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Raystown Deer Trails and Hydro Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.5 (60)
  1. Areas
  2. PA
  3. …South Central PA
  4. …Allegrippis
  5. Raystown Lake
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“A short but sweet quick loop at Raystown. ”

Frank Maguire
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Map Key

9.5

Miles

15.3

KM

100%

Singletrack

1,291' 394 m

High

813' 248 m

Low

691' 211 m

Up

695' 212 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (2°)

16%

Max Grade (9°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

Overview

A great route if you only have a little bit of time but want to hit some of the highlights of the Allegrippis trails. This ride will get you right down to lake level and make you pay on the return to the parking lot. Lots of fast flowy sections but at the same time its definitely worth stopping and taking in the view on Hydro loop.

I rode this route with my son who is nine, so it's not out of the realm of just about anyone with a little fitness and even passable bike handling skills. On the flipside, if you want to go fast, the descent down Osprey is not to be sneezed at.

Need to Know

The Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake are mountain bike optimized trails. Expect trails that contour and roll with bermed turns and lots of flow. In other words...expect a lot of fun!

Raystown Lake is very developed for recreation and has camping, picnic and boating facilities. There are a few places to get general provisions, but for the most part, gas, food and lodging are found in the nearby town of Huntingdon.

Description

It's been said that any ride at Raystown can be described as "go right until you don't want to anymore". The system is pretty close to being self-contained and very well signed, including large maps of the entire system at key intersections.

This ride leaves the Parking lot on Buck Trail and then takes a right on Doe (thus the Deer Loop). For this ride, I bypassed the first intersection with Sleek Dog Trail to take a right on Osprey. Osprey is really fast and you lose a lot of elevation quick, so take it easy. Be especially prepared after the two big berms as there are a couple of grade reversals that will buck you if you aren't careful. At the intersection with Hydro Loop, Go counter-clockwise for maximum flow. As you get down near the lake, there is an area that beavers cleared out that has become the hang out spot, even a swimming spot if its warm.

After Hydro Loop, go left on Eagle and follow it back across Susquehannock Road and continue to Switch. In the interest of time, I climbed out on Switch, but Sleek Dog is a great trail that will get you to the same spot. After climbing Switch, Take a right on Sleek Dog, cross the road again and then take a left on Doe to reverse back to the car.

History & Background

The Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake are the culmination of a partnership between IMBA and the Army Corps of Engineers that began in 2002. The Trails themselves were one of the first wholly new, machine built trail systems on the East Coast and have been a smashing success. As of now, there are about 33 miles of trails to enjoy but there is talk of more to come.

Contacts

Local Club: Raystown Mountain Bike Association

Land Manager: US Army Corps - Raystown Lake Office

Shared By:

Frank Maguire
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.5 from 60 votes

#1

in Raystown Lake

#256

Overall
  4.5 from 60 votes
5 Star
62%
4 Star
28%
3 Star
10%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Raystown Lake

#2

in Pennsylvania

#256

Overall
32 Views Last Month
27,256 Since May 8, 2013
Intermediate Intermediate
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Photos

Rolling gently along Buck
Jul 10, 2013 near McConne…, PA
Screamin' through the green on Doe at Raystown Lake Trails
May 28, 2013 near McConne…, PA
Nice sweeping berm on Osprey trail
Oct 10, 2015 near McConne…, PA
Cruising
May 12, 2013 near McConne…, PA
Do yourself a favor and checkout the endless flow at Allegrippis.
Oct 21, 2024 near McConne…, PA
Brief stop to take in a view of the lake.
Jul 3, 2020 near McConne…, PA

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Check-Ins

Aug 28, 2021
Skylar Cook
Jul 27, 2020
Chuck Riegel
This route plus some other trails. Great trail system. 16.4mi — 2h 52m
Jul 25, 2020
Jelden James Arcilla
Jul 4, 2020
Jeff Carter
22enek3j88s1n 9rm96ku4lm3gjty888cm9un 1112mi
Jul 26, 2019
James Astolas
10.3mi — 9h 20m
Jun 21, 2019
Matt Benchek
Awesome ride, very wet, ride hydro opposite next time, Fawn better ride back up. Wrecked hard twice near end 9mi — 3h 30m
Jun 12, 2019
Willard Jackson
12.9mi — 2h 11m
Jun 2, 2019
Greg Palloni

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