Blue Mountain Reserve

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

This is pure Appalachian all-mountain singletrack highlighted by granite outcroppings and boulders of all sizes. You'll find constant elevation change, loamy soil, exposed roots and many rock gardens. Much of the singletrack is well designed, utilizing the forest's natural terrain of steep ravines and the many rocky features available. Blue Mountain is one of the best rides in the USA!

No need for man-made features or man-made stunts here, it's all presented in natural form. There is an endless number of boulders to session with a number of black diamond lines. There is certainly nothing lacking here, even for gnarliest extreme-bomber... if you know where to find it.

The Hudson Highland granite outcroppings and boulders were deposited in the Hudson River Valley by a glacier during the last Ice Age. The rocks range in size from bowling balls to car-sized boulders to building-sized gargantuans and range in level of difficulty accordingly. Visualize big Humpback Whales of rock that you'll be riding up and over, lots of smooth transitions, but also many options for jumps and drops. Each will keep the advanced rider smiling in Fantasyland!

Much of the riding here has constant elevation changes, many uphill sections require bursts of exhausting energy, especially when muscling your way over the many boulders. Don't let the small elevation totals fool you (tops out around 500'). This is a total body workout type of ride, not just your legs, but also your back, abs, and upper body.

You'll find much of the rock-riding on Stinger, MYX Monster, Rouge, My Favorite Trail, Debacle, El Capitan, Bailey's, SIS, The DH trail, Yang.

Here is a nice map that will aid in your journey:
parks.westchestergov.com/im…

If you're looking to push yourself and your game, I would highly recommend protective gear.

The easiest trails are in the Depew section on Dr. Jekyll which is all mellow singletrack. Additionally, the Jeep trails are wide and feature fairly easy riding.

Live 2 Crew and Criss-Cross are pretty forgiving singletrack trails and are a good place to start if you are a novice.

The toughest technical challenge is Debacle Trail. It's a snaking, slow-going grind of erratic elevation changes, twists and turns, and rocky obstacles. Your average speed will be slow as it's one technical challenge after the next. As you enter the rock infested trail it starts snaking its way through a bunch of obstacles, your uphill and downhill riding skills will be tested quickly.

If you are a novice, this will NOT be a fun ride.

From the parking lot in the back of the park, start up the paved Jeep Trail which turns to dirt within 20 yards. Make an immediate left on On Your Back. Within 200 yards, make the first right up a singletrack which is Yin.

Stay left on Yin, and head uphill to the top of a ravine. There you'll begin with a rocky drop to a berm into a smooth transitional boulder formation that gives you a little taste of what's to come. Continue staying left on Yin where you'll ride one of the best natural boulder gardens ever.

Yin ends at Limbo jeep trail. Head right, then up to the first singletrack on your left - Bailey's. Head up Bailey's and stay left to hit a boulder drop that is sweet! Continue around the first short loop and then left for a tough technical rocky climb to another left which is the other end of Bailey's Loop. Once you're back to the Bailey's connector, stay left on Limbo. Head up Limbo and stay right at the first fork, then make your first left onto SIS.

Head up SIS, which has some nice rock formations at the top to session, along with a few drops and steep rollers. At the end go right on Limbo and another quick right up Stinger.

This Upper side of Upper and Middle Stinger has two ways to enter; a techy singletrack, or a big steep rockface followed by a number of gnarly rock formations. Halfway through Stinger, there are a number of black diamond lines and boulders to session.

Once you're finished with the Stinger fun, go left on Rocky Glen about 0.25 miles, you'll see a singletrack head off to your left. This is Rouge which has some major elevations changes, a bunch of sweet Rollers and Drops, had one of the toughest DH drops/sections in the park but some wienies made changes so it's easier now but still fun... highlighted by a steep, 30-foot roller-slide to end which is a fine start to your MYX Monster ride...

You'll head up the jeep trail, summit, and make your first right which is the start of the Crown Jewel of the Park, MYX Monster! A sweet singletrack climb rewarded with a bunch of gnarly rock features to session with a blissful snaking downhill singletrack full of boulders, rocks, roots, got it all!

Once you hit the Jeep trail at the end, cross it staying on MYX Monster which will snake through a few creek crossings then stay right on Boundary Trail all the way to El Capitan which has a sweet uphill rocky section to the largest rock formation in the Park for a sweet slick rock downhill.

Back to Boundary, stay left and then right up Ned's Left Lung. Make first right on singletrack, which is Upper SIS which snakes and winds you around a few features and then you end up at the start of the DH trail.

The DH trail is short, but every inch is Grade A. Sick downhill trail built into a steep ravine and integrated beautifully into the natural lay of the land. After snaking your way and over a number of cool rock features dropping to the bottom of a steep ravine, you work your way to a cool-ass boulder garden that will test your technical abilities and then drops you back down to the bottom of another ravine and end of the DH and connection to Bailey's.

Climb out and back to Limbo entering Yang. Yang/Y-Y Divide has one of the best sections in the park that will make you wanna do it again and again.

On Yang, you'll hit a stream crossing quickly, 20 yards later make the next right. You'll shoot down a huge rocky outcropping that launches you to a perfectly smooth boulder-ramp... you can jump as far as your nerves will take you. Your momentum brings you to a root/rock drop, up a whale's back, and off a jump into a deep ravine and then up to another huge formation which you'll work your way to the top of... and then come flying down with a few nice drops at the end.

Stay left and down left on Dickey Brook Trail and back to the lot.

Blue Mountain Reserve has large amounts of Hudson Highland Granite rocky outcroppings which date back over 1 billion years old and still show evidence of the last Ice Age.

It is beautiful Appalachian Oak-Hickory Forest with a Chestnut and Red Oak canopy, Wood ferns, Hairgrass, and masses of Pin-cushion Moss. At the right time of day, the moss on the rocks glows in the sunlight.

You'll get glimpses of the Hudson River during the summer months from a few spots but you are mainly under a thick canopy.

Autumn color change is a tremendous time to be here. Once the trees lose their leaves you'll get better views of the River, and you get a better perspective of the layout of the land, the rolling hills, and steep ravines, and you'll notice rock formations you didn't know existed hmmm...