Review Date
May 7, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Visitors rate this review
4.50 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: amaner ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
First off, this is a private reserve on rented property, managed by Central Area Mountain Bike Organization. Check out www.rideva.com to find phone numbers for the Culpeper or Warrenton Bike Stop locations.

Excellent selection of singletrack trails, ranging from relaxing, to technical and flowing, to almost evil.
* The "advanced beginner/intermediate" trails are great for your daily workout, offering up a nicely flowing mix of tight turns, rocks, steeps, and creek crossings (one runs right over a moss-covered flat rock, that has caught out more than a few riders). Trails are well-conceived, and options are offered at the most technical bits (large log crossings, steep ruts, etc) for those just starting out. While I prefer the techy bits, I'm glad they chose to install the options, since it makes it easier to talk new riders into giving Burke Farm a shot!
* The advanced area is steep, rocky, and challenging. It starts with a sweet short & steep loop, followed by a rediculously steep & rocky climb into the fun stuff. Once you've reached the top, you're welcomed by some tricky, off-camber rock sections, followed by a short but very hard (for me, at least) rock garden (with large & small rocks, and plenty of tire traps). Once you're past this garden and a few follow-ons, you're rewarded with a crazy sweet drop called "The Plunge," which is a high speed, butt-over-the-tire drop, followed by a banked plank bridge to the right, followed by a sweet berm to the left. Keep your speed up and rail it! You then have a bit of flat before you reach a tall (the pivot is roughly 5 ft off the ground) teeter-totter placed over a thick fallen tree. The option, in this case, is a sweet packed mud/stick ramp over the same tree (my favorite). Next is a nice plank ride over another felled tree, with a banked option for the faster guys. One offshoot of this trail is the Snake ride, which snakes up and down a tight and steep ravine. Basically, you drop in and snake your way down the ravine, making tight turns at the peaks, with fast drops through the troughs. In my opinion, this is the best feature.

Recommended Route:
See above.