[llkoolkeg]

As a married w/munchkins monkey, my opportunities for solo adventures are not what they used to be...so I must plan well in advance. I have the weekend of October 21-22 completely free and clear, so I am soliciting suggestions of fellow monkeys regarding where I should go. With the following points in mind, PLEASE offer up your advice and ideas:

• I live between Baltimore and Frederick, MD so I'd like to vacation in MD, PA, VA or WV
• I will be camping Friday night through Sunday afternoon, when I pack up and head home
• I prefer state or national parks for camping, but private campgrounds are OK, too
• I'd like to go riding, so good trails nearby are a must, whether DH or XC
• I'd like to go fishing, so good fishing nearby is a must, whether via cartop boat or wading
• I'd like to par-tay with some fellow monkeys, so good OR bad monkeys nearby is a must

Here is an example of suggestions I've heard to this point:
Wisp/Deep Creek...but the lifts'll be closed by then and I don't know if shuttling is possible
Brush Mtn/New River...a favorite of mine, though I've certainly been there & done that
Elizabeth Furnace/Reddish Knob...good riding & camping, so I hear, but is there any fishing?
Snoeshoe...lifts closed by then and I don't know if good fishing is nearby
Wintergreen...lifts and riding available, I believe, but I don't know if good fishing is nearby

Any information, ideas or suggestions would be very much appreciated. I'd like to nail down a plan over the next 2-3 weeks so I have something really fun to look forward to.

 

[VT Mtbkr]

See the thread on Douthat below!!! Great biking, campsites or cabins on the lake for fishing. No DH shuttling but epic riding with 1+ DH sections.

 

[llkoolkeg]

See the thread on Douthat below!!! Great biking, campsites or cabins on the lake for fishing. No DH shuttling but epic riding with 1+ DH sections.

An excellent suggestion, and I have downloaded the park and trail maps from the state park website. I'm more of a catch-n-release bass fisherman than a trout fisherman, but I could probably make an exception for a weekend. Blackened, pan-fried rainbows would make for an excellent post-ride monchie, especially when washed down with an oktoberfest brew.

 

[VT Mtbkr]

The trail are pretty well marked. The climbs are neverending but the downhills are well worth it. If you need route suggestions for the DH addicted let me know.

 

[TDN]

Rothrock State Forest in central PA is an option. Camp in Greenwood Forest State Park or any number of other camping areas nearby. The six-acre Greenwood Lake is regularly stocked with trout. Or you can go fly fishing in Little Juniata Creek or Spruce Creek, both nearby -- but keep in mind most of Spruce Creek is private water. There is apparently a 1/2-mile stretch owned by Penn State that is open to the public but I don't know the details.

And there are great mtb trails in Rothrock -- xc, sick downhill, shuttles, loops, you name it. One of the IMBA epics is there too. The best trail map available is the Purple Lizard. I can offer some suggestions for particular trails and dh runs if you're interested. I'm actually going to be up there riding that same weekend with some buddies.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/rothrock.aspx
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/greenwoodfurnace.aspx
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301251_pf.html
http://www.purplelizard.com

-Tom

 

[llkoolkeg]

The trail are pretty well marked. The climbs are neverending but the downhills are well worth it. If you need route suggestions for the DH addicted let me know.

By all means, please! If my wife wasn't teaching a class on Saturday the 14th, I'd probably just pony up the MORE membership duckets and tag along with them. Any route suggestions that include cool downhills would be helpful, even if they must first be earned(READushed).

 

[llkoolkeg]

Rothrock State Forest in central PA is an option. Camp in Greenwood Forest State Park or any number of other camping areas nearby. The six-acre Greenwood Lake is regularly stocked with trout. Or you can go fly fishing in Little Juniata Creek or Spruce Creek, both nearby -- but keep in mind most of Spruce Creek is private water. There is apparently a 1/2-mile stretch owned by Penn State that is open to the public but I don't know the details.

And there are great mtb trails in Rothrock -- xc, sick downhill, shuttles, loops, you name it. One of the IMBA epics is there too. The best trail map available is the Purple Lizard. I can offer some suggestions for particular trails and dh runs if you're interested. I'm actually going to be up there riding that same weekend with some buddies.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/rothrock.aspx
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/greenwoodfurnace.aspx
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301251_pf.html
http://www.purplelizard.com

-Tom

Man, I've never even heard of those places and they are only 3 1/2 hours from my home. I enjoyed the historical perspective, as well, and had no idea their trout fishing was so highly regarded. Living for most of my life near D.C. and Camp David, I've certainly seen the presidential motorcade but didn't know JimmyC ventured up this way to fish. With Lefty Kreh and Carlisle close, I was somewhat aware of the PA trouting possibilities but was oblivious to where I might get my ride on. Please suggest any routes that get me going downhill fast for a while even if a solid climb is needed to reach them.

 

[urbaindk]

The North River near Reddish Knob is probably a good trout stream. I haven't fished it but I paddled it once. It's a nice class IV creek run.

 

[VT Mtbkr]

By all means, please! If my wife wasn't teaching a class on Saturday the 14th, I'd probably just pony up the MORE membership duckets and tag along with them. Any route suggestions that include cool downhills would be helpful, even if they must first be earned(READushed).

It'll be my 3rd year on the MORE camping trip and I can't wait!

Here's some route recommendations.

1. Ross camp->Mountain Side->Mountain Top->Mountain Side->Brushy Hollow - approx 9.3 miles - Brushy hollow DH is a must
2. Beards Gap ->Locust Run or Stoney Run -> Stoney Run Falls(long climb but do-able) ->Tuscarora Overlook->Blue Suck Falls (DH) - approx 11 miles
3. Never done it but heard good things about Salt Stump for a good DH section

 

[TDN]

Man, I've never even heard of those places and they are only 3 1/2 hours from my home. I enjoyed the historical perspective, as well, and had no idea their trout fishing was so highly regarded. Living for most of my life near D.C. and Camp David, I've certainly seen the presidential motorcade but didn't know JimmyC ventured up this way to fish. With Lefty Kreh and Carlisle close, I was somewhat aware of the PA trouting possibilities but was oblivious to where I might get my ride on. Please suggest any routes that get me going downhill fast for a while even if a solid climb is needed to reach them.

If you start from Greenwood Furnace SP, drive up Rag Hollow Rd to your first gate on the left. You can park there or leave a shuttle vehicle. If you're riding, take the right trailhead (Sassafras trail) and climb to the top (about 1.5 mi). Depending on how far you want to ride, you have lots of options. You could turn left on Broad Mountain Rd and take that to a gate on the right (about 1.5 mi). This fire road trail takes you to the Greenwood Fire Tower, about 1/4 mile up (beautiful views from up top, but the tower itself is kinda sketchy). Continue past the fire tower to the Ross Trail, probably the single most gnarly singletrack/technical/crazy steep DH trail I've ever seen. Starts out rocky, then huge boulders (but still mostly rideable), then steeps with log jumps, then silly steep at the end. Or you could hit the Ruff Gap Trail, across the road from the gate that takes you up to the tower. Ruff Gap would take you back down to the car, steep but not very technical. Or, rewind to the top of lower Sassafras. Make a right on Broad Mtn Rd then an immediate left on Kettle Rd, then look for the Sassafras trailhead on the right (about 1/4 mi). This side of Sassafras is a beautiful ridge ride, then a steep DH with beautiful views down to Flat Rd. You could loop back around by going right on Flat Rd (becomes Flat Rd Trail, make sure to stay right along the ridge), then climb Barrville Rd to a right on Pigpile Trail, which takes you back to the top of Rag Hollow Rd near Sassafras. Or you could go left on Flat Rd and climb back up the roads instead (Flat Rd > L on Coopers Gap Rd > L on Kettle Rd), or explore other trails over on that side, including a sweet forest trail called Lewistown Contingent and another DH run, Sand Hole Ridge. If you're interested in Ross Trail, make a right at the bottom on Stone Creek Rd, then a right on Coopers Gap Rd, then a left on Brush Ridge Trail, right on Chestnut Spring Trail, then back to Coopers Gap Rd (left), then a right on Kettle Rd to climb back up to the top. You could do individual DH runs or an epic loop. FYI, some of these trails are part of the Wilderness 101 endurance race.

There are also tons of good trails on the north (State College) side of Rothrock. Some of the DH runs are Bald Knob, Spruce Gap, Old Laurel Run, Wildcat Gap and Croyle Run. Any of these can be shuttled or looped with some fire road climbs.

All of these trails are on the Purple Lizard map. And there's a guidebook called Griz Guide that has descriptions, mileage, and landmarks for most of these trails. I have both the map and the book, so let me know if you need more details. The guidebook is handy for locating some of the hard-to-find trailheads.

 

[TDN]

Sorry, I just realized purple lizard maps haven't been updated since 2003. Don't bother. You can download maps from Nittany Mountain Biking Assoc's website at http://www.nittanymba.net.

 

[llkoolkeg]

Thanks again, folks; any other insights or suggestions? I'm likely to pester the F out of you all with this until mid-October.

[EDIT: Hunting may be substituted for fishing, BTW. I've never tried it but know how to shoot paper pretty well and have a wide range of calibers to choose from.] :biggrin:

Sherando Lake is looking cool, for example, and is certainly closer than Douthat.

 

[llkoolkeg]

It's Bridge Day in the New River Gorge, WV, so I might go to that instead. The ACE Arbuckle Trail was fun when I shuttled it a few years back plus smallie fishing in the New River is GOLDEN.

 

[mud'n'sweat]

1. Ross camp->Mountain Side->Mountain Top->Mountain Side->Brushy Hollow - approx 9.3 miles - Brushy hollow DH is a must
2. Beards Gap ->Locust Run or Stoney Run -> Stoney Run Falls(long climb but do-able) ->Tuscarora Overlook->Blue Suck Falls (DH) - approx 11 miles
3. Never done it but heard good things about Salt Stump for a good DH section

%100 agreed on Brushy and Salt stump DH runs. I do think however Blue Suck is highly overated though. It's best to continue out middle mountain trail after climbing Stoney run and come down salt stump. I think Brushey Hollow is the best DH up there.

The North River near Reddish Knob is probably a good trout stream. I haven't fished it but I paddled it once. It's a nice class IV creek run.

Unfortunately it get's too low and warm in the summer months to sustain a natural trout population. I think they stock it but it gets heavy pressure from the good 'ole boys.