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BRIMSTONE MAY 2008
trails:
overall signs:
some trails are marked very well others not at all. if you were looking for a trail you would find it about 75% of the time without problems but there are TONS of trails without signs and not on the printout map they give you.
quality:
even after a HARD rain the trails were in great shape, the red trails and trail 1 are rocky as hell but everything else is like riding on shag carpet. truly one of the smoothest places i have ever ridden. best of all i only got hung on one mud hole. it really is hard to find much of anything that is rutted out.
red:
the trail marking system was very good. red means red. unless you think you are superman stay off. some, like 48 might just have one bad hill climb and the rest is gravy while others like 49 are a roller coaster of death. the hardcore guys that i rode with really enjoyed the reds and it sounded like it really put them through the passes. i only did 48 and 49 and it was at 3 in the morning but that was enough for me. going back the next day freaked me out just looking at them.
blue:
truly the highlight of this park, not rutted out(yet), challenging yet do-able is 95 going from the top of 49 over to 8 it is a wonderful ride but both climbs will probably turn this into a red trail once it is rutted out. the picture above is me coming off of 95 landing on one. best of all they are building tons of news trails and they all seem to be rated blue. one greatest wish is they maintain these blue trails so that average riders like myself will still be able to use them.
green:
nice smooth gravel or hardpack etc.
3 is a great way to come into the park. my only real problem i had with any green trail was trail 1. it is a 4 lane gravel highway that goes from one end to another. it would be a great way to get from to trail to trail however it was the most miserable road i have ever been on. the whole thing is softball sized gravel that beats the dog crap out of you. if you are on a rhino or something with great shocks it will be fine but i would rather walk than ride my kodiak on that road.
staff:
met a young kid on a kaw that works on/for the trail club? politely asked if i had a pass and how i liked the trails. great guy! later going into town my quad ran out of gas and he stopped in his truck to check on me. i also met staak and he pissed me off. i was thirsty for a beer and he was holding us up wanted the other guys to fill out his forms. i guess my little kodiak wasn't good enough to have an opinion about anything. oh well. i only like about half the people that ride a kaw anyway. oddly enough i was the one really pushing to move the windrock trip to brimstone.
camping:
the town and the park is beautiful. it would be rude to compare it to other places. there isn't a lot there, you just have to pull off of a green trail like 3 or 1 and make due. the place could use some bathrooms but then again it keeps the sissies from coming out when it's this rugged. you will need to bring EVERYTHING that you need. there isn't much there in huntsville that you can get to via a quad. there is however a yamaha dealer across from the office. a short drive in the truck up the road and you can get whatever you should need from gas stations and food joints. Very Happy
overall:
i really did love this place. our camping spot was awesome but i will not say where. Cool i do love old castles.
if the staff can keep the blue trails rideable we will be back time and again. i didn't buy a yearly pass but i don't mind giving more money for such a nice place.
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