RIDE SPOT: Brant Lake Bike Park
The Adirondacks now has many mountain-bike trail networks, but how many come with beer on tap, a sandwich shop, and a repair shop? Only one as far as I know: the Brant Lake Bike Park, a k a The Hub.
Drew Cappabianca, a Glens Falls native, opened The Hub in 2014 in an old town hall. Two years later he bought an adjoining 200 acres on Bartonville Mountain. The land is steep and rocky and therefore would be hard to develop.
“I joke that the reason I could afford 200 acres is that it’s worthless,” Drew says.
That’s not quite true. Bartonville Mountain boasts five miles of bike trails created by Wilderness Property Management, which has built bike trails throughout the North Country. The Brant Lake Bike Park opened in 2018. The public can ride the trails for free, but donations are encouraged.
I drove to Brant Lake in mid-May to test my mettle. I was a bit apprehensive, because I heard the trails are difficult. Although I bike a lot, I am not a shredder.
My fears proved justified. To climb the mountain, you have only one option: Stairway to Heaven. Trailforks rates it intermediate, but Drew considers it an expert trail. It’s often steep, with exposed bedrock, boulders, and roots. I sympathize with the guy who described it on Trailforks as a “great walk with my bike up.”
At 1.3 miles, after a lot of bike pushing, I came to a four-way intersection with Rebound, Rick’s Run, and Constellation. I went straight, following Rick’s Run to a height of land and then descending to a ledge with a spectacular vista of Brant Lake and the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness. Unlike Stairway to Heaven, Rick’s Run is a true blue. I stayed in the saddle for nearly all of its 0.9-mile length.
My original plan was to descend back to the four-way intersection via Constellation, the hardest trail (rated expert on Trailforks). Given my difficulty on Stairway to Heaven, though, I opted to return on Rick’s Run. I’m glad I did as coming down Rick’s Run was a blast.
I next rode Rebound, a short lollipop trail that loops around a knoll known as the South Summit. Afterward, Drew informed me that a brand-new trail, not yet named, leads to the South Summit from Stairway to Heaven. I did see a trail veering off the summit but did not follow it.
After returning to the four-way intersection, I descended just a few feet on Stairway to Heaven and noticed a trail on the left. The junction was unsigned, but I took the turn. What a delightful find! Unlike the mountain’s other trails, Golden Carrot is machine-built (with the help of volunteers) and characterized by a relatively smooth surface and large berms on the curves. I ended up riding it twice.
Golden Carrot is a fairly new addition, having opened in 2021. After completing my ride, I asked Drew if he had plans to build a climbing trail of similar quality and difficulty. Alas, the answer is no. “We made [the ascent] as easy as we possibly could,” he said. “With the terrain being so ledgy, that’s what we ended up with.”
Drew said he may add one or two trails higher up on the mountain, if he can find the money. The Hub relies on crowdfunding and grants to pay for the work of Wilderness Property Management, which is owned by Steve Ovitt, a former forest ranger.
A short-term goal is to add signs at junctions where the two newer trails intersect with the older trails. Until then, riders can consult Trailforks or a similar app to orient themselves at unmarked junctions.
Drew is the president of the Upper Hudson Trails Alliance, which advocates for and maintains trails in the Brant Lake-North Creek region. The alliance is collaborating with local officials to develop a hiking and biking network at Dynamite Hill in Chestertown, just down Route 8 from Brant Lake.
At Drew’s suggestion, after our interview I drove to Dynamite Hill to ride the Perimeter Trail. Wilderness Property Management had nearly finished the trail. It struck me as an easier version of Golden Carrot: smooth tread (except in spots), banked turns, small ups and downs. My GPS watch calculated 161 feet of ascent over the 1.7-mile loop. When the network is complete (by the end of next year), Dynamite Hill will offer five miles of bike trails--a nice alternative or complement to the Brant Lake Bike Park.
I’ve become a fan of WPM’s bike trails, so I am looking forward to returning to Dynamite Hill when the network is finished. I also expect to return to The Hub. I feel sheepish that I skipped Constellation on my first visit, but it just wasn’t in the stars.
DIRECTIONS: The Hub closes after Columbus Day, but the trails are open year-round. From Northway Exit 25, drive east on NY 8 for 1.5 miles to Market Street. Turn left and go 0.1 miles. You’ll see The Hub on the left. If you plan to bike, park in the big lot just past the building.
