Reviewed by: Samba Guy , from Central Illinois

Summary:
This trail is deserving of a higher rating than one time riders have given it. It's not technical but as a frequent rider of it I can say it has a certain difficulty all it's own. It's fast, twisty, and has lots of steep short climbs. Flats have never been much of a problem for me. Don't blame the trail if your not smart enough to carry a spare tube or patch kit. For those that complain that it's too bumpy, show me a new trail that's not! The more it's ridden the smoother it becomes.

Recommended Route:
Counter clock-wise strating at the trail-head.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Kickapoo, Jubilee, Farmdale, Comlara

Reviewed by: Keith Kinney , from Athens, IL

Summary:
A fun ride, but the prarie grass got a little old at times. Take some "off" repellent you'll need it. If you stop in the grass watch out for the ticks, I found 10 crawlers throughout the ride. One flat tire, from a small thorn. Excellent workout regardless.

Recommended Route:
Go across the dam, its much less confusing then the other direction. There are some forks in the trail if you go counterclockwise that are somewhat misleading.

Reviewed by: Shawn McKinney , from Springfield, Illinois

Summary:
This trail lends itself well to a fast rider that can handle sharp turns. Because of its rather long length, 17 miles, you will likely only encounter mountain bikers on the east side of Prairie Lake or anywhere farther than a few miles from the campgrounds on the west side. Great intermediate trail for someone looking to ride for about two hours. The fastest recorded lap was about 1 hour 10 minutes. The trail was built by the Springfield Area Mountain Bike Association but was designed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources so that they could mow the grass along the whole length of the trail to keep the tics and poison ivy at bay. This accounts for the lack of logs or other more technical features. The prairie sections are getting better with more use while the singltrack in the woods is hard packed and smooth. On June 22, 2003 SAMBA held a MTB race on this trail with 100 racers and only a few flat tires were reported. I will say that the reported problems with flats are much less likely now and most local riders can ride the trail several times without a problem. If you ride in the early season, soon after the trail opens each year on April 15, the thorns are worse. Remember, a real mountain biker always rides prepared and carries tubes, a pump, and for this trail a lot of water because there is none available on the trail after you leave the campground area. I am giving this trail a rather high rating because I helped build it and because of its the longest trail in Central Illinois.

Recommended Route:
From the trail head, go clockwise across the dam to reach the more interesting singletrack on the east side of Prairie Lake at the beginning of your ride. The trail can be riden in either direction. You can get to a shorter loop with a lot of singletrack off of Sittler Road. Visit www.sambariders.org for more info and directions.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
During the summer of 2003, SAMBA will complete a shorter, more technical trail at this park that wraps around Drake Lake and can be riden now. However, be prepared for more flat tires until it is finished.

Reviewed by: warmachine , from springfield

Summary:
very long and meandering, very bumpy , horses have gotten in there and made a mess of some sections, lots of tics be careful for them, and lots and lots of thorns so be sure to bring extra tubes. much to bumpy needs more traffic on it to smooth it out some but still not bad for the middle of illinois farm country.

Recommended Route:
leave from campsite

Other recommended trails in the same area:
lake trails in springfield