August 22, 2013
It will not be long before Mt. Pisgah is known for something other than skiing and tubing. The recent addition of a mountain bike trail adjacent to the ski trail is absolutely fantastic, and more milage is expected in the future. When I rode the trail last week with local volunteer, Josh Wilson, I could not believe that the trail was only a year old. The section of trail that we rode behind the water tower was firm smooth, and fast. These are trail characteristics usually observed after years of use. There is not a huge amount of milage availble just yet, but it was on the ground right now is already worth a trip.
There are two ways to access the trail at Mt. Pisgah. The best riding as of August 2013 is on the left hand side of the mountain as you are looking up the ski slope. Riders can pedal or push up the ski slope and look for a trail entering the woods on the left. This may be the easist option to find the trail. The other option is to pedal up the dirt road that leads to the big water tower adjacent ot the ski area. The mountain bike trail begins on the uphill side of the water tower. Usually there is a small muddy spot right before the trail begins. I would expect these routes to become more obvious as time goes on and I also expect the signage to improve.
The Mountain Bike Trail at Mt. Pisgah exists through the hard work of a few local volunteers, who I hear have meeting on Monday nights to continuously improve the trail system, Members of the Barkeater Trail Alliance, and students who are in the Forestry program through an organization called BOCES. The students have been learning how to operate equipment by removing necessary trees and brush for the trail. When they are finished with their work, the trail builders come in make the surface nice and smooth for rolling mountain bike tires.
Riding at Mt. Pisgah is great idea for riders of all skill levels. The Barkeater Trails Alliance has published a map for the area and it is available at Blue Line Sports in Saranac Lake.
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