Mountain Bike Trails in the Finger Lakes

This is a growing list. We hope to provide descriptions of each trail system and links to maps available. The trails are roughly listed from East to West.

Bear Swamp State Forest
This is a multi-use area in Cayuga County with 14 miles of trails, about an hour from Geneva. The forest is about 3500 acres with a variety of trails, many of which are rideable, but not necessarily labeled as such on the map. This is a very good place for intermediate riders. There are not a lot of overly technical parts of trails, but many are fast and flowy. We suggest parking at the south end of the forest.
Map: Bear Swamp (DEC)
Parking Lot: 2390-2564 Bear Swamp Rd, Moravia, NY 13118
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7031184/bear-swamp-state-forest-short-loop
DEC Website: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/34420.html

Hammond Hill State Forest
This is a a multi-use area in Tompkins County, about an hour and 20 minutes from Geneva. The forest is 3618 acres with with a variety of trails, some of which are designed specifically for mountain bikes. There is a good bit of elevation change and some very long hills. Great place for intermediate and advanced riders. The parking lot below is based on that listed in MTB Project.
Map: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/maphammondh.pdf
Parking Lot: 46 Hammond Hill Rd., Freeville, NY
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7023224/hammond-hill-state-forest-tour
DEC Website: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/8204.html

Shindaigin Hollow
This is a a multi-use area in Tompkins County, about an hour and 20 minutes from Geneva. The forest is 5318 acres with a variety of trails, many of which are designed for mountain bikes. There are a total of 20 miles of trails for mountain bikes. The Finger Lakes Trail (hiking) cuts across the park as well. Some areas can be very wet in the spring.
Map: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/regions_pdf/shdhll.pdf
Parking Lot: https://www.google.com/maps?daddr=42.344829,-76.350143
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7000687/shindagin-hollow-outer-loop
DEC Website: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/64136.html

Finger Lakes National Forest
This is a multi-use area in Seneca County about 45 minutes from town that is really designed for hiking and horses. With 16,212 acres, it is very large. You can ride certain trails, but most of them are either inaccessible or hard to ride due to standing water and horse traffic. That said, it’s a good place to tie together a trail such as the Backbone trail and riding on certain gravel roads to make a loop. The only recommended larger loop on MTB Project is rideable in the winter (see below).
Map: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd580238.pdf
Parking: https://maps.google.com/?daddr=42.484256,-76.798977
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7046046/finger-lakes-national-forest-winter-tour
USDA Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/home

Ontario County Park
This is the go to place for mountain biking within an hour of Geneva. It’s about 45 minutes from Geneva and has 17 miles of trails, most of which are designed specifically for mountain biking. The trails are graded (easy, more difficult, most difficult), which makes it a great place for developing your skills. There are picnic areas available and a spur of the Finger Lakes Trail extends up into the park as well.
Map: Link
Parking: https://www.google.com/maps/place/42°42'35.1"N+77°24'48.4"W
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8011886/ontario-county-park
Website: https://www.co.ontario.ny.us/Facilities/Facility/Details/Ontario-County-Park-at-Gannett-Hill-4

Stid Hill Preserve
This is a fun place to ride and a great place to practice climbing. There are two entrances to the Stid Hill Preserve. Most mountain bikers start on the northern entrance (linked below). The trail crosses a stream and then can be very wet and unrideable at certain times of the year. Once you get up top, it’s basically a big figure 8 with some additional trails. It is a multi-use trail, so don’t be surprised to see hikers and horses. And it’s best not to ride the trail during hunting seasons.
Map: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/regions_pdf/mapstidhillwma.pdf
Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/dq322VniU4uRzXkk8
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7034063/main-trail
Website: https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/24444.html

Harriet Hollister Spencer Recreation Area
This is a great network of trails (23 miles) that includes the loop used for the S6 MTB race in the past. There are sections with tons of roots and rocks, fast and flowy sections, and some challenging climbs. It’s a great place for a full suspension bike.
Map: https://parks.ny.gov/documents/parks/HarrietHollisterHuntingMap.pdf (only a hunting map seems to be available)
Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/EBUED6wDAdht7CnY9
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8020986/harriet-hollister-spencer-state-recreation-area
Website: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/164/hunting.aspx

Dryer Road Park
Dryer is probably the best place in the area for those new to mountain biking to work on their chops. It’s also a great place to ride with kids. The 15 miles of biking and hiking trails are well marked and graded from easy to expert. It’s a dense network of trails, so over time you can learn how to connect together trails into an enjoyable ride. And there is both a bike skills area and a pump track.
Map: https://www.mygroc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/DRYER-ROAD-MAP-revised-06-23-2019.pdf
Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/2CGxhVArNL1Se3jA6
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8011895/dryer-road-park
Website: https://www.victorny.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Dryer-Road-Park-2

Tryon Park
Tryon is a popular multi-use park within the city limits of Rochester. There are 10 miles of trails that can often be fairly technical.
Map: https://www.mygroc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/tryon.pdf
Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/Q87qWWf6QB4TyQiL8
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8013140/tryon-park
Website: https://www.monroecounty.gov/parks-tryon

Irondequoit Bay Park West
Bay Park West is not too far from Tryon and has 6 miles trails that are often fast and flowy. It is accessible by riders of all skill levels.
Map: https://www.mygroc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IBPW-map-Aug-2020.pdf
Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/UWEnMmeLMgkfyu278
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8011884/irondequoit-bay-park-west
Website: https://www.monroecounty.gov/parks-baywest

Letchworth State Park
This is a fun 21 mile trail that starts down the gorge from the falls at Letchworth. Some of the stream crossings can be very challenging, technically, but are a lot of fun. It has some fantastic overlooks to the gorge and the forest is beautiful. Most importantly, you can start at the Mount Morris Dam, ride north along the trail, and get out to the paved road at a number of places if you want to do a longer ride on the trail, but get back to your car more quickly.
Map: https://parks.ny.gov/documents/parks/LetchworthParkMap.pdf
Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/TUNnYxnfvpNw5aHs9
MTB Project: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/2081467/letchworth-state-park-flt-branch
Website: https://letchworthpark.com/