Overrated trail....?

mtbMike

mtbMike

iMTB Rockstah
A post made by evdog on the Cannell Plunge thread (he's not a fan) got me thinking, what trail don't you like that everybody else seems to rave about or at least rate highly? Here's mine as I also mentioned in the Cannell thread....

SoCal: All the stuff in the Aliso/Laguna Canyon/Newport Coast area. These along with Whiting Ranch were my go-to spots when I lived in Irvine a lifetime ago but now when I go back 1-2 times a year, it's all just kind of meh for me. That doesn't mean I can't have a good time, just that I'd rather be riding almost anywhere else. :whistling:

Outside SoCal: McKenzie River Trail in Oregon. Thought by many to be the best trail in all of Oregon. It's not by a long shot but it's a trail that a vast variety of people can ride relatively safely and easily via paid shuttles so it gets props from all levels. It has absolutely stunningly beautiful scenery (dense forest, flying river and waterfalls) and I actually thoroughly enjoy the top half above the Blue Pool but the bottom half is so pedally repetitive that I get bored. Still a must-ride if you get up that way.
 
Danmtchl said:
Whiskey Flat Trail, it is the worst trail ever.
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I hadn't ever heard of it but I looked it up and realized we rode that as an out & back the day we drove up to Kernville. We actually had a good time overall and were just talking about it last week.
 
mtbMike said:
A post made by evdog on the Cannell Plunge thread (he's not a fan) got me thinking, what trail don't you like that everybody else seems to rave about or at least rate highly? Here's mine as I also mentioned in the Cannell thread....

SoCal: All the stuff in the Aliso/Laguna Canyon/Newport Coast area. These along with Whiting Ranch were my go-to spots when I lived in Irvine a lifetime ago but now when I go back 1-2 times a year, it's all just kind of meh for me. That doesn't mean I can't have a good time, just that I'd rather be riding almost anywhere else. :whistling:

Outside SoCal: McKenzie River Trail in Oregon. Thought by many to be the best trail in all of Oregon. It's not by a long shot but it's a trail that a vast variety of people can ride relatively safely and easily via paid shuttles so it gets props from all levels. It has absolutely stunningly beautiful scenery (dense forest, flying river and waterfalls) and I actually thoroughly enjoy the top half above the Blue Pool but the bottom half is so pedally repetitive that I get bored. Still a must-ride if you get up that way.
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Interesting. I’m not sure folks overrate the San Joaquins, as you assert. They are certainly popular, but I’d ascribe that to simply being “pretty good” trails with special weather, nice views and a lot of people nearby.

I don’t really think OC folks rate the local trails highly in general. Familiarity, contempt, yadda yadda. Plus we typically only travel to ride places that are better, and new to us, and everything is better when you’re on vacation with friends.

In January, there aren’t many better rides in the Northern Hemisphere than Laguna. That’s nowhere near true in July.
 
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Danmtchl said:
Whiskey Flat Trail, it is the worst trail ever.
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mtbMike said:
I hadn't ever heard of it but I looked it up and realized we rode that as an out & back the day we drove up to Kernville. We actually had a good time overall and were just talking about it last week.
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If you ride Whiskey as an out and back from the bottom and turn around when it gets ugly it's a good ride. I 2nd it as an "It SUCKS" ride. i rode it from the top down and never made it to the bottom. Long story...
It sucks!
:-)Mikie
 
What criteria is required for a trail to be overrated?
El Prieto in Altadena for example. To a newb it can be an epic undertaking. To someone who rides it 150+ times a year and just sees it as a place to get a quick loop in, it might seem overrated. Sometimes even dull.
Now throw in a group ride and do it at night while encouraging a newb through the sketch sections and it becomes fun.
After riding Cannell in a snow storm, complete with lightning strikes, hail and pouring rain. Then looking at each other and saying, yea we rode that Sh!t. I don’t see it as overrated.
I guess one man’s meat is another man’s poison :geek::Barefoot:
 
From most to somewhat overrated: Cannell, Hermosa, Wasatch Crest, Northstar resort as a whole, Half Nelson in Squamish BC, SART, San Juan as a shuttle, JEM in Hurricane, Noble Cyn. I'm sure I could think of others... Usually enjoy them more as part of a bigger ride - if I ride them more than once a year on their own, I get bored.

Luis said:
What criteria is required for a trail to be overrated?
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Everyone seems to have their own concept of overrated. I would say a trail is overrated if it receives tons of hype and everyone seems to love it, but when you go and ride it yourself you don't think it's that great. You don't have to hate it, you just don't understand why everyone else thinks it's so awesome.

For me that describes Cannell to a tee. Its ok but I don't think the much of singletrack up top is great, there is too much fire road after big meadow, and the views aren't great until you get to the plunge. Lots of rides nearby I'd much rather do.

Same thing with Hermosa. It's ok but there is much better riding nearby that has better views, better descents and isn't half doubletrack and ATV trail. I won't waste time on it except to connect other trails together.

If there weren't a shuttle service that promotes each of these rides would as many people ride them?


Things that contribute to making a ride not overrated for me: great views, backcountry feel, technically challenging, variety of trail types and features, good descents, minimal road mileage, connectivity so you can change up routes, nice or interesting vegetation/points of interest, proximity to streams/lakes/rivers, good to long length ride, possibility for wildlife sightings, uncrowded (ie, prefer no shuttle service)
 
gunga din said:
San juan whitting luge
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Does anyone rate Whiting highly?

Luge is overrated if you are talking about the entire loop ... it's a lot of boring for 6ish minutes of payoff. The Luge itself and the DH to Luge Flag sections are pretty fun though.

San Juan is great, especially if you do the entire loop. I am thinking about doing it in the morning.
 
mtbMike said:
SoCal: All the stuff in the Aliso/Laguna Canyon/Newport Coast area....it's all just kind of meh for me. That doesn't mean I can't have a good time, just that I'd rather be riding almost anywhere else. :whistling:
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Them's fightin' words! :mad:

Come ride with me. If it's still "meh" I'll give you your money back. :thumbsup:

Actually, given your bikes, I am guessing you've done more than I've done over here, and still don't find it challenging/interesting.

Oh well. There's always Blackstar and The FLoop!
 
Most overrated trail?

San Juan DH below Cocktail Rock.

A few interesting rocks at the beginning, then just long, slippery, rutted, boring, smooth trail, outsloped at the turns so you have to shut it down or slide off into oblivion. No drops, no rocks, no berms. The switchbacks add interest, but the fact that people shuttle it just for the DH makes no sense to me. I've never shuttled it, and you all know my thoughts about climbing.
 
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Thanks to @Luis, adding Hole in the Ground to my list. So overrated I couldn't even think of it.... But yeah, it was a ride I was totally underwhelmed by despite high expectations due to hype.

herzalot said:
San Juan DH below Cocktail Rock.

the fact that people shuttle it just for the DH makes no sense to me
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Agreed and not only that, people will drive all the way from San diego to shuttle it. A pinos of chiquito shuttle is much more bang for your shuttling buck. Or better value for your drive up, climb San juan then hit one or the other.
 
evdog said:
Thanks to @Luis


Agreed and not only that, people will drive all the way from San diego to shuttle it. A pinos of chiquito shuttle is much more bang for your shuttling buck. Or better value for your drive up, climb San juan then hit one or the other.
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You also have to look at who is doing the riding......the hacks that shuttle SJ are not capable of doing Pinos.....safely. And it is too much work.....that is why they are shuttling SJ instead of climbing it.
 
Mmm i still think SJH below Cocktail rock is fun. If not for other commitments , i’d do that trail a lot more. I both enjoy ascent and descent with the views being pretty spectacular IMHO. The loop above the rock is real fun to me, real wilderness, but a bit much for my wife, so we have stuck to the lower end which indeed may be a bit tame for good downhillers. I would not shuttle however. You would miss the climb.... Perhaps if you would want to do it twice, like in a bike park, and you only have legs left for a descent. Then it makes sense.

In Whiting i find the ascent of Mustard a bit overrated. Isnt it pretty short?
 
Climbing San Juan and descending from is Cocktail rock is not overrated. Shuttling it? Hell yeah.

The exact same thing applies to MTT aka GMR! Drives me NUTS that people shuttle that trail. It’s not worthy of a shuttle. Climbing that b*tch and going back down is the only way it needs to be ridden.
 
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