Brainerd

[Schlags8]

Hey, I noticed you guys were missing one of the more challenging trails up in the Brainerd area. It's called French Rapids. There's a nearly endless set of trails (well... ) near as i can guestimate, there's gotta be 15-20 mile loops, going around lakes, bog, and some really tight brush riding (but fast).

The riding style is really technical - single track in most places, although I haven't seen everything back there, the trail just flirts with you. Half the fun of going back there is you get pretty lost after about a half hour, and it takes another 1-2 hours to get out again ;) It's a lot of fun.

The only real downer about this whole thing is the sand. And there's a lot of it. None in the woods, but there's some main roadage that cuts thru there (deceptively like it runs thru the whole thing) that has some pain in the ass sand.

All in all, it's one wicked piece of riding. Not for the beginner. If your at least a moderately good rider, it's a great trail to spend your afternoon on.

If anybody's interested in putting together some rides, possibly doing some racing out there, let me know, there's never much traffic out there, I don't really think anybody know's it's there.

Anyway, always fun - schlags@charter.net
:banana:

[jitterjepp]

Hey Schlags8, you know where these trails are? I used to live in the Brainerd area. Pillager actually on Hardy Lake. My dad still lives up there. I tried to find the trail by North Long but couldn't find it. I heard the one at French Rapids was only like a mile or two long. We used to have keg parties there back in the day. Do you just drive into the parking lot at French and the trails are right there? I don't think I ever went there in the daytime so I don't know what it looks like in the light. It would be really sweet to get a trail set up in the Crosby-Ironton mine area.

[Schlags8]

The parking lot, if it's the one I'm thinking of is usually a little farther in than you want to go. If you stop right before you start winding down there, you can just pull over on the right, and grab your bike and dive in. It really doesn't look like much to start out with, but there's a lot in there, just look for the trail diving off into the woods.

I'm going to post a couple pictures on that probably tonight sometime. It'll be after 10 tho.

:banana:

[gopherhockey]

I'd love to see the pictures. We could actually do up a trail review if you had enough photos and would be willing to supply some other information - perhaps a mapquest map to the location etc.

We don't have many out of metro trail reviews..

[Schlags8]

ok, i'm going to post those photos tonight, in a couple minutes as soon as i can figure out how to pull it off. i've got my bro coming up with me on monday to take some actual action shots, as he's a photographer, and i really suck at the camera aspect.

-schlags

[gopherhockey]

Thanks for posting them - as soon as I get some time I'll try build a trail review. Do you have any comments on the trail itself such as:

Directions

Details (general trail review)

Thanks! Will be nice to get a review from that area... appreciate any help you could give.