Poor Ol' Terrace Oaks...

[BrightYellow]

I rode Terrace Oaks yesterday for the first time in a couple of years and I just felt so sad for it. It was a mere shadow of it's former glory. Like a old dog with all of its teeth worn down....

I remember the days when Terrace Oaks was da bomb! Or maybe it was rad back then... Anyway, it was one of the premier trails in the cities. It used to be that you would ride Terrace for technical and Lebanon for a good workout (with its three big climbs). Now, every obstacle at Terrace that used to be a challenge has pretty much just worn away. And seeing as how it is only 2.3 miles around, you can get dizzy there...

What that does mean though is that it is a great place to bring anyone who is new to biking, which I plan to do. I think it's a great place to introduce people to mt. biking.

[Tim Wegner]

Don
As you rode around and around and around Terrace Oaks you might have noticed 2 re-routes that were completed last fall. The first 2 eroded climbs near the beginning of the trail have been re-routed. There are 9 other areas in this park that we will be correcting in the near future. Those two re-routes were done as a pilot project to show the city of Burnsville what MORC could do to the rest of the trail.

I also remember Terrace Oaks as one of the best tech trail in the metro. Terrace Oaks will never become Lebanon but with TLC it will become a better trail and an alternative to going around and around Lebanon.
TW

[BrightYellow]

Oh yeah, I did notice the two re-routes and they were great... Nice work, they were definitely needed!

I'm excited to hear that more work will be done there, since there is a lot of potential for that trail. If I had the time, it was always fun to do a 1-2 punch and hit both Terrace and Leb...

[grizzly adam]

Is there any chance of Terrace getting more land available for riding? I'm not sure how much is there now or what the current limitations are.
Thanks for the pilot study - hopefully Burnsville will like it.

[homebrewbiker]

The advanced loop is still fun ... The new re-routes make the beginning much easier, I kind of liked that steep climb into the woods even though it was getting very eroded. I look forward to good things here, there is a lot of potential for this trail, a lot of good terrain if it can be converted into trail.

[gopherhockey]

The advanced loop is still fun ... The new re-routes make the beginning much easier, I kind of liked that steep climb into the woods even though it was getting very eroded. I look forward to good things here, there is a lot of potential for this trail, a lot of good terrain if it can be converted into trail.
This is a genuine concern to have. The re-routes that will happen at Terrace may add a small amount to the trail, but they won't make it any more difficult and do often make it easier. We've done that at Lebanon as well in some places.

The question becomes how to pull this off but still add interest and skill requirements to the trail. Perhaps building it through a new rock garden or adding other natural obstacles that aren't just steep climbs can bring back the fun while still appeasing the land managers.

Making the land managers happy is the key to eventually getting more trail. What starts out as simple re-routes that might not be even as fun in some cases could very well lead to some real opportunities.... I hope Terrace falls into this situation. I just think it will take time and a very dedicated steward to keep on them.