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This is a very good location to park and ride. Accessibility to trail head less than 100 ft away. The parking lot accommodates trucks with trailers. There is definitely enough parking space for a 20 vehicles with trailers. The restrooms were clean. No running water but not too shabby. The trail system is vast. There are easy trails and some decent technical single track just for bikes. All in all...trails for everyone to ride. Kids, atvs, side by sides, riding for the whole family. Come check it out. Like the post of you found this helpful.
2022 Feb 22 TUE ~08:15 -to- ~12:15, chilly ~low 30s_F, i was in Capitol State Forest where i did a hike of the (Alltrails named) "North Rim Trail to Candy Mountain". It was non-eventful ramble, but for the ~400 ft of traverse through the clusters of fallen brush, branches, (small) trees obstacles on the (probably) "Climber's Path (this was shown in Alltrails map, but not in GaiaGPS).
Anyway, after getting to the Rock Candy Mountain top, for my return to the trailhead, i avoided this "Climber's Path" by way of the (Service Road) C-4700. Btw, the Divide Trail North and the C-4700 are gravelled roads, good condition, thin layer of (morning) frost cover - passable with care. The North Rim #1 Trail was "ok" .. some partial-iced puddles. And cos of the cold weather, the frozen ground makes for a good "solid" walking on it.
Nice views can be had from the C-4700 and Divide Trail North - cos of the "clearcuts" 😅
i saw no other people during my ~3+ hours on the Trail. "Bonus" for me - had lots of peace, quiet and sweet solitude 😊
Btw, there were (DNRWA) signs: "Trails Closed to Motorized Use" / "December 1 - April 30". Also, the Restrooms are the Trailhead are very clean - many thanks to the Maintenance Crew and Capitol State Forest.
Happy Trails Everyone! And Be Safe!
my stats: (Alltrails) 7.3 mi / EG 1,867 ft / Total Time: 3:35
Cute airy i feel like it is more geared for dirt bike riders but while that was all that was there besides myself the noise wasn’t even noticeable at all. In fact I remember just seeing ppl and their bikes but only hearing it once or twice. So overall very peaceful.
These trails are shared with dirt bikes which make the paths challenging. There aren't a ton of paths to get lost, however not many signs to guide you either. It's challenging and quite steep at some points. Rocks on the path can be challenging walking down as well, so just be prepared for a challenging hike if you go more than a mile. It's a favorite of mine already.
Trail itself with extensive network of overlanding trails is excellent. The crowds of side by side users ignoring off road driving etiquette and nearly colliding head on with me by flying too fast around a blind curve? Not so much. Be prepared to contend with those who don’t know that trail etiquette exists. But other than that, fantastic place you could spend weeks exploring.
