MOUNTAIN BIKE HERE:

    SAMPLE CHAPTER from New York

RATINGS
Length:  42 miles (68 km)  
Trail:  Singletrack + doubletrack
Surface:  Varies 
Technical: Easy to extreme
Layout:  Trails on either side of a 600-foot-deep (180-   metre-deep) gorge, including a 22-mile-long (35-km-   long) stretch of the Finger Lakes Trail  
Topography: Relatively flat, lush forest laced with streams and ravines
Aesthetics:  Astounding views of the Genesee Gorge, three major waterfalls, trail variety, other activities
Impression: An awesome destination for all levels

Letchworth is a 17-mile-long (27-km-long) state park that encompasses both sides of a 600-foot-deep (180-metre-deep) gorge carved by the snaking Genesee River. First stop is a view. Check out any one of the many lookouts to see sheer walls, waterfalls, and the brown bottom flow that continues to wear the floor deeper.

The park offers more than a dozen marked and mapped multi-use trails of varying difficulty--from a flat railbed to a technical gully--for a total of 20 miles (32 km) of track on both sides of the gorge. The Visitor's Centre will provide you with a map, indicate which trails are open to riding--not all are--and give suggestions. (Of special importance, note that Trail #1, along the west edge of the gorge--a crowded tourist track--is not open to bikes.)

The pick of the park, however, is its additional 22-mile-long (35-km-long) section of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), on the east side of the Genesee. Letchworth is the one of only two spots in all of New York where mountain bikers can legally ride on the incredible FLT, a long-distance hiking trail that streaks across the state and has five extensive branch lines.

Opened to bikers on a trial basis in 1996--and still regarded as a pilot program--FLT riding is extremely tough and technical. You can't ride without stopping and likely can't ride without falling. Certain spots are impossible to pedal, and continual dares will have you pushing your limits.

The trail is narrow, winding and rugged with--yes, roots and rocks, but--namely, countless ravine crossings. The ravines, cut by streams that feed the Genesee, are 5- to 35-feet-deep (1.5- to 10.5-metres-deep). And steep, with "V"- and "U"-shaped gouges. And tricky, with rock-filled water bottoms.

As you ride parallel to the gorge, ravines cut the trail at about five minute intervals. Crossing is a tricky in-and-out, down-and-up affair that's often straight with mercy. Even some switchbacks are brutal.

The most technical section is in the centre, between the 16- and 22-mile markers; mileage counters are posted on trees and the trail is marked with yellow blazes. While completely forested, the FLT also offers numerous side trails to the rim of the gulf for a view. The north end has lots of poison ivy, the south end is less used.

STATUS
Politics: The FLT is patrolled by the National Mountain Bike Patrol of Western New York. The bike patrol was instituted as a condition for the opening of the trail.
Restrictions: Riding is permitted only from June 1 to Oct 1, and not after heavy rains. Permits are required to ride the FLT, available free on a self-service basis at major trailheads; good for a year, but must be carried at all times.
Etiquette: Do not cut across switchbacks on ravine crossings. Don't skid or ride when wet. Do not ride the FLT outside of park boundaries. Ride only where permitted; not all trails are open to bikes.
Events: The park offers interpretive bike hikes on select trails throughout the season. Begun in 1997, this program attracts 25 riders on average.
Maintenance: The FLT section in Letchworth is maintained and supported by the Rochester Bicycling Club and the Western New York Mountain Bike Association.

GUIDE NOTES
Nearest Town/City: Mt. Morris, Warsaw, Geneseo, Castile, Portageville
Location: From I-90 south of Rochester, go south on I-390 to Exit #7 (at Mt. Morris), continue south on Rt 408, turn right on Rt 36 to the park's north entrance. (If coming from Buffalo, take Rt 400 south to to Rt 20A east to Rt
36 south to the park entrance.) To access the FLT, take Rt 36 south from the entrance to Chapel Rd, turn right, continue 2.5 miles (3.8 km) to Mt. Morris Dam Rd, turn right. The Mt. Morris Trailhead, where permits can be acquired, is on your right hand side. To access other parking lots along the length of the FLT, continue on and take a right fork on River Rd.
Trail Map: Available at the Visitor's Centre, and on internet, 
web: www.buffnet.net/~jsundqui/letch1.gif
Facilities: Camping, cabin rentals, hot air ballooning, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, swimming pools, museum, Glen Iris Inn and Restaurant, picnic shelters, hiking-only trails, interpretive programs, reservations.
Admission: $4/car day-fee, camping $15, rental cabins vary with ranging prices up to $83 for units with heat, water and electricity. Open for riding only from June 1 to Oct 1.
Repair Shop: Swain Ski & Sports, 131 Main St., Geneseo, NY, 
tel: 716/243-0832 or 800/836-8460; has rentals.
Tourism Info: Wyoming County Tourism, 
tel: 716/493-3190, 
fax: 716/493-3191,
email: wctpa@wycol.com  
Greater Rochester Visitors Association, 
tel: 800/677-7282 or 716/546-3070, 
fax: 716/232-4822, 
email: grva@frontiernet.net
Land Manager: Letchworth State Park, 
tel: 716/493-3600 (Park Office),
800/456-2267 (reservations).
Group Rides: RBC and WNYMBA (see Appendix B).