starting a new trail

[jstevens]

I just moved to the upstate newyork area. I found a pretty nice area to go biking, similar to lebanon hills terrain, but all the good single track is illegal to ride. It's in a nature preserve and there are some legal bike/multipurpose trails but those are pretty lame. I know MORC has opened alot of trail around the metro area and I'm trying to find a good way to get these trails reopened for bikers. If anyone has suggestions on where to start or ways to play the game, I would appreciate any advice. I can't figure out why the trails are closed. they are all pretty nice to nature, and there is bridges over the streams and wet areas already, so it seems like the trail work would be pretty minimal to keep it nature-happy.

[Paul Swenson]

How far upstate? I used to go biking in Putnam County. Since I lived in Brooklyn, I considered this upstate.

[bigwheel]

You might want to contact IMBA and find out who are the reps in that area. In addition to knowing how to build trails, IMBA has some political clout, and they can also point you toward local advocacy groups.

[Konaboy]

See if you can find out who the land manager is for the property. Then contact him or her asking why the property is closed to bikes. You might want to check around for a local MTB group and check with them as well. Start there and good luck.

[TML]

Good advice from the others that posted.

Here's a link to some clubs in New York:

http://www.imba.com/contacts/near_you/new_york.html

http://www.a1trails.com/biking/bk_clat.html#NY


Good luck and enjoy the riding out there!

[TrailPatrol]

I just moved to the upstate newyork area.

Where upstate? I'm originally from the Ithaca/Cortland area and was just back there and in the Adirondacks this summer with my bike. There is a lot of great riding in the southern and south-central Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes region. There are also a number of good groups like MORC in the state. Look at www.imba.com (http://www.imba.com) and click on "Contacts" for New York. NYSDEC (New York's = to DNR) and OPRHP (NY State Parks) are pretty strict about closed areas, and they both have their own police and ranger forces to enforce it. Same goes with the New York City watershed in the Catskills, protected by NYC DEP cops. Your best bet is to get hooked up with a local club. Your LBS will also know where you can and can't ride.

BTW, Putnam County is not "upstate" unless you're from "downstate". :p

Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans

[Burke]

You might want to contact IMBA and find out who are the reps in that area. In addition to knowing how to build trails, IMBA has some political clout, and they can also point you toward local advocacy groups.

This is where you want to start.

If you contact the land manager before finding out about active mtb clubs in the area are, you might be inadvertantly jumping into a hornet's nest.

Start with the bike clubs, then if you need to or can't find any clubs, check with the land managers and see what the situation is.

Scott

[jstevens]

great advice, thanks. I was thinking I needed to find a group and see what was happening already, but wanted to get some outside advice before I started.

Upstate... Albany area... i guess it's sorta mid state.

Thanks all.

:geek:

[TrailPatrol]

(Al Bany is the perennial "bad guy" in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise's political cartoons, represented usually by a caricature of the Governor --Carey, Cuomo or Pataki--who symbolizes all of the evil coming out of the state capital.)

But I digress...here are two contacts in the Capital Region for you:

MOHAWK HUDSON CYCLING CLUB; web: www.mohawkhudsoncycling.org (http://www.mohawkhudsoncycling.org/); email:<SCRIPT type=text/javascript inserter="Spam Vaccine 1.3"><!--spam_vaccine( new Array("\b\d\a\n\i\e\l\s\_\u\s", "", "\y\a\h\o\o", "", "\c\o\m", ""), new Array() ) ;//--></SCRIPT> bdaniels_us@yahoo.com (bdaniels_us@yahoo.com) <NOSCRIPT>bdaniels_us../../spam_vaccine/at_medium.gifyahoo.com</NOSCRIPT>, 81 LIBERTY RD, TROY, NY 12180; phone: 518-235-0681

SARATOGA MOUNTAIN BIKE ASSOCIATION; web: www.saratogamtb.org (http://www.saratogamtb.org/); email:<SCRIPT type=text/javascript inserter="Spam Vaccine 1.3"><!--spam_vaccine( new Array("\s\m\b\a", "", "\e\l\e\v\a\t\e\c\y\c\l\e\s", "", "\c\o\m", ""), new Array() ) ;//--></SCRIPT> smba@elevatecycles.com (smba@elevatecycles.com) <NOSCRIPT>smba../../spam_vaccine/at_medium.gifelevatecycles.com</NOSCRIPT>, 35 VANDAM ST, SARATOGA SPGS, NY 12866-2005; fax: 518-587-0829

And yes, in normal New York jargon, Albany is "upstate". Basically, anything north of Westchester County (White Plains) is "Upstate" unless you live in NYC. Then anything north of "Da Bronx" is upstate. :crazy2:

Hope that helps. I may not live there any more, but my it's still my home.

Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans