494 west
to Hwy 5, Hwy 5 west to county road 41, County road 41
south to Hundertmark RD in Chaska. Park at Super America then look
across the street and you will see the start of the
trail.
It
is suggested that you first ride it with someone who has
been there before. This is
not a trail you want to try on your own - you will miss
a large portion of the trail and/or get twisted around
on yourself. There are also areas that require
extreme caution.
For those of you
that have been there you have most likely parked your
car at the Super America gas station directly across the road from the
trailhead. This particular business doesn't
(currently) seem to mind bikers parking there, but this
could change if enough riders crowded the available
spaces. There are other parking alternatives "up
the road" as well, but if you find yourself parking at
this station, be sure to top off your tank and buy
something inside the convenience store before you leave.
If they were to sense bikers were taking up space
without benefiting their business, we may find bikers
banned from parking in this very convenient location.
This is a challenging trail to be sure. It is the
kind of ride that will challenge you physically and
require precise bike handling skills over the many
different obstacles and twisting trails.
This trail is not for the average novice mountain biker.
If you cannot ride an easier trail such as Lebanon, it
would be a good idea not to even try The Farm or you
will spend the majority of your efforts walking your
bike.
The
trail itself is a mess of mis-direction.
There are no clear markings, so if you do not ride with
someone who has been there, you will likely miss much of
the trail and/or get turned around and find yourself
repeating trails. Not only does the trail lack
directional signs, it also crosses over itself in a
number of places. Although not a one-way trail,
there is definitely a better way to ride it. (If
you come upon the teeter from the back you will know you
are heading in a direction that does not flow quite as
well) As fun as this trail can be for the
above-average rider, it definitely lacks proper signs
and warnings.
Having said that, it is possible to
have a blast riding this trail! You will find
things at The Farm that you will not see anywhere else
in the metro area.
It
lacks a certain flow, but for those that enjoy tight and
twisty trail, this is a goldmine. This trail
features steep climbs (that often require negotiating
roots or logs), tight turns, very narrow single track
trails (sometimes within an inch of a dangerous ledge),
questionably narrow ravine crossings, sketchy bridges,
teeter-totters, fast downhills, nasty
looking log piles...the list goes on.
This trail will make you a better rider, guaranteed.
There is enough variety and challenge here to force even
the best riders to use all their skills, and it is
almost guaranteed you won't ride it all without a
problem.
Kudos
to the "Farm Crew" who, besides the huge task of
maintaining this trail, are also working hard to
properly address some erosion issues. The work
they have done looks very good and should help the trail
be more sustainable for many years in the future.
The picture to the left shows how they took a badly
eroded section of trail and improved it with
switchbacks.
The trail can be dangerous in many
spots. An inch to the right or left and you will
find yourself falling into a ravine.
You
often find yourself in a fast downhill that crosses
other trails and may require negotiating un-safe looking
bridges (although most seem very solid as of this
review). If you are going downhill fast, be ready;
you will often find yourself in an even steeper climb
back up. Once again,
riding this trail with a "guide" who has been there
before is the best way to learn what you are up against.
You are in for some gorgeous scenery
at The Farm.
The
trail seems to change on you at a moments notice - one
minute you are among grand old trees riding among the
leaves, the next you are on the edge of a beautiful
ravine complete with running water. It is hard to
believe an area like this exists so close to the cities,
but you can see that "man" is slowly moving in and will
eventually make The Farm extinct.
There is even plans in the works to run a major highway
right through the middle of the area. One guy on
the trail commented that the highway was not necessary
and was simply a way for the "rich city people to get
out to their hobby farms quicker." Regardless of
the activity in this wooded area, it is a shame to lose
a place like this to urban sprawl.
