Meet up on Hope Street near Swan Point cemetery and head north to the Monastery for your first cut at the action. Dig the blasting site from a quaint overlook before shredding the remainder of this righteous segment.

North of the Monastery, you’ll cross under I-295 into the buuurbs, where you’ll find an unsuspecting portal leading into the Cumberland Conversation Lands. You’ll need to detour on pavement briefly to avoid a serious bog, before reentering another brief section of woods off Pound Road.

Pick up the Cumberland Conservation Lands yet again off Nate Whipple Highway, in a section known as Ash Swamp. Don’t be deterred!  It’s not so swampy, and you can catch a glimpse of an old wire-frame grain silo!  Take care to walk your bike in posted sections (especially the wet parts) before hitting Tower Hill Road.

Next, enter Diamond Hill Park for a few rough and tumbly miles that’ll make you wish upon a star for squishier tires. Here, good navigation is crucial as the terrain gets steep and the trail may not be obvious.  Pure crystalline glucose is available at The Ice Cream Machine on your left upon exiting the woods at Diamond Hill Rd.

As your sugar rush kicks into gear, head through the park across the street, taking any of the steep trails leading over the hill to pleasanter terrain around the reservoir. You’ll gain more trails around Arnold Mills Reservoir just over the barrier off Reservoir Road, where you’ll soon encounter a stream that could be tricky to cross in high season.  

You’ll hit one final section of bermy trails in Hines Farm - Millers Oak, then the streets will lead you back from whence you came. When you’ve slaked your thirst and dusted off your salts, only diamonds will remain.