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12 reviews
3.67 of 5
Anything from scenic rail trail to very technical rocky singletrack.
Summary: My first exposure to biking in Pennsylvania was dissapointing. I've been riding for 5+ years and racing for 2. I've ridden trails in Texas (15+), Utah(Moab), Ohio(Vulture's Knob), Oklahoma, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Massachusetts(Lynn Woods, etc). For excitement and technical interest, my Jim Thorpe experience ranks near the bottom. I am not a freerider, but I do like technical twisty singletrack with lots of challenging sections that might make you get off your bike the first time through. The only times I had to put my foot down on this "advanced" trail were when I had to check the convoluted directions.
I rented a bike from Blue Mountain sports and I must say that their service was great. I got a set of directions for the Twin Peaks trail, swapped on my clipless pedals and set off. My first dissapointment were the directions. I guess my definition of a "trail" usually doesn't include fire roads, asphalt, and over 20 seperate directions for a 19 mile trail. The only "advanced" sections of the trail were an extended rocky section and several unfun scree strewn downhill sections. The views were decent, but I stopped riding for the views about 4 years ago.
I'm not going to give up on Jim Thorpe yet. I'll hire a guide next time. I'm moving to Philly in December, so I've got to find something good to ride. I'm moving from Dallas. Before you assume that Dallas can't have any good mountain biking, all the trails in Dallas are built for mountain biking by mountain bikers. That makes a HUGE difference. Dallas trails aren't world class, but they are fun, challenging, and great for racing. Given that, my top trails are Porcupine Rim in Moab, Vulture's Knob in Ohio, Lynn Woods in Mass, and Cameron Park in Waco. Those are all fun fun trails.
My mental image of an exciting mountain bike trail doesn't include abandonded railroad lines.
Recommended Route: Someone please tell me. I haven't found it yet.
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Review Date September 2, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 4 of 5
Technical Difficulty 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Ridden Once
Reviewed by: cip
,
Cross Country Rider
, from Delaware
Summary: Just went up to Thorpe for the day and had a blast. Lots and lots of variety...climbs, steeps, rocks, single track, mine trails. About 90% of the trails I rode were single track and very technical with rocks everywhere. There were some very challenging areas also that combined the rock and steep up/downhill slopes and loose soil. We rode Mt. Pisgah for hours without seeing anyone else and never going back on the same trail. There were a ton of killer views too. I highly recommend using a local guide because the trails there were confusing with a lot of turns and forks. We would have missed most of the cool stuff by exploring ourselves and surely would have gotten lost a few times. The local guide we used was Dan (guidejt@hotmail.com) who was very cool and extremely knowledgeable about the trails in the area. He is a strong rider who will push you hard but will take you on trails that match your level. He was very affordable (much less $ than group guides from bike shops) and took myself and a friend on a 4-hour ride and would have gone longer if we had the legs to continue. I plan on heading back to Thorpe again and will definetly ring him to put together another solid ride.
Other recommended trails in the same area: First time in area so don't know any others. Typically ride at Wissahickon in Philly and Brandywine Cr State Park/Woodlawn in Delaware
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Review Date September 22, 2002
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Every few months
Reviewed by: Chris
, from PA
Summary: They both have orgasmic singletrack sections, and lots of it! I love coming here, especially in the fall. A lot of it is challenging, which adds to the fun. I'd defintley recommend these trails to any advanced rider, and they are right across the road from each other if you have the energy to do em both in one day. I've ridden trails in a few states on the east coast, but I can't recall any that were as good as jim thorpe's. There are also trails for beginners too
Recommended Route: My two favorite trails are the american standard and the deer path II. Get a trail map at a store, they aren't the best, but they sure do help.
Other recommended trails in the same area: French Creek, Blue marsh
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Review Date September 22, 2001
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a week
Reviewed by: neil m
, from Lehighton, PA
Summary: hey i need someone to ride with in the jt area, lehighton-palmerton-jt and whatever....
Other recommended trails in the same area: american standard is pretty cool...
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