I'll give it 3 stars, but understand that I give Twin Cities trails like Leb, Murphy, and Elm Creek 4 stars and save the 5 stars for epic loops like Cuyuna. This trail was redone Summer 2018, so prior reviews are mostly irrelevant. It is a solid 7 mile loop jammed into a small park, so kudos to MORC and the trail development team. They've done a real nice job with the new layout. Flow style with lots of rollers and berms (arguably maybe too many), and some short optional technical sections with ride-arounds. A continuous loop with an access road down the middle, so easy to navigate. All in all, a solid track worth putting in your rotation of Twin City trails.
This review is for the trail as off fall 2017. I've been there a couple times. MORC is now in charge of maintaining the trails, and they are working on the trails quite a bit. There are a couple fun technical obstacles here, including one cool drop, one fun rock garden descent, a log skinny, and some jumps down the powerline descent. That said, the rest of the trail really doesn't flow well. There is a ton of sand. Pretty much at the bottom of every hill there is a 180 degree turn with beach-like sand consistency. This is not very fun. It seems like the uphills are as long as possible and the downhills are made to be as slow as possible. I would appreciate more Elm Creek like flow, where you can actually maintain speed sometimes. I don't mind the roots here, those are fun, and this is not a machine cut trail, which is welcome in the Twin Cities area. If you're in the area and tired of Elm Creek, go check it out, otherwise it's not worth the drive at this point.
An old-school trail that needs a lot of love. I found this trail hard to navigate (poor signage) and not very fun to ride. Wash outs, roots, not much flow at all. Looks and rides like it hasn't been maintained very well. Would not take a beginner rider here for sure. I believe MORC has taken over management and it looks like the have some trails under construction so I think the future is bright, but I'll give it a year or so before going back. I gave it 3 stars based on potential.
Highly technical, probably the most challenging track in the Twin Cities. A lot of steep climbs over loose rocks and roots. Nice big drops and lots of switchbacks.
One lap at Hillside wears me out about as much as one lap at Elm Creek. Most of it is a decent challenge but there are many spots where I'm not sure how ANYBODY could climb the roots and ruts, but I'm sure some of the best can do it. It's poorly maintained and sandy. However, some parts are very fast and flowey. I'm not much of a technical rider, but I do enjoy the technical challenge that Hillside offers. I would rate it higher if the trails were better maintained and didn't turn into rivers and wash out when it rains.
Positives: Fun obstacles especially for the space they have. I see now why it is called "Hillside" because there is a decent amount of climbing, add in all the roots and it can make for some relatively technical climbs. Great use of spaces, it seemed like I was going up or down hill 90% of the time.
Negatives: A lot of the corners are sandy, bad course communication, there was a race that day I didn't find out till I got there, to find out half the course was closed, which wouldn't be a big deal but considering you have to pay it is a little upsetting. Especially because you do not have to pay to use any of the MORC trails, but I may just be spoiled.
All in all, I will definitely be returning, particularly to see the other half of the course.
Always have a great time on this trail. The sandy corners are tough but a great challenge. You can wear yourself out in one lap if you pedal hard enough.
Great trail system that breaks up into 4 sections so you can bail if the riding gets to tough! The 1st section even has a beginner loop and intermidate section. There is a service road through the middle that is easy to find to leave the trail which is great if you riding with new guys who might not have as much experience as they thought. A lot of fun technical obsticales (teeter-totter, log bridge & rock Stairs) but also bypass trail around it to so you decide what your comfortable riding.
I'm new to the sport, but I like to think I know enough to say this set up is very nice. Plenty of obstacles and endless curves. There's many expert areas but there are routes around them that are easier and met together at the end. Very fun would recommend these trails
I could see where this might be fun and create some nice challenges and a different experience compared to other local trails if well maintained. But it was sandy lots of places (leading into hills, and in and out of corners). Combine that with lots of deep erosion leading into hills and in an out of corners and you have lots of extra challenge. Its hard to get momentum and kind of dangerous. For those with a high skill level and okay with an occasional crash, have at 'er. Others should probably save the $4 and go to one of the free trails in the metro.
Wow, what a great trail. Most climbs are short and punchy. A few are even highly technical. There are great technical features spread through out the trail. The intermediate/difficult trail weaves through the woods while the green trail loops starts outside the woods and jumps in and out of them. I did lose the green trail once I hit a clearing though. I'm not sure if the trail followed the road back to the start or went around sections 3 and 4 and I missed it. I'm not sure of the exact mileage, but if you do all the trails, I'm betting it's close to 8 miles.
In the middle of "cloverleaf" it looks like their making a 4X course. It's a blast to bomb down!
My only complaints are the sand in the corners like others mentioned and it looks like they have some other water management issues. Some of the gullys in the climbs are pretty deep, I'm guessing 18 inches or so. They're a lot of fun, but will just continue to erode as time goes on. A few of the sections do have some water management systems in place. Hopefully they can get to the other sections also.
Oh, be forewarned, it's $4 to ride the trails but it's definitely worth it! There is a dropbox for the cash.
This trail is a workout! But you'll have a hoot while you're getting it! Very technical trail with lots of twists and turns and the most elevation changes of any trail I've ridden in the twin cities. This one can take a little longer to get through and you need to pace yourself. Your first ride here you will inevitably get over excited and most likely wear yourself out by the 3rd section... and going into the 4th section already tired will surely have you breathing heavily by the time you make it back to the parking lot. My only complaint... the washouts in the valleys and around corners. Granted.. this trial is A LOT to keep maintained so you will most likely have a more "rugged" and "untamed" trail experience here. Wish this one was closer to the cities!
It's a very fun trail! It has some really cool technical options and fun downhills. By the end of the ride you will be tired! The uphills are a little tough but they're worth it because the ride down is so much fun. It seems that the rain water has caused some damage because there are a few spots with some loose sand. Other than that it's a fun, fast, excellent trail that I enjoy very much.
This trail is very well put together and fun to ride. As others mentioned, some curves are sandy and so take caution. This track does take some still to ride but heck everyone wipes out once in a while... :)
Fun ride. Hilly, curvy, and a few technicals. Been there twice (so far), first time I had to crawl over a few downed trees, but it's all good now! Only thing I didn't like is that quite a few corners were VERY sandy. When there's no sand leading up to it, it can be a little sketchy.
1
A lot of wasp nests. But fun
| ThankI'll give it 3 stars, but understand that I give Twin Cities trails like Leb, Murphy, and Elm Creek 4 stars and save the 5 stars for epic loops like Cuyuna. This trail was redone Summer 2018, so prior reviews are mostly irrelevant. It is a solid 7 mile loop jammed into a small park, so kudos to MORC and the trail development team. They've done a real nice job with the new layout. Flow style with lots of rollers and berms (arguably maybe too many), and some short optional technical sections with ride-arounds. A continuous loop with an access road down the middle, so easy to navigate. All in all, a solid track worth putting in your rotation of Twin City trails.
| ThankClean trails. No leaves. MORC is doing a great job.
| ThankAwesome trails. Really flowed well, has good inclines and declines and great rollers to pump!
| ThankThis review is for the trail as off fall 2017. I've been there a couple times. MORC is now in charge of maintaining the trails, and they are working on the trails quite a bit. There are a couple fun technical obstacles here, including one cool drop, one fun rock garden descent, a log skinny, and some jumps down the powerline descent. That said, the rest of the trail really doesn't flow well. There is a ton of sand. Pretty much at the bottom of every hill there is a 180 degree turn with beach-like sand consistency. This is not very fun. It seems like the uphills are as long as possible and the downhills are made to be as slow as possible. I would appreciate more Elm Creek like flow, where you can actually maintain speed sometimes. I don't mind the roots here, those are fun, and this is not a machine cut trail, which is welcome in the Twin Cities area. If you're in the area and tired of Elm Creek, go check it out, otherwise it's not worth the drive at this point.
| ThankAn old-school trail that needs a lot of love. I found this trail hard to navigate (poor signage) and not very fun to ride. Wash outs, roots, not much flow at all. Looks and rides like it hasn't been maintained very well. Would not take a beginner rider here for sure. I believe MORC has taken over management and it looks like the have some trails under construction so I think the future is bright, but I'll give it a year or so before going back. I gave it 3 stars based on potential.
| ThankYuck. Too many tree roots
| ThankWhen you ride this it doesn't feel like you climb much there are a bunch of fun obstacles that get you sidetracked
| ThankHighly technical, probably the most challenging track in the Twin Cities. A lot of steep climbs over loose rocks and roots. Nice big drops and lots of switchbacks.
| ThankOne lap at Hillside wears me out about as much as one lap at Elm Creek. Most of it is a decent challenge but there are many spots where I'm not sure how ANYBODY could climb the roots and ruts, but I'm sure some of the best can do it. It's poorly maintained and sandy. However, some parts are very fast and flowey. I'm not much of a technical rider, but I do enjoy the technical challenge that Hillside offers. I would rate it higher if the trails were better maintained and didn't turn into rivers and wash out when it rains.
| ThankPositives: Fun obstacles especially for the space they have. I see now why it is called "Hillside" because there is a decent amount of climbing, add in all the roots and it can make for some relatively technical climbs. Great use of spaces, it seemed like I was going up or down hill 90% of the time.
Negatives: A lot of the corners are sandy, bad course communication, there was a race that day I didn't find out till I got there, to find out half the course was closed, which wouldn't be a big deal but considering you have to pay it is a little upsetting. Especially because you do not have to pay to use any of the MORC trails, but I may just be spoiled.
All in all, I will definitely be returning, particularly to see the other half of the course.
| ThankAlways have a great time on this trail. The sandy corners are tough but a great challenge. You can wear yourself out in one lap if you pedal hard enough.
| ThankGreat trail system that breaks up into 4 sections so you can bail if the riding gets to tough! The 1st section even has a beginner loop and intermidate section. There is a service road through the middle that is easy to find to leave the trail which is great if you riding with new guys who might not have as much experience as they thought. A lot of fun technical obsticales (teeter-totter, log bridge & rock Stairs) but also bypass trail around it to so you decide what your comfortable riding.
| ThankI'm new to the sport, but I like to think I know enough to say this set up is very nice. Plenty of obstacles and endless curves. There's many expert areas but there are routes around them that are easier and met together at the end. Very fun would recommend these trails
| ThankI could see where this might be fun and create some nice challenges and a different experience compared to other local trails if well maintained. But it was sandy lots of places (leading into hills, and in and out of corners). Combine that with lots of deep erosion leading into hills and in an out of corners and you have lots of extra challenge. Its hard to get momentum and kind of dangerous. For those with a high skill level and okay with an occasional crash, have at 'er. Others should probably save the $4 and go to one of the free trails in the metro.
| ThankWow, what a great trail. Most climbs are short and punchy. A few are even highly technical. There are great technical features spread through out the trail. The intermediate/difficult trail weaves through the woods while the green trail loops starts outside the woods and jumps in and out of them. I did lose the green trail once I hit a clearing though. I'm not sure if the trail followed the road back to the start or went around sections 3 and 4 and I missed it. I'm not sure of the exact mileage, but if you do all the trails, I'm betting it's close to 8 miles.
In the middle of "cloverleaf" it looks like their making a 4X course. It's a blast to bomb down!
My only complaints are the sand in the corners like others mentioned and it looks like they have some other water management issues. Some of the gullys in the climbs are pretty deep, I'm guessing 18 inches or so. They're a lot of fun, but will just continue to erode as time goes on. A few of the sections do have some water management systems in place. Hopefully they can get to the other sections also.
Oh, be forewarned, it's $4 to ride the trails but it's definitely worth it! There is a dropbox for the cash.
| ThankThis trail is a workout! But you'll have a hoot while you're getting it! Very technical trail with lots of twists and turns and the most elevation changes of any trail I've ridden in the twin cities. This one can take a little longer to get through and you need to pace yourself. Your first ride here you will inevitably get over excited and most likely wear yourself out by the 3rd section... and going into the 4th section already tired will surely have you breathing heavily by the time you make it back to the parking lot. My only complaint... the washouts in the valleys and around corners. Granted.. this trial is A LOT to keep maintained so you will most likely have a more "rugged" and "untamed" trail experience here. Wish this one was closer to the cities!
| ThankIt's a very fun trail! It has some really cool technical options and fun downhills. By the end of the ride you will be tired! The uphills are a little tough but they're worth it because the ride down is so much fun. It seems that the rain water has caused some damage because there are a few spots with some loose sand. Other than that it's a fun, fast, excellent trail that I enjoy very much.
| ThankThis trail is very well put together and fun to ride. As others mentioned, some curves are sandy and so take caution. This track does take some still to ride but heck everyone wipes out once in a while... :)
| ThankFun ride. Hilly, curvy, and a few technicals. Been there twice (so far), first time I had to crawl over a few downed trees, but it's all good now! Only thing I didn't like is that quite a few corners were VERY sandy. When there's no sand leading up to it, it can be a little sketchy.
| Thank