[bmbass]

Anyone going to be riding up there this weekend and want to show me the ropes?

 

[bizutch]

A buddy just emailed me this:

Adventure Park Opens 8 Miles of Emerald Outback Trails

BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C. – Avid mountain bikers and hikers now have a superb new venue in Western North Carolina.
The Beech Mountain Adventure Trail Park officially opened its Emerald Outback section May 1. The eight-plus miles of Emerald Outback trails range in elevation from 4,700-5,400 feet, giving the park the distinction of being among the highest such venues on the East Coast.
There’s a nice combination of single track, double track and gravel road trails traversing the mountaintop, all accessible from a trail head in the town of Beech Mountain.
The Emerald Outback is the first phase of the Beech Mountain Adventure Trail Park, which will grow to three phases encompassing 25 miles of trails. It was designed by mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners to meet the recreational demands of serious outdoor enthusiasts.
Credit for building the park goes to Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation Department. Fitness and wellness coordinator Daniel Scagnelli conceived the idea in 2009, and spearheaded an impressive trail-building effort of mostly volunteer labor.
Workers used hand tools and hand-held power tools. Heavy machinery was not involved. The process reclaimed a few abandoned trails and blended them into a cohesive network of trails showcasing unique topography atop Beech Mountain.
“We actually routed one trail over a former ski slope. It’s fairly flat with moderate elevation change,” Scagnelli said. “Then we have the typical rocky, rooty East Coast mountain biking single track.
“There are also untouched woods with small waterfalls and creeks rushing by, plus phenomenal mountain vistas and overlooks throughout. Whether you’re in the Oz Forest or out on Overlook Loop, you have 100-mile views around. The terrain is rolling and changes well. There’s not a whole lot of climbing and you’re always surrounded by something beautiful.”
Signage and the official trail head were installed this spring for the Adventure Trail Park, which is free and open to the public seven days a week.
“People want outdoor experiences on Beech Mountain,” said Scagnelli, “and the Emerald Outback has the potential to be the trademark trail system for this town.”
For trail park information, call (828) 387-3003, or visit: www.BeechRecreation.org.

 

[stackout]

New maps:

www.beechmtb.com/maps

Scaggs will be doing trail work starting at 9AM. Pretty good chance I'll head up there tomorrow. How you feel about serious climbing?

 

[deadlink404]

Heard there is a trail building day on Sunday to work on the super d course and some other trails. just clarifying this. a buddy of mine and I are heading up there and also looking to find some nice DH trails to ride on as well.

Also curious about the super d, is it big bike worthy??

 

[stackout]

No trail day Sunday - we scheduled it before we realized its Mother's Day.

The Super-D will _probably_ be fastest on a 5-6" bike. There is stuff out there now - the old trail off the power lines and 212 in Eagles Nest that are serious steep and rough, and would probably only be fun on a big bike, and we are cleared to build DH lines. I'll get the next trail day posted as soon as its figured out. Moto, Trill, and Sapp toured the place about a month ago, and seemed encouraged by the potential.

 

[motomike]

No trail day Sunday - we scheduled it before we realized its Mother's Day.

The Super-D will _probably_ be fastest on a 5-6" bike. There is stuff out there now - the old trail off the power lines and 212 in Eagles Nest that are serious steep and rough, and would probably only be fun on a big bike, and we are cleared to build DH lines. I'll get the next trail day posted as soon as its figured out. Moto, Trill, and Sapp toured the place about a month ago, and seemed encouraged by the potential.

Agreed, its definitely got the goods!

 

[stackout]

Finished flagging the XC extension today - next big priority is getting the Super-D built. Boone Area Cyclists are sponsoring a trail day on Saturday May 21, and I'm looking for "off-mountain" folks - to help get the new stuff knocked out while the Boone posse gets the old NORBA-era trails buffed out. More details will be posted here, on BeechMTB.com and the BeechMTB facebook page as they are available, but please plan to come up that day, work, ride, perhaps even imbibe.

Thanks a ton

stack

 

[stackout]

Boone Area Cyclists are sponsoring a trail day at Beech May 21. Looking for help from "off-mountain" both with improving some of the older trails, as well as cutting in the epic new Super-D (2.5 miles, 1,200 foot descent).