Q: Thinking about riding @ French Creek for my wife's 40th birthday. We met mountain biking 11 years ago and have made it the focus of our lives... till the kids came on scene, but that's a whole nuther support group. We only have a few hours to ride and could use some help. We are pretty technical, roots mostly, but rocks are cool too. We just moved to PA from WV and are loving the East Coast bouncy rooty think out your line riding here in this beautiful place... Any help for us to find the sweetest singletrack, would be appreciated.
Very technical trail with lots of large rocks and steep inclines.
| ThankThis place is awesome, a trail map is a great help . Stop and get on at ranger station , map not perfect but definitely a big help along with common sense you will be fine . The rock gardens are challenging and totally fun. Downhills are worth the brutal / technical climbs the water bars kill making the climbs without stopping . I ride a Giant XTC 29er hardtail . I parked at shed rode and rode a lot on the east side , really liked six penny trail riding counter clockwise looping down towards ranger station then back towards parking lot . Plenty of trails to loop into and explore. You won't be sorry you came here . ENJOY
| ThankGreat spot to push your abilities. And a great place to deal with loose baby's head sized rocks.
| ThankAwesome riding, tons of trail systems. Lots of rocks, if u want to spend a day in the woods this is the place to. Lots of loops. However it's is pretty easy to get lost , because the trails are not marked too well, and it would b awesome to get a little trail maintenence crew together.
| ThankNice trails and lot more to do than what the map provide. However it is very very rocky
| ThankWhat a dump..another PA Park Service afterthought. The state of PA just doesn't get it they do not understand that if you build it they will come. No No No No park rangers available..
| ThankTo even provide you with a map not one map anywhere on the premises but yet 4 dept. trucks parked at the ranger office with the doors Locked at 9am in the morning on a Monday. They dump you on to some crummy area and give you some up and downs with no imagination no thought no personality. Others say this place is hard and rocky give me a break its a piece of cake a total joke in every way. I will not suggest where to go because I like to keep the good areas a secret so all you mountain bikers please rush to French Creek and knock yourself out
Rocky as balls says it all. The map is a little hard to follow and the trails have too many offshoots that aren't marked clearly as to what hey are. I spent half the day trying to decipher the map (which was free and absolutely necessary and asking for directions). The downhills were superb, but climbing through a rock garden isn't my cup of tea. Maybe I'm not skilled enough, but this seemed a little too technical. I would ride it again, but don't know if it will be soon.
| ThankFrench is very rocky with some flow sections, nice down hills and some very serious climbs. Good combination of technical and fun. The trails are not super well marked but it's also not that hard to figure out a good loop (not many intersections). Standard loop is 9-10 miles but if you start adding in other trails, you can easily get 20 plus.
| ThankJust too many rocks for my liking - but there are some sweet sections of smoother singletrack...like the Orange Blaze trail...unfortunately, just when you get your mojo groove on, you hit another ridiculous rock garden.
On the positive side - there is a lot of mileage and good challenging climbing to be had here!
| ThankGreat place to start riding, as long as you're in shape! The many lakes and creeks in the park make it an enjoyable ride. Check to make sure the bike you will be riding is capable of doing lots of rocks. Although there are several steep parts, the majority of the inclines are moderate but Rocky. The landscape is almost all deciduous trees which makes it easy to spot fellow bikers on the other trails while riding in winter. Some of the trails are hard to follow but most are well marked. Swatara State Park has more log hops and switchbacks, sharp turns and drops, but not nearly the level of rocky fun you'll encounter at French Creek. Very fun place to ride.
| ThankI live about 5 miles from the trail head. I have been back into riding now for about7 months. Riding here had prepared me for almost everything. There are great downhills. Fast single track. And crazy climbs. If you ride everything it's about 18 miles. The trails are pretty well marked. Ppl are always friendly. There are at times hikers on the trails.. I wish there was more man made obstacles On the trails. A person built a 2 foot ramp and it was a cool change. Or done berms. I will Def spend some time next spring volunteering To make my home track a better place.
| ThankPs : if you are a first time rider here.please grab a map trust me.
Great ride.well maintained. not over crowd
| ThankLots of rocks and I love the challenge especially when climbing the hills.
The lake area is a nice place to take a break before heading to the other connecting trails.
| ThankThis is where I started biking and I can tell you I tried the Mill Creek Trail twice in a week and my arms were killing me from the rocks, but it was FUN!!!!!! I ride a Specialized Hardrock (hardtail) and it was challenging especially the rocky uphill parts. A gorgeous trail for anyone who can handle the rocks. If you don't like them just riding around French Creek Park is a beautiful ride as well.
| Thankjust to rocky. neh i just rode this the other day and the ride was so so. it was like rock garden none stop all day its kinda annoying cuz when i come up to a rock arden on your normal trail i slow down to negosate the line i want to take but you cant do that all day it gets old. so personly and this is just me not my favortie trail. will i go back yes but not for a while.
| ThankTo all those riders who think you need full suspension for this park are totally wrong. I ride a GT Avalanche with a Manitou fork and have a great ride. You have to give all the trails respect or they will bite you. It can be fast and technical. Also some grueling climbs with all the rocks you could ever want. I grow up riding this park, have rode it all times of the year, and even at night, all i can say, love it, love it, love it!!! This park has everything a non-man made trail can give you. There are some bridges, but mostly its all you to navigate the maze of rocks and roots. Full suspension is great, but for a challenging ride, break out the old hard tail and then test your skills, cause this place is awesome!!
| ThankI started riding here back in early 90's. Best start off spot is shed road. From here you can ride the mill creek trail (white with red) or the green, blue and white trail. For a nice epic, do both and stop off at the car for lunch. There are also some unmarked trails that can be taken from Shed Rd too.
I moved to North Jersey about 7 years ago. Went back to FC a month ago. Still great riding. Rocky single track, nice downhill pieces, steps, waterbars, log piles as obstacles. trails are multi-use. Still my favorite spot to ride!
| ThankRiders say it's rocky but if you live in PA the rocks won't alarm you - you're used to them! And it's not all rock, as there are some nice smooth(er) swoopy sections to enjoy. Would give this a 5 except not all the trails are open to MTBers which can be mildly annoying - carry a map.
| ThankOK so when i wrote my previous review i've only been on the West side of the park. Now that I just checked out the East side...I would like to take back my comment of not that rocky. The East side is very rocky especially down in creek beds. There are some great down hills and climbs on the east side. Combine the west side of the park and the east side and its a good 20+ mile ride and the best part of it its almost 90% single track! Seems like they are improving some of the trails as well in the washed out areas, so thats always good to see.
| ThankWonderful trail system of nothing but lovely single track!! Can get a little busy on the weekend. I grew up on rocks so this to me is not very rocky compared to places like rothrock nat forest in state college pa or ringwood nj. Short lumber sections over swampy areas are always a good time no matter how experienced you are or not. If you never hit 50mph on a bike you def have to try riding the road from the campground ranger station all the way down to lake Hopewell. * Review edited 6/5/2008* Review edited 6/5/2008
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