To get there: Take Route 101 West off of I-95
near the Hampton tolls. 101 East from I-93 or Manchester/Concord. In the vicinity
of Exeter look for signs for Rt. 85. Get off at the rt. 85 Exit. Turn one
way and a 1/4 mile t is the entrance to Oaklands. Turn the other way on 85
and around a half mile (just before an old RR bridge) is the entrance to Henderson.
Either one works, so you just can't lose from either direction.
Folks, be prepared for
some serious mountain biking challenges right here in the New
England Seacoast. Though from the road it don't look like much
- this ride is no joke, and can get pretty technically serious
in places if you choose to be strong and stay on the bike. (I
admit, I walked some - just had to). New Hampshire yet again handles
herself as a premiere outdoor destination.
For those of you who prefer the feel of the ground
under your feet you too will be pleasantly surprised, all of this area can
be enjoyed as a day hike - especially those of you with dogs (please leash
them so us mountain bikers keep our ankles for riding). Miles of trails interconnect
to give you tons of access to the woods.
Be warned: Nearly every
trail is neatly marked with red, yellow or blue blazes so you
never really know where the hell you are or where you're going.
I've never seen so many yellow trails in my life! Trails tend
to intersect every hundred feet or so (all Yellow of course) and
you can get yourself seriously lost, seriously quick. Obtain a
map at Exeter Town Hall for $2.50 (unlike me who is too cheap
to do so) and use the highway noise form Rt. 101 as a baseline
for returning to the car. (This noise the absolutely only downfall
of the Fort Rock experience). Though without it I may still be
in the trails roaming aimlessly.
Interesting note: I have never before felt the
need to wear a helmet, while biking. I always figured I'm hard -headed enough
to withstand anything. Fort Rock, well, let's think of this carefully: it's
actually named after a rock - in the Granite State. You get the picture, it's
sharp rock city, coupled with against boulders and major roots. And rock bridges,
and log bridges, and culverts under major highways. Not to mention serious
briars surrounding singletrack that do a real shredding on your epidermal
layers. Not for the faint of heart or whining types. Do yourself a favor -
wear a helmet. I severely limited my abilities (due to fear) by not having
one on my first visit.
Imagine doing a digger
into this...
The above photo describes the general landscape
of the area, Granite rocks amidst hardwood forest. I'm not sure what this
forest once was but there is evidence of fires and granite quarrying from
the past. Though now I don't care, it's been protected and it provides awesome
outdoor opportunities. Civilized outdoor opportunities.Except for the bugs
that is.
Entrance trail on the
Oaklands side
The first time I hit these trails I did so on my circa 1980's GT Tequesta,
entirely shockless, with worn brake pads. Like I said, I'm cheap. And tough.
Real men don't need 'disc brakes.' I did employ the tactic known as 'poor
man's shocks', that is, I let a significant amount of air out of the tires
to absorb the rocky hits. This not only cushions the ride but prevents blowouts
from occurring less frequently.
One thing you'll notice is that the terrain varies
quite a bit, you can pretty much choose your own adventure here.
Take this endless open (flat) singletrack for example:
and compare it to this well-worn downhill chute:
and this steep little beauty that looked surprisingly
less worn - a virgin ride perhaps?
Finally, we see what looked to me like a Biker's playground,
a flat plateau on the Henderson side overlooking some small valleys
that easily could be converted into a freestyle trick park.
So enjoy, and please remember to treat the land well - it's all we've got!
