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All the best trails in the Rockland Preserve in one glorious loop.


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Map Key

15.0

Miles

24.2

KM

95%

Singletrack

619' 189 m

High

351' 107 m

Low

960' 293 m

Up

982' 299 m

Down

2%

Avg Grade (1°)

15%

Max Grade (8°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Not Allowed

No Ebikes allowed - no motorized use, no pedal assist, no exceptions.

Overview

The Rockland Full Tour Loop is the sizeable mega loop through Rockland that hits all the choice trails. Follow the map kiosks in order from M1-M12 to unlock this incredible ride!

Need to Know

Rockland preserve is not always open due to trail conditions. Please check here for current status. If you want to know the predicted future status, please message us on Facebook.

Typical Trail closures you can expect.
Rain = Closed for 24 hours. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer—it depends on precipitation
Winter = Typically CLOSED unless temps are below 32 when cloudy, or below when 28 sunny.

Description

Strap in because you are in for a good time. The Rockland XC Loop includes all of the major trails in Rockland Preserve. To start, park at the Route 79 parking lot and start climbing the East Loop up to kiosk M12.

From there, head up the hill toward "Summit Station" and Waterfall Pass. After this, start in on Thunderdome on the other side of the access road. You'll get a quick taste of the fun available on the trail before you split off onto Dirt Church after the second road crossing.

Dirt Church packs in a few dugout sections, small tabletops, and a technical rock ride in the short distance before the next road crossing. Once across the road, the speed increases through berms and table tops. Keep a lookout for Cold Feet, as you'll want to hang a right on it well before Dirt Church is done.

This will lead back to the access road, turn to the right to begin pedaling counter-clockwise. Before you've gone half way around the circle, turn left on Thunderdome (at kiosk M3) to rejoin that trail just before the start of Dirt Church. This time, though, keep straight and ride the remaining tabletops, rocks challenges, and log rides Thunderdome has to offer.

Next, knock out the more difficult downhills, faster berms, and bigger tabletops on Beyond Thunderdome. Once all this rocking fun is over, get ready to earn some more turns with the climb up The Darkside. Fortunately, The Darkside is an interesting climbing trail with lots of options before it ends at kiosk M5.

On the opposite side of the road is the start of Bambi. Follow this gradual climb to the log-roll at the intersection of MAG-5 and Bee Line. You'll want to take MAG-5 on the right for two plus miles of the area's most challenging terrain. There's plenty of options along with steep climbs and descents along rock-lined ridges.

After you've finished the fun battle with MAG-5, climb south on the Rockland Trail to ride the first half of Bambi again. Back at the log-roll intersection, head onto the easy going Bee Line trail to cross over the Old Crooked Hill Trail. Just ahead is the start of the Erratica Trail (at kiosk M9).

The Erratica Trail is another easy trail that has many more-difficult options as it follows over rolling terrain. Near the end is a particularly good feature at the Brown Mounds pump-line (experts only, beginner option to the left). At the end, turn left on the Old Crooked Hill Trail to get back to kiosk M11.

The ride is starting to wind down, but don't worry, the good times aren't over. Find the new Rishy trail to revel in some winding singletrack fun as you pedal back. Before Rishy is over, look for the East Loop Connector on the right to head back to the East Loop which will take you winding back down to the parking lot. Congratulations, you've just done the Rockland XC Loop!

Contacts

Shared By:

Jordan Byron with improvements by Jon Petersen and 1 other

Trail Ratings

  4.5 from 11 votes

#1303

Overall
  4.5 from 11 votes
5 Star
64%
4 Star
27%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
9%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#3

in Connecticut

#1,303

Overall
39 Views Last Month
10,584 Since Oct 18, 2016
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

25%
0%
0%
13%
63%
0%

Photos

Hitting a portion of the loop with a bunch of friends.
Jun 22, 2017 near Durham, CT
Doomsday log
Jul 10, 2013 near Durham, CT
Balance Beam
Jul 10, 2013 near Durham, CT
Hitting the jumps after Brown Mounds on Erratica
Dec 30, 2016 near Durham, CT
split rock
Jul 10, 2013 near Durham, CT
Big triple option off Mary's Ghost
Jul 10, 2013 near Durham, CT

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Check-Ins

May 29, 2022
James Bishop
18.9mi
Sep 29, 2019
Jose Jose
Dec 7, 2018
Jose Padilla
Sep 23, 2018
Sam Marshall
The back mag loop is like the AT!
Sep 10, 2017
Allen Tarasovic
15mi
Aug 30, 2017
Allen Tarasovic
15mi
Jul 8, 2017
Chrisdin Dier
weekend trip with Amber
Jul 7, 2017
Chrisdin Dier
great ride need to do again 9.5mi
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