth but only about 15 minutes from another well respected state park with some nice Mountain Bike trails: Alleghany. HV is pretty sweet, no charge to get in. Technical, speedy singletrack that transforms into less demanding access roads that lead to a whole maze of XC trails. Lots of elevation though!

I would be happy to meet up for a ride at either location, I frequent both almost weekly.

 

[elgordo]

so much information it is hard to make sense of it all, plus everything sounds great, what I really need is a local to set me straight, no forum or guide book knows it like a local. :thumbsup:

I would like to pop down from Southern Ontario for 2 days of riding. (late July, mid week) I have never ridden in Western New York before and would like to see 2 of the "must see's"... I think Letchworth and Holiday Valley? am I right?

How far between them? where would you stay? good maps to buy? anyone interested in guiding one or both?

As you are probably aware, on these short trips you need hard facts and direct advice, no time to wonder around and no time for marketing hype that does not deliver.

I would gladly provide specific planning info for Southern Ontario riding if anyone is interested.

I would love to meet up and guide but midweek is no good for elgordo : (
Anyway, there is quite a bit of distance between Holiday Valley and Letchworth. If time is limited I would just hit up Holiday Valley with its 40+ miles of single track : )

As for riding most of the trails are on state land behind the "Holiday Valley" ski resort. There are many was to access the state land trail network but most people park at the Holiday Valley "Training Center" and use the "Race loop" to access the state land. Here are some links that might help:

http://www.wnymba.org/trails.php?trail=2

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=Rt.+219&csz=14731&country=USA

Its worth stopping in at MudSweetandGears (LBS) in Ellicottville, NY to get a trail map ($5ish). I live in Buffalo which is about 55 minutes from Eville so i have never lodge there. However its a small resort town and I am sure there are some BB type places to stay.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Bill Payer]

thanks for the info and tips...keep them coming

thanks for the info and tips...keep them coming :thumbsup:

a couple people bring up wnymba.org, I went there first and checked it out, but it is sooooo quiet there. only one or two posts in July and only a handfull of posts in 2006, what gives? most all the trail reports are from 2005, so I decided to post here instead. more action.

my impression is that it is very hard to plan a trip to your area. it only takes a day of rain and then there is a huge push to keep everyone away. a small group of friends and I were set to visit in the summer of 2004, had a reservation at Holiday Valley and everything.. then wnymba.org went crazy telling us to stay away and even the girl taking reservations at HV called and told us not to come to ride. :eekster: that is pretty serious. hehe We changing our plans at the very last minute and visiting a different spot in Ontario, but I have always wanted to re-plan. Nothing anyone here can do about the weather, just musing.

so the predominat suggestion is stay in Ellicotteville, ride Holliday Valley and maybe Alleghany if time/energy permits...

if we stayed right at Holliday Valley, one could ride from the door presumably?

Letchworth...hmmmm, looks amazing. Is it really cool to see or just a little cool to see? I understand it is not optimal singletrack, maybe the suggestion should be to save it until I come down with the wife and kid for a hike?

thanks again.

 

[elgordo]

thanks for the info and tips...keep them coming :thumbsup:

a couple people bring up wnymba.org, I went there first and checked it out, but it is sooooo quiet there. only one or two posts in July and only a handfull of posts in 2006, what gives? most all the trail reports are from 2005, so I decided to post here instead. more action.

my impression is that it is very hard to plan a trip to your area. it only takes a day of rain and then there is a huge push to keep everyone away. a small group of friends and I were set to visit in the summer of 2004, had a reservation at Holiday Valley and everything.. then wnymba.org went crazy telling us to stay away and even the girl taking reservations at HV called and told us not to come to ride. :eekster: that is pretty serious. hehe We changing our plans at the very last minute and visiting a different spot in Ontario, but I have always wanted to re-plan. Nothing anyone here can do about the weather, just musing.

so the predominat suggestion is stay in Ellicotteville, ride Holliday Valley and maybe Alleghany if time/energy permits...

if we stayed right at Holliday Valley, one could ride from the door presumably?

Letchworth...hmmmm, looks amazing. Is it really cool to see or just a little cool to see? I understand it is not optimal singletrack, maybe the suggestion should be to save it until I come down with the wife and kid for a hike?

thanks again.

Bill

Sorry to hear about your last cancellation. The trails in Eville are great but they deteriorate quickly with rain. I was there a couple of weeks ago and about 2 hours into the ride it started raining quickly the trails softened, wet roots and rocks making for a very difficult ride. Definitely try to score a dry period. the best local weather IMO is through:

http://wwwa.accuweather.com/index-forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&myadc=0&zipcode=14731&u=1

Accuweather's forcast is usually on the money 3-5 days prior.

If you lodge at the resort you will be able to ride right out the door if you lodge in town it will be a 2-3 minute drive to the trail head, no biggee.

Also, in my opinion Letchworth better for hiking around the park and picnic style good for the family. Eville=single track : )))))).

Gordy

 

[Bill Payer]

cool

ok, Holimont or Holiday Valley as a base? no matter?

big race July 23rd, eh? trying to decide if I should come before or after... probably no good answer to that. Might be more busy before, people pre-riding..might be all tracked-out after..oh decisions, decisions.

 

[sick4surf]

Hi,

Just returned from Letchworth State Park and here is some pix. The single track FLT is pretty tame with no real technical sections except at the stream crossings. Your supposed to let it dry out a day after it rains.

http://www.climbonline.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1152050021

I heard HV and Ellicotville are the better trails in the area.

 

[Bill Payer]

Hi,

Just returned from Letchworth State Park and here is some pix. The single track FLT is pretty tame with no real technical sections except at the stream crossings. Your supposed to let it dry out a day after it rains.

http://www.climbonline.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1152050021

I heard HV and Ellicotville are the better trails in the area.

thanks dude. nice photos, but you are correct, I would be left feeling alittle empty if I went for the scenery and not for the trail.

 

[kdiddy]

Letchworth

I wouldn't write off Letchworth just yet. The trail there is very fun, depending on what you are looking for. The views are great, but that's not what makes me drive 45 minutes to get there. There aren't huge elevation gains at Letchworth, but the trail is rarely flat. The stream crossings are a nice technical challenge every mile or two and almost all of them are ridable. People tend to do an out and back ride starting at the Hogsback Overlook, but if it is / has been wet I would recommend starting at the next bailout point along River Road (marked 21 on the map). That's the start of a fun down hill section. The trail has a great flow to it in most parts, with some technical roots thrown in for good measure. I'm not sure where exactly sick4surf rode, as I didn't recognize the trail from the pictures, and I don't usually go far enough south to see any of the waterfalls. The southernmost end is rails-trails stuff, so I wouldn't bother going past Dishmill creek. The camp grounds side has trails, but those are boring. If someone went there and didn't ride the FLT, then they would have a bad impression of the park. As far as lodging goes, you can camp on the other side of the park or the college town of Geneseo is a 10 or 15 miles up the road, though it's probably a ghost town in July. That's my 2 cents.
BTW, don't bother with Allegheny State Park unless you like double track. It makes for a fast race course for the Raccoon Rally, but it's not some place I would go otherwise. Stick to Ellicottville if you are in that area.

 

[sick4surf]

Let me clarify...it's a great ride especially the route I took which was from the Morris Dam visitor's center to Trail access #12 where I bailed to River Road and had my wife come pick me up. Would have done it as an out and back but I had to drive 6 hours back to LI and I forgot to fill up my camelback before starting the ride as well.

It was pretty dry conditions though considering all the rain that had been around the previous week. Your right about the fast windy downhill sections which are pretty sweet. I did not see a soul on the trail the whole time I was out there.

This trail is a must during the fall color season and after the leaves fall, the views from the trail are most likely very spectacular. Some spots are very close to the edge.

I was expecting more since they billed it as "the grand canyon of the east" and I thought it was a bit of a stretch.

It's definitely one of NY's "must see" natural wonders.

 

[kdiddy]

Yep, billing Letchworth as "the Grand Canyon of the East" is a little silly, but the trail is a fun trail. It might be ideal as a last day ride, because the trail is as easy or hard as you make it depending on your speed and desire to clean every last stream crossing. It looks like sick4surf rode most of the trails that are worth riding. If he had turned around and taken those same trails north he would have been in for some flowy singletrack sections. It also would make for a pretty long day in the saddle if you really pushed the pace. I would recomend something with a little rear suspension, as the little roots tend to accumulate on your back after too long, and they tend to be spaced out enough where you don't want to constantly stand to absorb them. I did 28 miles there in 90 degree heat a few weeks ago, and was completely shot afterwards. Also, i see that the wnymba page has a discussion on Letchworth right now with some GPS map overlays and such.