Moon Lake Wander

Dogs Off-leash

E-Bikes Unknown

The trails at Moon Lake can seem confusing, but if you follow your instincts at every intersection, you'll have a good time. The trails are pretty well laid out for rhythm, and although there are a number of options, you can't really get lost. There is not a ton of climbing, but the trails have a significant amount of rock to keep you honest.

"The Lake" used to be a County Park with a lot of facilities, but it was handed over to the Bureau of Forestry a few years ago. It had fallen into disrepair before The State took it, and it is slowly being cleaned up. The new trailhead is pretty sweet, including a nice picnic area. Plus, being a State Forest means you can drink beer and ride at night.

I am not a local. Locals can tell you every name of every unsigned trail and probably can tell you the right way to ride each one. I can't do any of that. What I can tell you is that I left the new trailhead parking lot and started riding the trails clock-wise (across a little bridge and through the gap in the rock wall).

I then just decided to follow whatever trail seemed to be the most worn in and see where it would take me. There were a couple of forest road crossings that took a little more head-scratching and one bit where I popped out on the campground loop and had to consult the map, but otherwise I was pretty happy with the way I transitioned from one trail to the next.

The area isn't that big, and most trails in any given area seem to generally flow towards the next area of trail. At about the 2 o'clock position (if we are thinking about the ride as a clock face) there is a pretty cool rock outcropping that the ride traverses multiple times, and there are some cool optional lines.

For most of the ride, you'll sense that the lake and the surrounding fields are generally to your right, so you'll have a sense of where you are and won't feel too lost.