Anyone been to Monticello?

[huntforlife]

Im thinking about heading up there tommoro morning. I's the trail any good, and if you have any tips for riding it, thanks!
Paul Levang

[gopherhockey]

Im thinking about heading up there tommoro morning. I's the trail any good, and if you have any tips for riding it, thanks!
Paul Levang
If you can, take some pics and give us some feedback...

Last I heard it was ripped up pretty bad by moto-x riders, but that was a while ago.. things may have improved.

[ryno lite]

The moto-X thing was overblown, it was a good ride last fall. My brother was there this week and the problems it has now are trees that have fallen, overgrown brush and a lack of good signage to mark the trail (very easy to miss sections of the trail if you don't know it). Hey Paul, since you were probably the most recent rider there, you want to give this Paul the rundown?

[ryno lite]

Actually with a little bit of trail cleanup and a couple of signs, it would be a great trail again. Not many trails near the metro with that many miles of riding!

[Panman]

Humm...sounds like another project I could do... More trail work, overgrowth clearing, I can do that. :D Although I've never been there so I'm not sure where to go. Signage would be..Blast.?.? Who takes care of this trail?

[ryno lite]

No one seems to have ownership of it at this time. Due to disagreements over the moto-X incident, BLAST has stopped taking care of this trail. Last year it was done by a bike group in St. Cloud and a group that needed the trail clear for an adventure race. I'd say this trail is definetely in danger of extinction very soon if someone doesn't take resposibility for it. If someone was to take responsibility for it, they should contact the land managers first to see if it is still ok. It's a cool trail, but another season or two of neglect could cause its disappearance!

[TML]

No one seems to have ownership of it at this time. Due to disagreements over the moto-X incident, BLAST has stopped taking care of this trail. Last year it was done by a bike group in St. Cloud and a group that needed the trail clear for an adventure race. I'd say this trail is definetely in danger of extinction very soon if someone doesn't take resposibility for it. If someone was to take responsibility for it, they should contact the land managers first to see if it is still ok. It's a cool trail, but another season or two of neglect could cause its disappearance!
I haven't been up there yet this year but I agree with Ryan that Monticello is a great place to get in a lot of singletrack miles. The Night TT series that Bob and the Blast crew ran there a couple of falls ago was really a good time!

[NewRider]

Moto-X bikes were allowed to run on the bike trail?

[huntforlife]

Well I drove the half hour up there this morning only to find out I cant ride while summer camps are there....bummer. I decided just to head over to hw10 and go to hillside.
Maybe some other time.

[gopherhockey]

Well I drove the half hour up there this morning only to find out I cant ride while summer camps are there....bummer. I decided just to head over to hw10 and go to hillside.
Maybe some other time.
I wonder if there is someone we can contact to find out when these summer campers will be done... then we could post it in the trail conditions area as a heads up to all...

[huntforlife]

The guy said they get done at 3:30, but I'm not sure if thats everyday. Weekends are also open. If someone wants to ride it, let me know because I might want to come too.

[Panman]

I'll proly ride it next week sometime. Wander if they would care if I cleared some overgrowth.?.?

[Don Youngdahl]

Wander if they would care if I cleared some overgrowth.?.?
There's an old saying, attributed, I believe, to the lady admiral who was instrumental in the development and implementation of Cobol in the U.S. Navy - "It's easier to get forgiveness than to get permission." The first corrollary to that axiom is "If you don't want to hear the likely answer, don't ask the question."

Don Youngdahl

[ryno lite]

Moto-X bikes were allowed to run on the bike trail?
They were on short sections of trails. Also some small sections are dual use wide trails so it is to be expected. They had a race out there and they damaged a small portion of trail. The racers pay a good fee to rent the facility for a race and that place needs all the money it can get to stay afloat, so yes the motocross guys will always be able to do their thing out there. Lets face it, the mtn bike thing wasn't bringing in all that much money compared to the guys on the dirt bikes. Money talks!

[ryno lite]

The guy said they get done at 3:30, but I'm not sure if thats everyday. Weekends are also open. If someone wants to ride it, let me know because I might want to come too.
From what I hear from my brother who was out there this very week, I wouldn't recommend a ride there. Use your time to go elsewhere. It is truly a jungle with tons of brush and there was a storm this year that took down a bunch of trees, on top of that it is virtually impossible to follow the trail without someone who knows it. Key intersections have been changed by the off road scene making it nearly impossible to see where you need to go next for the single track. Also, the signs are mostly gone. My brother lives nearby and knows the trail well and had a heck of a time following it the two times he's been out there this year. Basically I don't reccomend it. Plus the mosquitos are hideous out there also! It's a big enough place that you can get lost and I don't know if I'd want to be lost out in that woods and swamp especially with all the bugs! Now if it was cleared and resigned it would be cool, but what I hear from my brother, there's a lot of work to be done to make it rideable. He says though that under the massive brush and fallen trees that the trail itself looks good. It's just near impossible to follow and ride.

[sensorysonic]

I was out at Camp Manitou in Monticello a few days ago. The trail itself is in good condition, no washouts or heavy erosion. The problems are the overgrowth, fallen trees, and the intersections not being properly marked. The twitchy, tight singletrack clusters can easily be missed if you don't know where you are going. The Blast single track clusters are hooked to sections of trail that are multi-use. Blast has a great flowing trail when it is cleared and well marked, like it would be when they had races in the past. This cleanup is a big project, requiring a crew, an organized crew. Some sections are jungle-like, with rider arms and legs getting cuts and abrasions from the overgrowth. Blast seems to have deserted this trail. My bro is right, this trail is close to extinction, if an organized group doesn't clean it up. And, its a long trail, I think at least 14 miles long, so its a huge project. The best twitchy single track sections are hard to find, if you don't know the trail. The trail is super cool when its cleared, a super fun time. If you do decide to check it out, bring a compass, a local map (as the park is surrounded by tar highways), just keep walking towards a highway, if you get lost, and then bike around the park to the entrance. Bring a flashlight (if you are biking in the evening, in case you get lost) and a lot of bug dope.

[Panman]

We had talked about this way back at the first Hillside trailwork. Kevin was saying that Blast was kicked out of there by Monti a while back ago. It was just this spring that Monti was talking about letting Blast back in because they didn't like the moto-x bikes. They have the trail on their site so I'm guessing it's back on. They are also focusing on Milaca right now because it's dryer than normal. Not sure what they're doing but should be working on Hillside in the near future. I'll e-mail Kevin and get the details on this trail.

[sensorysonic]

I'll e-mail Kevin and get the details on this trail.
Hey Ryan, good idea to follow up with Blast on their status with Manitou! That would be great if Blast is back at Manitou!! They have made an awesome trail in Monticello for sure! I think Blast organized trail days would have that trail in perfect condition in no time!! :banana:

[Panman]

Here's what I got back from Kevin. I havn't read the entire thing yet, must get going. Leaving for the canoe trip, be back Sunday. Later!
Hi Ryan,

We have been having discussions with the YMCA regarding this trail. The
discussion has not been an issue of mtb versus moto-x. There is
adequate space for both however we have been pushing a concept that some
sections of trail need to be mtb only. In the past we put in nice
sections of tight single track and then a couple months later it has
been widened to accommodate moto-x. Because of that we stopped
maintaining trails at Monticello a couple years ago.

The issue has been there is no formal support or policy within the YMCA
for the mtb trails. The policy changes with a each new on site director
every year or two. We have been working to establish a more formal long
term relationship. In the past the Site Directors have viewed moto-x as
preferred because they come in have a race and write the Camp a big
check (multiple thousands of dollars). We (mtb riders) on the other
hand only paid a few hundred to use for races although like Lebanon
Hills we provided volunteer labor to create & maintain the trails.

We hope to have this resolved in time so we can get things recleared and
hold the BOO BLAST at Monticello.

Sincerely,
Kevin

[ryno lite]

It sure would be great to see that cleared by fall time! Monti is a great fall ride!