WDBJ 7’s latest. The body has been identified as a Lynchburg resident.

Keith tackling the Dam Trail switchbacks on his first ride - way to kick it!

Story & Photos: Randy King

Part III – Highlighting the “best” of the mountain’s trails.

Scott working those Jedi skills on The Playground

Candler’s Mountain and the Liberty Mountain Trail System are located on the outskirts of Lynchburg, VA, next to Liberty University. The mountain is easy to spot from a distance because of two distinct and recent man-made additions. One is the giant LU monogram and the other is the only Snowflex recreation facility in the U.S. Hidden in the trees that cover most of the rest of the mountain’s many ridges and ravines are dozens of trails harboring miles of entertainment and challenge for mountain bikers of all levels. It is a big mountain riding destination; one could ride all day here without duplicating many yards of trails. Please see the Getting There page for a trail map and more details on access, eats and lodging. If you are looking for someone to ride with while you explore the trails, feel free to contact me via the comments feature at the bottom of this post, or at rides@bigmountainriding.com

The best part of the recent improvements is the naming / marking of the main trails and the improved rescue-factor thanks to way-point markers and additional fire roads. Also, the most-used single track has been made more sustainable.

Symbols for trail rating:

NOTE: All ratings are based on if the rider rode the entire trail in its standard course. They are more realistic than the ratings published by Liberty University and are based on extensive riding and observation of other riders on this trail system year-round. (However, the trail names are color-coded to LU’s rating – which is based mostly on distance – Green=Beginner, Blue=Intermediate, Yellow=Advanced)

◊ – intermediate = requires conditioned cardiovascular fitness, strong legs and good balance. Experience in riding off road.
♦ – advanced = requires the above and conditioned bike handling skills on narrow and uneven trails. May feature short steep sections that border on very advanced.
♦♦ – very advanced = requires the above and features sections with dire consequences for the rider who loses control. Some inclines will require walking up/down by all but very advanced riders.
Θ – not public knowledge = These trails are not on the map and these names are not commonly used. However, feel free to seek them out and to use the names.

Best Singletrack:

◊Lower Dam Trail - The flowier of the two Dam trails. Swoops along the lower side of the mountain and takes the rider instantly to a good place.
◊Upper Dam Trail – More of a workout than its lower sibling. Rougher as well. For a fast loop, do a circuit of both Dam trails (15-30 min. DOE)
♦Alternate Flight Pattern - A fun, tough trail that dives into ravines and treks up slopes as it winds around the mountain. Hard to follow where the new road intersects the trail.

Chris charging a log on A Walk in The Woods

Best technical trails:

♦♦Split Decision – The main decision for most riders is to turn away to something easier, but this is a rewarding challenge for very advanced riders. This bad boy features steeps on both ends and nary a flat spot between. Lots of logs, roots and rocks.
♦♦The Playground – Boasts one of the steepest sections on the mountain. Bring your iron lungs and any inner-demons you want to scourge.
♦Psycho-Pathé – Technical fun fest. Narrow lines and rougher options abound. Mind-emptying at speed.
♦Lake Trail – The soul of Eastern mountain biking. Side hill, stream-side to lake side. Mellow, with challenging sections to keep you focused.

Best cardio-climbs:

♦Powerline Loop – This is a torturous climb, especially in the warmer months. Great for building climbing skill and power, though. Finishes with a rough DH.
◊Monogram Rd (from Top Ridge Trail head to the gazebo atop the monogram) – Good section for working on tiered intervals. May make you hate yourself and your bike if you overdo it.
♦Luge Trail to Peak 2 Peak to the gazebo – If you’re in it to pin it, then dive into the woods on Upper Dam and take this route popular with hikers all the way up.

Best Rogue trails:

◊ Rogue’s Gallery (Five Points to Split Decision)
♦Θ Rogue 1 (Snowflex drive Candlers Mt. Trail head) – a fast alternative to descending Candler’s Climb or Candler’s Mt Rd.
♦♦Θ Going Rogue DH (Monogram Rd to gas line / US 460) – don’t even think about it unless very experienced or very brash. Drops faster than the Dow in a recession.
♦Θ Rogue Leader DH (Peak 2 Peak/The Playground intersection to Five Points) – an alternative, shorter descent to Five Points.

Tackling the woodwork - the evolution continues

Best far-out trails:

♦ A Trail Too Far – an instant classic that is different every time one rides it. A peaceful stream side saunter, pushing the pace brings out the bite.
♦Θ Oil Jug (Its namesake is the only marker for the entry to this back country beauty. It is far out and limited release.)
♦Θ Blind Faith (an old-school, sweet singletrack bypass for some of Lake Hydeaway Rd. Watch for fire road to the right when Camp Hydeaway Rd veers left. Blind Faith is a singletrack off to the left at the top of the rise.)
♦♦Θ The Ghost (You’d feel like Hiawatha or Hawkeye on this extremely narrow front face side hill trail if it weren’t for the encroaching development and city sprawled out below.)

© 2009 Big Mountain Riding

Handcrafted turns like this one set the Montvale Trails apart

Fun alternatives are built into the Montvale Trails

Ahead, the red dirt trail dipped downhill to the right and dove into a tight switchback. It straightened out for a moment, only to dive into another descending turn. This sweeper featured a robust berm, and my bike railed right around the curve, setting me up to carry through the needed momentum for the upcoming short climb. This was Ridgeline, a 1/2 mile, mostly downhill “Expert” trail at Bedford County’s newest trail system, the Montvale Trails. It bears the trademark flow and handcrafted swooping turns of its designer, Bedford County’s Trails Manager, Kenny Palmer. Trails like this bring sheer joy, and have to be experienced to be appreciated – they add up to much more than what you see on paper.

Kenny’s other work includes Bedford’s Falling Creek Park and Lynchburg’s Peaks View Park. He knows how to maximize the mileage from terrain, and he knows how to make fun trails.

The park features approximately 6.5 miles of easy, intermediate and expert labeled single track with a dirt access road running up the middle (sort of). The access road serves as a self-powered lift line for getting back up to the top, vertically-speaking. This means that you can rail the descents and save some fuel on the climb back. Don’t believe that any of these trails only goes downhill. However, many of the trails work their way down the ridge from the parking lot on Quarterwood Road, with lots of ups and downs along the way.

The hardest part is getting there for this trail system. While it is off a major highway, it is far from a town of any size. And the 10-car parking lot currently is not marked (unlike the trails), so careful navigation is a must. I’ve included the coordinates, for those with a GPSr. About a 35-mile drive from Lynchburg, where I live, the Montvale Trails system is high on my list of “Let’s do something different today” trails.

Personal fav’s:

Beale Treasure Trail (Intermediate) – Just plain fun. Starts just off the access road, which it crisscrosses on its way down the ridge. Just over a mile, the trail features lots of turns, varied terrain like log crossings, off-camber sections, bermed turns, etc. My favorite. High point, approx. 1090 feet; low point: approx. 950 feet.

The woods are dark at the bottom of Moto X

Moto X (Expert) – Although only a little more than a half mile, this trail features the longest straight downhill sections in the park. Starting out at approx. 1125 feet, bermed turns at the top lead into a straight shot of gravity that speeds the rider into the more complex part of the trail. Intersecting with the park’s only other “Expert” trail, Ridgeline, Moto X doglegs to the right and then drops to its lowest point (approx. 735 feet), an au naturel creek crossing that requires poise and balance to successfully maneuver. The remainder of the trail snakes through the dark woods, angling along hillsides and crossing the creek a few more times before dumping out on the access road.

Vital info:

Trail Map

GPS coordinates for the parking lot: 37.36317° N 079.70798° W

From Lynchburg: 460W to Montvale, pass elementary school on left, turn left directly across from the “Roadside Market” onto Quarterwood Rd (VA 691).  Go approximately 1.5 miles and the entrance is on your left.

From Roanoke: 460E to Montvale, you will pass Buchanan’s Auto Auction on your Right  and then you will take your next Right onto Quarterwood Rd (VA 691).  Go approximately 1.5 miles and the entrance is on your left.

© 2009 Big Mountain Riding

Railing the classic bridge on LU's A Trail Too Far

Second Annual Assault On Liberty Mountain

This is a challenging, fun event in the heart of Virginia. Dishing up 19-miles of back-country style riding, the Liberty Mountain race shows off some of the breadth of the trail system (while leaving lots of the extensive trail system to be explored.) Last year’s event was an eye-opener for many regional riders who had not previously pedaled this recently upgraded trail system.

Support local trails! Sign-up as a show of the strength of the local cycling community.

October 24, 2009

Camp Hydeaway

(Google Street Address: Lake Front Dr. Rustburg, VA 24588)

10:00 am START!

Click Here, to download application.

Click Here, to register online.

For more information or questions e-mail Race Director Joshua Yeoman

DOWNLOAD THE COURSE MAPS – GREAT FOR PRE-RIDING COURSE!

Pro/Expert/Sport Course Map

Novice Course Map

Trail Map:

Click here for a photo map of the trails. Sorry, no topo map is available currently.

Trail heads:

Candlers Mountain Trail Head: The most used and most convenient. Located across Candler’s Mountain Rd from the Wingate Inn. Paved, lit parking available. When entering the Wingate Parking lot, park in the overflow lot to the right. Be courteous and responsible so others can enjoy this convenient parking. Watch for cars when crossing the road. A kiosk with a large map is located just into the woods. Nearest street address: 3777 Candlers Mtn. Road Lynchburg, VA 24502

460 Trail Head: +/- 100-yards downhill from the Candler’s Mountain Trail Head.

Hydeaway Trail Head: Easiest access to more easier grade trails. A small gravel parking area (4-cars). A kiosk with a large map is right across the chained entrance. Don’t block the drive completely – in case emergency vehicles need to rescue you or somebody else. Follow Candler’s Mt. Rd to intersection with Camp Hydeaway Rd, right before Candler’s Mt. Rd. ends at a T-intersection. Turn left on Camp Hydeaway Rd. Parking lot is on your left at the bottom of the first hill after leaving civilization. Nearest street address: Lake Front Dr. Rustburg, VA 24588

Top Ridge Trail Head: Have fun finding this one! Allows a different take on some well-used trails. Access Top Ridge Rd / State Route 837  on your right off of Old Rustburg Road – Take Martin Street off of Campbell Ave next to the US 460 interchange.

Lodging

Lynchburg has most of the national chain hotels. For ease of access though, you can’t beat the Wingate Inn, located across from the main trail head.

Eats

American family fare: Sundae Grill – On your right 1/4 mile downhill from Candlers Mountain Trail Head.

American fare with brews: Macado’s – On your right just past the Sundae Grill.

Mediterranean – Kabob Grill - From Candlers Mountain Trail Head, get on 460 W and take the next exit, Wards Rd. Turn left at the entrance to Target / McDonald’s. Kabob Grill is in the strip mall to your right – across from McDonald’s.

Mexican – La Carreta – From Candlers Mountain Trail Head, get on 460 W and take the next exit, Wards Rd. You will need to U-turn and head back toward 460 on Wards Rd (Business 29). Turn right on Wards Ferry Rd.La Carreta, a locally-owned joint, is in the strip mall to your left.

Pizza & Microbrews – Waterstone Pizza Downtown Lynchburg. 1309 Jefferson Street Lynchburg VA 24504

Pizza (cheap) – CiCi’s Pizza in the Candler’s Mt Shopping Center, on your right 1/4 mile downhill from the Candlers Mountain Trail Head

© 2009 Big Mountain Riding

The classic Candler's Bridge

Part II – click here for Part I – While a select group of riders continued to visit Candler’s Mountain, it fell out of the popular scene in the first half of the ’00’s. The introduction of the Derailer series – a group of races at regional parks like Peaks View and others drew attention to a faster, flatter style of mountain biking on tight, twisty singletrack. The big mountain gnarly rutted jeep trails and mud-bath action of Candler’s, and its questionable legality made it less desirable for social rides.

However, deep in the woods something was happening. A few really nice singletrack trails were crafted, and managed to remain unpoached by four-wheelers. This was mostly because of their side-hill nature, or the amount of big downed logs they crossed. And then, on a sweet, wet trail leading down a valley from the FAA tower hill, someone built the first quality bridges.

Read more…

Log feature on an LU Mtn. Rogue Trail

Click here for a map of the LU Mountain Trail System, home to some great big mountain riding in Central Virginia.

LU Old School

Part 1 – I have ridden at Candler’s Mountain, or Liberty Mountain as it is now called, since the mid-90’s. Back then it was a wild and woolly big mountain riding experience with heavily-eroded jeep trails, lots of year-round puddles and rocky trails that required zen-like handling skills. Not much pure singletrack, but some really technical ATV trails that rolled straight up and down the hills, leaving many a mountain biker’s lungs behind. The Gonzo factor came courtesy of shifting surfaces due to erosion, rock bars, ruts that were up to three-feet deep in places and red clay pools straight out of the most lurid ’50’s sci-fi. I rode through one such puddle when it couldn’t be avoided, and for the next several weeks, something ate slowly into my thigh, just above the knee. I thought I had encountered that late-90’s media darling flesh-eating bacteria, until it faded away and I still had flesh. Read more…