2018 Bartram Trail Conditions

[Angela]

There are approximately 7 trees down on Bartram west beginning just past the 11 mile marker if you are traveling west.

[emandme]

We rode Bartram today. We started at Halloway Road, crossed over Dogwood Lane and rode past a few disc golf holes. There were 2 trees down on the trail that we couldn't ride over. We had to stop to take our bikes over the trees. We turned around when we saw a third tree down.

[Angela]

Thanks for the heads up! An afternoon thunderstorm or high winds can and does put trees down across all the local trails. We have a handful of dedicated, USFS certified chain sawyers but they are volunteers and work to get to the downed trees as soon as they are able after they are reported. I would say in a typical year we end up removing between 100 and 200 trees off the trail (and that is only the ones we know about). Thanks so much for reporting!

[wgp]

I rode the entire trail over the last two weekends: West Dam to Petersburg on August 5, 2018 (including the Lake Spring loop) and Petersburg to Washington Road on August 12, 2018. Overall, this is a great trail. The only deficiency is the last couple miles just before arriving at Washington Road. This section is obviously less used but still quite passable. At Washington Road, you can cross the highway right on to the Keg Creek Trail. Bartram is smooth and even-flowing without too many roots, a very enjoyable and satisfying ride, plus the views are outstanding. There are numerous places along the trail where you can stop, rest, and enjoy the water. Bartram may not quite rival the routes at FATS in terms of technicality, but it most definitely provides a pleasing ride on a very well maintained trail.