A Local's Guide to the Hurricane Trail System

Tucked away, just minutes from the bustling downtown of North Conway, is some of the finest riding New England has to offer. Fast tech, flowy berms, and some monstrous climbs make up the Hurricane Trail System. A volunteer created and maintained network managed by our friends at Ride NOCO in conjunction with the US Forest Service, Upper Saco Valley Land Trust and the Town of Conway. As much as we love riding here, we recognize how overwhelming it can be to plan a ride. In an effort to optimize your time on the trails, we have created a short guide on what we believe to be the best ways to get up and down our beloved Hurricane trails. 

Proper preparation is key to getting full value. To start off, you're going to need to get up the mountain. That being said, this is where having a plan can drastically make a difference. There are a few different options to choose from and your experience/fitness may help dictate your path up. Lets go through the options:

-----------------------------------CAR SHUTTLES -------------------------------------

A fan favorite, but requires a bit of planning depending on group size and bike capacity of your vehicles. Ideally, everybody in the party can fit their bikes in both vehicles. However, as long as all the bikes can be transported up to the top, all is well. Start by loading up one car with all the bikes in the group at the big Cranmore dirt parking lot. Make sure to properly stash away the keys for the second vehicle in a bag or zippered pocket (Nobody wants to be the one pedaling back up and searching for their keys on trail). Hop in and drive up to the top of Hurricane Mountain Road and park at the Black Cap Trailhead. Please adhere to all the parking restrictions up there! Sometimes it can be tight as its also a very popular hiking trailhead. Kit up and start pedaling up the Black Cap Trail for a few minutes to reach the Ride NOCO kiosk. This is where all the descents begin. Take a minute to have a sip of water and make a plan to ride down. Please note that some trails (Redtail, Sendero, Tornado, and Hurricane) spit you out at the water tower parking lot at the base of Hurricane Mountain Road and you may have to pedal back over to Cranmore to access your other vehicle. Once you've reached the bottom, it's time for you and a buddy to drive back up and retrieve the car at the top. If you have more than two people in your party or can't fit all the bikes in the secondary vehicle, have one person stay behind in the parking lot to keep an eye on your bikes. Drive both cars back down to Cranmore and repeat! This method will save you most energy, but may not be for everybody.

North Conway is a mountain town and sees a big influx of visitors from the fourth of July until Columbus Day. Weekends are always busier than weekdays and may present some challenges in parking at the Black Cap trailhead at the top of Hurricane Mountain Road.

--------------------------HURRICANE HIGHWAY & KETTLE RIDGE----------------------

Some call it the "purist's" approach to the system and some refuse to suffer up the roots and switchbacks. Leave your car at the Cranmore lot and head up to Hurricane Highway. Starting smooth and somewhat flowy, it provides 530 feet of gain over 1.2 miles of easy climbing to get your muscles warmed up for whats ahead. Take a steep right to get on Kettle Ridge. Continue for another half mile and 250 feet to reach the first kiosk. From here, you have a few options. Sendero and Tornado are two shorter descents that start from this point, or you can continue on Kettle Ridge for another 2 miles towards the top of the system. If you feel pretty tired at the first kiosk, it might make sense to do a few laps of sendero or tornado. They spit you out at two different sections of lower Hurricane Highway, but only take about 15-20 minutes to get back to the top. If you're feeling good at the first kiosk, or maybe just looking to put in some work, climb the rest of Kettle Ridge. Once at the top, the world is your oyster and there are lots of options that will broken down later in this guide!

--------------------------HURRICANE MOUNTAIN ROAD--------------------------------

Perhaps the most efficient way to pedal up is via Hurricane Mountain Road. Shorter and steeper, but without the roots that suck the energy out of you. That being said, it is probably best to avoid pedaling up the road during really high traffic times. The road is quite narrow and sometimes people thinking they're in a rally car racing to the summit. It takes roughly 45 minutes to reach the Black Cap trailhead from the Cranmore lot and another 10 or so minutes to reach the kiosk from the trailhead. 

--------------------------HALF DAY AT CATHEDRAL LEDGE-----------------------------

With the bulk of Ride NOCO's trails in the Hurricane system, it can be easy to overlook Half Day located at the top of Cathedral Ledge. Don't sleep on it, though. Perhaps the most scenic spot in town and some of the best loam as well. Park on the road and make sure to obey all the parking signs. Climb 500 ft via the paved road to the top or shuttle. There is a parking lot up top, but can be very busy during peak hours. An eMTB makes quick work of the climb and is highly recommended to maximize riding time. Make sure to reserve a rental ahead of time if you don't own one yourself! Below you will find a little bonus route to tack on Whitehorse Ledge and make a loop that's a shop favorite.

photo by Brett Protasiewicz

-------------------BEST WAY TO LINK TOGETHER TRAILS/CLIMBS----------------------

Everybody is trying to get a little something different out of their time on the bike. However, I think we can all agree that squeezing out every last ounce of fun is the top priority. Below are some good options to consider when planning your ride regardless of how you get to the top.

Looking to see the full spectrum of trail? Starting at the kiosk, drop into Hurricane. Once you reach the intersection, climb Redtail back to the top. Keep an eye uphill for downhill traffic! Please use the bypass that comes up on your left to avoid the high speed straightaway/ledgey drop section. Once at the top, hop onto Surf's up and keep the speed rolling all the way into Charlie's. After you blast through some rocks and roots in the trees you pop out and cross a ski slope. If you're itching to get a little rowdy, do a quick traverse on the Kettle Connector over to the lower section of Kandagnar. Enjoy some steeps and high speed chunk down to Hurricane Highway. If you're only feeling a little rowdy, continue down Charlie's and get your daily dose of berms. Evaluate how much you have left in the tank and decide if you want to add a little extra. Feeling really good and looking for more?! Pedal up Hurricane Highway and take Kettle Ridge all the way back to the top. Feeling a little tired, but not quite ready to quit just yet? Take Hurricane Highway and Kettle Ridge back to the first kiosk and sample Sendero or Tornado. Totally spent? (We've all been there) cruise on back down to your car.

photo by Andrew Drummond

Running a little late or just want one full value lap? Rip down Surf's up and bang a hard right to Kandagnar. Stay light through the roots, believe in yourself through the rocky chute, and catch some airtime off the big jump. Directly after the jump, hang right onto Kettle Connector and follow it all the way over the lower kiosk. If you've managed to do all this in a full pull thus far, keep it going down Sendero! You can always regain the feeling of your hands at the bottom.

Newer to biking and just dipping your toes in? Consider doing some laps of lower Tornado. It's just about one mile of climbing on Hurricane Highway and avoids all the steep and more technical climbing on Kettle Ridge. On a left hand switchback you will notice a sign for Tornado on your right. Rinse and repeat as many times as you want!

BONUS ROUTE: This one is a shop favorite. It gives you a little backcountry feel without getting too far out there. You can park at the bottom of Cathedral or Echo Lake State Park depending on how much you'd rather pedal at the beginning or end of your ride. Head over to Stony Ridge and take that all the way to the top of Whitehorse. From the top, hop on Red Ridge trail. This section of trail has some really choice bits of rooty tech without being too extreme. There is a hard right after descening a few hundred feet that comes up quick. Keep going until you reach the intersection of Fire Road 379 and take a right. From here, it gets a touch muddy. Not exactly the greatest section of trail, but it puts you roughly halfway up Cathedral Ledge Road. Finish the road climb and take in the view before dropping into Half Day and back to your car. Click this link to check it out on Trailforks!

photo by Brett Protasiewicz

As always, swing by the shop when you're in the area! We're just one mile away from the trails.

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