I started out on this trail and it still holds a special place in my heart. Rooty, mostly rocky, twisty...just a good, solid overall singletrack that can get pretty technical for this part of the country. Once around won't even come close to wearing you out, but go back and hit all the interconnected sections. You won't get the full effect unless you do. The trail's only eight miles long total, but you could ride there all day and not ride the same section twice.
There are only a couple of real drawbacks to this trail, and the most significant one has to do with the mud. Mind you, I have absolutely no probably with getting so muddy I'm almost eating it...but most of this track is under a thick cover of trees, it's next to a river, and it almost never dries out. When you have to stop every ten minutes and clean the debris out from underneath your fork because your wheel simply won't turn anymore (and that's from AVOIDING the mud to protect the trail), it's time to head back to the parking lot. This trail may be short, but it ain't no short walk back toting your rig. You won't be able to roll it.
That said, if you're in this area, you gotta hit this trail. Start out in the middle (you'll know what that is when you get there), and don't miss the little side route built just for mountain bikers who need a little adrenaline injection.
This trail is nice. More tech than flow. It reminds me of the trails around the St. Mountain, GA area with the slate rocks. This trail had way more rocks than I expected in this part of the country. This is a must ride if you are in the area and have time. I was able to ride the blue perimeter trail, and the red trail in less than an hour. The trail closes at 1700. There were a lot of hikers out on the trail so keep an eye out.
| ThankBeing from muddy Illinois, I was expecting rocks but perhaps not that many rocks. There are roots too, but it's the rocks that got me. Lots of evidence of pedal strikes on the rocks but I managed to avoid doing that. No major climbs, descents or drops but the rocks make the up/down hill sections interesting. Biggest possible drop I saw was maybe 2'. Where the track is dirt, it's fast. Where it's rock, for me, it's slow. More advanced riders can go faster, but not me.
I came across another rider who was riding with tubes; I suspect she got a pinch flat so I would definitely ride tubeless. I hit a couple of rocks hard but my tires did fine.
The trail markings weren't great and I kept referring to my MTB Project map (which was accurate) to keep going where I wanted to go.
Lots of fun trails and I'll be back.
| ThankThis was my first time at Sac River. Based on some of the reviews I didn't know why to expect. What I found was pretty killer trail that is maintained excellent.
| ThankIt's rocky and technical in spots, after all we are in the Ozarks. Some really nice downhill and an abundance of short technical climbs.
The only negative is trail markings and a good map. I went in a late evening 4 mile ride that turned into a epic 7.4 mile cruise. Almost ran out of daylight. Luckily I had Strava running or I would've been lost.
I'll be back
This is a nice fun track. I live about an hour away an will be back for sure. Nice flowy parts. Creek run throughs....roots and lots of rocks.
| ThankNot a bad ride at all. There are a lot of flowing downhill and gradual climbs. The trails aren't well marked; since this was my first time on the trail I found myself on the same stretch a few times and looking at Google Maps to get my bearings. If I am in the area again, I'll ride it.
| ThankSac River is pretty awsome. There's a good amount of trails, with lots of rocks and minor obstacles. It's a really fun place. Some of the signage could use a little work.
| ThankI was somewhat disappointed in this trail system. It has roots and rocks and at the time needed some maintenance. Everyone in our group was somewhat disappointed with this trail after we road the Two Rivers trail. If you have one trail to ride I would recommend Two Rivers.
| ThankThis is my go to trail system in the area most of the time since I live fairly close and I love this place.
| ThankI ride this trail regularly and it is my favorate in SW Missouri. Easy to get 10-15 miles in with minimal overlap. It does stay wet when the temperatures fall.
| ThankJust got back from a great ride at Sac River Trail. It was a great first ride since last summer. Not all too difficult. I made one lap, because I'm super out of shape, clockwise. There were plenty of climbs and descends mixed up with rocks, but nothing super difficult. Plenty of mud to splash around in. Fantastic creek crossings. None of this bridging the streams nonsense I keep seeing pop up. I would very highly recommend for an average rider. This is going to be my new go to place of riding since it's only 15 minutes from my house in Springfield.
| ThankI'm unsure whether or not to give this trail 3 or 4 stars. Its a great local trail with a lot to offer, but it comes with a few downsides. For one, it takes forever to dry out enough to be rideable, but that's what you get being near a river. As mentioned before, there is a lot of locust and other thorny trees around that like to find their way into your tires. Right now there are a few areas that are getting a bit overgrown, but that's an easy fix. The terrain is pretty typical for the Ozarks- roots and lots of rocks. All of the climbs are pretty mild and the downhills are descent. This is a great trail if you want a technical ride or if you're a local and just want to get you mountain bike stoke on. If you want a smoother and more "flowy" trail with awesome climbs and descents I'd recommend driving an hour south to the White River Valley Trails just outside of Branson.
| ThankJust rode the trail yesterday evening! Had a fun time treking through the mud, until I got a flat. Patches don't stick on tubes very well when its 30 degrees and snow. The 3 mile run back to the car in the dark with my bike wasent the highlight..
| ThankThis is an overall great trail! It has pretty steep climbs, fast down hills and plenty of obstacles to take on. During the spring and winter the trail is pretty muddy, but it is great during the summer, besides from the terrible heat. Lots of rocks make some parts kinda tricky, but not to challenging. I wish their was more jumps though! Natural or man made!
| ThankThis is an overall great trail! It has pretty steep climbs, fast down hills and plenty of obstacles to take on. During the spring and winter the trail is pretty muddy, but it is great during the summer, besides from the terrible heat. Lots of rocks make some parts kinda tricky, but not to challenging. I wish their was more jumps though! Natural or man made!
| ThankDecided to ride here while visiting our son who lives in Springfield. Unfortunately I didn't get far due to a water moccasin not wanting me to be there so he flattened my front tire. I was leaving town in a few hours anyway so I opted to wait to rub my hand around inside the tire until I got home to my kevlar gloves. It would suck to be envenomated by a fang stuck in a tire. Will return some day to ride again.
| ThankI hit the trail today.I love this trail because its so close to Springfield where I live.The beginning of the trail is pretty open ,but most of the trail has got a lot of brush and trees.Awesome nature ride. I can't wait to bring my wife and kids riding with me. Only down side to trail is the thorn bushes.
| ThankI rode here today it was good. Some mud but not as bad as I have seen. Some crews out doing maintenance on the trails and cutting new trail. I had four thorn flats so spent part of my time fixing flats but it was worth it.
| ThankThis trail is a great trail if you are just starting out or if you've been riding for while. There are some creek crossings, a lot of corners on this course and a bunch of little trails that all connect together. There is a great downhill if you start on the east side by the wood ramps. It goes all the way to the west side of the trails. If you ever happen to get lost you can just find a creek and it will lead you to the river and back to the trailhead. If you like taking pictures, there are some great views of the river and creeks. Also when I went yesterday there was a doe that let me get about ten feet from it so that was cool. Also, thorns are everywhere so be prepared to possibly get a flat.
* Review edited 2/25/2012
| ThankThis trail was blast to ride. Although I was looking for the 1 to 1.5 foot drops in the previous review, I never came across them. I did get in about 10.5 miles of riding. Muddy in a few areas but I've seen worse on other trails. I really enjoyed this trail.
| ThankThis is a great trail for xc and all mountain riding. If you don't want to take 1 foot to 1 1/2 drops you don't have to you can take the trail beside it. It is a great trail because there are no really really long up hills and but has a large number of different trails to take to make for a good down hill.
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