what bike would be best to take
gemini or prophet?
we'll be there for 3 days all over the moutain.
gemini or prophet?
we'll be there for 3 days all over the moutain.
we're going to pisgah
- Thread starter singlepivot
- Start date
definitely take the Prophet.
i have heard pisgah area had some fr/dh. i thought i'd be hiking up the hills anyhow. bent creek seems like a must ride.
Prophet. You'll be bored to tears on a Gemini.
thanks guys
most fun thing oyu can do in Pisgah is to go to Brevard.
Park at the Ranger Station. Ride your bike out to the pavement, go right. Take the first dirt road on your right. Pedal up to the horse stables. Turn rt there and climb the steep logging road behind the stables. This is called Clawhammer. Take your 1st right on gravel on Clawhammer.
At the fire ring, turn right. You're on Black Mtn. Ride down. Next intersection, turn back up to your left on Thrift Cove.
Ride down thrift cove. When it hits gravel, turn back up left and climb just a little bit to Sycamore Cove...go down. At the pavement, turn left and back to the parking lot of the Ranger station.
You will thank me.
Park at the Ranger Station. Ride your bike out to the pavement, go right. Take the first dirt road on your right. Pedal up to the horse stables. Turn rt there and climb the steep logging road behind the stables. This is called Clawhammer. Take your 1st right on gravel on Clawhammer.
At the fire ring, turn right. You're on Black Mtn. Ride down. Next intersection, turn back up to your left on Thrift Cove.
Ride down thrift cove. When it hits gravel, turn back up left and climb just a little bit to Sycamore Cove...go down. At the pavement, turn left and back to the parking lot of the Ranger station.
You will thank me.
got that one beat.
park at mills river.
climb up trace ridge.
cross over blue ridge parkway.
ride down to the bent creek are.
ride all around.
climb back up to the parkway.
turn right.
travel along the blue ridge parkway to just shy of the pisgah inn.
find your way down to the laurel mt. trail.
rip it.
turn left at it's end and bomb down back to the parking lot.
the full biscuit.
(with gravy)
park at mills river.
climb up trace ridge.
cross over blue ridge parkway.
ride down to the bent creek are.
ride all around.
climb back up to the parkway.
turn right.
travel along the blue ridge parkway to just shy of the pisgah inn.
find your way down to the laurel mt. trail.
rip it.
turn left at it's end and bomb down back to the parking lot.
the full biscuit.
(with gravy)
Top of trace ridge is a dead end into the Parkway with no crossover. Only trail there is the Shut In trail which is illegal for bikes. If you climbed Trace to get to Bent Creek, you'd have to ride down the parkway a mile, turn left on gravel and ride down 1/2 mile on gravel before hitting any trail, which would be a left onto Lowe Sidehill, a climb.
Hammerhead climbers bang out strange Bent Creek/Mills River combos alot. Not saying it's not a route...but this guy wants lots of down with minimum granny ring.
we always took some kind of right turn up there somewhere that brought us to an underpass on the parkway.
then it was down that gravel road.
did that ride two to three times a month for years when i was riding x-c.
not a bad ride in that whole forest.
i was riding there on fridays with a riding partner.
even on wednesdays with terry.
and then the following sunday with a small group of anyone who wanted to be drug around on death marches.
average speed wasn't the goal.
non-stop mileage was.
guys would come with us on sundays and say, "let's do this ride"
then we'd say, "yeah, but then we can take it out here and do this one too."
it was at that moment that many riders realized they'd never come back with us again.
then it was down that gravel road.
did that ride two to three times a month for years when i was riding x-c.
not a bad ride in that whole forest.
i was riding there on fridays with a riding partner.
even on wednesdays with terry.
and then the following sunday with a small group of anyone who wanted to be drug around on death marches.
average speed wasn't the goal.
non-stop mileage was.
guys would come with us on sundays and say, "let's do this ride"
then we'd say, "yeah, but then we can take it out here and do this one too."
it was at that moment that many riders realized they'd never come back with us again.
yeah..I ran into that group from Knoxville JP was in a few times. Every time they'd tell me their route, I'd just say "damn...that's a long, long, long ride"
it got longer after he left.
i miss my x-c fitness.
those rides in that forest are some of the best you'll do in this country.
Good Heavens...death march is right on that one. That's definitely an ENTIRE day on your bike. Joey -- the invitation is always there for you to join us on these pisgah rides. Only took me an hour 45 to get back to Asheville on Sunday morning in the rain. 
hit the gorge on Sunday afternoon yet?Good Heavens...death march is right on that one. That's definitely an ENTIRE day on your bike. Joey -- the invitation is always there for you to join us on these pisgah rides. Only took me an hour 45 to get back to Asheville on Sunday morning in the rain.
Fvck yeah! We got the season passes this year so it's on! Pics from this weekend are coming up later when I get off work and back home to my camera.
yeah.Good Heavens...death march is right on that one. That's definitely an ENTIRE day on your bike. Joey -- the invitation is always there for you to join us on these pisgah rides. Only took me an hour 45 to get back to Asheville on Sunday morning in the rain.
i bet that audi really likes that run from the 81 split on into town.
i've pushed the limits of 100m.p.h.+ traction on some of those turns.
many times the trip over there and back was better than the ride itself.
got into a rather heavy duel with a mustang gt once.
pissed him off to see a 1970 monte carlo with two mt. bikes on the roof out dive him into turn after turn at triple digits.
The audi likes the high speed for sure. Especially that stretch of I40 in WNC/East TN. You can really cruise through there for sure. Anyway, can't wait to make it back...
dudes keep it up.
4 to 6 of us are coming up for a weekend trip from Atlanta. We love it nasty, mean, and fast dh, with fr stuff that'll keep a grin on faces for months on end. tell us about the best spots to rip and shred for 3 days. we have cars and will move to camps near trails. most of have bigger bikes and will not mind grinding them up or hiking. we've all done xc all over and are looking for something special.
4 to 6 of us are coming up for a weekend trip from Atlanta. We love it nasty, mean, and fast dh, with fr stuff that'll keep a grin on faces for months on end. tell us about the best spots to rip and shred for 3 days. we have cars and will move to camps near trails. most of have bigger bikes and will not mind grinding them up or hiking. we've all done xc all over and are looking for something special.
drkenan, posted pics yet?
It's a DH only mountain. You climb that road up and you'll have BF Goodrich tattooed on your spine from the local yahoos 4 wheel drifting. Come with a shuttle vehicle to drive to the top.dudes keep it up.
4 to 6 of us are coming up for a weekend trip from Atlanta. We love it nasty, mean, and fast dh, with fr stuff that'll keep a grin on faces for months on end. tell us about the best spots to rip and shred for 3 days. we have cars and will move to camps near trails. most of have bigger bikes and will not mind grinding them up or hiking. we've all done xc all over and are looking for something special.
Not saying you CAN'T climb that mountain...but for your own safety, I would advise against it. And there are no trails that climb up that we're allowed on as far as I know.
Unless he's talking about Pisgah... afterall that's what the topic is right??
yes, we are talking about pisgah. we are looking for ideas on trails to hit while we are there for three days.
my bad...thought you'd skipped over to Windrock ride possibilities.
Oh my favorite subject! Shuttling in Pisgah.
Spend the $12 or whatever it is an buy the Trails Illustrated Map.
1) Cove Creek/CaneyBottoms - Perfectly legal shuttle right off the gravel road from the Fish Hatchery. Nothing insane, but a fun ride.
2) Beaver Dam Gap to Trace and/Or Spencer and Fletcher. There is a little climb to reach the top of Trace, but well worth it. From the same spot you can descend down Spencer, but then have a 1 mile relatively easy climb out of the Reservoir.
3) From the Pisgah in, walk the first 1/2-mile and descend down 7 miles of singletrack bliss on Laurel, then the 3 miles of 30+mph on the fire service road back to the N Mills camp area.
The Clawhammer/Black mountain ride that Bizutch described is one of the best in the area, just plan on a lot of pedaling, but it is worth it.
Bent Creek is also a lot of fun, but it doesn't really have the backwoods feel that other areas of Pisgah. It is very groomed, fast and fun. Be prepared to climb.
Probably the most popular route.
From the Ledford Branch Parking lot, climb Ledford Branch road until you see Ingles Field Gap single track on your left. Climb pretty steeply at times to "5 Points" keep going on N Boundary road.
Down Greens Lick. (you may opt to push back up a little and session the REALLY big jumps). You can also bail out at this point or continue...
Hang a Left up Sidehill trail
starts out wet rocky and steep and grades out when it hits Little Hickory Top (stay left at All junctions) continue back to 5 Points.
Then bomb down Ingles Field Gap ( stay left at all Junct) when you get to the road sharp right and then hit first trail to left Wolf Laurel You will come down some stairs then hit the trail on right continue down to gravel road, then right then hit second trail on right.
Honestly I think descending Ingles Field Gap is just as fun as going down Greenslick. It doesn't have the same big jumps, but there is plenty of opportunity for air, and it is longer with some REALLY long berms.
Map of said ride
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/RacerX100/BCmapMedium.gif
Spend the $12 or whatever it is an buy the Trails Illustrated Map.
1) Cove Creek/CaneyBottoms - Perfectly legal shuttle right off the gravel road from the Fish Hatchery. Nothing insane, but a fun ride.
2) Beaver Dam Gap to Trace and/Or Spencer and Fletcher. There is a little climb to reach the top of Trace, but well worth it. From the same spot you can descend down Spencer, but then have a 1 mile relatively easy climb out of the Reservoir.
3) From the Pisgah in, walk the first 1/2-mile and descend down 7 miles of singletrack bliss on Laurel, then the 3 miles of 30+mph on the fire service road back to the N Mills camp area.
The Clawhammer/Black mountain ride that Bizutch described is one of the best in the area, just plan on a lot of pedaling, but it is worth it.
Bent Creek is also a lot of fun, but it doesn't really have the backwoods feel that other areas of Pisgah. It is very groomed, fast and fun. Be prepared to climb.
Probably the most popular route.
From the Ledford Branch Parking lot, climb Ledford Branch road until you see Ingles Field Gap single track on your left. Climb pretty steeply at times to "5 Points" keep going on N Boundary road.
Down Greens Lick. (you may opt to push back up a little and session the REALLY big jumps). You can also bail out at this point or continue...
Hang a Left up Sidehill trail
starts out wet rocky and steep and grades out when it hits Little Hickory Top (stay left at All junctions) continue back to 5 Points.
Then bomb down Ingles Field Gap ( stay left at all Junct) when you get to the road sharp right and then hit first trail to left Wolf Laurel You will come down some stairs then hit the trail on right continue down to gravel road, then right then hit second trail on right.
Honestly I think descending Ingles Field Gap is just as fun as going down Greenslick. It doesn't have the same big jumps, but there is plenty of opportunity for air, and it is longer with some REALLY long berms.
Map of said ride
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/RacerX100/BCmapMedium.gif
Wolf Branch
i hope to do windrock soon, tho. this time pisgah
nar nar
thanks this is all helpful.
we'll be there may 4-6. we're thinking of staying at davidson campround near brevard. seems like the camp is centralized to the trails.
do you have any more shuttle, dh/fr suggestions for us?
we'll be there may 4-6. we're thinking of staying at davidson campround near brevard. seems like the camp is centralized to the trails.
do you have any more shuttle, dh/fr suggestions for us?
...and how do we get here?
The video contains footage from all the places that have already been mentioned.
Various trails in the ranger district (where you are camping)
Dupont
Bent Creek
10-4 thanks. and the woop woop area too?
Here's some ideas.
Park at the end of FS 476 (off 1206 near pilot rock)
Ride out S mills river trail for a couple miles
Turn right on Buckhorn Gap (uphill)
Pop out at top of Clawhammer rd.
Turn right up steps on black mtn
Descend to 4-way intersection at club gap
take a right on club gap trail, descend to cradle of forestry.
Take a right on 276 to pink beds
Take pink beds loop to the gauging station, where you left your car.
Not the longest loop, but its nearly 100% singletrack with rocky descents
another favorite:
Park on FS 1206
Pedal up Pilot Cove/Slate rock trail
Bear left at creek crossing after steepish uphill (if you go straight you'll end up on Laurel Mtn trail)
at the T intersection, go straight on one of the most fun DH sections around
at the bottom, take a left on slate rock/pilot cove loop and climb up to slate rock
take a right at the same T intersection as earlier, descend to your car.
Okay last one
Leave one car at the end of 476 same as above, leave another car at turkeypen trailhead
pedal out S mills to buckhorn gap
take a LEFT on black mtn
Take a left on turkeypen gap trail
Descend all the way to your car.
Go there expecting to climb and push your bike on every ride you do, shuttle or otherwise.
Edit: make sure to get the map as others mentioned. My directions are right, but they're gonna seem REAL confusing if you've never been here before so get your own bearings first.
Edit #2: Since you're there in may, the seasonal trails are closed so if anyone tells you to shuttle bennett gap don't do it. There are lots of trails you can shuttle around, but none of them lend themselves to riding DH all day, they typically have a big push or pedal even after you shuttle up, and many of the roads have gates so you can't drive up them. There are plenty of people that pedal big bikes in pisgah, but don't bring anything you're not willing to pedal or push up a biiiig ass hill.
Park at the end of FS 476 (off 1206 near pilot rock)
Ride out S mills river trail for a couple miles
Turn right on Buckhorn Gap (uphill)
Pop out at top of Clawhammer rd.
Turn right up steps on black mtn
Descend to 4-way intersection at club gap
take a right on club gap trail, descend to cradle of forestry.
Take a right on 276 to pink beds
Take pink beds loop to the gauging station, where you left your car.
Not the longest loop, but its nearly 100% singletrack with rocky descents
another favorite:
Park on FS 1206
Pedal up Pilot Cove/Slate rock trail
Bear left at creek crossing after steepish uphill (if you go straight you'll end up on Laurel Mtn trail)
at the T intersection, go straight on one of the most fun DH sections around
at the bottom, take a left on slate rock/pilot cove loop and climb up to slate rock
take a right at the same T intersection as earlier, descend to your car.
Okay last one
Leave one car at the end of 476 same as above, leave another car at turkeypen trailhead
pedal out S mills to buckhorn gap
take a LEFT on black mtn
Take a left on turkeypen gap trail
Descend all the way to your car.
Go there expecting to climb and push your bike on every ride you do, shuttle or otherwise.
Edit: make sure to get the map as others mentioned. My directions are right, but they're gonna seem REAL confusing if you've never been here before so get your own bearings first.
Edit #2: Since you're there in may, the seasonal trails are closed so if anyone tells you to shuttle bennett gap don't do it. There are lots of trails you can shuttle around, but none of them lend themselves to riding DH all day, they typically have a big push or pedal even after you shuttle up, and many of the roads have gates so you can't drive up them. There are plenty of people that pedal big bikes in pisgah, but don't bring anything you're not willing to pedal or push up a biiiig ass hill.
thanks foe the tips, we have two different maps of the area, and making notes of all posted ideas on them.
Not all maps are the same. Seriously make sure you have this map
You can even get them online
http://www.ngmapstore.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=329&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=54&iSubCat=123&iProductID=329
yep, that's the one i have. it shows east and west sides.
on another note...we just found out about a race scheduled that weekend. any thoughts on where the groups will actually meet. we'd like to steer clear.
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142357
on another note...we just found out about a race scheduled that weekend. any thoughts on where the groups will actually meet. we'd like to steer clear.
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142357
The race begins at the Black Mountain Trailhead across from the Davidson River Campground on 276. I think the Campground will be pretty full, if not completely full that weekend. Might want to think about camping in N. Mills River.