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Chickasaw Trace Mountain Bike Trail
Columbia, Tennessee
MTB TRAIL STATS
Avg Rating:   |
16 trail reviews |
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Status: updated 1/31/11 by melissablume |
Difficulty:  Intermediate |
| Length: 8 miles | Global Rank: #562 |
| Tread: Singletrack | Configuration: Network |
| Ridden: 61 | Wishlist: 25 |
| Avg. Speed: 6.4 mph | Avg. Time: 2hr 30min |
| Elevation Gain/Loss: +852/-960 ft (based on partial GPS data) |
Directions:
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Description: This small park has one of the best rides in Middle TN. Every year there is a race called the Mother's Day Massacre, lots of fun. The trail begins with a fun, fast pace, low on intensity and difficulty level but increases as you warm up. The first two-thirds of the trail rank all easy-moderate, it's the final third that rocks! They call it the Trail of Tears and the Black Trail. There are some tough climbs and fast switchbacks. My friends and I usually warm up on the easy trails and double up on the Tears and the Black. And for all of you hardcore singletrack junkies (myself included), ride to the left along the creek and follow across the road and up the hill on the right to follow the most challenging sections backward. There is no better singletrack that I have found in the Nashville area yet and it's only 45 minutes or so from Nashville.
added in 2003 by guest
Description: This small park has one of the best rides in Middle TN. Every year there is a race called the Mother's Day Massacre, lots of fun. The trail begins with a fun, fast pace, low on intensity and difficulty level but increases as you warm up. The first two-thirds of the trail rank all easy-moderate, it's the final third that rocks! They call it the Trail of Tears and the Black Trail. There are some tough climbs and fast switchbacks. My friends and I usually warm up on the easy trails and double up on the Tears and the Black. And for all of you hardcore singletrack junkies (myself included), ride to the left along the creek and follow across the road and up the hill on the right to follow the most challenging sections backward. There is no better singletrack that I have found in the Nashville area yet and it's only 45 minutes or so from Nashville.
added in 2003 by guest 
SIMILAR TRAILS
Riders who liked this mountain bike trail also liked:Lock 4 in Gallatin
Montgomery Bell State Park Mtb Trail in White Bluff
Hamilton Creek in Nashville
TRAIL REVIEWS review this trail
reviewed by SoggyNilla on November 13, 2011
a great trail, I have ridden it 3 times now and enjoy the nice easy start before the tough terrain starts. some nice rolling swoopy trails along the duck river before starting the trail of tears. Its called this for a reason! Once you get through the tough part its a great finish along a small creek and back into the parking lot
reviewed by Bigugly69 on November 2, 2011
How great is it to have your favorite trail right in your back yard?!? I ride this trail weekly...I normally park near the river and start with the River Trail first. (trail 2) Excellent flow from this start. River Trail first *easy*, a nice warm up and confidence builder for new riders. Ravine Loop, *intermediate* excellent flowing downhill after a mild climb, fast fun run. Woodland Trail, *intermediate* rooty, mild climbs, nice flow, fast fun run. Trail of Tears, *advanced* very aptly named. Physically, by far the toughest part of this trail...gives you bragging rights in my opinion. Black Hills Trail, *advanced* OMG this trail is fun! The most technical trail here by far. Short burst climbs, great down hills, obstacles...amazingly fun, but unfortunately you have to run Trail of Tears to get to it...*damn prerequisites*...and from my parking spot..it makes the *trail one* the last...Creek Trail, *intermediate* a really fun, flowing trail and a quick ride except for the "rock garden" climb that I've only managed to make it up a couple of times without spinning out or hanging up *you'll know exactly which part I'm talking about when you get to it*. Creek Trail would be ranked *easy* in my opinion without the rocky section. Really fun section with some short, fast downhills and jumps. The whole loop is an amazing 9 miles "MTB Classic" route or "Jail Break" *8.2 miles* with short cuts. Great signage. Easy Map. Place it on your wish list. Hats off to Columbia Cycling Club! Check it out here http://www.columbiacyclingclub.com/mtb_map-2010.pdf
* Review edited 11/2/2011
reviewed by cczarnik on October 2, 2011
This is not the closest trail to me, but the one I ride most often. Extremely well maintained and marked by the Columbia Cycling Club. First 3-4 miles is rolling fast single track with a couple of rock gardens. Several interesting features- doubles, table tops, log piles, and an interesting bridge over a huge fallen tree. Tech picks up after that to ToT, then the last couple of miles it eases up [a little]. As a beginner / intermediate rider, this trail system has enough tech to get the effort level up, but no so tough that you blow up / have to get off the bike and walk sections. Very good workout trail.
Similar Trail: Montgomery Bell easy / intermediate loops.
reviewed by gottaluvit on April 10, 2011
This is my favorite trail in middle TN. It was very easy to find using mapquest directions an parking was fine. The trail starts out very easy and flown very well. All the trails are very well maintained and have clear trail markers to keep you on the right path. The easy to intermediate were alot of fun and left me ready for the advanced trails. The trail of Tears is called that for a reason. the trail has alot of short uphills and then a longer downhill. It is very challenging and could make you cry in some parts. The Black Forest trail was in my opinion the best trail. There were plenty of fast downhills in both the advanced trails and plenty of other obstacles but this one just seemed to be the better trail to me. All in all the trails were great and i will for shure be returning here. i would suggest doing the entire system at one time. That is what i did and it was a blast.
reviewed by tdbgwl on March 17, 2011
I haven't ridden many different trails yet, but I loved this one. There seemed to be a great diversity of types of trail. There were a couple of hard climbs that were a real challenge for me. There were some really fun down hills. There was, what I would consider my first 'rock garden'. There was a winding trail in and out of a small tree grove. There was a little bit of everything. You could really work on any kind of skills here. It was a bit of a drive for me, almost 2 hours, but I will definitely get back there every chance I can. I am 40 and could stand to get in better shape, but I loved it so much I rode it twice!! o...and there were exits every mile or mile and a half if you get hurt or youve had all you can stand.
* Review edited 3/17/2011
reviewed by darrinw2001 on October 15, 2010
This trail is awesome for all riders. the 1st few trails are fast and flowy and some have a few decent tech sections. The last 2 trails are both Black Diamond trails. I rode this for the 1st time last year but it was rainy and the red clay made riding not very fun. ended up stopping before the last 2 (HARD) trails.. Rode it this year and it was nice and Dry and we did the whole park.. the last 2 trails (Trail of Tears and Black Hills) are very technical. Trail of Tears has more long steep climbs and almost made me cry is some spots.. Black Hills trails had some very fun sections and was my favorite trail in the park. I will ride this every time I am in the area...
* Review edited 10/15/2010
reviewed by jkane1974 on November 14, 2009
Not a bad trail, recommend for beginners and intermediate. There were a few surprises here and there and some nice drop-offs.
Similar Trail: Not sure!
reviewed by specto on July 21, 2009
I have just recently picked up mountain biking and this was the second trail I've ever been on. To say the least, I can ride a bike, I'm decently in shape, and this trail was very enjoyable yet challenging at the same time. This is a trail that will be even better the second go-round after you have mapped out your line the first time and know what to expect. The trail consists of a few extremely challenging uphill climbs with jagged rock and downhill parts that will leave you gripping your brakes and wanting more! Also, plenty of open field ridding with great scenery. Just as others have mentioned, this trail is WELL maintained. I would recommend this trail to anyone from beginner to expert, you're bound to have a memorable time at Chickasaw!
* Review edited 7/21/2009
reviewed by theraywatcher on June 8, 2009
Great trail and best around Nashville. A little bit of a drive out to Columbia (45 mins) but it is an awesome trail. Easy for 75%, difficult 25%. Total ride is about 8.5 miles, not the 7.75 miles in the directions.
reviewed by TheFlyingIguana on March 30, 2009
These trails are kept very nice by Colombia Cycling Club. Saturday they were scary slick and then like magic by nine everything was tacky and ready to rail. This loop has everything from beginners trails to something for the advanced technical riders. I just wish I lived closer.
reviewed by tumbleweed14 on March 30, 2009
I raced at this trail blind for fun yesterday at the Chickasaw Trace Classic. Having not been there before, I was a bit nervous about the conditions and quality of the trail in the Spring. The trail was quite a lot of fun! There were miles of singletrack that flowed very well. A few decent uphills, a couple of which were technical in nature. The trail conditions were slick in spots with patches of mud, so the riders couldn't open up in all sections, but considering the recent rains I would say that the trail drained very well. The course is fantastic for racing and has some great scenery. Overall, great fun. I would be more specific about each trail but didn't really pay attention to which trail I was on. If I go back I will update. I can say that I believe they have made some changes and improvements since 2007.
reviewed by advocate on December 20, 2008
Well maintained even in December. Wet and slick equals tough course. Mile 5 has a severe drop/chute with rocks. Mile 6 gets tough with an immediate switch back left then a technical ridge ride next to a ravine with canted trail. Stays fairly tough till the end-very friendly if not easy the first 4 miles. I will go back in better wheather.
Similar Trail: Stoney Creek Metro Park in Shelby Township Michigan
reviewed by Tdubya on October 8, 2007
Great training trail, for most of the XC races here in TN. A little bit of everything, but generally just a sweet singletrack ride. AVOID when WET!
Similar Trail: Lost Dog, Scottsdale AZ
reviewed by mtbchuck on June 22, 2007
What can I say, how lucky to have this as my home trail! This trail is awesome. And yes, get in shape for the back 2 miles! I do wish they would come up with a system as to which direction people are riding(Clockwise or Counter), this can make for some 'blind' head on's. Again, this trail is awesome.
reviewed by brettzero on July 11, 2005
From a beautiful, easy-paced front section bordering the Duck River to sandstone-studded climbs and near vertical drops, Chickasaw gave me a great ride! "Trail of Tears" left me breathless and The Black Hills left me wanting to ride it all again! The trail care is excellent. My hat goes off to the Columbia Cycling Club and their maintenance skill.
reviewed by oldmancrash on June 16, 2005
Very nice trail system. Nice single track and lots of climbing. Who ever takes care of this trail is doing a GREAT job.
