Review Date
August 17, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: KPVSR ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Given what I have read about this trail system I was expecting a dirt highway through the woods. I am glad to report my expectations were way off.

This is a very well laid out contour line trail with a great mix of elevation change. Nothing too long or steep but it keeps the blood and pedals pumping. Dips, rises and some rock armouring offer up about the only technical aspects of the trail but there are just enough of them to keep you from getting bored. There is also one short skinny out there to offer up some challenge. The trail surface is generally loose over hardpack and for being recently machine built the trails for the most part are narrowing down to singletrack status quickly.

If you enjoy a fast flowing trail this will not disappoint. If your looking solely for a technical challenge this is probably not for you but don't let that stop you from riding it as it is a fun trail. With the way the loops are laid out and the trails being bi-directional you could get many miles under your belt in an afternoon. Not real strenuous but real fun.

The only negatives I can think of would be the back slopes could use a little more tapering. Especially when they are on the outside of turns. This would allow for them to be used as berms to really keep the speed going. Get some more technically challenging features out there and this trail will offer something for most everyone.

Recommended Route:
Grab a map and make up your own route. Many possibilities out there.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
I personally do not know of any near by but Oak Mountain is about an hour north and Swayback in Wetumpka is about an hour south.

Review Date
July 19, 2009

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 1 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: mikeabike ,  Racer

Summary:
Miles and miles of singletrack, which flow underfoot and offer a unique trail opportunity in central Alabama. This trail is fast, completely non technical - sans whoop-de-woos - and if a rider can keep their eyes ahead, one can enjoy the experience of tail-flipping corners, uphill momentum hops, and an overall sweet roller-coaster style ride. It is entirely possible to overpace your skill level here - so don't ride like a "skididiot" and learn how to control your braking - there are some corners which at certain speeds might throw you off the trail. (akin to the Ocoee or Tsali)
For seekers of the hammerfest: this ride offers over 1000' of climbing; however, if you can ride with momentum on your side it'll be over before you realize it. And one can do some significant speed work big-ring style as none of the grades are altogether too steep - if you're warmed up...for the fun begins right at the trailhead. For everyone else, you'll probably enjoy a little climb time in your granny gear.
A generously wide platform is the forgiving base of this trail - of a very fine quality (classic example of skilled trail machine work)- a truly fine place for families, as plenty of safe passing room exists throughout the by-directional areas. I'm not sure if a single tree root exists in the entire system. You're more likely to encounter a deadfall or corner too close to a tree.
So if you all you know is Oak Mtn this trail is nothing like that, and absolutely worth the drive from Birmingham, Montgomery, Auburn, or farther.
I believe it could be fairly rated at green/blue on the IMBA scale for all the loops.
As a suggestion, if future trail expansion efforts are planned, I would advocate additional boardwalks/TTFs/slickrock etc. alongside the trail as alternate lines which rejoin the main trail, for technical variety and skills learning.

Recommended Route:
Decide for yourself at the trailhead kiosk - either will be enjoyable.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
I'll qualify my ratings below:
Aerobic - if you wanna get after it, this is the place
Technical - nothing scary or dangerous - unless you make it so
Overall - if Racoon Mtn, TN is #5 then Oak Mtn. is #3, so there you go

Review Date
June 1, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: rideaholic ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
I have been riding this trail since it was built and it just keeps getting better. It was machine built by Trails Unlimited and COGS. When first completed it seemed wide and soft in places. But over time it has turned into a fast single track which has not seen any affects of erosion or wear problems even with all of the rain we have had recently. Trails Unlimited did an outstanding job laying this trail out. There are sections with views of the lake which remind me of Tsali.
Total length for the entire trail including the 4 loops off the trail is 14.5 miles. You can pick and choose different loops to make it shorter or longer. Trail is well marked with signs, mileage post and colored trail blazes for the different loops.

Recommended Route:
You start and end at Lake Howard. The main trail has 4 loops off of it the Ridge Loop, Lakeview Loop, COGS Loop and Bill's Creek Loop. You can do the entire system clockwise or counterclockwise and then as you get familiar with the layout you can do some figure 8 type loops to take advantage of certain downhill sections which you might like better.
To get to Lake Howard take Hwy 21 north of Sylacauga, right on Motes Rd, left on Oldfield Rd, go aprox 1 mile them right on Lake Howard Rd (you'll see the Lake Howard Recreation Area sign) then right on Boat Dock Rd. Trail Head on right before you get to boat docks, look for the covered picnic tables and trail head kiosk.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Oak Mtn, Trussville Sports Complex, Swayback

Review Date
May 30, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: JamesM0916 ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Since no one else has posted a review, I'll be the first. Today I rode the Syaward trail at Lake Howard for the first time, and I'll definitely be going back. Its a 1 hour drive for me, but well worth it. The maps all say its about 14.5 miles total - I rode all of the trails and ended up at almost 16 miles. We took 1 wrong turn that probably added .5 miles, but I think its still longer than 14.5 if you do all of the loops.

The trails are incredibly smooth flowing trails - there are very few rocks, stumps, and other obstacles, and you will never be worried about falling off your bike. I rode the entire trail without having to even put my foot down (except for water breaks) and thats important when your shoes are clipped in to the bike.

The trail is mostly a single-track, with a few jeep trail sections. The trail is VERY well marked. It is almost impossible to get lost if you have a map - although coming back its a little easier to lose your way since most of the signs are posted so you can see them going out and not coming back.

There are only 2 "complaints" I have with the trail right now. There are a few sections where you are riding your bike through very high weeds and brush. The trail is still easy to follow, but your legs and arms will get scratched up - don't let that bother you though, just pedal faster. The other thing about this trail is that it seems like you are pedaling the entire time. The trail was not difficult at all, but my legs were killing me when I was done. You start and end at the same place, but it feels like you are going uphill the entire trail (that's impossible, of course). I think the reason is that the uphills are long, and the downhills feel quick. Also, a large part of the trail is relatively flat, so even if you are actually going uphill or downhill, you are still pedeling.

If you are trying to compare it to Oak Mountain, the big difference is the difficulty of the trail. Lake Howard is much easier of a ride for novice and intermediates. No tricky sections, only 1 long climb (not as bad a Oak Mountain's climb though), and a very smooth and enjoyable ride. For a trail almost the same distance as Oak Mountain, you could probably finish this one an hour faster.

Recommended Route:
There aren't many options here, just whether you ride all of the loops or just some of them, and which direction you go - we did all of the loops counter-clockwise. I dont think it would really matter.

Also, there is only 1 startng point for the trail. If you are trying to find directions, just type in Boat Dock Lane, Sylacauga AL. If you go to boat dock lane until it ends, you will be at the trail head. Its very close to where the fishing piers are.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Oak Mountain, Trussville, still trying to try all of the rest of them.