MtbREVIEW.com supports IMBA and responsible riding. Please submit only legal
trails to our list. If you discover a trail posted on this site that is not
open for public mountain biking, please email our IMBA friends at
info@imba.com with detailed info.
They'll help us remove the unauthorized trail from the site.
Click here for info about keeping our trails open.
If this is the correct location, click "Save Point" below or type the nearest location (country, city, Zip, or land mark) and the map will pan over to the location if the location is found.
Save Point
Go to Nearest Location:
Lat:
Lng:
Comlara Park updated version
6 reviews
4.33 of 5
The trails are mostly singletrack with a large number of them being tight and technical. These trails have many obstacles such as logpiles, deep and small ravines, roots, and wooden bridges. County trails offer faster, rolling trails always leading to the singletrack.
Turn off of I-39 on Lake Bloomington Road and turn to go to Evergreen Lake/Comalara Park. Follow this road around past the spillway till you come to the end of the wooded area and there is a graveled parking lot with a trailhead sign.
Summary: Trails were a blast!!! I was just visiting Bloomington for a weekend and decided to see what trails were offered for mountain bikes. Between the previous reviews and word of mouth, I had to check it out (come on, 4.2 chili peppers, it had to be worth it.) The trails could not be better maintained! Although there were some slow, tight corners, most of the trails allowed for some fast riding. It was easy to cover all the trails within a couple of hours. It was well worth the trip and I look forward to going back and riding there again sometime!
Recommended Route: Just show up and ride! The trails were great no matter what direction you went. The floating bridge would be a whole lot better if the water level was higher. Climbing down to it could get interesting in bike shoes.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Jubilee College State Park (Peoria)
McNaughton Park (Pekin)
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: With the addition of Hillside Trail and Bovine Run in the past 2 years or so, Comlara is an even better place to ride than it was. We continue to build more trails; this spring we are working on a 1/2 mile to 1 mile bypass of the floating bridge southeast of the rest of our singletrack.
Most of the park is relatively flat, but the trails offer a pretty wide variety of flavors of riding. From the tight, twisty sections of trails 1 and 6 to the fast curves of trail 4; from the endless ravines of trail 5, to the elevation changes of Hillside Trail; from the lake along trail 2 to the meadows of Bovine Run, you will enjoy your time riding at Comlara.
Recommended Route: Most of the singletrack consists of loops off of a backbone of wide doubletrack that runs all around the west and south sides of the lake, so there are many ways to string together a good ride. There is parking at a 4 different spots along this backbone, so you can start where you like. Probably the best for someone unfamiliar with the park would be to start at the main parking lot, hit the county (backbone) trail toward trail #6 for a warmup, then do trails 6, 5, 4, and 3; take the county trail over to trails 2 and 1, cross the road by the dam and do Bovine Run and Hillside Trail, and then come back and do it backward. See www.comlaramtb.com for directions to the trails and more detailed descriptions of the trails.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Independence Park near Pekin, IL
Farmdale Reservoir - East Peoria, IL
Dirksen Park - Pekin, IL
(see www.pambamtb.org for these first 3)
Kickapoo State Park - Danville, IL (see www.KickapooMBC.org)
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Review Date September 28, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 3 of 5
Technical Difficulty 3 of 5
Ridden Trail: Every few months
Visitors rate this review 5.00 of 5,
1 votes
Reviewed by: pacen1492
,
Cross Country Rider
Summary: SWEEEET!!!
Yes the trails are easy and no there are not any real leg and lung burning climbs. However what the trails do have at Comlara is HUGE amount of fun!
I have been riding a mountain bike for 10 years. The trails I have ridden range from South Dakota to Arkansas, and I had a blast at Comlara. You can blaze or you can poke around. The ride is about the fun anyway isn't it?
Recommended Route: I can't really recommend any certain route. #1 and #2 are supposed to be the easiest. I found 5 and 6 first and then rode 1 and 2 later. Hit them all. Decide whichever route you like the best and just go.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Farmdale and Jubilee College State Park in Peoria. Dirksen in Pekin. Kickapoo in Danville. JEPC west of Springfield.
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Review Date July 1, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a week
Visitors rate this review 3.00 of 5,
2 votes
Reviewed by: Dustin Gerard
, from Bloomington, IL USA
Summary: This is a fun set of singletrack and fireroads. Many tight trails with some rolling fast trails. Just so Dr. Bone knows, Bloomington Cycle(not Illinois) are just promoting the trails since they are more or less the sponsor of the bike club and the races. These are good challenging trails, which are fun to ride. Indy is also a very good set of trails with more freedom to build and add new trails to their liking. I know at least 3 women that ride at Indy with no problem and if he let his wife ride more often she too would become able to ride at Indy. If you are bored with Comlara then ride at Indy.
Recommended Route: Start at the main parking lot and go down 4 to 5 to 6 to 5 to 4 to 3 to connector trail. Go up the double bridged ravine and go on 2, hit the big ravine and follow 2 to 1. Follow 1 go to the right at the end of 1 and follow fireroad trail to road. Cross road and hit the new trail. Go in reverse.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Kickapoo outside of Danville, Indy (DrBone's) favorite in Marquette Heights off of 29, and
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Review Date June 20, 2003
Overall Rating 3 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a month
Visitors rate this review 3.00 of 5,
1 votes
Reviewed by: DrBone
, from Bloomington/Pekin
Summary: Nice close place to go out and tool around for an hour or so. Trees are trimmed back nicely so you don't need armour to keep from getting cut up. Nothing too technical but it's nice for after school/work to get some riding in. I take my wife out and she does fine. Problem I have is this: When I first heard about this trail I talked to the guys at Ill. Cycle in Bloomington and in typical Ill. cycle fashion (Peoria's the same way) they played this trail off to be some of the best riding around. Comparing it to the stuff in Pekin is ridiculous. I would never consider taking my wife to Indy Park but don't think twice about bringing her here. So if you can look past the arrogant shop guys at Ill cycle and ride this trail for what it is and not what they want it to be you'll have a good time.
Recommended Route: Main parking lot by trails 4-6.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Indy Park, Marquette Heights; Dirksen Park, Pekin
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
4.33 of 5
5 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
2 of 5
3 of 5
