Mountain Biking Comlara Park- Southern Trails

If you are looking for some decent single track, trails with gnarly stunts and a challenging down-hill course, look no further than Comlara Park. Located in Hudson, IL (about 15 minutes north of Blo-No if you take US-51) this park surrounds Lake Evergreen. Arriving at the mountain biking area may be confusing the first time you go to Comlara because you have to pass by the main park entrance and take a winding, picturesque route about half-way around the lake. The easiest way to get to the main trailhead is to continue west on Route 8 (after you turn off 51) and follow it for about 4 miles. You will eventually come to a large, gravel parking lot with a latrine... you can't miss it!

Big dip on Trail 3

From this main parking lot, you will have direct access to a series of numbered, lettered and named trails. Trails numbered 1 thru 7 are mostly single track. Trails lettered A and B are a little wider and are double track. There is also the Lakeview Trail, Fisherman's Trail and White Oak Trail, all of which are double track as well. I find the lettered and named trails to be fairly easier than the numbered, single track.The main trailhead parking lot is situated so that you begin in the middle of the trail system either at trail 4, Fisherman's Trail or trails A and B. My favorite thing to do at this point is to take Fisherman's Trail east until I reach trail 6. Although this may not be the wisest choice, I then warm up on trail 6 (which is the stunt course) and from there, I hit all of the single track in descending order (6-5-4-B-3-2-1) and then return back to trail 6 by taking the single track in ascending order. I normally avoid the double track because it isn't as challenging and it sometimes doesn't lead back to the single track in the most convenient way. I also avoid Coharie Pass and Trail 7 because I am not a fan of the flow and the stunts on this trail, however many people do enjoy it, so don't knock it until you try it!

View of Lake Evergreen off Fisherman's Trail

Comlara in the Fall

For the most part, the trails at Comlara Park have a nice flow to them. I find that going from trail 1 to trail 6 is a little easier and flows better than riding from trail 6 to trail 1, but it is fun either way! One thing I would recommend is checking out a map of this trail system before you venture onto it because it can be a little confusing at first. Here is a map of the CORBA trail system at Comlara Park:

Or you can visit this website (http://comlaramtb.com/our-trails/) for a printable version of the map.

Pros of Comlara Southern Trails:
- Very easy to get to!
- Perfect for a quick 1-2 hour ride after work or on the weekend
- Very scenic with lots of trees and some lake-view sections
- Varied level of difficulty throughout the trails
- Lots of different stunts to test your skills and "chutzpah" and all stunts have an out if you decide you're not up to it

Cons of Comlara Southern Trails:
- This trail system is only about 4.5 miles long so if you're looking for a longer workout, you may have to ride each trail a few times
- There are some very tight turns and tree passages that make it easy to bash your handlebars
- The trail system can be a little difficult to learn at first
- There are quite a few steep dips and then climbs in the trail that can be frustrating for beginners
- Lots of roots (which is fine if you are a seasoned rider, but can be scary for beginners) and beware of black walnuts in the fall! They are the size of a golf ball and the color of a tennis ball and they have the ability to make your tires slide out from underneath you