Pennsylvania Gulch

We did a half-day trip over to Switzerland Trail to ride the 461 loop up north and Pennsylvania Gulch (95J) in the southwest part of the area. Switzerland is always a nice, scenic ride, especially with the aspens changing colors. But for this ride, Pennsylvania is the main attraction. I’ve ridden it a few times on the DRZ and the 300, but Corinne hasn’t yet experienced the trail.

I’d call it an intermediate trail for dirt bikers. It starts out with some loose rocks on a moderate grade. After a little pull-off, the moderate grade continues, the loose rocks are sparser, and a few sections of up-to 12” embedded rocks are thrown in mix. Toward the top, the track smooths out a bit and you can grab a gear. From a technical standpoint, the embedded rocks are probably the most challenging; picking good lines and carrying your speed helps a bunch. From an endurance/stamina standpoint, rallying up the trail in one go is a good workout!

Other than a couple dumps in the hardest of the embedded rock sections, Corinne made it up without much fuss. The trails were pretty loose, so being smooth with the power delivery was key. Having a torque monster like the CRF 230F geared low definitely helps too.

The first 1:45 of the video are on a small hill climb off of Switzerland. Pennsylvania is the remainder of the video.