Mountain Biking - Making your own singletrack

I was putting around my house the other day cuase I had just dialed my bike in. I went buy this large chunk of forest down the road aways. I noticed this deer trail, of which from a distance I mistaked for a trail. But then I realized it hadn't been traveled by anyone. I followed it along way, and found there was some really great parts. I told a friend about it, and we have been clearing it out and I have got a huge chunk done already. I have rode the trail and it still needs some work but, for practice its a really good trail. My problem, is that there is no trails in my area, so in order to get better I have to drive real far. I just needed a place to get better at. The only problem I have run into is this huge log crossing the trail. Its wide enough you could ride it, but how do I get a person up there from the trail. I can almost do it, but its got to be easier than it is right now...once your up its easy to ride, then you just drop off into the other section of the trail and keep going, the problem is just getting up there. On the one end there is a dirt hill coming up to it, but its so awkward trying to ride up to it like that, I always end up dropping off the other side. The other problem is keeping it maintained. How much work is this going to be?? I will most likely be riding it almost every other day just to practice. Then once I get bored, I will keep expanding and making more trails to ride, but is it worth all of the work?

First off, find out who's land it is, you will need permission.

He said it, make sure if you're gonna build on it make sure a) the person who owns it doesn't mind it, or b) make sure it's far enough away from everything that the person who does own it wont notice it. Option A is the more correct but B is easier to execute

well it could just be the cities land, if it is then my motto is don't get caught

Yeah, it could be the city's land...or it could belong to a pissed off, shotgun wielding maniac who believes in their right to defend real property. I'm a land surveyor, and trespassing is in my job description. One close call is all it takes to make you a believer (or a corpse).

The right thing to do is find out and ask permission. You can check your local municipality's tax office to determine the owner's name and address.

Now about that big log: just build a feature (ladder, jump, teeter) over it, and integrate it into the trail. :)

at Pocahontas on the expert trail there are some logs 2.5-3' tall across the trail with smaller logs stacked against them to make a ramp over and on the backside. its a real blast to practice technicue,BUT as stated before make sure you know whos land it is and get permission. even if they do not shoot you they may have you arrested and if you ever run for president some reporter will dig it up and CNN will have a field day. seriously it is an arrestable offense to trespass and also if you alter the property it can get you in trouble too.

take a picture, to help us understand the orientation of the log the the trail.

First off, find out who's land it is, you will need permission.

I talked to the guy a few days ago...he is an older guy in his 70's (I am guessing...) I was just riding on the gravel road up there going through his property of which he doesn't care about that. Luckily I wasn't working on my trail. Anyway, I asked him about the trail, and he said he didn't care as long as I was carefull...so it's okay so far...

take a picture, to help us understand the orientation of the log the the trail.

I do not have my digi cam right now, but I made a pic. with paint that may help you understand it better...

nice....i have my own "course" instead of a trail....but good luck, yule have alot of fun like i have been for the passt 2 years....

at Pocahontas on the expert trail there are some logs 2.5-3' tall across the trail with smaller logs stacked against them to make a ramp over and on the backside. its a real blast to practice technicue,BUT as stated before make sure you know whos land it is and get permission. even if they do not shoot you they may have you arrested and if you ever run for president some reporter will dig it up and CNN will have a field day. seriously it is an arrestable offense to trespass and also if you alter the property it can get you in trouble too.

Remember to cover the ramp logs with dirt so they stay put.

But getting a land owners permission IS the right thing to do. Of course, if it's in the middle of nowhere and not connected to a farmer's field, it could simply be some corporation in some other state. In such case, I would ride away and not invest too much time into developing a trail since it will eventually be developed anyway.

One thing you CAN do is visit your local parks office and see what forested properties they own. If you volunteer to cut trails for them, they may give permission.

Go to www.imba.com for resources on trail building.

I talked to the guy a few days ago...he is an older guy in his 70's (I am guessing...) I was just riding on the gravel road up there going through his property of which he doesn't care about that. Luckily I wasn't working on my trail. Anyway, I asked him about the trail, and he said he didn't care as long as I was carefull...so it's okay so far...

I'm glad he's cool with it. If you want to get in better, you could offer to cut him some scenic walking trails as part of a "bike trail".

Since this trail is going to be the most convenient to your house, and you will presumably be riding it a lot, it would be nice to make the trail rideable both ways in order to stave off boredom, no?

How steep is the hill? How much work are you willing to put into your solution?

Another idea is simply to divert around the log (since you've gotten permission to be out there) and add another X mile loop of singletrack. :)

I almost got the trail finished today, its fun...I wish my Cannondale was fixed becuase the bike I am riding doesn't have enough ground clearance. Wish I could get some pics for you guys...

Oh yah, the end of the trail is nuts...it comes back on to the road, and its at an angle down this almost strait drop cliff...its barely wide enough...tons of fun...

Thanks for the advice,

-Bill

So what did you end up doing about the log?