We now have permission to build the trail at Juniper Creek. There is still one issue that hasn’t been completely resolved, but the man has told me to go ahead with trail work. We’re not going to start cutting yet as it’s way to hot but I will be making some trips up there to check on some things. I think September will be what I shoot for. As it now stands we have 7.5 miles of single track and maybe 0.5 miles of double track. The first phase will be about 1.35 miles of easy trail for beginners. The first step will be pin flagging the exact route through the corridor I’ve mapped. Once that’s approved, then we begin cutting. I’m also looking for someone to be a co-leader in the building of the trail. I think we need someone to have full knowledge of how the trail is laid out and will be able to be backup when I’m not there. That way we can have two groups working without me having to run back and forth. The trail as of August 5th.
I am new to Mountain Biking and I am really looking forward to some new trails in the NW Florida area. My only regret for picking up the sport is the lack of known trails to venture out on where I will not encounter a banana spider spread across the middle of an easy to build a web on single track trail. I am excited to see that a new set of trails will be built in the Black water National Forest and only have one request about it…Please make lots of double track trails that are not so comforting to those spiders to build on, I think the Timberlake Trails and the Pensacola trails make up enough single track for the area, we need some more double track, I also recommend marking the trails with reflective markers so it’s easier to follow a route, a common material for the area seems to be clay, it wouldn’t be bad to fill in otherwise sandy areas with clay and rocks to help get rid of the patches of difficult to ride in sand.
Again I am still new to the sport and have only had the opportunity to ride on two trails numerous times I can’t wait for a new one. Please take into consider my requests while building these new trails.
–D
Banana spiders are a sure way to get most of us to scream like little girls. Fortunately they are seasonal. They tend to disappear in the fall and show up again in the summer. They are harmless. Ticks and Yellow Flies are worse.
As far as single track, that’s what we’re building because that’s what most people enjoy. I have seen spiders webs that span double track although not a full road.
If you want to ride double track, the forest is full of dirt roads and old logging roads that go forever. Check out Google Earth or the Santa Rosa County GIS site and you will find no end to the dirt roads.
We plan on marking the route at UWF with some reflective markers but I haven’t decided how many routes to make. I need a different color for each route. As far as sand, there’s no easy way to get around it or through it. Proper trail construction should help minimize sand traps and in those bad places we may have to harden the surface with some gravel or maybe some ’skinnies’. Sometimes sand can be overcome with proper tire pressure and size. I run about 30 lbs both front and rear and I ride a 29er. It makes a difference on keeping up the momentum.
Thanks for the input. Come out and help when we start construction.