Singletrack Surging in the Southern ADKs

The town obtained state funding to pay for a feasibility study and hire two professional trail builders--Eli Glesmann and Justin Vesp--who started construction in 2020. Volunteers from the Adirondack Foothills Trails Alliance also worked on the trails, as did Manning himself.

The result: 11 trails totaling more than six miles. Most were built by machines, with large berms for swooping turns on the downhills. Next year the town expects to add four more trails. In addition, the town is developing a jump park and a skills park.

All this on just 115 acres.

“With limited property to work with, rather than focusing on mileage, our goal was to create an exciting, downhill-focused trail system that people would want to ride over and over again,” said Manning, who is now the town’s trails manager.

I stopped at Wheelerville in mid-September on a drive from Saranac Lake to Utica and spent a few hours riding the easy and intermediate trails. I began with a mellow ride on the one easy trail, Wheelerville Traverse, to its end at Irving Pond, a mile from the parking area. You don’t want to miss the views of this wild pond and nearby wooded hills. 

But the downhill runs are the main attraction at Wheelerville. Six trails leave the summit, which sits about 400 feet above the parking area. Two of the six--North Country and Saddle Up--can also be used for climbing. The other four are downhill only.

After visiting the pond, I backtracked a short distance and hopped on North Country, which gains 230 feet in 0.6 miles. Except for a few rocky spots, the climbing was easy. When I reached the summit, I met a fellow biker lounging in an Adirondack chair. He had high praise for a new expert trail that opened this year, but I opted to stick to the moderates on this visit. 

In all, I made three descents. On the first I took Deer Thirty, which descends 230 feet in 0.5 miles, ending at the midpoint of Wheelerville Traverse. I then took Catch and Release, a hand-built trail, back to the start of North Country and climbed again to the summit. 

For my second descent, I rode Saddle Up downhill to Eagle Eye and then took Eagle Eye to Wheelerville Traverse. I’m still working on my turning skills, but even I felt confident riding around the high berms. You’ve heard of hero snow? These were hero berms. 

I next biked back to North Country, but instead of going up that trail again, I turned around and cruised down Wheelerville Traverse to the bottom of Saddle Up. I then climbed all of Saddle Up to the summit for a final run. On the ascent, I met Mike Pavlak, an experienced mountain biker from Tribes Hill, a half-hour drive away.

Mike bikes at Wheelerville often, but he also recommended two nearby trail networks: the Peck Hill State Forest and the Farm Trails in the town of Meco just outside Gloversville. Together, these networks (which are separated by a road) offer about 16 miles of trails. One of the trails leads to the Stump City Brewery.

Mike and I parted ways upon reaching the junction of Saddle Up and Eagle Eye. Mike went down Eagle Eye, while I continued to the summit. My plan was to ride Forever Wild back to the parking area.

What a finish! Forever Wild is a rush of trail that descends 310 feet over 0.65 miles, with huge berms, swooping turns, optional jumps, drops and other features. It’s no wonder that Forever Wild is the most popular downhill run at Wheelerville, according to Trailforks. One rider likened Forever Wild to a bobsled run that “is faster than you are.”

“Parts of that trail are so much fun,” Manning said. “Sometimes I’ll just do laps on it.”

With three trips to the summit, I biked about seven miles and climbed about 1,030 feet. I hit up all the easy and intermediate trails except Pit Connector, which is separate from the main network. I didn’t venture onto the three expert trails, but you can get a sense of them from videos on Trailforks. There also is an excellent video on the Wheelerville Trails website: www.wheelervilletrails.com.

Next year the town plans to add three more downhill trails and one cross-country trail. But that’s just the beginning. The long-term plan is to build a two-mile trail connecting Wheelerville Trails to Caroga’s commercial center, with loops off the main trail. The finished network will encompass about 25 miles. In addition, the town hopes to link its network to the trails in the Peck Hill State Forest.

When completed, the network is sure to become a major destination. In fact, Wheelerville already is attracting mountain bikers from near and far. This summer, Wheelerville Trails hosted its first bike festival. “The first guy who showed up was from northern Maine,” Manning said.