Back on the hardtail for a rip at White Clay & Middle Run in Newark, DE. Even though they are technically two different parks, most people refer to them collectively as "White Clay". This is understandable as the trail systems are connected and you'd likely go from one park to the next without knowing. One thing to be sure of is that you want to park in Middle Run at the bird lot, as it's free (as opposed to White Clay lots) and it's a great central location with easy access to the entire park. This is really handy as you can do an epic 24 miler that will cross back by the car at the halfway point.

Now a little about White Clay & Middle Run...these trail systems are exceptionally well built and maintained (shoutout to the Trail Spinners) with tons of flow throughout. About an hour from downtown Philly, I make it over there about 6 or 7 times a year...and wish I could hit it more. I'd say that it's worth driving 2 hours to check out this trail system if you've never been. There's not much in the way of tech, but there're enough roots (and routes) to make it interesting and it can be ridden very fast. There is a ton of trail and it's designed as stacked loops so it's easy to make a ride as long or short as you want. You can print out a great map that will help you navigate the trails here: [ Ссылка ]

For this particular ride, my buddy and I chose to ride the sections in the opposite direction of how we usually do and the trails were just as good both ways. You really can't go wrong here and it's a place where beginners and advanced riders can ride together and have a blast.
Some items of note:
- The trails are notoriously bad drainers...any significant rain will turn the trails slick and they're a whole lot less fun (not to mention you'll be creating ruts and doing trail damage)
- This system can be a bit pedally (in a good way) so it's great for hard tails and trail bikes (leave the enduro rig at home for this one)
- Hunting Season - They close some trails during shotgun hunting season (mid through late Nov), so check out trail closures before making the trip.


Where you should park: [ Ссылка ]
Trailforks: [ Ссылка ]
Strava for this ride: [ Ссылка ]

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