[TN]

We are headed up that way in a week or so... & wanted to get some opinions on some trails.

fyi...we will be bringing the XC bikes.

Daniel ridge. (it looks short & sweet on the map, which is good b/c I have only been riding the road this summer & havent really ridden in any real elevation since last year )

Fletcher Creek

Flat Laurel Creek

we are also looking for trail suggestions in DuPont. we are definetly going to hit Eastern Slickrock & adjoining trails.

we were also looking at trails in the Coleman Boundary area, such as, Staire Creek & Douglas Falls.

Also, has anyone ridden the Tanasi trails near the Ocoee? They are on the way, so we might stop there too.

 

[Jeremy R]

If you have just been riding on the road, Fletcher Creek would be a good option.
Daniel Ridge is pretty tough if I remember correctly. I think it is a rough climb, and it will beat you around pretty good.
In that same area though, look at the loops from the fish hatchery including the trails of Caney Bottom and Long Branch. Those are fun.
If you want to do an awesome, tough ride in Pisgah, park at the bottom of Black Mountain, pedal to the horse stables, up to Maxwell Cove and over to the Black Mountain trailhead, then onto thrift Cove, up Grass Road and over to Sycamore. That loop rocks.

 

[DNA]

You should go to the Chadwick DH race instead.

 

[biggins]

my advice is to make sure that whatever trail you are riding is not seasonal or recently closed to bikes.

as for daniel ridge if i remember correctly it is not a horribly long ridew but rather brutal. but it has been a while.

a lot of the trails at coleman boundry are way overgrown most of the time due to not being used and i dont know if you can even get up to them anymore since the floods last year. the douglas falls trail isnt anything you would want to ride anyway. it takes you to the waterfall and that is about it (if it is the trail i am thinking of). however there is some cool camping up at the falls.

dupont-make sure you do big rock and burnt mountain they are very fun and classic slickrock trails and make sure to go to bridalveil falls and you can go behind the waterfall and do whatever a person does behind waterfalls.

fletcher creek is a good trail as is black mountain in pisgah.

you might want to ride some of the wilson creek area near morganton trails like Severed Armpit and Beehive and those trails would keep ya busy for a couple of days.

 

[TN]

You should go to the Chadwick DH race instead.

we thought about that too & then tooling around the Ozarks for a few days. I dont think i am good enough shape to attempt to race DH.


biggins-good info, thanks.

 

[TN]

If you have just been riding on the road, Fletcher Creek would be a good option.
Daniel Ridge is pretty tough if I remember correctly. I think it is a rough climb, and it will beat you around pretty good.
In that same area though, look at the loops from the fish hatchery including the trails of Caney Bottom and Long Branch. Those are fun.
If you want to do an awesome, tough ride in Pisgah, park at the bottom of Black Mountain, pedal to the horse stables, up to Maxwell Cove and over to the Black Mountain trailhead, then onto thrift Cove, up Grass Road and over to Sycamore. That loop rocks.

thanks, we have ridden long branch & it is on the list again.

 

[Skookum]

make sure to go to bridalveil falls and you can go behind the waterfall and do whatever a person does behind waterfalls.

Jump rope?
Do your taxes?
Practice your kung-fu?
What?

 

[DNA]

we thought about that too & then tooling around the Ozarks for a few days. I dont think i am good enough shape to attempt to race DH.

Good shape? Heck, I haven't raced all year. I am getting a cortisone shot in my elbow next week just so I can go race. I am just going for the heck of it.

Pisgah and Dupont are tough to pass up. If you change your mind, Chadwick has some decent XC on top of the DH. There are a couple of other places nearby (Sac River and Busick). I am not sure how far the Womble trail is from there, but somebody on here probably knows. Did I mention that Branson was down the road? Everybody loves Branson.

 

[TN]

Did I mention that Branson was down the road? Everybody loves Branson.

OK you just made up our minds for us. Branson = +:nuts:

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

Pretty much what those guys said. They are hitting some of my favorite rides.

In the Davidson river area
Park at the bottom of Black Mountain as you come into the forest it is about 300 yards BEFORE the rangers station just after the entrance to the Davidson River Campground. (Campground entrance is on the left, TH parking is just after on the right).

Ride through the fence up Grassy road, you will come to a T intersection, turn right (You will dump out here after your first descent), start climbing a Jeep road (Grassy road). You will come to a big fork, at the fork stay left (this is Thrift/Black Mountain). Climb the Jeep road, keep climbing, it is not hard, it will flatten out and start to descend (sooo much fun). It will dump you back out on the same Jeep road you just climbed (Grassy road). Climb back up and then veer right at the intersection, keep climbing and you will enter a short single track climb (this is Sycamore) It will climb briefly flatten out and then start descending in tight single track. It exits back onto 276, turn right and about a mile on the right will be your car. GREAT ride

In the N Mills area. When you see the N Mills recreation area on your left, turn right and head up that FS road (Wash Creek Road). About 1 mile the road will split, go over the damn and up to the Trace Ridge Trail head. Get on your bikes and go back down that road you just came up. At the fork turn left and climb ~ 2 miles to a Gated climb (the road bends 180 degrees you cant miss it). Climb that single track, keep climbing, there is 1 intersection during the climb, stay right, it gets steep but opens up to a grassy jeep road climb. Keep climbing, it flattens out and you will come to 3 way intersection. Up and to the right is the Parkway, straight ahead is Trace Ridge, and down and to the Right is Spencer Branch. Depending on how you are feeling I recommend doing both (which requires you to come back up). Trace ridge is SO much fun, but not technical. You can go down Spencer, when you reach the Fire Road turn right and go ~ 1 mile and the entrance to Fletcher will be on your left. Go down Fletcher and it will meet back up with Spencer, cross the river/creek like 4 times and then it dumps out at the Henderson Reservoir. Climb that fire road 1 mile back to the Trace Ridge Trail head (and your car). Then go back up and do the one you didnt do. If you go down Trace you will end up right back at your car.

Dupont. here is a map http://www.dupontforest.com/images/052004DSFMap2000.JPG
Park at the furthest Trail Head (Cascade Lake) cross street past yellow gate onto turn right onto Corn Shoals stay right until you come to an intersection to Little RIver Trail (at this intersection you can see where Burnt Mtn exits). stay on the Jeep road as it veers right, this is the beggining of Burnt Mtn, it is flat and rolling at first, then starts to climb, steeply at one point, then as it tops out you will come to some sticks logs crossing the jeep road, the Single track descent is to the right. When you descend then turn left, back up Corn Shoals to the Big Rock trail (you past it on your way in). Climb this sucker (it is short, technical and actually a fun climb). You will climb some granite outcroppings, then back into the woods for a few hundred yards and onto the peak

Kinda keep to the left and descend Cedar Rock trail. Now here is where what I am going to tell you is unconventional but... Once you get to the bottom turn around and climb right back up what you descended, then descened what you climbed the first time. I have ridden this trail a NUMBER of times and last time with LooNatic was the first time I ever went DOWN the Big Rock trail. It is an ABSOLUTE blast and it puts you right back to the trail head.

There is a ton of riding in the area, but those are my favorite rides.

 

[DRB]

http://www.mtbikewnc.com/

This site is pretty good and can identify the seasonal closures Biggins was talking about.

Daniel Ridge is wrecked with storm damage or at least it was earlier in the year (that was late March). Plus it isn't that long of a trail. Unless you can verify that its been cleaned up don't waste your time. We did the Coleman Boundary in late May and it was not too overgrown. Now might be a different story, I'd probably defer to Biggins on that.

Laurel Mountain or Fletcher Creek in Mills River are fun. I like Laurel Mountain but its a long gradual climb.

And Biggins suggestions on Dupont are spot on. Definately get a map if you do Dupont.

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

http://www.mtbikewnc.com/

Laurel Mountain or Fletcher Creek in Mills River are fun. I like Laurel Mountain but its a long gradual climb.

Laurel is great, personally I like to go down Laurel using a __uttle. Also you used to be able to drive right up to the Laurel Mtn trail head. Not any longer, they have gated the road off (just to vehicles) which adds a little fire road climbing, in addition to the 7 mile gradual climb in the single track.

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

Also, has anyone ridden the Tanasi trails near the Ocoee? They are on the way, so we might stop there too.

Yep did those as well. Stopping at the WhiteWater center is a MUST DO!

From the WhiteWater center, go down river cross the bridge and turn left onto the gravel road, follow the river up and it will start climbing Bear Paw. At every intersection stay left (you will be on a some what fireroad/jeep trail). You will pass an entrance to the "RiverView Loop" on your left. Skip this entrance, keep going and take the next entrance to the RiverView loop, so much fun. It will spit you back out where you passed the entrance originally. Get back onto the Fireroad and climb back up. You will see the "ByPass" trail entrance on your right. Get on it. This will exit at the Quartz loop. Go in either direction they are both fun and obviously loop around to the same spot. Now get back onto the Chestnut loop (chestnut is the main trail/jeep road). and start looking for signs to T.R Express and or Thunderrock Campground. Follow the signs (they are VERY well marked) and get on "ThunderRock Express." A local and the person in the WhiteWater center said this trail was technical. IT IS NOT technical, or hard, but it is a HELLAFUN downhill. I would take an intermediate on this trail NO problem, you'd just be on the brakes a little more. Go down Thunderock express and head towards the campground. At the Campground you will see a Damn/Water pump station. Cross the river there, and you will see the highway, turn right along the highway, there is a paved path on the inside of the guardrail all the way back to the WhiteWater center parking lot where your car is (about a mile if I had to guess).
Here is Map

Here are pictures from that area. SO FUN

 

[T-Pirate]

climbing up fs 477 to the top of the Avery Creek trail is super fun. As mentioned, sycamore and thrift coves are the best short loops around. Another fun longer loop that I did last summer is called Horse Cove Gap. Its a 4ish mile dirt road climb followed by super sweet singletrack riding. The whole loop is like 11 miles. It starts off Wolf Ford rd way up by the cradle of forestry. Nearly everything in dupont is sweet, and nothing is a huge penalty for getting lost, since the climbs are short and there are no remote trails.

 

[TN]

sweet. great info guys, thanks. I think will hit Tanasi the first day then head to Pisgah. I cant wait. It is as been a while since we have ridden trails & we are stoked.