Fair Hill #1 :: No Class Means Fair Hill

Fair Hill is a 5,633 acre Natural Resources Management Area, where multiple management practices are employed for the maximum use and protection of Maryland's natural resources. Bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and less than one half mile west of Delaware, Fair Hill is known for its pristine fields, woodlands and natural beauty.

At one time Fair Hill was one of the largest private land holdings in the East, formerly owned by William duPont, Jr., an avid equestrian who acquired the farmland as a means to enjoying riding as well as fox chasing. Fair Hill was purchased by the state in 1975 from Mr. duPont's estate.

I love this place! There I said it. In terms of land mass Fair Hill is the biggest area I've ridden to date. I rode for 4.5 hours and never hit the same trail twice. The trails are a nice mix of everything a mountain biker needs. From beautiful XC to light DH. I haven't found any crazy gaps or drops bigger than a foot to a foot and a half. I did ride through a few water crossings, get tagged by stinging nettles and scare a few grazing deer and of course breathe in gigantic volumes of fresh air and whoop it up on a couple radical descents.

I saw 3 foundations of old buildings, even rode through one. Crossed 4 bridges and 2 tunnels, saw 5 horses and a family of 4 pheasants jump out of a crumbling wood shed and fly upwards to the canopy above. I rode trails that skirted a stream, parted puddles with my tires that were ripe with tadpoles. In all the hours I was there I passed 4 mountain bikers. And par for normal, I said hello and one said nothing, the other just grumbled an incoherent fragment of acknowledgment and the other two were far off in the distance.

The friendliest folk by far were the horse riders. All the riders I saw were women, probably rich upper class (to be riding a horse in the woods on a workday afternoon, sorry but your probably rich as hell). Its crazy to be standing there off to the side of the trail as a huge horse trots by, his eyes looking at you the entire time as the vibrations from his hoof prints wiggle the ground beneath my feet. And once they are past, its back on the bike for more trail blazing.

If you have the time and the bike, I recommend XC here. There are a few sections where a light FR bike could be fun but 96% of your experience will be XC. Pack water, granola and fruit and buy a map, you'll be thankful you did.

Fair Hill Park Link