4 Reasons Why Snodgrass Is Among the Best Trails at Levis
Despite being located on completely flat ground, I consider Snodgrass to be one of the classic Levis Mound trails. Why is this so? Snodgrass is the most chronically soggy trail out at Levis, built in a swampy lowlands.
"Wait, what?" you say. "Wouldn't that make it less likely to be ridden?"
No, it is more likely--for 4 reasons:
- Snodgrass occupies an important piece of real estate, running directly between the old Hwy 95 trailhead and the current full-service trailhead. If you click back over to the main post, you will see that I've included it in both the recommended technical route and beginner route. Unless you would rather ride wide ski trails instead of singletrack, it invariably gets worked into all sorts of rides!
- There is something inside every mountain biker that likes riding in the mud--even if they know they shouldn't. All of the other trails at Levis are normally very fast drying due to the sandy soil, but this trail is not. Unless Wisconsin is in a drought, there's bound to be some mud on Snodgrass.
- Because riding in the mud is bad for trails, many years ago some trail builders up on the North Shore decided to build wooden bridges over the soggiest spots on the trail, and inadvertently created a new type of mountain biking. Due to its chronic muddiness, Snodgrass probably has more bridges along its 1.1 mile length than any other trail in the system.
- The sheer swampiness of the terrain which creates the conditions for the previous two points also creates an environment that differs from all of the other trails in the system. The undergrowth is different, the ground is different, and the different environment directly correlates to a very different mountain biking atmosphere experienced when riding Snodgrass.
Video
Here's a short POV video of the best bridge on Snodgrass:
Your Turn
Like 'em or hate 'em, what are your thoughts on bridges and wooden features?
Photos
More photos from Snodgrass:
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1 comments:
Update via the Levis Mound Facebook page: Snodgrass is getting a new 24' long bridge over one of the muddy sections in an attempt to help keep the bikes dryer. And by "is getting" I mean volunteers are putting in hours of back-breaking work to get this thing built. If you are in Central Wisconsin and want to help out, search "Levis Mound" on Facebook, head over to the page/group, and let them know you'd be interested in helping out!
Now would be an excellent time to weigh in with your opinion: Bridge Vs. Mud, which would you rather have?
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