Whitetail Ridge Ride

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

The Whitetail Ridge trail system has something to offer to everyone of all skill levels. Head east across the border from the Twin Cities to this hidden gem located in River Falls, WI to experience off-camber climbs/descents, roots, rocks, portions of pump track, high speed and technical sections all in the same loop.

The main trailhead is located at the edge of the woods just NW of the daycare, park in the cul-de-sac where you'll see a sign indicating you've made it.

This singletrack loop has some good climbs mixed in with nice, flowy downhill fun. Roots, rocks, bridges and wood berms...this trail has it all! Look for the trail map at the trailhead and use the MTB Project mobile app to stay on track.

To get started, park in the nice cul-de-sac near the daycare and proceed up the hill to the trailhead to look over the map. Once you're ready to proceed, head into the woods and you'll notice some manmade features on the left. To get to the main trail, ride past the wooden coaster skinny and enter to the left as indicated by the sign with the green arrow.

Proceed around the Beginner Loop for just over a mile before getting back to just about where you started. Along the way, you'll encounter numerous signs that indicate shortcuts and alternates to the blue loop, but if you want to ride he complete lap then stay on the Beginner Loop until you get back to the clearing where you began.

Next, you'll follow the trail up the steep hill until you reach the top, take the sharp left back into the woods. From here, you'll soon have two choices - continue on the blue loop or enter a black section. The blue loop cut (to the right) shortcuts around three of the best miles out of the course, but avoids a more technical section.

If you proceed to the left (black loop) you'll encounter a rugged off-camber section that provides a challenge and a good view. Roughly 1.5 total miles into your ride (assuming you took the black), you'll now encounter a choice to either continue on the main trail or enter another black section (to the right - indicated by a sign). The black section beginning here is more technical yet, providing a challenging scamper across several off-camber rock sections with technical climbs and descents.

In either case, the two trails (black and blue) come back together several yards down the blue trail beyond the split. From here and for the next few miles, the roots are fewer and more spaced out so your speed can really start to pick up. The trail meanders through the woods and even down the edge of a cornfield until it jumps back down to where you had the option to avoid the black loop about a mile into your ride. (See above where I mentioned cutting the best three miles out of the course).

Take a left here at the fork and enter the "Hurt Locker" filled with roots and rocks. Continuing from here, you won't have many trail splits but have fun and use some caution on your first trip through! It really flows!