Massanutten New Trail & S.V.B.C. trail

With the snow finally melted and the locals in full on fat tire mode it’s time to really start thinking about some day trips to the mountains. While the George Washington National Forest and the Jefferson National Forest both offer hundreds of miles of incredible riding if you really want some burly technical riding there is no better area than Massanutten Mountain.

If you are unfamiliar with Massanutten take a quick peek at this great video that was produced by efforts from Shenandoah Mountain Touring, The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition and The Shendoah Bicycle Company. This trail is one of the many great trails on private Massanutten Resort Property and you must obtain an annual pass to ride it but fear not the pass is easy to obtain and the trails are more than worth it. Check out the video then I will offer some more info.



There are two ways to obtain an annual pass so that you can ride on this trail and many other great Massanutten trails.

#1 Become a member of the S.V.B.C.(if you are not already) and make a $50 donation towards the trail. The money will be used in maintaining the Massanutten trails and building more incredible trails like this one. And fear not, your S.V.B.C. money will be used wisely. These guys and gals have been doing incredible things for bicycle advocacy for far longer than I’ve been riding a bike.

#2 If you are a more hands on kind of person keep an eye on the S.V.B.C. website for Massanutten trail work days. Show up and work not stand around chatting, sorry fellas the sewing circle at the union didn’t build a trail this sweet, it takes some sweat equity. Just 3 days of trail work (roughly 8-10 hours) and a membership to the S.V.B.C. will net you an annual pass and some incredible trail building knowledge as well as potentially some new friends. (Quick note: Most trail work takes place on Thursday’s throughout the months of March-June starting at 5pm with various meeting locations depending on where the work site is to be.)

More info about Massanutten trail work can be found here. Also, you can get the scoop by calling the Shenandoah Bicycle Company at 540-437-9000.

Get involved and get riding. You will be glad that you did.

Editor’s Note: I personally plan on making a few Thursday day trips out to Massanutten to do some rides on the northern end of the mountain range in the morning then meet up with the trail work crew for some evening trail work. For fellow Richmonders this would be a great way to car pool out, take a mental health day from work to get in some great riding and some great trail work. I will try to post the trip dates as I can make the plans but if you would like more info please email me via the “about me” section of the blog. Also don’t forget the amazing and challenging Massanutten Hoo Hah race will be here before you know it.

Management plan solicits public opinion

*Picture courtesy of author Andy Thompson*

Management plan solicits public opinion

At 1.1 million acres in Virginia and West Virginia, the George Washington National Forest is big enough to accommodate a multitude of interests and users. In numerous trips west the past couple of years, I've biked, hiked and fished on it. Others hunt, watch birds, ride horses, camp and pilot their all-terrain vehicles. Then there are the commercial interests - most notably logging - that have a claim on the land.

But even a million-plus acres isn't enough to prevent user conflicts from erupting, especially when you consider that more than 5 million people live within a two-hour drive of some part of the forest. That's why the Forest Service, which administers, manages and polices all national forests, undertakes periodic revisions of its management plan for each forest unit.

That process is just beginning for the George Washington. It starts with five public meetings in April. In Lexington, Verona, Woodstock, Hot Springs and Baker, W.Va., the public will have an opportunity to have its voice heard and help shape a draft forest plan. People also can submit written comments during a 60-day public-comment period. The new plan likely will be in place by the end of 2011.


*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (Bald Ridge Trail near Braley Pond George Washington National Forest.)

As The Associated Press reported, "[the plan] will address logging and other commercial uses, recreation, road and trail building, drinking-water protection and preservation of the forest's more pristine areas. . . . Among the items under consideration are expanding roadless areas, increasing timber harvesting, creating more special areas to protect ecologically sensitive species, increasing controlled burns and dropping a plan for a new all-terrain vehicle trail near Archer Run."

The significance of this management plan revision - a process that occurs every 15 years - may not seem immediate to Central Virginia lowlanders, but it certainly is to those who live, work and play on and near the GW.


*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (Looking into West Virginia while climbing up to Little Bald Knob. George Washington National Forest.)

Chris Scott, a former professional mountain biker, owns and operates Shenandoah Mountain Touring out of Harrisonburg. He takes customers on bike tours of the western part of the state, crisscrossing the national forest on its endless single-track trails and fire roads.

"The public can influence the plan," he said. "Whether it's requesting better habitat management for grouse hunting or mentioning an [area] that might get logged that you don't want them to log in."

He and other mountain bikers are trying to convince the Forest Service to officially recognize trails as resources.


*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (Bald Ridge Trail near Braley Pond George Washington National Forest.)

"Trails themselves have an economic value," he argued. "They get people out in the woods; people spend money in their local communities."

He said that many times he has come upon favorite trails that have been turned into "firelines" by loggers running "an 8-foot-wide bulldozer down a chunk of it and totally destroying it. It's a trail. They shouldn't just drive the machines down the trail because it looks like the easiest way to get into that area."

Tammy Bellinsky, a board member at Virginia Forest Watch, said her group exists to watchdog the Forest Service "to make sure that they are managing the forest within the bounds of the law and the within the bounds of the management plan."

One of the group's goals, she said, is to get the Forest Service to achieve a better balance among logging, recreational and environmental interests.


*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (Looking south at Douthat State Park’s Brushy Mountain, Middle Mtn & Beards Mtn. from a scenic stop along the IMBA epic “Southern Traverse” ride. George Washington National Forest.)

"What's really lacking in how the Forest Service manages the forest is real monitoring data that shows that what they set out to do when they log is what they achieved."

Ken Landgraf, a Forest Service planner, said logging is undertaken primarily to develop the early successional habitat that grows up in areas that have been logged. The goal is to aid species such as grouse, quail, yellow chat, and golden-winged warblers.

"There are some people who think that's very important for wildlife diversity," he said. "There are other people who would prefer for more natural processes to occur and that we don't do as much active management."

Hunters who've watched game such as grouse and whitetail drop significantly on the national forest want to see more habitat work, whether it comes after logging or prescribed burns. Hikers and horseback riders, on the other hand, probably don't enjoy walking through clear cuts. Bikers want more trails and existing ones respected.

That's the tug of war constantly taking place over the forest.

"We have an awful lot of users and uses but we also have 1.1 million acres of land, so we can address a lot of the uses," he said. "Many of those uses aren't compatible on the same acre of land, but we do have enough acres that we can have wilderness and do timber harvest, for instance. But it is a matter of 'How much of each?'"


*Picture courtesy of Metro Sucks* (One of the views from atop Elliott’s Knob on the Great North Mountain looking west toward the Shenandoah Mountain range. George Washington National Forest.)


Contact Andy Thompson at

(804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com.

When the knobbies meet the trail

In case you haven’t noticed, the weather has been beautiful lately and Richmond MORE hopes that you have been able to get out and enjoy it. RaMORE members David and Ryan have definitely been out and about and David was kind enough to share some great photos from a recent ride. Thanks for sharing David and on a side note those are some great shots.


Ryan Thompson droppin’ in on the Northbank with the big city looming in the background.


Ryan crossing the beautiful bridgework below Hollywood Cemetery.


Ryan carving some s-turns on the Northbank.


Dave Kern rippin’ some dusty s-turns on the Northbank.


Ryan Thompson crossing one of the older bridges on the Buttermilk.


Ryan Thompson conquering some old demons on a steep section.


The reward after the climb!


Catching up with Officer Rogers post ride.

Just in case you didn’t know Mr. Rodgers always keeps the neighborhood in check. Plus how great is it that he gets paid to ride his bike? That’s as close to pro as most of use could ever dream of being. Thanks, for all your work out there Stacy.

Beer & Klunkerz does it get any better?

Please join us at the Downtown Capital Ale House Wednesday April 21st at 6pm for some good food, great beer and a superb little flick about the history of mountain biking called Klunkerz. The movie should start around 7pm but we advise you to grab a good spot at a table and get some food before the show starts. Don’t be that guy eating chips with your mouth open during the movie!



Maybe you’ve already saw the movie, maybe you even caught bits and pieces of the visual side of it during Trailicious, but lets be honest folks a documentary about mountain biking history with no audio is a bit like Lance Armstrong on a mountain bike. You may see it but it’s hard to understand it all without the rest of the story.

To top off an evening full of good friends old and new, beer, food and a bike flick Richmond MORE will be raffling off some pretty cool prizes that you don’t want to miss out on.

The Richmond Chapter of Luna Chix will reportedly be bringing along some Luna Bar goodness for the sampling.

So call your buddies, have your wife text her friends and plan on being there. Come find out that the RaMORE crew likes to play just as much (or more) as we like to work.

See you there.

Forest Hill Trail Care - Saturday - Jan 30th - More good news!

Greetings Fellow Trail Enthusiants,

Nathan has decided to stage the reopening of the trails in Forest Hill Park. Gone is the plan to close the entire park until everything is finished. In place now is a plan to reopen each section as it is completed.

The first stage to be completed will run from the Reedy Creek bridge, along the ridge below the school, across the cobblestone walkway, and to the switchbacks above the creek. Before this section can be reopened there are a couple of things that need to happen. First, a small crib wall needs to be built behind the school. Next, a 16 foot bridge needs to be constructed across the small creek at the bottom of the switchbacks. In addition, some rock work needs to be done on the switchback turns. The rock work on the switchback turns does not have to be completed before the section is opened.

Nathan and his crew are working almost full time during the week to get this project finished. If you can't come out on the weekend, please consider helping Nathan during the week if you have the time. Because Nathan's schedule can change during the week, it is best to either email or call him before coming out. Nathan's email is nathan.burrell@richmondgov.com. His phone is (804) 357-8897.

On another note, if you have any concerns or questions about the work being done in Forest Hill Park or in the James River Park System, Nathan urges you to contact him to discuss the issue or question. It doesn't matter if you're a mountain biker, hiker, runner, etc., Nathan wants to hear what you have to say.

This Saturday we will be working on the first stage. Nathan will have a small but very experienced crew building the crib wall behind the school. The rest of us will be adjusting and refinding the trail until we get to the switchbacks. This will include fine tuning the backslope and pulling leaves back down onto the lower part of the trail edge.

Again, please respect Nathan's wish for the trails to be closed. The trails are in no condition to be used and if ridden will just make it harder for us to finish the work. As each section is completed, we will announce its opening here and on our website. Please be patient, we are trying our hardest to get these trails open.
If we get snowed out, I'll send this out again next week.

That's it for now, we look forward to seeing you this Saturday.

The Sweco is here.

Well friends the dice tumbled and we hit a win. The Sweco arrived Monday and the boys got right to work Tuesday. As of Wednesday evening Nathan, “BigWorm” & Mike were basically a day up on the project. The workload was looking like (4) 10-hour days but the boys think they will have it finished in 3 days thanks in large part to the talent behind the blade who goes by the name “Big Worm” and the gratuitous efforts of all of you wonderful volunteers who came out in to help out in a big way. If not for your efforts the trail corridor would not have been ready and things would not be what they are.



Thank You all of you.

You can check out a few more pictures of the Sweco work in progress thanks to Greg Rollins behind the camera lens. Take a look here.

To quote Nathan from our monthly RaMORE meeting tonight “As soon as the Sweco work is done we can start the “FUN” part.” I will get into a bit of that in our next post. Nathan, {& Mike & Big Worm} who by the way pulled a 10 hour day of trail work then braved West End rush hour traffic to give his insight during the meeting tonight and provide us with an update on the Sweco work will be hard at it again for another 10 hour day tomorrow. Talk about dedication! There is a good reason that I envy the passion that these guys bring to the table. Thanks guys.

Forest Hill Park Fundraiser Event............its TRAILICIOUS

Help us raise funds for the Forest Hill park trail reroute. Stop by for a fun evening.



TRAILICIOUS is a benefit hosted by Richmond MORE to raise funds for the Forest Hill Park trail reroute project. The event will take place Saturday February 27 from 7-11pm at the Capital Ale House downtown Richmond. Free parking is available at 6th and Carey Street deck. Join us... for a fun evening of music, socializing and amazing raffle prizes. There will be a local Blue Grass/Americana band (fronted by fellow off road fixed gear aficionado Glenn A.) called Broke Bike Mountain, big screen videos of local riding and trail building and did we say tons of amazing raffle prizes! There may also be a few surprise guest appearances by some local legends as well as plenty of other great things that you will just have to be there to know about and see. So mark your calendars, come thirsty for fine beer and bring a few bucks for some raffle tickets. Admission is $10 at the door............or you can prepay on line. Sign up today; event is limited to 300 people. Click here to get your tickets!

For those of you who didn’t know about the JRPS fundraiser last year at Capital Ale House (long story short) there was a line of people standing outside waiting for the happy people inside to leave so that they could get in. Yup, it was sold out and people were outside trying to get in like it was free beer day or something. So if you know you want to be there you’d best buy some tickets early. It will sell out again this year in a bigger and better way.

So get your tickets now. Don’t be that guy who has to stand there and listen to his buddies talk about all the fun that he missed out on!

See you there.