R.B. Winter State Park

My first ride in PA mountains! Mostly rocky trails, lots of climbing, couple gnarly descents that can be as wild as you like depending on your speed.
I was riding a 29x3.0 hardtail, 1x11. Worked well, but a FS would save the posterior and allow some more seated pedalling and thus more speed. Not highly used, some grassy, couple of bogs. Overall highly recommended.

It's been a great summer of riding. Meet every Wednesday in the back parking lot of RB Winter SP at 5:30 pm. All levels.

Lots of great trails in this area. Get ready for some huge rocks though!

From RB Winter took Lipko to Fallen Timber to Yankee Run to Rt 192 back. Great spring ride. Yankee is always a fun downhill.

Did Webster Trail & Mile Run Trail yesterday on a fat bike just north of I-80 off of Mile Run exit. Rocky, fast & fun. Cool but a great day to ride.

Yesterday I rode Jamboree trail east to west connected to Black gap. Took Black gap west to east. Great ride the new and improved Black gap is a blast.

Sunday rode white deer creek trail east to west & back. West to east much easier & more fun. Rock fields are a challenge. Good stuff. The

Rode the newly rerouted round knob trail today coming off off spring mt trail. Nice job bald eagle mt bike association (Bemba) crew.

Did Bake Oven & Buffalo Flat Trail on a fat bike yesterday. A rocky good time. Plenty of big rocks but fat bike conquered it flowingly & with ease. Had a blast.

If you have a map of th RB Winter area, the can't miss trails are Hall Trail, Negro Hollow, Cowbell Hollow, White Deer Trail & all the trails north of I-80 at the Mile Run exit. Good stuff.

Choose your trails carefully and you're in for a great ride. Bring a trail map that described trail difficulties or you'll regret it. I highly recommend this trail guide: http://docs.google.com/gview?embedded=true&url=http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/geography/environs/bike_guide.pdf

Cowbell hollow is definitely one of the best singletracks around. If you hit RB Winter, you're obligated to hit Cowbell. No questions asked. It's got a nice balance between excellent stony descents, steep climbs, and a few small obstacles to boot. The other trails marked as "medium" are pretty enjoyable as well.

Trails marked as "advanced" or "very rocky" are not exaggerated by any stretch. Some trails are downright impossible to traverse without walking through at least a few sections. Of course, I did it all on a hardtail, so I can't offer the best insight on this - some of the harder trails might be doable with a FS bike (i.e. Top Mountain Trail).

Speaking of Top Mountain Trail, the view is fantastic if you make it to the top. Don't miss that vista at the peak or you'll regret it. It makes the near-impossible rocky climb worth it. The Bucknell guide says that it's a "unique trail for all levels", but beginners/experienced riders alike should be prepared to do a lot of walking unless they're well-equipped. I probably carried my hardtail over a mile and a half of really extensive rock gardens. Hope you can bunny hop, too, because there's lots of downed trees that have been incorporated into the trail. After a steep technical descent, the trail ends with a 2 or 3 foot ridge that one can easily get some nice air off of, assuming enough speed is acquired from the someone difficult descent. You AMers will love that part.

If you want to hit that jump, be sure to go from east to west. You'll be fighting extensive rock gardens all the way up, but you'll have a pretty nice descent on the way back.

Also note: Glen Cabin Trail looked way overgrown and under-ridden at a glance, though I didn't go down it.

This trail is a great ride, but my first two experiences made it clear that you have to have some patience. Definitely get a trail map, and only bike on the trails marked "Central Mountain Trail." They are the red-blazed trails. Mid State Trails (Orange) are no bikes allowed, and "Other Forest Trails" (Blue) are hell on earth. I made the mistake of taking a Blue trail my first time and carried my bike for 2 miles through impossible terrain that could not be described as trail. The Red trails, however, are amazing. There are some incredibly rocky sections that you should walk unless you have a full suspension bike and some serious skills. Old Tram Trail was a blast when traversed west to east (the other direction would have been completely uphill). I also took Spring Mtn Trail to Bear Gap Trail, and got a bit lost along the way. However, Bear Gap Trail was amazing, with one of the best and most technical downhills I've biked since I biked in Italy, with a fun log jump in the middle of the intense hill. Lower your seat for this one. Be sure to ride it south to north, or it will just be an impossible uphill. The contour map that you can get at the park is very helpful in determining what direction to ride. If the parking lot map holder is out of stock, be sure to pick one up at the park's main office. It's necessary.* Review edited 5/8/2010

Ride #1 / Followed the F.S. roads to get an idea of trail heads. Smooth riding with some steep climbs.

Ride #2 / Old Tram Trail. Not reccommended for the novice or anyone looking for decent singletrack. The trail is rocky (fist to head size) a majority of the ride. It was a great workout, but not what I expected. Photo attached.

i've spent days exploring this area to find some well developed and long lost trail gems. Just get a map, take your time and love the rocks of central PA.