Mountain Biking Review: Oh Chuck, How I Love You!

Chuck Lennon MTB Park, DeLeon Springs, Florida

Photo credit: http://chucklennonmtbtrail.weebly.com/

I first visited Chuck Lennon with my husband in July after he'd visited with a friend. When he returned from his ride, he was incredibly excited and couldn't wait for me to go with him. Unfortunately, my first experience came after Florida had a tropical storm, so the trails were flooded. We didn't ride, but walked through the trails to give me an idea of what was ahead. Aside from the four inches of water at the bottom of drops, it looked like a blast and I couldn't wait!  We returned to the park about two weeks later after learning on the park's FaceBook page that the conditions had improved and we could ride. 

The park at first doesn't seem like much. There is literally a parking lot, bulletin board, and a wooded trail entrance. Don't let it fool you. This 5.7 miles of trail is totally worth it; in fact, it is my absolute favorite series of trails!!  The parking lot is just around the bend from a picnic pavillion with a bathroom and there is a bike wash on the end farthest from the trail entrance.

The terrain is incredibly fun to ride on. Having ridden on many of Florida's diverse (surprisingly!) terrain, Chuck's is my favorite. It is a combination of hard packed sand, roots, forest floor, and areas of soft sand. When the conditions are right, it is perfect to ride upon. It does not have the tons of rocks like some of the limestone quarry trails like Santos and Alafia have...thank goodness. 

The initial trail, named Hoot Owl NW Trail,  is "blue" worthy, with a couple sit-on-your-tire drops, two of which I have taken my share of mouthfuls of dirt on going endo on. Remember, I'm still learning ;)  The trail leads to the intersection in the Central Hub, where all three main trails connect.  Inside are a yellow, red, and another blue trail, and each is worth the ride. 

The yellow, named Screaming Hawk, is the longest at 2.5 miles. If taken slowly, this ride can be a bit on the boring side, so take this one with some speed. It's a great cardio workout and you won't kill your legs. The skinny log ride is fun, leaving you only about a foot off the ground and easy to bail off of. The wooden tree bridge is cool, but stay LEFT. I veered right once and my tire hit where a notch in the wood had fallen off and endo I went.  There is one drop that is marked a red, and while it is the steepest, I personally don't think it's the hardest...hubby does, so to each his or her own!

Red Panther, the .75 mile most-challenging trail, is a doozy. The first drop is immediate with a left turn right at the top before the decent. From, there are a series of pump climbs and drops, some quite steep. Be prepared to put your bike out and have a blast. One right hand turn has a not-so-friendly palm tree waiting for the unsuspecting rider, so beware. It's one of those moments when you pull in your right leg and arm to avoid taking a chunk out. We met a guy who broke his hand on it.   Because this trail is short, you can be ride it multiple times if you choose.

Raccoon Run is the last trail is the trail that leads you back out to the parking lot and is my favorite of the three. It's a toned down version of Red Panther, but with more pump track style drops and climbs. I use to take this one slowly, paying more attention to technique rather than speed. The last time I rode with my husband he told me of a "sweet spot" the trail had when you take the right speed. So, he took off faster than our normal pace and man, was he right. This trail when taken quickly enough will allow your bike to move itself. You can fly on this trail. It's fantastic. I can't say enough, haha! 

I will put pictures up the next time we ride!  I hope you enjoy this trail!!

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Some pictures along the way:

Time well spent with our teenager!