Topic: Alafia Riding Conditions???

[RonKendzior]

I am still a newbie to the Alafia trails...I don't have any history or knowledge on how long it takes the Alafia trails to be rideable, especially considering all this rain we have had lately. I would like to ride this coming Saturday morning (June 30th) but not sure if they will be in shape and I do not want to cause any addtional trail damage if they are not up to riding standards yet. Of course this is assuming that we do not get anymore rain and we have several days of sunshine from now until Saturday.....What's the general consensus?

[bclagge]

Hey Ron, here is a quote from a fellow rider at www.mtbr.com.

rode alafia yesterday and had a blast. never rode it before and it was SICK. Loved the trails especially Gatorback. lots of trees down on the trails so you had to get off your bike and go over them. there were climbs and drops that seemed washed out but i have never rode there so i cant tell you if they were or not. no standing water. overall a great esperiance. now i am home riding Markham park.

I guess forums are so last century as this one doesn't seem to get regular traffic.  Honestly though, our local SoFla club forums are equally useless.  Next time I'm gonna try their Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/swampclub

[Alan]

I would skip it and give it time to dry out. There are trails there for all skill levels.

[Darrinw2001]

Hey Ron, here is a quote from a fellow rider at www.mtbr.com.

rode alafia yesterday and had a blast. never rode it before and it was SICK. Loved the trails especially Gatorback. lots of trees down on the trails so you had to get off your bike and go over them. there were climbs and drops that seemed washed out but i have never rode there so i cant tell you if they were or not. no standing water. overall a great esperiance. now i am home riding Markham park.

I guess forums are so last century as this one doesn't seem to get regular traffic.  Honestly though, our local SoFla club forums are equally useless.  Next time I'm gonna try their Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/swampclub

Actually it gets regular traffic, it is just that most here don't feel the need to run out and survey the trails every time it rains in case someone asks on the forum..

[Alan]

[Darrinw2001]

is ridgeline open?

[Ty Thomas]

is ridgeline open?

Maybe somebody will run out and survey it for you ....

[Garry]

is ridgeline open?

Ridgeline is closed until further notice.  Probably after the July 7th workday when we get a crew out there to repair eroded spots so they don't get worse.  Ridgeline is a seasonal trail.

[PoserLowroad]

Rode all of Alafia today with the excepting on Gatorback and Moonscape, and part of Bridges.

The whole place is dryer than one would think.

Roller Coaster: Great shape, good pack, some erosion, but not too bad though the little push hills are all but gone. There was one log down just prior to the  where the gnar starts

Sand Pine: Actually sandy, but not too bad, one downed tree 2/3 in from the parking lot trail head.

Rock Garden: Some erosion, more exposed roots, water at low levels where the planks are, but no too much med.

Bridges: First part near the bail out. Rode great, very little damage.

River loop. A couple of downed trees, one really big on with the canopy blocking the trail, water and mud in low spots near the plank bridges.

North Creek: Great shape, though water at low spots by PVC pipes.

[bclagge]

Thank you PoserLowroad .  We skipped Moonscape but rode Gatorback.  I'm not a regular there, but it seemed to have some erosion issues.  Some of the drops were washed out making the descent a little tricky.  The mass of bruises down my left side attests to that .  A couple climbs were also a little eroded.  Some sandy low areas.  No sitting water at all.  Bridges seemed fine.

At Boyette everything but Ridgeline is in great shape, although it was my first time there, so take it with a grain of salt.  Carter Road was also.

Hey Ron, here is a quote from a fellow rider at www.mtbr.com.

rode alafia yesterday and had a blast. never rode it before and it was SICK. Loved the trails especially Gatorback. lots of trees down on the trails so you had to get off your bike and go over them. there were climbs and drops that seemed washed out but i have never rode there so i cant tell you if they were or not. no standing water. overall a great esperiance. now i am home riding Markham park.

I guess forums are so last century as this one doesn't seem to get regular traffic.  Honestly though, our local SoFla club forums are equally useless.  Next time I'm gonna try their Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/swampclub

Actually it gets regular traffic, it is just that most here don't feel the need to run out and survey the trails every time it rains in case someone asks on the forum..

Hey, I dunno, maybe I'm crazy, but I just thought that since you guys live and ride there regularly you might have some insight into how the trails do after rains.  I didn't ask you to go run out and check.  A simple reply of "I haven't been there recently, but here's what you can expect..." would have been awfully nice, don't you think? 

You have an entire thread dedicated here to wet trail etiquette in which some Swamp members complain that people rut the trails out when they're wet.  You should be appreciative that out of area people are actually making an attempt to respect the trails and all the hard work that goes into them.  You should encourage that by being nice, not dismissive and sarcastic.

[fatcamper]

Is Ridgeline open?

[Murf]

Is Ridgeline open?

Only for 29ers 

[Garry]

Is Ridgeline open?

Only for 29ers 

Not open yet.  This Saturday is a workday and it will be open then around lunch time. Some people poach a trail and make more work for the volunteers.  All other trails are open though.