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MTB TRAIL STATS

Avg Rating:	37 trail reviews
Status: Open updated 10/27/09 by mongolianstomper Closed Open Wet / Sketchy	Difficulty: Intermediate
Length: 10 miles	Global Rank: 224
Tread: Singletrack	Configuration: Loop
Ridden: 195	Wishlist: 110
Avg. Speed: 5.82 mph	Avg. Time: 1hr 39min

 

Fort Yargo State Park in Winder

 

Big Creek in Roswell

 

Chicopee Woods in Gainesville

 

Blankets Creek Bicycle Trail in Woodstock

 

  
reviewed by MTBbasher on November 12, 2009

I rode Yellow River this past Saturday. Both the Riverside and Creekside trails were open. Some of the trails on the riverside have been cleared but a lot of the singletrack nearest to the river aren't accessible. Over all the park looks good, just needs more riders to smooth it out.

  
reviewed by peanutpuckett on October 27, 2009

This trail was okay, wish it was longer. Best side is across the street from the bike parking lot. It was a good way to spend my time while my son was skateboarding 5 min down the road at Deshong

  
reviewed by mongolianstomper on October 27, 2009

Current status is, Creekside is open, Riverside (which sustained the most flooding) is closed. Park in the horse trailer parking lot to ride Creekside.

Similar Trail: Dauset Trails Big Creek

  
reviewed by MTBbasher on September 30, 2009

These trails as well as the entire park is currently closed as a result of the floods.

  
reviewed by JSurratt on August 27, 2009

This trail was ok......by saying the trail was not very well marked. Horseback riding, hiking, mtb trails overlap and no real defined markings for mountain biking.......could have better markings especially for knowing where your at on the trail.....I don't like getting lost and ride in circles....not a flowing trail to speak of.

Similar Trail: I would recommend that you travel to Blankets Creek....much better flowing trail.

  
reviewed by j._r._eaton on June 22, 2009

Pressently the county is looking at closing some of the river side trails next to the river they plan on visiting the trails in July according to D. Presten and he leads a ride 6pm monday weather permitting he can help with the details.

Similar Trail: Chicopee, Ft Yargo,

  
reviewed by flamdrag8 on May 26, 2009

I have heard alot of hype about this trail in past years and I was really excited to hit this one up, however I thought it was just ok. The trail is poorly marked and easy to ride in circles. Though close to the river, you feel like you are too close to civilation with the main rd though the middle of the trail. They also paved/graveled a portion in the middle. The forks in the trail made for alot of stopping to find which way to go. This trail is ok, but not worth the hype.

* Review edited 5/26/2009

Similar Trail: Go to blankets creek, a much better ride.

  
reviewed by j._r._eaton on April 25, 2009

The county parks and recreation under the direction of Mike Beaudreau board of commissioners district 3 are planning to close the mountain bike trails at Yellow park paid with your SPLOST dollars and the labor from area mountain bikers to build the bike hiking and horse trails. His email address is Mike.Beaudreau@gwinnettcounty.com let him know what you think. He is an avid runner and has already closed large portions of Tribble Mill for paved running tracks.

  
reviewed by kbrown46 on April 11, 2009

I think people bash this trail because they have not found the good parts. There are some really fun and fast descents with lots of drops. Basically if you ride to the highest elevation on the creek side (on the right when driving down Juhan Rd) and keep your eyes peeled for white spray painted circles you will find these gems. They are technically closed, but ridin often so they are still obvious.

* Review edited 4/11/2009

Similar Trail: big creek

  
reviewed by zsnau734 on March 13, 2009

So so trail. The trails themselves seem to be in good condition and are fairly fun to ride; however, even with the provided maps and signage - constantly didn't understand what trails we were on. There is much, much better riding in the Atlanta Area - don't drive very long for this one.

  
reviewed by ckdake on November 2, 2008

This is the trail I learned to mountain bike on years ago and was a favorite, but all the construction and changes really messed it up. Trails were bulldozed and paved or covered with gravel, and the best mountain bike trails became horse trails. It had been ~3 years since my last trip to Yellow River and I gave it one last chance this morning which will probably be my last time there. The "new" trails are great for beginners, but the only parts of the great trails require going on trails marked as horses only or going on trails that are marked as closed, and all of them are interrupted by horse poo, fallen trees, and encroaching development. Much of the sinage is pretty nice and it needs to be because the old trails, horse trails, walking trails, and bike trails intersect a _lot_, and it gets pretty confusing because there doesn't seem to be a "recommended" bike route through it all. You can get about 7 miles out of this without riding on the same trails twice, and it really would be great for beginners, but I'll stick to other places. It was nice knowing Yellow River years ago, and it won't be forgotten!

Similar Trail: Blankets Creek

  
reviewed by RunandBike0519 on August 11, 2008

Yellow River is a nice ride but make sure you stick to the creek side of the trail these would be the trails to your right when entering the park. The signage is week in some places so be prepared to double back a few times.

  
reviewed by Bellboy2911 on June 10, 2008

I went to this trail this past weekend, and was extremely disappointed. There is good signage yes. However, the signs are SO confusing, you can not navigate worth anything. There was not much adventure to this trail whatsoever. And not to mention it was extremely short. I think for the expectation this site gave me for this trail... it was TOTALLY not worth it.

Similar Trail: a sidewalk.

  
reviewed by trent34 on March 22, 2008

ok this trail is no longer 2 seperate loops i just went out there for the first tie in 6 years (just moved back to atl) and it was not good at all. The county has bulldosed every thing put huge parking lots in gravel and paved trails and all of the mtb trails have been widened by a bob cat. Granted it is fast at points but its just not the same as it was. it used to be a great trail and now it is confusing with all of the intersections and interweaving loops for hikers horses and bikers. dont bother driving all the way out here unless you live close plus its NOT TECHNICAL AT ALL. Screw gwinett county they really 'f'd up here.

Similar Trail: i wouldnt recomend this to any one but beginners that live close by

  
reviewed by Brannam on February 2, 2008

Well maintained trails, great for a fast paced ride and getting some miles onthe legs.

Similar Trail: The Beach

  
reviewed by j._r._eaton on January 20, 2008

GATR has been opening some of the old river side trails with the county's blessing and closing some of the eroded stuff.

* Review edited 3/29/2009

Similar Trail: Chickopee, Fort Yargo, Blankets

  
reviewed by trek7k on November 29, 2007

Great trail system near the east side of town. Well maintained, great signage, adequate parking - what more can you ask for?

Similar Trail: Trails at the Beach (though TATB is not as well maintained)

  
reviewed by Hyper on May 15, 2007

They re-did both sides of the park. The right side is for beginners, the right is slightly advanced. All of the trail is well marked. If you want to be adventurous, and if no one is looking, go through the orange trails (ones covered in horse poo) and white ones (the old trails) for a little bit of adventure. If you keep mixing it up you'll never get bored.

  
reviewed by harohomeboy on February 8, 2007

The trails here were recently remade and they are faster than ever. The people who made this park really know what they are doing. There is a great parking lot just for mountian bikers with bathroons, changing rooms, and a bike wash!! The best trails are across the street from the creek side. If you can you really need to go ride here. It's awesome.

  
reviewed by singleblade1 on January 20, 2007

I went back for a second trip. The first trip was cut short due to a high speed turn and a tree jumping in the way!? These are some pretty cool trails, on the Creekside, with good flow. You can get a good groove going. There is one section that has alot of trails criss-crossing and you can just keep looping going left or right each time around. Some free riders are adding jumps and log rides off to the side of the main trail. I can see how it would be dangerous on a busy day, but when I went, it only had maybe 6-8 people. I rate this a great ride.

Similar Trail: Blankets Creek or Georgia International Horse park

  
reviewed by ATLChris on November 26, 2006

Great trail in good shape. The trail offers some technical parts on a side away from the river, and makes ofr a nice trail/nature ride on the river side. Overall, no that long, and not that difficult, but definatly enjoyable. Make a whole day out of it and explore all the side trails and horse trails.

* Review edited 3/2/2008

Similar Trail: Dauset Trails (Jackson, GA)

  
reviewed by mscaldas on October 5, 2006

Great set of trails to ride!!! I got to admit: 80% of the time I was lost not knowing where I was, but it wasn't a problem, since it seems that all road eventually lead you somewhere. It has good signage, but it's some many trail intersections that it is hard to keep track of where you are. Specially on your first time there. And I believe, part of the multi-use trail on the general parking lot was closed. I agree with loadedcarp... the creekside trails are much more fun. I had some trouble finding the yellow, green and red trails on the North side of the park (left on the map). But once there, it was worth the search. They are very short, but offer a fast track to go around! A quick note: I don't agree with the label awesome downhill - unless I couldn't find that part of the trail which is very well possible. another interesting thing will be to regulate some direction on the trails. they are all single track and don't have daily directions, which was ok for yesterday since the trails were empty. but on a Sat or more crowded days, I believe it can become a problem and even a danger!

Similar Trail: Blankets creek

  
reviewed by Rebus on September 26, 2006

Creekside trail has a lot of steady low-grade climbing and some fairly long descents, at least they are long for Georgia. The climbing doesn't kill you and the downhills are very fun and sweepy. The trail overall has excellent flow and you can easily get into a good rhythm. It is, however, a pretty easy trail with minimal technical. The Riverside trail is not a good riding trail. It's a doubletrack and is nothing like the Creekside. It would be best just to do multiple laps of Creekside and avoid Riverside altogether. The signage at the park could use a little help. It is easy to get turned around and a bit lost if you've never been there before. But overall, this was a very fun trail and I had a good time and it didn't kill me like Chicopee tried to. ;)

Similar Trail: Dauset, Ft Yargo

  
reviewed by ATLChris on August 25, 2006

Yellow River is a great ride. It is abit on the easy side, but that just means you can go further. It has some beautiful scenery, well maintained parking lots, bathrooms, and changing rooms. I wont say it was totally easy, but it was not challenging.

Similar Trail: Blanket Creek, Dauset Trails

  
reviewed by tlanta on July 27, 2006

i went there for the first time since they closed the river side trail and... - first change: the parking lot: brand new and reserved for MTbikers. bathrooms, water fountain, changing cabine. Everythings here to make it a great experience, - 2nd change. the trails. brand new too. maybe not as technical as before but beautiful and fats. only singletracks (wide though) and some parts are pretty entertaining (I love the four switchback section). To make it short, forget about yellow river. Welcome to Yellow river V2.0

  
reviewed by tlanta on July 11, 2006

I used to like the river side almost as much as the creek side. It was a great warming-up and pretty fun in some places. Does anybody know if it is still open?

  
reviewed by j._r._eaton on May 26, 2006

Finally road Goliath roller coaster, first climb up 200 ft seems to last forever, then the bottom falls out from under you. Funny things to note, this coasters in the woods and the car sure looks like a mountain bike. Great JOB to Mike Ritter and the great people at GATOR!!!

  
reviewed by rmurph4 on May 26, 2006

Great set of trails at Yellow River. Would definately recommend the creek side for a better technical ride. The creek side is not "officially" open, but you can find a way back there through the equestrian trails. Be prepared to enjoy a fair bit of ups and downs with an overall enjoyable ride.

  
reviewed by chazdecker on January 26, 2006

I've ridden this trail countless times and enjoyed pretty much every trip. The park was redone recently and I haven't been but once since, as I don't care for it as much now that everything is so perfect, but I am sure that suits some people. I enjoy the area, it's pretty easy to find, and a good ride. Can be super crowded and not able to handle the traffic on weekends.

  
reviewed by jbersch on September 25, 2005

An update on Yellow River >>>>>>>>>>>>> A lot has happened in the last 3 months. The work is far from over. The Parks Dept. will move forward with the Master Plan. Our goal has been to influence that plan as much as possible. To that end a Gwinnett Chapter of SORBA was recently formed called GATR and I am the secretary and to date we have about 60 members. Last night we met with Parks Director Grant Guess who, after much campaigning on our parts, has agreed to the most important aspect of our demands. The county is putting up extra money to hire Mike Riter, who is the official SORBA trail builder, to do the work on the Creek side. I think we will be happy with the final results. Unfortunately, this work will begin in the next 2 to 4 weeks and the Creek Side will be shut down for a while. There is power in numbers. Everyone who cares needs to join SORBA - GATR. - Steve (skonigs@emory.edu)

  
reviewed by kberryman on June 30, 2005

good trail but can be VERY confusing at times. Great workout and technical at times also could be maintained a lot better. Enjoyed it and would go back. Recommend going with someone who knows trail because there are many trails that going off of one another.

Similar Trail: Blankets Creek

  
reviewed by jbersch on May 8, 2005



* Review edited 11/28/2006

  
reviewed by GArider2004 on March 7, 2005

Creek side loop. We followed the blue blazes on the trees for the full ride. There are several (too many) made up trails which shorten the trail and make it easy to get turned around or miss the full experience. Unless you know the area well follow the blue blazes from the junked cars back to the junked cars.

Similar Trail: blankets creek Bull Mountain

  
reviewed by K2K on February 14, 2005

Bull Dozin Dozin... Baby please don't go. The parking lot is now at the top of a double blind curve/hill... The dozer has created a 6'wide trail out of the lot to the creekside trails. If the dozer keeps going you can kiss the drops and steep downhills bye bye

  
reviewed by tenbsmith on November 21, 2004

I would be truely grateful to anyone who provide a more detailed update on the construciton on the river side of the trails.

  
reviewed by hardtailer on June 13, 2004

Yellow River is great for beginners or if you've a couple of minutes to get out of Atlanta. Crush the riverside for a fast warmup and then cross the street for a small climb. (You'll LOVE the car) Zig and Zag your way back downhill to do it again because the trails are short. It's nice to have some green that embraces bikers close to the city.

Similar Trail: Sope Creek

  
reviewed by bradcollinsrc on May 9, 2004

i had a great time riding this trail with a freind. we went early sunday moring and there was no one else there. we got kinda lost, but we just rode around untill we found the road and followed that back to the parking lot. the first time around we rode the creek trail (the harder one) but when we got back we were worn out so we just took a leisure ride on the river trail. both trails are in good condition and the creek trail is well marked.

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