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Just a test photo post.

The CARP trails map is now color coded by difficulty.  While no trail out there is truly a “beginner” trail by IMBA standards, I have coded the map to indicate the following:

Green – beginner
Blue – intermediate
Black – advanced

Each trail has a different pattern to it, so if you print out the map in black and white you should still know which trail is which.

Visit the 2012 CARP Trails Map to download it.

I haven’t done any riding at Burns Park in North Little Rock since the spring when the road bike took over.  I was a little sad and also very impressed by the new Red and Green trails when I got on the MTB this fall.  Sad because some of my favorite old sections of the trails are gone, impressed by the design and layout of the new trail system.

Red is for beginners.  Total time to ride it at a leisurely pace was 15 minutes.  The trail goes around one of the ridges, so riders who start from the Boy Scout trailhead will start off with a climb.  Once you are up, though, you go around the ridge with few real climbs.

View 2011 Burns Park Trails in a larger map

Green takes a little longer.  Something about Green makes me use my back a lot more, causing me to have to stop once or twice.  Both have a couple of cutouts allowing access to the parking areas at the campground and the lot west of the BMX track.

I’m trying out a switch to Google for trail maps.

Here is the direct link to the maps.

A friend and I finally got to ride out at Pinnacle Mountain on the Jackfork Trail.  I knew it would be technical, but couldn’t remember which direction was easier and which was totally insane.  We followed the trace road from the trailhead and continued past the downhill trail (didn’t even see it) until we hit a T-intersection.  After a minute or two of debate we turned left.  Turns out that was the “harder” direction, as indicated by a sign we found at the END of the ride.

This is a truly great trail.  Even though it kicked my butt I enjoyed every minute of it.  Challenging, technical, with enough fun sections to keep you going through the tough parts.

Below is a link to the new updated trail.  If you are going to go counter-clockwise (the hard, as opposed to harder way) keep an eye out for the descending trail as you leave the trailhead.

Here is a map of the trail.