The ride begins with a brutal trial-by-fire as you attempt to pedal over a never-ending boulder field that passes for a trail. And from there, the trails only get steeper! The rocks then come at you on a steep incline as you sprint to the top of the short, brutally-steep-sided hills. When the rocks disappear, mud-slicked roots take their place, seemingly defying all laws of traction. In between the rocks and the roots, you’ll find sweet sections of loamy black dirt, but the chunk returns almost immediately.

When the trails turn downhill, all that chunk turns into a rip-roaring tech fest filled with rock gardens to blast through, root webs to skim over, and boulders to launch off of. In many places, A and B lines provide several levels of difficulty, but even then, the lowest tech challenge is still no joke.

If you explore the far reaches of the trail network, you’ll discover a couple of trails with double black diamond ratings on the trail signs, one of which is simply known as “The Downhill Trail.” This brief descent is a true gem of rocky singletrack riding, with the trail blasting up and over massive boulders and rock rolls. While most of the features are rollable, alt lines lead to plenty of air opportunities. In between the boulders and massive rock rollers, constant rock gardens keep you on your toes, demanding that you develop a new sense of “normal” when it comes to trail flow.

Whether you challenge yourself by trying to blast through the gnar as fast as possible or instead, slow down and take your time by sessioning the many optional rock lines spread throughout this trail system, if you enjoy ripping through rocks you’ll love Moraine State Park!