Ride - Wissahickon Valley, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA
Fairmount Park is one of Philadelphia's unheralded gems. The section I ride is 8-10 miles long from the bus terminus at the bottom to the top. The Valley sides have a mixture of hiking and mixed-use trails that have sections that are steep enough and technical enough for a decent workout and a test of riding skill. Forbidden Drive is a wide gravel track that provides a good warm-up ride before the more technical sections or a good long warm-down after the technical sections (that's what I tend to do). I rode in the middle of the day so it was warmer and busier with walkers than I prefer. It's also noticeable that the other riders here are mostly men. This matches the general mountain biking pattern. I often wonder why more women don't want to ride out in the natural environment.
