With Snow/rain/freeze/thaw in the forecast, is it too early to start a sticky Fall/winter trail conditions thread?
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And the answer is no.
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I turned around at whopper when I noticed some ruts. On my way back I found that I made some myself without realizing. Spent more time smoothing them out than actual riding!
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I was at Keppoch today and conditions were perfect!
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Happy to hear that, gonna spend some time there next weekend, weather permitting. Chicken Cougar is calling me.
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Big thank you to the Spider Lake trail elves for trimming back some of the overgrown limbs. Great work. 
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Lots of ice and slush today, def need fat tires and studs
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Whats Mcintosh run like this week, is it too wet?
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It’s rarely too wet for granite.
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Sideline and Camel Humps at Sandy Lake/Range Trails are very soft and wet. Sideline especially has some issues. Halfway through its a slog.
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good to hear someone else is riding there. thought I was the only one.
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I was at mackintosh on Saturday it was great… was supposed to go again today but couldnt make it. I’ll be going sunday or monday though
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Hey folks - hoping to get out during the day this Friday for a longer ride - given the recent rain with more in the forecast, is McIntosh my best bet? Is it ever too wet to go for a ride there?
Any go-to trails for this time of year?
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I would avoid Clark Kent, as its a new trail and mainly dirt, I would expect stuff like Osprey, Attic etc that are mainly pure granite would be the way to go over stuff that is a little more mixed and can get soft spots or hold water on the Norawarren end
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New end was really messy today. Slid around a few times even with downhill tires
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Yeah, we avoided all the new stuff (D&R, Clark Kent, etc) this weekend, because that brown dirt really doesn’t hold up to moisture and we didn’t want to chew it up. All the front country stuff is granite and old school trails like SST, lake loop and Gords are incredible right now. There was some standing water, but nothing you couldn’t deal with. Still managed to put in 18kms on all of that stuff and had an absolute blast.,
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Thanks for the input everyone!
Maybe Friday is the day I finally give Flat Lake a try 
This sums up most of Hfx surrounding trails too 
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What Dexvd said.
This is a good time of year to avoid dirt trails in general, unless they are frozen, it’s been really dry, or they are sandy/gravelly.
Dirt trails can shed water well when the dirt is compacted, but at this time of year freeze/thaw events cause the dirt to ‘fluff up’ (we’ve had a few hard frosts in HFX so far). Then the dirt becomes porous and absorbs water when it rains – and can turn to peanut butter when people ride or walk on it.
This is a common issue with dirt trails in our climate, which is why many trail systems in Quebec, Vermont etc are completely closed at this time of year. Riding on these trails not only makes a mess of your bike, but the trails too.
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