Aqua Terra Wilderness Area
Photo: Pinkbike
Overview:
Aqua Terra Wilderness Area is located south of Binghamton, NY in the western part of the state. The park has two sides, however I only rode the south side which is home to most of the downhill runs. The trails here are steep and gnarly, and there’s only one blue trail on the mountain. Other than that, it offers black diamond downhill screamers with the exception of Rocky Horror (double black diamond) which apparently lives up to its name.
Pros:
Because I enjoy steep and gnarly trails, I found this place quite fun. Many of the steep trails here feature well-built catch berms and some pretty spicy off camber sections. This leads me to my next point: trail quality. You might not notice trail quality as you skid and survive your way down the upper section of the hill. However, the bottom area flattens out a bit and this is where you can really see the trail-building style shine. These trails use pine needles as loam, yet somehow still ride super fast. I noticed the great trail quality the most on a trail called To Serve Man. Unlike most of the other trails in the park, this one is more jump oriented and has some fun berms that you can really surf on as you fly down the steep hill. It also features some jumps that create more of a bike park feeling. Some of my other favorite trails include Juicy Fruit which is like To Serve Man, although it’s a little bit more tech oriented with one big road gap. I also like the Steepening which has some hair raising steeps with a few jumps for extra speed.
Cons:
Aqua Terra is only suited to a certain skill level and riding style. This is not a beginner-friendly area, often the case for East Coast riding. Also, where To Serve Man makes a great flow lap, it still rides like a steep fall line. Plus, every other trail there is tech. Lastly, I noticed the dirt at Aqua Terra kind of sucks. It’s similar to the shale you’ll find at nearby Blue Mountain Bike Park, however unlike Blue Mountain it’s manageable and easy to ignore. Just don’t plan on finding any of the untouched loamers nearby.
Rating: 7.25
Aqua Terra is a great place for a certain kind of trail and has an unusual amount of man-made features for the area. I would think of it as a more difficult and action packed version of Glen Park, which in my opinion makes it a sweet place to ride.