New and improved singletrack

But in many ways these are the good old days, especially if you are a cross-country skier or mountain biker. These sports were nonexistent in southeastern Wisconsin back in the '50s. And with every passing year, the opportunities for skiing and off-road riding there get better. The key is all the trail building going on.

It's no accident that the Southern Kettle Moraine trails were voted the "best mountain bike trails in Wisconsin" on Mtbr.com. Each time out, I find lengthy new sections I haven't seen before and I like a lot more than the sections they replaced.

Amazingly, these huge sections of new and redesigned trails are all built by volunteers using hand tools, not a Ditch Witch. Heading the work crew is the ever-enthusiastic Dave Mangan who, last year, was voted on the same website "best mountain bike trail advocate in Wisconsin." And he's joined by his fellow eSpeCially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin' Crew members. Participating Department of Natural Resources workers are paid for by the Fall Colors ride at Muir, which is sponsored by Wheel & Sprocket.

Starting as soon as the snow is gone, 20 to 40 volunteers show up weekly. And the amount of trails they build is incredible.

For example, the John Muir system continues to boast great flow. It is a fun and safe singletrack that bikers of all abilities can enjoy. The Muir is hilly enough to give anyone a good workout but twisty enough to keep speeds low and erosion at a minimum. The outer loop is about 10 miles.

Until this past year, almost all trail improvements in the area were done to make the trails safer and more environmentally friendly. More recently the trail builders have begun to address the needs of more experienced riders. The Orange expert loop, about five miles long, has been completely redone. Stage one bypassed a steep climb straight up the fall line to the outer loop. This has become a very enjoyable singletrack section.

"At first thought, many will lament the loss of the challenge of that hill climb, but the new trail still climbs that hill and is more challenging and longer," Mangan says.

The real challenge of the Orange Trail comes after it once again leaves the outer loop to head back to the parking lot. This section is by far the most demanding and technical on the Muir system. I would call it technically tough, safe and a work of art. You have to be able to handle your bike to make it through that section without dabbing a foot on the ground.

Mangan says there is also a new section of trail where several big berms were built in an area now called "Bermuda," which adds an optional increased skill area. Several reroutes on the Blue and Green trails avoid several frequently muddy areas with the hope it can remain open all year.

One of the bigger changes, Mangan reports, is the addition of the Connector Trail east of County Highway H and south of Bluff Road so that there is no road riding required to get to the Connector Trail.

The Connector is now really an oblong loop with one-way traffic in both directions. Before this change, one of the major hazards was bikers tearing along toward one another. I had a few close calls there myself. The Connector is definitely more challenging than most of Muir, with a number of sections that definitely fall into the expert category. One-way distance on the Connector is about five miles.

Mangan has more planned this year. "There will be a new skills area constructed near the Muir Trailhead," he says. The area will include logs, rails, skinnies, tabletops, ramps and drops for beginner to advanced riders to hone their skills.

In early April, Mangan's trail building crew moved over to the Emma Carlin trails to complete what was started last year: new singletrack on about a third of the trail system. Those who biked Carlin in the past know it could be a beast, mainly because of its long gravel climbs up the fall line, with raised erosion boards systematically placed across the trail to divert water runoff. In the Southern Kettle system, the Carlin trails have the most expert sections. For now, the Carlin loops are far from environmentally sustainable trails.

"When the Carlin is completed, it will be the toughest trail in the system," Mangan said. "There are some killer climbs and descents on the Connector. Add in the sand, roots and rocks, and this trail is no intermediate. But, yes, we will be adding some challenging features on the Carlin, which will take it up a notch."

The outer Carlin loop is about five miles long, but will become significantly longer with the redesign. For up-to-date information, plus video of the trail building, go to southernkettles.org.

One last note on the Southern Kettles: The Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series (WEMS) will hold 12 Hours at John Muir on June 19. Go to wemseries.com for more info. I would highly recommend this low-key event as an ideal way to try mountain bike racing. There are opportunities to race on a team or as an individual. The one race I did with my grandson, Alex, was the most enjoyable race of my life, including any and all ski races.

Until recently, the Northern Kettle Moraine could not really be considered a mountain bike destination. While biking was allowed at Greenbush and New Fane, it was done on the existing ski and hiking trails. All that has changed.

I'll admit I do miss the flow, speed and easy biking on the Greenbush ski trails. Some of my favorite times have been there, cruising with the grandkids on a trail that was safe, yet hilly enough to provide a good workout, and wide enough for side-by-side riding and conversation. But since Greenbush is also one of the premier ski trails in the state, its mountain bike days were always numbered.

The approach to trail building in the Northern Kettles has been completely different than that in the Southern Kettles. All the new singletrack has primarily been done by a paid DNR crew with a Ditch Witch. Volunteers have been a huge help but the bulk of the work has been done by the DNR crew.

Also, the new trails were all laid out with the guidance of an trail design expert from the International Mountain Biking Association to create an interesting track that minimizes impact on the environment. The trails change direction frequently and never go straight up any fall lines.

New Fane is 100 percent complete. It consists of four loops for a total of 5.5 miles. This system is recommended for beginners and intermediate mountain bikers. According to Jerry Leiterman, the forest superintendent, the trail is easier than that at Greenbush.

As of this writing, Greenbush is 75 percent completed with three loops totaling about seven miles. However, Loop 4 is in the construction phase and is scheduled to be completed by midsummer. When that's done, this resulting two-mile loop will bring the total bike trail miles at Greenbush to nine.

WEMS will host 12 Hours of the Northern Kettles at Greenbush on May 22. The race organizers are recruiting volunteers to help finish building Loop 4 in time for the race.

The WEMS race at Greenbush last year was the best thing that could have happened to improve the rideability of the trails. I biked there after the race and was amazed at how much better the flow and surface were after the racers broke in the trail.

Leiterman considers Greenbush to be more suitable for intermediate and advanced riders. Once a rider gets used to the drop-offs, which are not nearly clifflike, the trail itself is very rideable. But first-time bikers may be scared out of their wits and be forced to get off and walk some sections. Better to be safe than sorry.

Once the New Fane trails dried out this spring, I gave them a try and was I pleased I did. They flow nicely and are less technical than those at Greenbush. While a good choice for novices, there are still a few difficult sections and about a half dozen sharp uphills that advanced riders will appreciate. In the parking lot, I met three expert riders from two local bike teams who said they loved the trails. By pushing the pace, they said the singletrack provides an excellent workout.

The bikers happened to be volunteers who have helped the DNR build the trails in the Northern Kettles. One of them, Randy Wegener, of Team Fond du Lac and Oshkosh Cyclery, was the original organizer of the volunteer trail builders who has been joined by Pedal Moraine Bike Club members. E-mail Wegener at rwegener@excel.net to further swell their ranks.

I was also pleased to find at work done on the ski trails at New Fane. The gravel uphills, which were deeply eroded, have been filled in and reseeded. So another benefit to redirecting mountain bikers will be higher-quality ski trails - ones that won't chew up your bases and will be skiable with less snow cover.