Review Date
November 7, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: mwf22 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I've been riding here exclusively for a year and a half. Great trail system, becoming better marked. The area known as Area 51 with beefy hucks and bridges is dismantled, but there is a lot of fantastic trailwork that has been done recently. New sturdy obstacles and sick jumps are popping up everywhere. Both climbing and downhill, can hook up 30 mins. of fun and technical downhill. Really good stuff.

Review Date
April 2, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: Trigger ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Best riding location near Ithaca, NY. Nearly 20 miles of trail, mostly singletrack. Red and Yellow trails (upper ridge) are typically drier than the Blues (creek trail). Mostly dirt with lots of roots, some rocks. Visited by IMBA Trail Care Crew in Sept 06. Trails are seeing more frequent maintenance and improvements. Trails are in the process of being marked by the local land managers, should be easier to follow in the future. Stay off the blue trails during wet weather. www.cycle-cny.com for info on trail maintenance, conditions, etc.

Recommended Route:
Ride the Reds and Yellows for a starter, then cross Braley Rd and ride the Blue trails.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
In Order:
1. Oakley Corners SF
2. Chenango Valley State Park
3. Hammond Hill SF
4. Jenksville SF

Review Date
July 30, 2005

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: bspanche ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
These trails seem to have potential. Today was my first time and it was definitely some of the best stuff I've ridden in NY. But I have not been impressed by a trail in NY yet either... Marquette, MI, is where I really learned and loved to ride. Shindagin is quite fun but lots of climbing definitely means downhills later! I think Area51 is pretty much made for someone better than the intermediate hardtail rider like myself. This area is made for FS though some of it can be ridden with a very experienced HT rider.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Oakley Corners, Jenksville, not Chenango Valley State Park

Review Date
June 27, 2005

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: JamFan44 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I rode this trail all afternoon yesterday, and man!!! what a great place to ride. My friends and I took the first singletrack to the right after the minimum maintenance road on Brearly Rd. We rode for about 4.5 hrs and still had more singletrack to explore on that side of the road. As dusk fell, we took a gnarly downhill through a DEC tree "harvesting" area and ended up back on Brearly Road, about 4 miles from where we came in. Riding back on the road, I saw many more trails on the other side of the hill that I will explore in the upcoming weekends. This place has a lot of winding singletrack that has been widened and smoothed out by years of use. There are some hills to wind even the most-hardened rider. It's not very technical in the sections I've ridden, but is very fast and good for cheap thrills and a good cardio workout. Didn't have a map (which is highly recommended) and ended up gauging directions via the sun. Good singletrack for all skill levels. Hope I don't ride it out soon.

Recommended Route:
Take route 79 out of Ithaca, veer right outo Brooktondale Road, go five miles (three past bridge) and take a right onto Brearly, which turns into gravel. Pass the minimum maintenance road and park on the side. Take the first singletrack to the right and huff uphill all the way to the top (~3/4 mile) and take off in whatever direction you like. Also check out the stuff to the left of Brearly Road. Will post again after my next trip.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Being stuck in Syracuse for the summer, haven't had a lot of exposure down in Ithaca area, but if you're up around Tully, Highland Forest is a good ride. A lot of the good singletrack is off of the map, so hook up with someone in the know. Skytop Quarry on SU's South Campus is small but has everything from a small terrain park to really technical stuff to killer downhills (I don't touch the stuff).

Review Date
May 29, 2005

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: shadfly ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Great variety of double track and single track. Some smooth flowy stuff and some rooty technical stuff. The stunts are cool with a good variety of difficulty. There are many, many miles of trails. Great place to spend an afternoon. We rode about 3 hours and did not see every trail.