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Iron Hills Trail (Red Top Mtn. State Park) Mountain Bike Trail
Cartersville, Georgia
MTB TRAIL STATS
Avg Rating:   |
11 trail reviews |
|
Status: updated 1/15/12 by nrhule |
Difficulty:  Beginner |
| Length: 3 miles | Global Rank: #1784 |
| Tread: Doubletrack | Configuration: Loop |
| Ridden: 42 | Wishlist: 11 |
| Avg. Speed: 5.94 mph | Avg. Time: 1hr 4min |
| Elevation Gain/Loss: +231/-150 ft |
Directions:
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Description: This is the only Trail designated for bikes. It is mostly double track, well maintained, old service road type trail. Most of it has one lane (of the double track) that is well ridden, and the other lane loose gravel/rocks. Very Scenic with low grade hills that wind in and out along the shores of Lake Allatoona. Picnic tables along the route. There are a few turn-offs that are kinda grown in that take you out on some penninsulas for added mileage and scenary. This is a great little trail to take beginners, spouses, and kids out for their first rides. Entry fee for the park is a couple of bucks per car. Stay of the hiking trails no matter how tempting they look (Homestead trail is a nice looking singletrack), the park is pretty well patrolled.
Description: This is the only Trail designated for bikes. It is mostly double track, well maintained, old service road type trail. Most of it has one lane (of the double track) that is well ridden, and the other lane loose gravel/rocks. Very Scenic with low grade hills that wind in and out along the shores of Lake Allatoona. Picnic tables along the route. There are a few turn-offs that are kinda grown in that take you out on some penninsulas for added mileage and scenary. This is a great little trail to take beginners, spouses, and kids out for their first rides. Entry fee for the park is a couple of bucks per car. Stay of the hiking trails no matter how tempting they look (Homestead trail is a nice looking singletrack), the park is pretty well patrolled.
added on October 15, 2006 by 
TRAIL REVIEWS review this trail
reviewed by inbody06 on February 12, 2012
Good trail to get some miles in on ,very easy fast however hikers look at you funny if your blasting down the trails , its pretty much all double track, the best single track here belongs to the hikers im not telling you to ride on the hikers trails as you may get thrown out of the park but i know they are tempting
reviewed by nrhule on February 9, 2012
The Iron Hills Trail is great for beginners or people wanting a workout with some great scenery! This trail is not at all technical, but is great for riding and having a conversation on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I would recommend this trail for people just starting out in mountain biking and wanting to get in shape or a family ride with the kids. There is a $5 parking fee, unless you get the GA State Park Pass.
reviewed by GoldenGoose on December 20, 2010
Agree with the last review by GMM. Family friendly, beginner trail good for logging miles and checking out the lake. Too bad none of the trail is singletrack. Decent rocks and contours in the area. If you are in the area with kids or family, it's worth your time.
reviewed by gmm on July 9, 2010
While I agree with the others that this is potentially a great fast ride, IMHO this should be treated primarily as a family ride area. We usually take the comfort/hybrid bikes and just enjoy being outside in the beautiful lake setting. Being bi-directional and multi-use combined with some blind corners and slippery footing, barreling headlong around this trail is a recipe for disaster. Walkers, joggers, dogs, kids, swimmers, etc. are all enjoying this very scenic state park area. Great for logging some miles in rhythm - but keep your head and be considerate of the other trail users.
* Review edited 7/9/2010
reviewed by zippyzap68.5 on May 5, 2010
This one is very close to home. Free parking on Wednesday, 5$ fee per car other days. A begineer trail for sure but as previously suggested fun and challenging for more experienced riders if ridden fast. so overall a good trail; something for everybody.
* Review edited 5/5/2010
reviewed by Rotkohl on April 2, 2010
Iron Hill Trail – 3.9 mile loop Gravel surface, 65 feet elevation change Winter is a good time to ride this trail since leaves do not obstruct views of the lake and rock outcrops. The trail is 10 feet wide and has a gravel base. It passes an open iron mine, core wash station, a tailings feature, and the shoreline of Allatoona Lake. There are many different native plants and wildlife to be viewed along the way.
reviewed by fastcat on October 21, 2009
This trail is now back open. 10/21/09 Not sure of its condition until I ride it this weekend.
reviewed by fastcat on October 8, 2009
This is really not a challenging trail but I wish more serious riders would bike it because if you go flat out it is really fun. If you hit the apex of the turns and lean into the corners you will truely appreciate this course. I consider it a true cross trainer...not quite a single track, not quite a road course. It is just under 4 miles long and I usually do 5 laps in around 16-19 minutes each. It will give you a great workout if you do it under 20 min. The scenery is really where its at, with lake views at every corner. The only annoying thing is the occasional hiker with their dogs
* Review edited 10/8/2009
reviewed by chirobiker on September 28, 2009
Trail is 3.9 miles.* Review edited 9/28/2009
* Review edited 11/1/2009
reviewed by topjimmy on June 30, 2009
I frequent this trail because it is so close to the house. Not a technical trail at all. It is good to take the family out to and have a leisurly stroll or like me to build up my endurance for other trails. Really this trail is great for that and practice. Some looose gravel at times makes slow around a few turns but it is a decent trail. You can go either direction and to me coming off the trail head and going to the right seems like there are more climbs than the other way. I have done this trail in under 19 minutes so it can be a pretty fast trail.
reviewed by sandm96 on October 15, 2006
Took the kids for a sundown loop, 5-year old in tow. Logged 5.1 miles with added turn-offs. Beautiful sundown over the lake, 8 year-old tolerated all the hills on his 6-speed Hot Rock. Nothing difficult about this trail. Too bad there aren't any other legal trails in the park. The place has tons of potential. The hiking trails are so mouth-watering, the Heckler almost jumped off of my car and rode them by itself. Maybe SORBA can get in the park and work some magic and open some singletrack (even if it's only one day or night per week)
