Garrett County has some of, arguably, the best bike riding in the country. I make it a point to ride year-round and it’s always a great time.
If there’s snow, there are no problems. Just a few inches of snow will freeze the ground and most mountain bikes can handle a little bit snow. There might be some slipping and sliding but it’s about being outside and breathing the fresh air! Plan on a short ride because if you’re pushing through the snow on your bike it can get tiring.
If there’s more than a few inches of snow, we will try to ride fat bikes where it’s groomed. I know Herrington Manor State Park will groom their trails when there is about 6 inches of snow or more. The Deep Creek Lake Lion’s Club Park will also groom as conditions allow. Lastly, there is another local park that does do some grooming but I advise you to stay away from it if you’re looking to bike: New Germany State Park. New Germany park is what I call “ski-first” and those trails are excellent cross-country ski trails. When they groom or set ski tracks, personally, I want to ensure the mountain or fat bikes don’t mess up those tracks.
That said, it’s important to note that all Maryland State Parks are multi-use trails so hikers, bikers, skiers, and equestrians have to get along on any trail. And no motorized vehicles — including ebikes — are allowed on Maryland State property unless otherwise noted. Of course, this is at the time of this writing in February 2023 and I hope to update this in the future.
Lastly, the most important thing to keep in mind when trail riding in the winter is to watch out for the freeze-thaw cycle. If you set out on a trail and find it to be muddy and wet, you could be interrupting the ground’s natural trail rejuvenator. In the winter, moisture in the ground expands as it freezes, so at least the top layer of the dirt is loosened up. If you go riding through this layer of loose dirt, you are doing significant damage to the trails.
When winter riding, make sure the ground is completely dry or completely frozen solid. “If you leave a track, turn back”
