Nepaug State Forest
Photo: Alpine Zone Forums(unclear whether this feature still exists)
Overview:
Nepaug State Forest is located in New Hartford, CT and is know for its technical features. You’ll find plenty of skinnies, rock rolls, and gap jumps to test almost any riders limits. There also is a beginner downhill trail called Ricky Martin Dance Party which makes a good warm up before you move on to the insanely techy stuff. The trails here are mostly cross country with old school freeride, but there are also some enduro descents if you know where to look.
Pros:
Nepaug will definitely make you a better rider there. However this isn’t because of well built jump lines and safe progression like other places, because at Nepaug you improve through blood sweat and tears. This means falling off skinnies, sliding out on switchbacks, and taking the wrong line through rock chutes. I’ve done all of the above here but the hazards definitely helped keep me alert and made me step up my game. Surprisingly, there is a beginner trail here as stated above. It makes either a well built climb trail, or a slow yet flowy descent with a few optional skinnies thrown in to satisfy expert riders. On my visit to Nepaug, I think I scratched the surface of what they have here, and next time I go I’ll be sure to find some locals. However, the stuff we did find was wicked gnarly including a trail called Tipping Rock to Tunxis North which starts out innocent enough, but then turns into one mile of insanely sketchy downhill switchbacks, plus a few optional rock slabs and jumps that you’d think were in British Colombia. The next feature I want to find at Nepaug is a rock slab with a wooden roll out, onto an on and off wooden jump. I think I’ll need some locals to show me around though. Oh yeah, did I mention this place also drains well?
Cons:
The biggest let down of this place is navigation. We spent two hours trying to find a downhill run on the opposite end of the park, and I think we skipped over many of the great features. What makes it worse is that many of the trails here except for one have been removed from trailforks, so your best bet is to find some locals and follow them around. Another negative to this place is kind of stupid but definitely still a factor: your mental game. You will leave Nepaug feeling like you can’t ride anything and it definitely destroys your ego.
Rating: 6.25/10
Nepaug is a great spot for anyone from a cross country racer, to freeriders, and even trials pros. However, I wish this place was suited to a wider range of skill levels, and it seems somewhat lacking in downhill runs. Right now, its hard to say what Nepaug’s actual rating is since I haven’t ridden most of it, but from what I saw I’d say this is an accurate assessment.