Allegrippis - "...and lo, they said there would be mountain biking for all, and it was good."

So Your Active Husband (YAH) and I (Me) heard this rumor about 8 months ago that IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) was building, and we mean building, some mountain bike trails in central PA. This made us very happy since we would be returning to the motherland soon and could finally ride trails that weren’t made up of sand, large angular rocks, and more sand.

The Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake opened in May 2009 and comprise 32 miles of looped trail. You can find a trail map here. Last week, we finally made it to Raystown and the trails are like nothing I’ve ever been on, truly.

These are the first trails machine-built by IMBA and partners in Pennsylvania, and some of the first on the entire East Coast. In my mind the Allegrippis project represents a huge step forward in biking tourism in the state and I’m excited about what can happen in the future. (To learn more about how these trails came to be check out the article in Dirt Rag #143).

Just to ground you for this review, I’ll let you know that it will be written from two perspectives:

• Me - intermediate mountain biker, likes no stress rides, on a front-suspension hardtail Cannondale F1000 from 1998. I’ve named it the “Nimble Goat” or “Goat” for its fabulous climbing ability (YAH doesn’t believe in naming bikes, just taking lots and lots of pictures of them);
  
• Your Active Husband – advanced mountain biker, likes a challenge but will also slow down and ride with his low stress wife, biking on a no suspension, new-to-him, Kona Unit 29er (which just means oversize wheels, can someone say compensating? He assures me that the big wheels help him go over stuff, I believe him) single-speed (which means no gears and thus makes no sense) that does not have a name because that is not what men do.

Being machine-made, the Allegrippis trails are rated the way skiing trails are - green trails are easiest, blue trails are intermediate, and black trails are advanced. They are well signed and easy to follow.

So how are the trails? We’ve heard them described, as “fast”, “smooth”, “rollercoaster”, and these are all accurate but don’t quite describe the experience of riding the Allegrippis fully. Neither of us had ever been on machine-made trails before nor had a lot of the people we passed, so we all had this look on our faces kind of like disbelief – they actually built trails? Just for us? Here’s a rundown of pros and cons:

Pros:

• Accessible to all. This to me is key, because of the rankings and signage and the way the trails loop, anyone can ride here. I can ride with Your Active Husband and actually take some trails on my own, because I know I won’t get lost. For others who are directionally deficient out there, this is BIG!
  
• Less stressful day out. With the rankings you know exactly what you’re getting into, so no getting angry because you’ve been led to yet another steep climb, and forced to walk the bike through yet another rock garden, and… you get the picture.
  
• Fast trails. There were entire sections that looked flat but I didn’t need to touch a pedal, I just kept going.

Cons:

• Spontaneity. Since the trails are mapped out you do lose some of the sense of discovery and surprise. But for me, the surprise wears off about 30 minutes into yet another lost trail.
  
• Challenge. For advanced riders or those wanting a challenge, none of the trails are “technical” per se, but they offer a place and features to refine your skills that most trails don’t offer.

TRAIL REVIEW:
North Trails (suspension nice to have but not required)Fawn/Doe/Buck Trails (green).
(Me) If you can ride a bike you can basically ride these trails. True beginners still might find a few places they have to walk, but these trails are basically rock- and root-free and can be ridden at a slower pace. Good to build confidence and no surprises.

(Your Active Husband) If you’re advanced and riding these I found it a good place to warm up and work on dialing in my tire pressure and my pump technique.

Sleek Dog, Eagle, Osprey (blue).
(Me) The blue trails are not technical, but do require some more speed than the green, so you have to be comfortable riding with speed and taking some slightly bigger rollers and ups and downs. I LOVED these sections and thought they flowed beautifully. Osprey is entirely uphill going toward the parking lot, so keep that in mind.

(Your Active Husband) I’m gonna use a two words to describe Sleek Dog and Eagle – “flow country” - I didn’t ride much of Osprey so take the lady’s word on it.

Berry Patch, Loco – Motive, Red Legs (blue); Hydro Loop, Sidewinder, Ray’s Revenge (black).
(Me) Didn’t ride this time. But from his description, I believe I would be fine with Hydro Loop and Sidewinder is just painful, but doable.

(Your Active Husband) Hydro was super nice and not necessarily more technical than the blue trails, it just seemed that the interval between the rollers was closer together. I would not recommend riding Sidewinder or Ray’s Revenge from Osprey. They were steep with a few switchbacks that were loose, much better going down than up, plus there’s a small “dip” - think table top jump - on Ray’s Revenge. Berry Patch, Loco - Motive, Red Legs and Allie were great trails with a good mix of climbing and downhill to keep it interesting

South Trails (suspension highly recommended, unless you really like to be uncomfortable)
Dark Hollow, Shade, Dirt Sufer Barrel Bay (blue).
(Me) These trails are definitely bumpier and rockier (but not in a technical way) than the north trails; suspension was a great asset here. I really like these trails and they felt much more like “typical” PA mountain biking trails, a great view of the lake, and lots of up and down. I don’t know if it was because it was the end of the day or the way these trails are, but there was a lot of standing up on the bike for these and my body really started feeling it over here. I was actually hoping for stretches to pedal rather than coast because my legs and back hurt.

(Your Active Husband) For me these trails paled in comparison to the others. They felt choppy and just didn’t flow, but maybe that’s the point. I definitely wanted my full suspension bike for these as the single speed was starting to wear me down.

So that’s our review.

Whether you like these particular trails or not, I say - “Ride them!”, and get others to ride them, tell everyone you know about them. If Allegrippis is a success, and by that I mean brings in riders and money, then more will be created and more of Pennsylvania can work on developing more pockets of sustainable, outdoor-focused, tourism-based economies.

(Your Active Husband) These types of trails are very popular in England, pick up a copy of Singletrack magazine and see their perspective on the positives and negatives of the machine made trails (Me – I read it for the pretty pictures). All I can say is that we need to ride and support the groups that made them possible and I would urge everyone to buy an Allegrippis pint glass or t-shirt from Raystown Visitors Center (proceeds go back to the friends organization that made these trails possible). I wouldn’t want all of the trails to be like this in the future, but I think we need to establish more trails around the state like this just so new people can be introduced to mountain biking in a somewhat controlled environment.

Trail Etiquette (mountain biking edition). Here’s a helpful little reminder for those planning to visit Allegrippis (which I hope is a lot of people):

1. Uphill rider has the right of way. If you meet someone on the trail, the person traveling downhill should step off the path and let the poor guy/gal struggling upwards get by.
   
2. Don’t ride up on people. If you know you’re slow and hear someone behind you, get off the trail and let them pass. If you’re a fast rider but have only 300 feet left and a little bit of patience (!) don’t ride up on the slow guy on the green trail in front of you. Have some manners and slow down, you’ll be at the end soon enough.
   
3. Yielding. Hikers should yield to bikers, bikers should yield to horses (although if you see a horse on the Allegrippis, let me know).
   
4. Leave no trace. Be sensitive to the trails you’re riding, try not to ride on/chew up the trail if it’s muddy, stay on the existing trail and don’t create new ones.

How to get there from here:
To find the trails, follow all mapping/signs for the Seven Points Recreation Area at Raystown Lake which is run by the US Army Corps. There is mostly RV camping here, with one area for tents only, and is mostly overrun by motorboats and RVing families in the summer. There are one or two other campgrounds just off the Seven Points area where you may find a spot too. The Corps campground closes at the end of October.

The trails are 2 hours from Monroeville if you take Route 22 (130 miles), and 45 miles from State College, 100 miles from Harrisburg, 130 miles from Baltimore, and 145 miles from D.C. So it is actually really well placed for much of the Mid-Atlantic.

Once you arrive there are two parking options, parking lot #1 is along Bakers Hollow Road and to get there you’ll want to turn left just before entering the Army Corps area. This parking lot holds approx 20 cars and leads to green, blue, and black trails and is my recommended starting point. Parking lot #2 is located just after the registration office at the Seven Point Rec Area and holds 6 cars. This lot leads to a few blue and black trails, no green. (NOTE – the registration office has two bathrooms at the back of the building, this is probably the only bathroom you’re gonna find in the area so take note.) A blue trail does link the two parking lots and allows those camping at Seven Points to bike up to the other section of the Allegrippis.