Hidden Gems: Lower Jurassic
Some of the less appreciated trails in the neighbourhood.
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Since the pandemic brought normal life to a crushing halt 15-ish months ago, people flocked in droves to outdoor sports where they could get away from the gross moist exhalations of their fellow man. And since it’s 2021, their fellow woman as well. To this day there are probably like three times more people on the trails than before the pandemic.
At one point I thought I wanted this, but it turns out that no, I don’t. I want the trails to be in perfect condition and devoid of human life aside from a few friends so that we can have a quick trailside chat.
Being somewhat of a local to the GORBA trails, while I was out for a ride today I was able to sneak down a dodgy looking offshoot to have a go on today’s gem-du-jour: Lower Jurassic.
I’m not going to tell you how to find it because I like having the trail all to myself. But this trail is definitely a gem in this trail system and if more than five people ride it in a day, my mind will be thoroughly blown. I just looked it up on Trailforks and it’s a lot less popular than the alternative, Upper Jurassic. I really like Upper Jurassic, it’s got a tricky off-camber rooty section I quite enjoy. But Lower Jurassic is classified as one of the few black diamond trails in this system and it doesn’t get the love it deserves. There are some punchy ascents and descents, but they aren’t janky and frustrating like I find they are on Phoenix. Not that it’s a bad trail, I just don’t see why everyone loves it so much.
If you hook onto the trail in the direction God intended, you finish with probably the longest and most technical climb in the trail system. No, it’s not the one pictured above, I didn’t take a photo because the lighting was dogshit so I’m sorry. But trust you me: if you make it to the top, you’ve earned a quick break at the top before carrying on. If not, have a quick break and a drink anyway and feel good about yourself because you tried something challenging today.
Then stay the hell off my trail. Please.
The downside is that a few of the lower sections of trail are a couple of storms away from falling into the lake. But I suppose at that point I hop on the trail crew and reroute the damn thing to higher ground.
[Editor’s Note: Even though I talk shit a bit about Phoenix there’s been a lot of hard work going into these trails and I’m very thankful and appreciate it. If you ride these trails, please consider becoming a member via the GORBA website]
In other news, look how mossy it was on Canada Day on those weird trails around Hell’s Kitchen:
