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MTB TRAIL STATS

Avg Rating:	29 trail reviews
Status: Open updated 1/29/12 by mtbgreg1	Difficulty: Intermediate
Length: 30 miles	Global Rank: #373
Tread: Singletrack	Configuration: Loop
Ridden: 186	Wishlist: 171
Avg. Speed: 7.64 mph	Avg. Time: 1hr 58min
Elevation Gain/Loss: +7,369/-8,729 ft	IMBA Epic Trail

 

Jake to Bull Mountain Connecter in Dahlonega

 

Pinhoti Trail in Dalton

 

Flat Creek Loop in Blue Ridge

 

Pinhoti Trail - Bear Creek in Ellijay

 

  
reviewed by inbody06 on February 9, 2012

Now let me tell you this is true north Ga mtb trails . It has it all Bull is fun long acents but not too hard . Rocket ship downhill runs. FUN FUN FUN. even going down the gravel roads is fun at insane speeds. Jake mt has shorter loop on loop system design the map here is of bull. Jake has shorter steeper climbs . it also has one very deep creek crossing so wear your swim gear. horses are allowed here so watch for the green grenades . I rode 90% of the trails here on my first ride. Plan a trip here to get some great riding

  
reviewed by steelcyclesrule on January 29, 2012

I used to ride this trail alot when I worked at the Mountain Ranger Camp outside Dahlonega. This trail is very solid and fun with several climbs. There is a few technical sections throughout but for the most part fast and flowing. This trail crosses creeks, logs, uses several forest roads to connect all of the trails. One thing you must watch out for is Horses and Hikers that have co use of the Trail. If you want to spend some time in the saddle and enjoy the North Georgia Mountains, this is the place. If you are able to park down at the Ranger Club and ride out from there, on completion you can stop in for some good ranger history and a Beer and Pizza with some of americas Hero's.

  
reviewed by brianzieske on November 29, 2011

Took the epic 30 Mile counter clockwise. Make sure you have an updated map! It is very easy to get lost and turned around once on the trail. Lots of road and double track, about 50-60% single track total in epic loop. I would recommend good climbing tires if the trails are the slightest bit damp.

  
reviewed by west_is_best on November 17, 2011

I rode the Bull Mountain loop with the Bare Hare extension on 11/11/11. The trail head is not a bad drive from Atlanta, whereas drives to Eastern Tennessee or Western North Carolina can be a major time commitment. This was my first time out on Bull, which combined with the thick cover of fallen leaves made for an interesting ride at times. I think parts of the trail are fairly rocky, but it was tough to tell due to the leaves. I just stayed on the back of the bike and let it roll. Bull is probably not a trail system for beginners or those opposed to doing a bit of climbing. Everything seemed pretty well marked, but having a map is a good idea, even if the labels are different. Fun ride, will be back some day. Truck in the woods off of Bare Hare presents a good photo op for your crew.

Similar Trail: Pisgah Forest

  
reviewed by davemayo2000 on November 1, 2011

Rode this for the first time in mid October. We started at the Bull Mountain parking area and rode a counter clockwise loop with the the following trails in sequence: Bull Mountain Cutoff (223D), Saddle Back (223B), Bull Mountain (223). We also hit the first bit of Jones Creek Dam (223E) up to the dam and back. The initial loop clocked a little over 10 miles on a Garmin. The climb wasn't too tough with the exception of some really steep and rocky sections along Saddle Back. I don't know about the rest of you, but we walked chunks of that. Even if you can handle the grade, fist size or greater rocks are constantly tumbling under you making maintaining traction challenging. The last mile or 2 of Bull Mountain (223) was absolutely awesome. Flowing, twisty singletrack. After popping back out on the service road, you'll feel like pedaling back up to see that again. There are some nice sequences of small jumps along the early part of the Bull Mountain downhill. I haven't ridden the other direction, but I don't know that I ever will - CCW was way too fun. The first 5-6 miles of primarily uphill was nice scenery but, technically, fairly uneventful with a lot of doubletrack. Overall, this is a really great spot and I look forward to heading back to try out the rest of the trail system.

Similar Trail: Bear Creek, Pinhoti

  
reviewed by bboehman on October 30, 2011

Rode it several years ago as my first IMBA Epic and I still remember it like it was yesterday. The climb from the start was brutal as my brother and I rode it in early April and weren't quite ready for that effort at that point in the year. Some of the downhills and rockgardens were awesome. Great trail and can't wait to someday return and ride it again this time with much better lungs.

  
reviewed by specialsteve on October 24, 2011

I have been riding these trails since 1995 and I think last weekend will be my last. What SORBA did by taking out all the technicality and neutering the downhill sections is heartbreaking. I understand the smoother trails opens up the trails to more riders, but they could at least left a few routes for us hammerheads. Now just have to drive further into the wilderness to find decent trails before SORBA turns everything into the Greenway belt or Comet trail. Lame....

  
reviewed by Trek29er on September 20, 2011

Rode it all on the 20th. Big Thanks to SORBA for the trail improvements! It says this system is global ranked at #373? Seriously, this is some of the best single track in Georgia. It will take you into real mountains, with real wild life, miles of forest, and great singletrack. This place is worth the trip. Plus you can always go to Dahlonega, have nice time in the historic distric.

Similar Trail: Bear Creek

  
reviewed by jamis29er on September 17, 2011

Rode Bull Mtn yesterday, all I can say is AWESOME! Plenty of great singletrack, lots of tough sustained climbs, downhills, twisties, rocks, roots, even an old truck. Trails are in good shape with recent maintenance. Very challenging and rewarding ride. Bring a trail map.

* Review edited 9/17/2011

  
reviewed by delphinide on June 6, 2011

Lots of climbing and some great flowing downhills no matter what direction you ride. Bull is in a little better shape at the moment (less horses) and there are some sustained climbs that are almost an hour if you cut it right. It's a FANTASTIC trail. The guys at Dahlonega Wheelworks are very friendly and do daily rides here. Jon is really motivated and knows his stuff around the mountain. If you want to maximize your downhill I recommend riding it COUNTERclockwise, such as take Whoop de Do in the up direction, not down. Otherwise, you will climb a lot of singletrack and ride down doubletrack (the clockwise direction). Lot of water there last weekend, so if you have a filter you can pack less and fill up on the trail. Make sure you stop at the old truck on the trail and check it out. Lots of rhodedendron tunnels in bloom as well. Definately recommend you check this out.

  
reviewed by sbmu22 on April 23, 2011

First time here today 4/23/2011, mostly ridden by horseback, the trail I started out on was muddy and torn up. Fire service roads were great for climbing at a steady pace. Could not find a number of the trails - mapping is OK at best. Will be back for the mountains and climbing and hope someone who knows it can take me.

  
reviewed by mtbgreg1 on September 10, 2010

Ever since the fools gold 100 we haven't had ANY rain in Dahlonega. The trails are currently very dry and dusty. We could use some rain to settle the dust and moisten everything up.

  
reviewed by mtbgreg1 on July 28, 2010

I like the idea of marking this as a trail system and linking to the individual trails within it. Don't forget the Black Branch trails: http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/black-branch.html

  
reviewed by rich67 on September 14, 2009

Rode this trail and many of the offshoots September 2009. Very fun, but the biggest issue we had was that they were mid-process swapping out signs for the trails- there were no maps left at the TH kiosk, so we went in blind. NONE of the trails were marked with the "names" like the ones at the trailhead. They were all numbered on the posts. We were told by trail workers that soon they will have all the trails properly marked with markers that you can reference to a new map...should be done soon (find a map at www.ride-ctha.org). Until then, bring a GPS, have your map, and good luck! The rest of the ride is awesome, great scenery, fun downhills, and some moderately technical trails.

Similar Trail: Tsali in NC, Alafia in Florida

  
reviewed by GoldenGoose on May 24, 2009

A pretty good mix of double track, fireroads, and singletrack trails lasting about 30 miles. Would have really liked the ride if it were a little less Fireroad and more singletrack. Follow the directions on the webpage here rather than the ones posted in Alex Nutts book "Mountain Bike GA". Go ahead and get the fireroad out of the way as a climb and take the singletrack back down for the best ride.

Similar Trail: Bear Creek

  
reviewed by mtbgreg1 on April 22, 2009

i was expecting a lot more out of this trail than it delivered. nevertheless, it was a sweet ride. the main issue is that most of the so-called "singletrack" is washed out fireroads with one worn track down the middle. there are, however, some nice pieces of trail, and a whole lot of killer descents with a lot of gnarly roots and rocks and some beastly climbs... good stuff!

Similar Trail: The other trails in the bull mountain area...

  
reviewed by bbusch on November 24, 2008

The most difficult ride any of us had done... if you're looking for a killer workout, this trail is the one.

Similar Trail: Bear Creek - similar scenery, but not as difficult

  
reviewed by dave_atlanta on November 13, 2008

*Rode Nov 8th 2008: Extremely rocky/rooty. Leaves made more difficult. Much harder than Bear/Pinhoti IMHO. Maybe better in Spring?

Similar Trail: Prefer BearCreek/Pinhoti

  
reviewed by j2davis on November 4, 2008

WOW. My husband and I rode the Bull Mountain this weekend and loved it. I think it took us about three hours. We took the advise from the previous reviews to do the loop counter clockwise. Thank you for the advise. It was a blast. We took the Whoop-Te-Do trail to get to the Bare Hare trail, then to the Bull Mountain trail, then head back out through the Whoop-Te-Do trail. Lots of technical climbs going in through Whoop-Te-Do trail and close to the end of the Bare Hare trail that would burn your legs, but the reward is the super fast down hill trail through Bull Mountain and technical fun down hill through the tight single track on Whoop-Te-Do trail. I think at one point on Bull Mountain trail. We were riding at 40-50 mph downhill. Most of the downhill section was pretty wide and smooth, so it made a pretty fast downhill ride. When we were there, it was the peak fall color for this area, so it was not only fun but also beautiful. We will definitely be back again.* Review edited 11/4/2008* Review edited 11/4/2008

* Review edited 11/4/2008

  
reviewed by Tranceman on October 27, 2008

Rode Jake's Mountain and Bull Mountain . Each ride was about three hours so we certainly didn't see all of the trails that each location had to offer. If your new to the trails and are riding in the late afternoon bring a good light just in case.....ask me how I know. Let me just say that these trails are not for beginners (or for Florida guys who are not conditioned for long climbs). Don't even think about bringing your newbie buddy on a brand new 50 lb Wal-Mart bike. My $3500 bike felt like it was coming apart on those rocky downhill sections. The service road climb up Bull Mountain was brutal in my opinion, but keep in mind I am from Florida. My buddy also thought it was bad but he wasn't all p***ed off and crying about it like I was. Just when you think your finally done climbing here it comes again. I read that these places were full of single track but I found myself on double track and service roads so often that it really got very annoying. This may have been because the maps SUCK (other visiting riders thought so too)! The trails are not maintained at all from what I can tell so be prepared for major erosion and root/rock infested uphills that seemed nearly impossible for this weekend warrior. The trail reminded me more of dirtbike trails that I've ridden in Ga. On the other hand there were places that looked straight out of a bike magazine. We could hardly contain our excitement when we found these pieces of heaven. I literally couldn't wipe the smile off of my face on the sustained downhill sections. The scenery was awesome! Especially when you were riding along side of the creeks. Overall we had fun but if I go back I will have to train for it. My two rides a week (2-3 hrs each) did not come close to sustaining me for two days of hard climbs. The fun factor goes way down if your pushing the bike all the time. Bull Mountain was closed on Saturday for hunting so watch for that if it's that season. We didn't have any issues finding the trail heads. Make sure you bring tools due to all the potential rock damage. We rode the Bull Mountain trail backwards as suggested but everyone else was riding it the normal route.

Similar Trail: Fort Yargo Ga, Alafia River State Park Fl, Santos Fl,

  
reviewed by guest on August 15, 2008

This is very sweet single track! Another one of my MTB trails I stop at when visiting Georgia during the spring for MTB'ing. Awesome MTB trail!

Similar Trail: Too many to post, but Alafia & Santos are the bomb!

  
reviewed by zsnau734 on July 21, 2008

Would recommend either riding the loop counter clockwise, or as an out and back (turn around over turing right at the bear hare trail). Long climb followed by the fun way back down. Trail is in good shape. Would recommend having a bull mountain map as there are several trails and intersections.

  
reviewed by Landon on February 25, 2008

There are some key things to bear in mind when visiting/riding the Bull Mt Trail System. THE most important thing, as mentioned by "derricko" is to ride the trail counter-clockwise. I have no idea what Jim Parham and others might've been thinking when they wrote their books, but to waste your time and sweat climbing sweet singletrack, only to bomb down a forest service road, is quite simply, stupid. And yes, you could very well do that in any subdivision. It makes infinitely more sense to warm your legs up (if this is the first part of the ride), climbing the gravel road, and then bombing like a madman down the trail itself. Enough said. Another key element to know, is that while Bull Mt is a trail name, it is also the name for the entire system of trails. Some people know this; some people don't. Do yourself a BIG favor, and surf until you find the website for the Chattahoochee National Forest. They have an excellent, printable trail map. I used to just print one off, fold the excess, and keep it in a sandwich baggie in a jersey pocket. There are enough trails and intersections to warrant this, and it helps you to memorize the system faster and better. I'm not done yet, so keep reading... The US Army Mountain Ranger Camp is very close by, so if you hear firing, or see soldiers, it's only blanks they're shooting, and they'll move out of your way. IF your military, and depending on how you play your cards, maybe if you're not, you could park at or near the camp itself. That would give you a couple of options. One, a nice and visually pleasing warm-up to the trail area, along with a most-safe parking spot. Two, you can go into the small club they have on-base, and perhaps have a cold beerafter the ride. It used to be a members-only club, and probably still is, but if you're very diplomatic, and talk nice, you just may swing it, on any given day. Good luck and ride Bull Mt. and surrounding trails; they really are great...

Similar Trail: Any of the WNC rides are similar, in one regard or another.

  
reviewed by Bullitrider on July 17, 2007

This is one of my favorite trails in Ga. I have broken lots of bike parts and shead alot of blood on this trail over the last ten years. It's a love hate relationship. I ride a Bullit and a Fat Possun xo and I have fun riding both bikes there. I actually rode it a couple times on the Bullit with only a fiew gear options (broken deralleur, and hub). It is a great trail to make a all day ride out of. I usually ride it like this. I ride up Bull then hit the Bear Hare trail back to bull. Then I get to the trail head I hit Jones creek back to bull at the river crossing. I ride bull backwards so I get to go back down all that up hill I had to climb at the beginning. This is a long kick ass ride and I would suggest you be in shape and have alot of water and some snacks. I love tough technical trails and this one has it. Oh yah watch out for the road side apples on the trail...(horse c***)

Similar Trail: Pisgah

  
reviewed by rmurph4 on June 24, 2006

First off, the directions posted here aren't that good. Once you're on 52W out of Dahlonega, you need to go about 10 miles, and then you'll see a run-down shack called Grizzle's. Turn RIGHT there onto Nimblewill, and then take the 2nd entrace to the park. (not the jake mtn, but the bull mtn). The ride itself was amazing though. True, there are A LOT of rocks and roots, but the sweet singletrack and scenery make up for it. I would recommend doing to the Bear Hare loop extension because it gets really high up in the mountains, and across a couple of really cool creek crossings. Be prepared to have this trail kick your b*** though; I thought I was in pretty good shape until 18 miles of this monster did me in. Make sure you bring a map too, you're going to need it when you're way back there. Also, the FS road parts suck - just some c***py rocky hilly roads that waste your energy. I can't wait to go back and try the Jake Mtn side trails next.

Similar Trail: Haven't been on anything like this!

  
reviewed by jbersch on October 18, 2005

Rough, long climb. Many heavy roots at the start but overall a great ride up. In the trees the whole time, otherwise not much to look at. Heavily eroded in places but not very crowded when we went on a weekend afternoon.

Similar Trail: Unlike most trails I've been to in Georgia, this one is pretty much straight up then down.

  
reviewed by K2K on February 14, 2005

My favortie way to ride this trail is up the single track bull mountain continue up bare hair and down to the creek, hang a right and climb back up to the bull mtn/bare hair/lance creek junction then down dibby doo down down... makes it about a 14 mile lollipop/lariat...Zoom Zoom

  
reviewed by derricko on October 17, 2004

After reading the reviews, we dicided to take Bull Mountain for a spin. Either I am less experienced than I thought, or this trail has degraded...the uphill climb was so rooty that I would've made it up a set of stairs faster-There have been some really heavy rains as of late, so maybe it's been washed down. Up top and the backside we're fantastic, but again, more picking my way through roots and gullies than zooming. On the drive home, a guy at a local bike shop said it's better to ride it backwards, or counter clockwise...makes sense..the last 2 miles on the original route are forest road, and sure, you can get going fast, but you could do that in a subdivision. Better to use that road to climb some, and go down the rooty-gully part than to climb it. Just a tought. Might try it that way next time.

  
reviewed by hardtailer on June 13, 2004

This is a great ride! Nice climbs and a rewarding downhill. The view from the spine is great. Right before you hit the parking lot for the horses head up the trail on your left and start climbing. Once down the hill go to Jones Creek and hit the horse trail/fire road that resembles Bear Creek. But, unlike the Bear it doesn't have that amazing singletrack down.

Similar Trail: Bear Creek

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