Review Date
March 31, 2008

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: dave_n_va ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Observatory (OHill) is packed with about 7 miles of steep, rocky, rooty, technical single track. There is not much here for the beginners but if you are an intermediate to advanced rider, then this is a little slice of heaven right in the middle of C'ville and next to the UVA campus. Unlike all of the riding in the Virginia Piedmont that labels inclines as "cardiac hill" or "lung buster mountain", OHill has the climbs of sufficient duration to put you in "a spot of bother" to say the least. Some free ride obstacles have been setup but it is unclear if these are sanctioned by CAMBC (cambc.org). Part of the Rivanna Trail passes through OHill along the base of the hill parallel to RT 29. OHill is a piece of cake to navigate since you just go up hill to get to the observatory or look at the cars on RT 29 traveling north to point you, well north. There are a few maps for OHill, one on http://www.gpstrailsource.com/Maps.aspx?MapID=19 and another at http://cambc.org/rides.php.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Sherando
Walnut Creek

Review Date
July 8, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: cbdad1972 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Echo the previous comments...

Recommended Route:
I was on business here for a week and rode the trail 3 times. I parked by some stores close to Ivy & I29. There is a small fire house just before I29 where you can pick the trail up and ride about 2-3 miles through small hills and a few jumps and bridges. Just keep going right at any splits in the trail. This will bring you out to the southern part of O-Hill on Fountaine/JPA. From there you go double back or just keep follwoing the trails up.

Review Date
July 23, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: schlakovic ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
O-Hill is killer for being on the UVA grounds. I have ridden it a few times, and I can say that it has a LOT of stuff. It has a freeride park, some ladder bridges, a few rock gardens, logs, fast downhills, and grueling climbs. the one downside is that it is way overcrowded (too many trails merging and cutting into each other).

Review Date
March 16, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: eggraid101 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
This trail packs a lot of punch. It has a little bit of everything, and is very convenient to Charlottesville and especially UVa. It is mostly singletrack, but it also has a good fireroad climb, as well as a paved road that bisects the trails. You can get as big a workout as you want here, and it offers enough in the way of technical riding to keep your skills honed. UVa used to have a race here at least once a year, called the O-Hill Meltdown, and it was a lot of fun.

Recommended Route:
There is one main loop around the "mountian" with many trails branching off from there. You can pretty much go in any direction, and if you get lost just keep going up and you'll eventually run into the road.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Walnut Creek

Review Date
September 25, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: lawhoo ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
This is a great set of trails that are very convenient to central Charlottesville. It's a small place, but there are lots of great climbs and downhills linked by rolling and techincal singletrack. Prepare to climb up to the top of the mountain a few times using different trails to get in a solid ride. There is enough trail here for one or two hour rides .

Recommended Route:
Check out the UVA mountain bike club site for a map of the race course. The 5 mile race loop is tough, but it serves as a good overview. It almost goes around the entire area and intersects the other main trails.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Walnut Creek
GW National Forest