Patterson

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E-Bikes Unknown

Like the rest of the Art Roscoe Trail system, Patterson is a ski trail that is designated for mountain biking in summer. Although these trails are wide enough to run a groomer, by summer most sections have a singletrack worn down the middle, so they don't really have that two-track feel.

Patterson is an old railroad grade. Take a look at the profile. Especially after the junction with Ridge Run and Snowsnake, the grade is incredibly constant. Climbing this trail is fun because you get in the groove and can zone out all the way to the top. Find your 95% of your anaerobic threshold, hold it, never shift gears, and when you reach the top you have the best endorphin rush; best of all, this kind of high is legal!

This trail starts at the lower trailhead of the Art Roscoe Trail Network. Although the annual Raccoon Rally race enters the trail network through this trailhead, it otherwise gets little use, with most people joining Patterson at the end of Ridge Run.

But for those starting all the way from the bottom (perhaps after an exhilarating run down the Bova Downhill), this trail starts just to the left of the former ski hill and starts climbing right away. This first section is the steepest part of the trail, and soon you reach the merge with the end of Ridge Run and Snowsnake.

Here it begins its long constant grade climb. On the way up, it has to left turns as it follows the undulations of the ridge it is climbing. After the second leftward swing, you soon see the start of snowsnake (its upper terminus). This signals you are near the top and it's time to pick up the pace and leave everything on the trail.

The trail ends at the summit trailhead.