Barre, VermontThe Green MounTain STaTe’S rocky upSTarT Barre sits just a stone’s throw from the gold-domed state seat in

Montpelier, but is miles away from the capital’s crunchy granola

vibe. The town is working class to its very core—which in this

case is a massive vein of Barre Gray granite that runs two miles

wide, four miles long and 10 miles deep.

Mining boomed at the turn of the last century, which

promptly reduced the area surrounding Millstone Hill into an

industrial-landscape clear-cut of trees. Because only the best

blocks of granite were worth the monumental effort of hauling

them off the hill, 85 percent of everything mined still sits

discarded in piles of cartoonishly large rubble.

Competition from overseas suppliers and decreasing

demand, however, have winnowed the number of active min-

ing operations from 75 to just three. Unemployment in Barre

City has risen to 13 percent, nearly double that of its slightly

smaller and more rural neighbor, the Town of Barre. Unionized

rock crushing has given way to a new growth industry: law

enforcement.

Barre native Pierre Couture saw another path. In 2005 he

started the nonprofit Millstone Trail Association and opened a

B&B-style lodge on his family’s former farm. Over six seasons

of dedicated trail building, Couture has led the development of

more than 50 miles of singletrack that unwind across some of

the rockiest terrain in the state.

Some of Millstone’s 68 established trails skirt the cliff faces

of old quarries, most of which are now partially filled with

aquamarine-colored water. Trees have reclaimed the hillsides

and their roots are now entwined with miles of rusting steel

cables that lattice the landscape.

Last year, riders built Millstone’s first downhill trail, a mile-

long drop called Roller Coaster; on balance, the riding is textbook,

technical New England singletrack. The best part: In a state

known for its crippling mud season, Millstone’s rocky substrate

makes it the first place to dry out after a rain.—Chris Lesser

B l u e C o l l a r M o From rough-and-tumble towns to hidden appalachian hamlets, these 12 destinations oFFer big adventure, cheap Food and incredible trails built by some oF the hardest-working riders on the continent.

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u n t a i n B i k i n gFrom rough-and-tumble towns to hidden appalachian hamlets, these 12 destinations oFFer big adventure, cheap Food and incredible trails built by some oF the hardest-working riders on the continent.

access a trail map is a must, free with the purchase of a pass at the Millstone Trails association Touring Center—$9 for the day, $35 for the season. Go to millstonetrails.com for more information. eaTS Try Mulligan’s irish Pub (9 Maple avenue; 802/479-5545) for solid post-ride fare and plenty of beers on tap. Shop basic parts and accessories are available at the MTa Touring Center, but the closest full-service shops are onion river Sports in Montpelier (onionriver.com) and bike express in northfield (bikeexpressvt.com). STay Trailside campsites start at $11, or rooms at the Millstone Hill lodge (802/479-1000; millstonehill.com) range from $40 to $250 a night and include a home-cooked meal. LocaLS DriVe Toyota 4x4 pickups or Subarus; the higher the lift kit the better.—C.L.

chris lesser rumbles down the rubble pile oF barre’s newest trail, roller coaster.

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Marlinton, West Virginia GaTeway To SoLiTary backcounTry SinGLeTrack Marlinton’s timber industry boomed as the surrounding Allegheny

Mountains were stripped of their trees. The town itself is picturesque,

with a historic downtown banked by the Greenbrier River and the

mountain range that forms the border with Virginia. But as the

timber industry plummeted, Marlinton was left without an economic

backbone. Today, the area is missing a key 18- to 30-year-old demo-

graphic as young adults flee looking for work. Adventure tourism is

on the rise, however, and many of the few non-septuagenarians who

still live in Marlinton work at nearby Snowshoe Mountain Resort. The

Greenbrier River Rail Trail attracts some tourism, but even the local

bike shop has to offer coffee, a gym, personal-training services and

sandwiches just to make ends meet.

What Marlinton lacks in economics, it makes up for in location: It sits

directly on the western border of the Monongahela National Forest,

surrounded by hundreds of miles of backcountry singletrack. Local

riders are still scarce, so the surrounding trails are vastly underused.

Solitary rides dripping with adventure can be found west of town in

the Gauley Mountain system off the Highland Scenic Highway. The

system is comprised of long, baby-head-filled descents that can be

ridden as one-hit wonders or woven together for a 20-plus-mile ride.

The beginner-friendly Gauley Mountain Trail runs the crest of the

mountain, connecting a half dozen steeper, more technical routes. Tea

Creek Mountain is the most famous thanks to its nearly unrideable

boulder field. But survive the rocks and riders are treated to a 4-mile-

long bench-cut downhill. Deeper in the system is Red Run, a 2.5-mile

descent from the southwestern face of Gauley Mountain. Props

Run is another perennial favorite with lots of gravel-road climbing

followed by nine miles of sinewy downhill. And don’t forget, Snowshoe

Mountain, with some of the best lift-served trails on the East Coast, is

just 20 miles away.—Graham Averill

locals preFer The few locals who do knock out backcountry rides are usually racers on high-end XC bikes. Shop dirt bean (217 8th St.; dirtbean.com) has maps, local info and spare parts. brew almost Heaven, crafted by Mountain State brewing Company in nearby davis. eaTS For meat and three, French’s diner (220 8th St.; 304/799-9910) is the place. The Greenbrier Grille (814 1st ave.; greenbriergrille.com) has German-inspired kielbasa. Show up in the fall for the roadkill Cookoff, where cooks dish up possum, groundhog and polecat (whatever that is). SLeep The old Clark inn (702 3rd ave.; oldclarkinn.com) has low rates and clean rooms. The locust Hill b&b (1525 locust Hill; locusthillwv.com) is owned by certified massage therapists. —G.A.

this Former timber town is surrounded by hundreds oF miles oF remote singletrack.

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on the trail This is still big-game country, so the trails are shared with hunters. remember, orange is the new black. priMe-TiMe riDinG in May, Huntingdon hosted the dirtfest mountain bike festival, and in June it is set to host a stage of the inaugural Trans-Sylvania epic. TraiL inFo rothrock outfitters (418 Penn St.; 814/643-7226; rothrock-outfitters.com) has boatloads of info, as well as rental bikes. FooD anD Drink boxer’s (410 Penn St.; 814/643-5013; boxerscafe.com) offers food made with locally produced ingredients, and a healthy selection of microbrews and belgian beers. SLeep The Comfort inn (100 S. 4th St.; 814/643-1600) is one of the few options in town, but the lake offers plenty of camping. The Susquehannock Campground is just 500 feet from the trails; visit raystownlake.org for more info. LocaLS preFer Singlespeed 29ers.—L.M.

newburgh, nypopulation 28,000Foreclosure rate Double the U.S. average common rig Hardtail 29er singlespeed town New-burgh is on the western side of the Hudson River, about 60 miles north of New York City. It blossomed during the Civil War, when it supplied gunpowder to the Union Army. Today, a major employer is nearby Stewart Air Force Base. trails The sprawling Stewart State Forest is right next to the base, with more than 70 miles of twisty, nar-row singletrack with punchy climbs and steep but buff descents. Tip: Buy a trail map from Darkhorse Cycles. shop Darkhorse (294 State Route 208, Montgomery, NY; darkhorsecycles.com) has spearheaded both trail devel-opment and racing at Stewart. grub Cross the river and head to Beacon for authentic Thai (Sukothai; 516 E. Main; 845/440-7731). The Golden Rail (29 Old North Plank Rd.; 845/565-2337) is a favorite for regional microbrews on tap.—Michael Frank

alexandria, la population 45,857common rig Hardtail 29er home price $150,000 the town Alexandria is situated on the Red River, in central Louisiana. It was once known as the “sawmill capital of the world” and before that was home to some of the nation’s richest plantation owners. trails The 31-mile Wild Azalea Trail, located in the Kisatchie National Forest, is the backbone of Alexandria’s system. Other trails border-ing the eastern and western shore of Lake Kincaid offer fast, flowing singletrack with rolling climbs. The trails’ sandy soil rides better after a good rain. shop Red River Cyclery is owned by Mike Hopkins, one of the Wild Azalea’s most prominent advocates. grub Hopkins recommends Robbie G’s for platters of cajun craw-fish washed back with a can of “whatever beer is cheap-est.”—Ian Dille

Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

where harD work buiLT The beST SinGLeTrack in The eaST

Huntingdon has a colorful history, but it all seems

to glow a shade of blue. For more than two centuries

an industrious ethos has coursed through this

small community tucked into central Pennsylvania’s

Allegheny Mountains. First it was a timber town, then

a rail town. Paper mills sprouted up in the early 1900s,

and Huntingdon even was once home to a bicycle

factory. Now the chief industry is corrections. Two

large prisons operate just outside of town and employ

20 percent of Huntingdon’s residents.

But Huntingdon isn’t without its charms. Victorian

houses line downtown; the city is home to Juniata

College (and its 1,400 fighting Eagles); there’s a good

coffee shop; and the Juniata River skirts the town.

The city’s economic course changed when the Army

the allegrippis trails are

butter-smooth. rarely will you

see locals ride anything but a

singlespeed 29er.

Corp of Engineers dammed the Juniata and created 27-

mile-long Raystown Lake in 1973. The massive body

of water attracted boaters and gamesmen, but local

mountain bikers felt something was still missing. In

2007 IMBA, local riders and other groups began work

on the Allegrippis trails—32 miles of flowing, purpose-

built singletrack on the lake’s western shores that were

completed last year.

The smooth, snappy trail undulates along an 800-

foot-high ridge of pinewood and deciduous trees. It

dips frequently to the lake’s shores and, thanks to

troops of hard-working volunteers, is some of the

best-maintained singletrack in the country. The trail is

regularly cleared of blow-downs, and the fantastically

tight corners are practically manicured. Plans for

additional miles are still in the works, but riders have a

more immediate concern: adding parking spaces to the

trailhead because the existing lot often overflows.

Steelers jerseys and camouflage hats may still

dominate the sidewalks in town, but mountain bikers

have found a foothold in the hills.—Lou Mazzante

pop. 6,760 Six More SMall TownS That offer big-time adventure

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andrew shandro and matt hunter rip through the rolling plains just outside williams lake.

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There are now more than 130 trails in close proximity to

this hardscrabble pioneer town affectionately referred

to as “Bill’s Pond” in the heart of the Cariboo-Chilcotin

region. Although the Coast Mountains sit to the west

and the Rockies to the east, the surrounding area is

mostly hilly—not mountainous—grass plains. Several

nearby rivers have spent the last millennia depositing

glacial silt into those hills, creating some fantastic dirt.

Williams Lake began as a ranching community in

the mid-1800s, but forestry and mining dominate the

economy today, and that hands-in-the-earth ethos

permeates the local riders—it’s not uncommon to see

hard-core bush trucks with Dakine tailgate pads. The

past decade has been tough, though: Two local mines

ceased operations, the timber industry has slowed

and Canadian ranchers have been strapped by export

restrictions. The community has instead turned to

tourism—promoting fishing, hunting, whitewater

rafting and the Williams Lake Stampede (the biggest

in Canada outside of Calgary). But mountain biking is

playing an increasingly key role in the region’s future.

The git’r-done frontier attitude comes to life on the

trails. The Williams Lake Cycling Club, led largely by Mark

Savard, tirelessly builds new trails and meticulously

maintains existing ones. Savard, owner of Red Shreds

Bike & Board Shed, is a true mountain bike pioneer. For 20

years, he has worked with a small crew of riders to etch

trails in the rolling grass plains and partially forested

ranchlands. Today, shuttle runs like Aflow Daddy can

see 200 riders a day, many of them young kids hitting

natural and man-made booters. There’s a new bike park

being built in the center of town, too, and miles of classic

XC trails like Pedal Jaden to keep the hammerheads

spinning for hours.—Mitchell Scott

brew kokanee. it’s the beer up here. Shop red Shreds bike & board Shed (95 1st ave., South williams lake; 250/398-7873; redshreds.com) has comprehensive maps and great staff. eaTS The Gecko Tree has huge, healthy, hippy-infused breakfasts (54 Mackenzie ave. north; 250/398-8983). The Trattoria Pasta Shop is the best bet for non-pub grub (23a 1st ave. South; 250/398-7170). SLeep The overlander Hotel offers a special deal for riders, a bike lock-up room and continental breakfast (1118 lakeview Crescent; 800/663-6898; overlanderhotel.com). For a quieter location, try the oasis at the lake b&b, run by Savard’s mom; check in at red Shreds. LocaLS preFer with so much trail diversity, you need a quiver of bikes. rain check The fishing is legendary here. The lakes in and around town are chockfull of big rainbow trout.—M.S.

mena, arpopulation 5,588common rig High-end full-suspension bike house-hold income $22,671; about half the national average the town Mena is located near the Oklahoma border in central western Arkansas, and hemmed in on all sides by the Ouachita National Forest. Beyond the timber business, Mt. Rich Community College is one of this rural area’s larger employers. trails The Womble Trail is an IMBA Epic, but visitors should also check out the roughly 20-mile Lake Ouachita Vista Trail, which features tight singletrack and steep, technical climbing. For remote riding, reminiscent of Deliverance, try Little Blakely in the Lake Ouachita State Park. Visit mtnbikeark.com for more info. grub Stop at the Dairyette in Mt. Ida (est. 1958) on Fridays, when the cheeseburgers are char-grilled behind the restaurant.—I.D.

austin, nvpopulation 287common rig Locals ride older Haros; visitors ride new Santa Cruz bikes home price $125,000 the town Austin’s at the geo-graphic center of Nevada. A silver strike in 1862 made the burg, briefly, Nevada’s second city. Today most jobs are with the county or the state, or the U.S. For-est Service. trails The lodestone of the Austin Mountain Bike Trail Network is the Gold Venture Loop, a 27.5-mile drop into the 1,500-square-mile Toiyabe National Forest south of town. Trail highlights include wonderfully rolling sec-tions through juniper- and aspen-draped canyons. Tack on 24 more miles with the Crest Cutoff. More at: austin.travelnevada.com. grub Get chicken-fried steak, $12.95, at The International (59 Main St.; 775/964-1225; internationalcafeandsaloon.com). Grab a Sierra Nevada at The Owl Club (86 Main St.; 775/964-1333) and chat up the colorful owner, Mary—just Mary; rural Nevadans are private people.—Michael DiGregorio

Williams Lake, British Columbia

Of LOggers, ranCHers

and reaLLy gOOd dirt

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eats Catawba Vale Café (32 east Main Street; catawbavale.com) serves smoothies, coffee and healthy sandwiches. For dinner, try whistle Stop Pizza (27 west Main St.; 828/668-7676). Shop epic Cycles (102 Sutton ave., black Mountain, n.C.; epiccyclesonline.com) has accurate trail beta. LocaL brew Pisgah Pale ale, crafted by Pisgah brewing Company. SLeep old Fort has no hotels, but Curtis Creek has choice riverside campsites. on The TraiL you’re more likely to see hunters than fellow mountain bikers on the trail, but if you crave companionship, the off-road assault on Mount Mitchell (blueridgeadventures.net) attracts 300 riders for a 63-mile epic from old Fort to the highest mountain in the east. rain check The Pisgah brewing Company (150 eastside dr., black Mountain, n.C.; pisgahbrewing.com) has an open-air pub with live music and local art.—G.A.

Old Fort is a former rail town stuck between the hipster

communities of Asheville and Boone, but is largely

overlooked by tourists who flock to its neighbors.

Small businesses with irregular hours line Old Fort’s

sleepy downtown, which is flanked by half-empty

warehouses—remnants of a declining manufacturing

industry. Most locals are lifers too stubborn to move

or young families looking for cheap real estate (a two-

bedroom runs about $50,000) in close proximity to jobs

in neighboring Black Mountain or Asheville.

If downtown Old Fort is sleepy, its mountains are

rambunctious, though underutilized. Pisgah National

Forest’s imposing Black Mountain range rises from

the northern edge of town, but mountain bikers have

traditionally favored other regions, leaving this area

of Pisgah to hunters. Still, a small contingent of local

riders has an almost religious devotion to Old Fort’s

remote trails. Most rides involve long forest-road

climbs to isolated pieces of singletrack that plummet

from ridge to valley. Some of the longest downhills in

Pisgah can be found here, and shuttling is tempting,

but locals still revere the “gravel grind.”

Two trails on every rider’s hit list are Kitsuma and

Heartbreak. Kitsuma begins with a half-mile climb

via hairpin switchbacks that unravels into a 3.5-mile,

high-speed descent. On the opposing ridge, Heartbreak

drops 2,500 feet from the Blue Ridge Parkway to

the “suburbs” of Old Fort in 6.5 miles. Up high, the

manicured trail hugs the side of the mountain, while

vertigo-inducing views fall away to the right. You can

pick up Jarrett Creek Road at the bottom of Heartbreak

for a mostly singletrack fast and twisty ride to the

Curtis Creek Recreation Area. Farther east is the

Woods Mountain system, which offers a burly 20-mile

ride with massive climbs, misty Appalachian views

and remote singletrack.—Graham Averill

Old fort, north CarolinahiDDen GeM in The ShaDow oF piSGah

little-known old Fort is a back door into pisgah’s Famed trails

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Pueblo, Colorado

iT iSn’T a hip coLLeGe Town Like bouLDer. buT unLike bouLDer, puebLo

haS GreaT urban SinGLeTrack.Like the steel that emerges from the mill in the heart

of this southern Colorado city, Pueblo is resilient. It’s

had to be: A devastating 1921 flood wiped out a third

of its businesses, and the mill that was once the town’s

economic engine now operates at only a fraction of its

former capacity, grinding ever more slowly since the steel

bust of the late 1980s. But Pueblo’s economy is looking up

once again. As part of Governor Bill Ritter’s New Energy

Economy initiative, windpower giant Vestas is opening

a $240 million facility here to manufacture wind-turbine

towers. That means lots of jobs for Pueblo’s residents.

The local riding scene is strange, though, according to

Vance Hubersberger, owner of Vance’s Bicycle World. Of

the hundred-odd riders hitting the trails on a weekend,

only a handful are locals. Judging by the riding we’ve

done, Puebloites are missing out, big time.

Lake Pueblo State Park is this region’s gem, with

almost 40 miles of singletrack that swirl around mesa

tops and descend into steep arroyos; Hubersberger

considers the riding here a Fruita of the Front Range, and

the largely butter-smooth, twisty singletrack is good

enough to back up that bold comparison. Hardtails and

XC bikes are perfect for most of the trails, but on routes

like Bones and Steep Tech, you’ll encounter shaley rock

gardens and sizeable airs. Pueblo is also a good bet in

winter because it gets less snow than a lot of the state;

conversely, The city’s thick clay soil is unrideable peanut

butter when wet.—Joe Lindsey

shop Vance’s bicycle world (2220 S. Prairie ave.; vancesbicycleworldllc.com). TraiL inFo lakepueblotrails.org for maps and conditions. brew Coors, naturally. Grub angelo’s Pizza Parlor (223 South union; 719/544-8588) serves up pizza and burgers on Pueblo’s dining and nightlife district, the riverwalk. or, try a local specialty, the slopper—a hamburger smothered in chili—at the Sunset inn (2808 Thatcher ave.; 719/564-9841). Papa Jose’s union Café (320 South union ave.; 719/545-7476) does a TexMex twist on Sunday brunch. SLeep The Hampton inn (3315 Gateway dr.; 719/566-1726) is on the south side, about 3 miles from downtown, and an easy drive to the park. LocaL Tip Pay the Colorado State Park’s entry fee for the lot near the South Marina entrance; the so-called red Gate pullout is free, but it’s right on the highway and has been tempting to thieves.—J.L.

gallup, nmpopulation 22,000common rig Specialized Stumpjumpers; Walmart specials economy Twenty percent of the population lives below the poverty line. the town Hard by the Arizona border, Gallup is the biggest city between Flag-staff and Albuquerque, and is surrounded by Navajo, Zuni and Hopi tribal lands. trails There are 146 cataloged miles of singletrack that carve through sagebrush and piñon. The best stuff is in the High Desert System north of town. These 22 miles of trail flow like water, and are decorated with rider-friendly art pieces. More at: galluptrails2010.com. shop High Mesa Bikes (1521 S. Grandview Dr.; 505/863-3825. vehicle at trail-head Likely a Ford F-150 with a bumper sticker claim-ing: “I was Indian before being Indian was cool.” grub Get Mexican fare at the El Rancho Hotel (1000 E. 66; 505/722-2285; elranchohotel.com) and trip out on its kitschy Hollywood memorabilia and knotty-pine 49er saloon, where John Wayne partied back in the day.—Rob Story

panguitch, utpopulation 1,525common rig Trail bike median household income $33,500 the town Panguitch was once known for its sheep and goat farms. Today, thanks to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, tourism has taken over. trails Nearby Red Canyon is home to the famous Thunder Mountain Trail. The 16-mile loop is gorgeous, and weaves through warrens edged by massive, colorful pink-rock spires. So much more than just a pretty trail, Thunder Mountain finishes with a booming high-speed section. It can also easily be shuttled. shop Cedar Cycle (38 East 200 South; 435/586-5210) is an hour away in Cedar City. grub The Cowboy Smoke House (95 N Main; 435/676-8030) imports mesquite wood from out of state for an authentic western steak-house flavor. Wash down your tri-tip with a variety of Utah microbrews.—Ron Koch

pueblo shop owner vance

hubersberger (above) calls

pueblo the Fruita oF the Front range.

pop. 150,000

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