IMBA announced their list of 2011 Epic rides late last month and in case you missed it, here are the trails that made the cut. Two of the five new Epics are outside the US and, as IMBA’s Mark Eller notes, the new crop includes several backcountry trails. “For many years, the term ‘Epic’ was the only honorific IMBA used, so we started applying it beyond backcountry trails. Today, the variety of Model Trail categories provides more options, so it’s a good moment to go back to the original idea of an Epic ride.”

Brown County State Park (Indiana)

photo: MINiC.

With nearly 30 miles of singletrack, Brown County State park is a pretty solid pick for IMBA Epic designation. A couple quotes from singletracks reviewers: “the best trail system I’ve ever ridden,” and “if I could give this trail system more stars I would.” The trails are flowy and fast with rocks, boulders, and bridges to keep things interesting. And if great trails weren’t enough, Brown County State Park also offers fantastic views and scenery. As one reviewer put it prior to the IMBA Epic announcement, “I have ridden three EPIC systems and this is better than two of them!” Touché.

Kerr Scott Trails (North Carolina)

photo: plantme777.

North Carolina just bagged their third IMBA Epic trail with the addition of the Kerr Scott Trails this year. Dark Mountain was the first mountain bike trail built at Kerr Scott Reservoir back in 2002 and local volunteers have been working with the Corps of Engineers ever since to add more trails and more miles. Today, Dark Mountain is joined by the Overmountain Victory Trail and the Warrior Creek trail for a total of 35+ miles of singletrack. Sign up for next year’s BURN 24 Hour mountain bike race to get your fill of this Epic trail!

Mountain Hero (Yukon, CANADA)

Talk about a backcountry trail! Mountain Hero features 28 miles of hand-built singletrack crossing mining claims inside the Yukon, Canada’s westernmost province bordering Alaska. The IMBA description suggests bringing along bear spray if you attempt this one so bring your A-game.

Rattling Creek (Pennsylvania)

IMBA hasn’t posted a lot of info on this trail (system?) located near Lykens, PA but from the sound of it, this place is a hidden gem! There’s a 3/4 mile boulder field along the trail and riders say the trail flows well in either direction (a rare distinction among mountain bike trails). As best we can tell there are about 20 miles of trail at Rattling Creek, though we’d love some help filling in the blanks!

W2 Trail (Wales, UK)

Unlike most bike trails in the US, the W2 trail in Wales boasts a bike shop, showers, and bike wash right at the trailhead parking lot! The trail system itself features 27 miles of singletrack inside Afan Forest with a mix of tight, twisty stuff and clean jump lines. One ticket to Wales please.

For the US trails it looks like this year’s list is a sweep for states east of the Mississippi. Better luck next year left coast!

A couple weeks ago mudhunny and I spent the weekend camping and riding at Bent Creek in Pisgah National Forest just outside Asheville, NC and we had a blast! Although we had ridden other Pisgah trails like Dupont State Forest and Thrift Cove, neither of us had ever ridden Bent Creek and we were stoked to check it out with our friends Amy and Rob from Decatur and Sean and Katie from Greensboro.

The 30-mile mountain bike trail network within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest features trails ranging from mellow, wide paths to fast, swoopy singletrack. In general Pisgah has a reputation for techy, gnarly trails but the Bent Creek trails are relatively root- and rock-free and typically follow ancient roadbeds carved into the sides of the surrounding mountains. The upshot: scenic, enjoyable climbs and fast, flowy, no-brake descents. All the trails are well marked and there are maps available at most of the trailheads.

A few helmet-cam clips from Bent Creek.

The weather was perfect in mid-October – blue skies and warm temperatures during the day with clear, brisk nights. October is “leaf season” in western North Carolina and we got quite a show as you can see from the pics. Fortunately all the leaves were still on the trees and not on the trail which meant fast conditions.

All the trailheads within Bent Creek were packed on Saturday and Sunday with mountain bikers from all over. Perhaps the most popular trail, Green’s Lick, is listed at 2.2 miles long and is one of the fastest descents you’ll find in Pisgah. Green’s Lick isn’t the steepest trail in Pisgah by a long shot but it is one of the smoothest, allowing mountain bikers to really open up on the downhill. Our run took about 8 minutes (including a minute or two recovering from a minor crash) and by the end of the trail my ears were ringing from the howl of the wind rushing by. Check your tire pressure before you head down this one – we saw two separate groups trailside with flats on the way down!

On Saturday I went out for a solo night ride which normally isn’t a safe idea but the trails are all so easy to follow I had to give it a shot. Without a map I fumbled my way around an impromptu circuit with the Pine Tree and Explorer loops. After a few miles the trail dumped me at a forest road which I thought I recognized from earlier in the day so I followed it for miles, hoping to link up with more singletrack. I eventually gave up after climbing for more than half an hour and descended down the gravel road from Ledford Gap. Still, it was one of the best night rides I’ve been on in a while with black mountains silhouetted against deep purple skies.

The campground at Bent Creek lies within the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area and offers nearly 100 campsites. On this October weekend the place was full but you wouldn’t have known it – the campsites are spaced out nicely with plenty of privacy and room to stretch out. There are even hot showers and flush toilets, not to mention a sand beach down at the lake.

If you end up staying at Lake Powhatan and somehow get tired of riding the Bent Creek trails, you can also ride up FS road 479 to the Blue Ridge Parkway and link up to other Pisgah trails within the Mills River area.

Pisgah National Forest is legendary among mountain bikers and Bent Creek is a great spot to touch down and explore the trails. Get Bent this fall!

Trying to pick the 5 “best” mountain bike trails in Western North Carolina (WNC) is kind of like trying to pick the 5 best $5,000 mountain bikes. They’re all amazing, but they’re all just a little bit different. So while I’m picking these trails because I think they’re really great and may in fact be the best, I’m also choosing these specific trails in an effort to portray the incredible diversity of the mountain biking opportunities available in WNC.

5. Sugar Mountain

Photo Credit: Goo. Rider: Unknown.

If you are coming from the south in an effort to find lift-serviced downhill mountain biking, Sugar Mountain is the first spot that you’ll find. While the resort doesn’t offer an expansive trail network or a jump park, it does have one full top-to-bottom trail packed with more rocks, roots, drops, steeps, and more rocks than you can shake a broken derailleur at! During my first visit to Sugar Mountain, I rode the trails non-stop for the entire 5 or 6 hours that the lift ran. While the trails may be few, the ones they do have are seriously fun! If you live north of North Carolina, though, there are probably some much better options available within a reasonable distance. But for those of us in the South, Sugar Mountain is a great asset.

4. Bent Creek

Photo Credit: ositoking.

I have not yet ridden this trail, but based on all the information I’ve gleaned from guidebooks, the listing here on Singletracks, and friends of mine that live in Asheville just a stone’s throw from the trailhead, Bent Creek is worth a trip! Based on my conversations with locals, the trails are apparently much, much tamer than the trails in Pisgah proper, and are even less technical than those found in Dupont. However, that doesn’t detract from the beauty of this trail system as a whole. There are climbs and descents to be found all over the place, and by all accounts the trails are well-built and narrow.

Bent Creek is designed as a tightly wound “trail system” with concentric loops, making it easy to do anything from a short 5-mile ride to a pieced-together all-day epic. Either way, you’re rarely far from the trailhead. For some people, this could be a welcome relief from the epic-quality singletrack in the rest of Pisgah National Forest that seems to take you deep into the heart of nowhere, completely removed from the constraints of civilization… and the safety of it. Riding a trail system such as Bent Creek requires much less overall commitment. Add in the benefits of a lake and campground and you have a classic mountain biking destination fit for you and the buddies, or you and the family.

3. Tsali

Photo Credit: Goo.

Photo Credit: Goo.

According to mtbikewnc.com, “The popular Tsali Recreation Area has long been a top destination for mountain biking in Western North Carolina, and even the entire eastern US. Containing nearly 40 miles of trails in a system with four excellent loops, it has been rated as one of the top 10 places to ride in the USA.” Historically, Tsali has been one of the great mountain bike destinations of the Southeast. I have spoken with several Georgia locals who can remember back to a time when mountain biking in the state was sparse, and that if a rider wanted to find true singletrack they would have to make the pilgrimage up to Tsali. Thankfully that is no longer the case, but Tsali continues to be a classic destination for mountain bikers from all over the Southeast, and from all over the nation.

Tsali’s popularity is due to the incredible undulating flow of its smooth trails, and the breathtaking views that it provides of Fontana Lake from several different vantage points. In many ways, Tsali is the antithesis to almost all of the other trails in Western North Carolina. Pisgah, Dupont, and many other areas are renowned for the technical challenge found within their forested borders. Tsali’s trails are renowned for exactly the opposite!

2. Black Mountain

Photo Credit: Goo.

As Timm Muth, the author of the North Carolina Falcon guide book, says, “Simply put, this is one of the top three descents in (Pisgah National Forest). It should be on the “A” list for any rider who requires an enormous dose of heartbreak, challenge, and adrenaline.” I know Timm personally, and he has done every single ride in his guide book, so I’ll take his word for it!

Black Mountain is full of quintessential Pisgah singletrack: incredibly steep climbs filled with drops, roots, and rocks like you’d never believe, followed by descents that are just as steep and just as gnarly. Black Mountain is no exception to this rule, and it is an intense 10-mile ride! Starting at ground zero, the trail climbs up and over Hickory Knob, back down the other side a bit, and then rockets straight into the sky to the top of Black Mountain. At the top, turn around, drop your saddle, and bomb back down! Highlights include tons of drops, crazy gnar, jumps, and 8-foot tall berms.

If you’ve been looking at this list closely, you’ve noticed that Black Mountain is the only trail listed that resides in the Pisgah National Forest (barring the Bent Creek trail system). There are literally hundreds of miles of trail in Pisgah, and if you took almost any one of them and placed it in one of the nearby states, it would make a top 5 list such as this with ease. As you can imagine, picking out the “best trail” is difficult at best and arbitrary at worst; in any case I think Black Mountain does a good job of standing as a representative of the entire forest!

1. Dupont State Forest

Photo Credit: Goo.

Putting “Dupont State Forest” in first place is a little bit of a cheap shot, as there are over 80 miles of trails available in the forest. The various trails contain steep slickrock, flowy singletrack in the trees, scenic waterfalls, jumps, rocky technical sections, steep climbs, rhododendron tunnels, and more. I have not explored every single one of the trails yet, but so far the trail combination that includes the most slickrock is easily my favorite. In fact, it may be one of the best trails I’ve ever ridden… ever. This East Coast slickrock experience is not to be missed!

Have you ridden in WNC? What’s your favorite trail?

Mountain bike trails can have many different features that draw the rider in and create an enjoyable outdoor experience.  These different features could include challenging, rewarding climbs, rough, technical tread, amazing flow, man-made stunts, or gorgeous views – and the list goes on and on.

Historical trail features are particularly interesting to me and whenever I ride a trail with a bit of history I feel a deeper connection with my surroundings.  While this historic element is not present on every mountain bike ride, many trails go past historic sites containing relics of a time long gone or are themselves pieces of history. Here are just a few examples that come to mind.

Bull Mountain, Georgia

This rusted hulk from a time long past lies just off the Bull Mountain trail outside of Dahlonega, Georgia.  The truck isn’t located anywhere near a road, but the mountain bike trail lies on an old road bed that must have once been passable by trucks like this.  I wish I knew why this truck was parked and abandoned miles up this mountain in the North Georgia forest, and what it had been used for.  The mystery is intriguing, and every time I roll by this truck I at least have to glance at it and wonder what stories it would tell if it could talk.

Johnson Peak, Montana

Based on the large windows on all sides of this building, I’m guessing this dilapidated shack used to be a forest fire lookout post.  There’s no longer a view from this spot, but the trees surrounding the cabin look relatively young in comparison to the rest of the forest, indicating that at one time you probably could have seen for miles from this vantage point.

Canada Creek, Georgia

I imagine these silos once had a barn to go with them and if they did, it’s no longer there.  When I rounded this corner and rode right beneath these looming concrete structures, I couldn’t help thinking: “How cool is this?” The nearby land in this sunken valley along Canada Creek looked like it had been farmed at one time.  Now, the whole area is wild and looks like it’s only used by rednecks mudding in their 4×4′s.

Tsali: Left Loop, North Carolina

photo posted by ositoking.

This chimney from an old homestead on the Tsali trails is really representative of a lot of unsung historic sites all across the nation.  If I had $10 for every old fireplace I’ve seen while riding I’d probably be a rich man.  However, that doesn’t detract from the interest and the history of this particular location.  Where the Left Loop trail now runs used to be someone’s kitchen/living room.  I wonder if it was a sizeable house, or just a small cabin? We’ll probably never know…

These are only a handful of the historical sites that I have noticed along the bike trail.  I’ve stumbled across many old foundations, graves long forgotten, the remains of old bridges, and more. Trails like these are more than just another ride through the woods, another statistic on your training log; they are a ride through history!

What trails have you ridden that pass by a historical site or have their own historical significance?

Greg Heil (singletracks screen name: Goo) has mountain biked trails all across the nation and is currently a member of the Airborne Flight Crew. He writes a mountain bike blog that’s choc-full of useful, objective mountain bike information.

A few weeks ago the opportunity to hit the road and travel to the Jackrabbit Trail System presented itself by way of an invitation to my wife from her cousin.  Whenever my wife asks if I want to travel to a new trail to go riding, I’m sure to jump on it!  In fact, I was very intrigued by what I had heard about the Jackrabbit trails from a lot riders I know.  The trail listing here on Singletracks didn’t seem to have much information and there were no pictures or video to give a definite indicator of what the singletrack was really like. Time for a little adventure!

All About the Trail

If I had to describe the Jackrabbit singletrack in three words, I would call it “fast, flowy hardpack.” Leave the suspension at home folks… this is a hardtail paradise!  Yep, the trails here are fast and flowy, artfully built into the hills on a peninsula in Lake Chatuge, just south of Hayesville, North Carolina. The singletrack climbs and dips, twisting through the trees and around the hillsides, flying up and over small whoop-te-dos at random.  While there are several climbs and descents, it never seems like you’re climbing for very long. This is possible thanks to the uncommonly flat terrain for North Carolina and the fact that the trails are thoughtfully laid out to encourage you to maintain momentum throughout the course of the trail.

The trail system is designed around a 3.1 mile central loop that is very beginner friendly, but still enjoyable by just about anyone.  Situated around the outside of the main loop (and one in the interior), there are several trails of varying style and difficulty. One trail features tons of whoops and jumps, another focuses on fluid turns and flow, one is tighter and limits your speed more, and another features real climbs with some rocks and bridges to keep things interesting.

Trail Signage

I’ve ridden over 138 trails all over the country and I have to honestly say that the trail signage at Jackrabbit is the best I have ever seen!  Every single intersection is marked with one of these signs, which include a giant, red “You Are Here” arrow.  In fact, at one point I reached an intersection where several trails joined up, and I could see four of these signs sitting within a few feet of each other at each prominent corner of the junction.  Even if you are bad with maps and directions, getting lost at Jackrabbit is out of the question!

The Mastermind Behind the Network

As we were casually riding along on a Wednesday evening, we crossed paths with many locals who offered an enthusiastic wave and a “hello.” At one intersection, we met some friendly riders who shared some trail advice and wanted to help point us in the right direction.  Due to their familiarity with the trails and their construction, I asked “Did you guys help build these trails?”  The older man responded by pointing at his riding partner and saying, “She’s the mastermind behind this place!”  Her name is Joanna.  She is a small, unassuming retirement-age woman  who obviously loves to ride her mountain bike.  As she began to talk about why they had designed and built the trails the way they had, I could see in her face a passion for mountain biking and her beloved trail system!

Apparently, Joanna and her partner used to take groups of kids mountain biking as a part of an after school-type program.  As they led these trips, they eventually grew tired of seeing the kids throw their mountain bikes down beside the trail and refuse to go on due to the difficulty.  After all, they live in North Carolina where many of  the trails are anything but beginner-friendly!  That is where the inspiration for Jackrabbit was born.  They wanted to build a trail system that would be fun and easily accessible for beginners such as kids to ride, and yet they wanted to build something that would be entertaining for much more seasoned riders as well.

To hear Joanna tell the story, the trails have been a success! Now when they take kids out to ride mountain bikes, they’re all grins from ear to ear and can’t wait to go riding again! Not to mention all of the other riders who show up these days.  Where else can you find a nearly full parking long on a Wednesday evening?

Goo is your guide to North Georgia singletrack. He’s also a member of the Airborne MTB Flight Crew and blogs at GregRidesTrails.com. He’s even hosting a MTB photo contest this month, pop over to see how you can win $100!

Itusi trail @ Lake Norman State Park – photo by EZ-E

IMBA is on the ball again, this time organizing mountain bikers to comment on the North Carolina State Parks Systemwide Plan. As always, IBMA has some talking points for comments that can be submitted via email or letter by October 31, 2009.

If you have ever ridden or plan to ride North Carolina, please take the time to send your comments in support of expanded and improved shared-used trails in our state parks.

Looking at the draft plan itself, there are some pretty encouraging words for mountain bikers in North Carolina. I’ve pasted the section on mountain bike trails below but the jist of it is that mountain bikers in NC are vocal and they want singletrack in Umstead State Park. The plan also gives kudos to MTB volunteer groups and points to the trails at Lake Norman State Park as a good model for future trail development. Check out the NC Division of Parks & Rec. website to see how you can submit your comments before the deadline.

From the 2009 Systemwide plan:

The largest number of responses on the survey from a recreation-specific user group was from mountain bikers. The survey found that while although only 39.3% people surveyed would ride mountain bikes in state parks, mountain bike trails were by far the most requested facility-type – with 19.9% of people surveyed choosing this facility as their highest priority to develop in state parks. The 2007 NSRE found that within the previous year, 15.7% of North Carolinians participated in mountain biking.

The comments on the survey from the mountain biking community were numerous. The major themes emerging from the comments were: more mountain biking trails are needed – particularly in areas near centers of population; the mountain biking community is sizeable and organized; mountain biking can be low impact use on properly designed trails; single-track trails on natural surfaces with a wide variety of trail types, difficulties, and length are preferred; and there are many groups such as: the Tarheel Trailblazers, Brushy Mountain Cyclists, Greensboro Fat Tire Society, Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, International Mountain Biking Association, and the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association are available and willing to contribute financially and also through volunteer work to help design, build, and maintain mountain bike trails.

The vast majority of park-specific comments received from this user group were directed to William B. Umstead State Park where mountain bikers were unhappy with the wide gravel road experience and noted that new single-track trails (or conversion of existing trails) at the park were desired. Several mountain bikers applauded the division’s collaboration with the mountain biking community on the design and construction of the single-track trail network at Lake Norman State Park.

Photos by Reserverockhopper

We drove up to North Carolina this weekend for a wedding on Valentine’s Day (romantic, huh?) but luckily the weather was great and mudhunny and I were able to get a ride in yesterday (more on that later). Some of you may have had to skip your regular trail ride on February 14 but the guys who organize the Racers and Chasers MTB series in California thought ahead and offered a red rose to all race class winners – isn’t that sweet? Sure beats trying to win your sweetheart a stuffed bear at the county fair

Anyway, on the way back home we stopped off in Greensboro for a ride with some friends at the new Wild Turkey MTB trail on Lake Brandt. Wild Turkey is the newest mountain bike trail in the area and has been open for about a year and a half or so. It’s a 4.5 mile out and back trail which is a shame because the lake is looped by singletrack trails, some of which are closed to mountain bikers. The new trails are fast and smooth – swoopy with great flow. The banked turns on the descents are some of the best I’ve ridden – kudos to the Greensboro Fat Tire Society for the trail work! Riders of all ages seemed to be enjoying the trails including at least two riders on Surly Pugsleys – I didn’t know it snowed that much in Greensboro

After Wild Turkey, Jim, Gary and I decided to throw in a loop around Owl’s Roost just for old time’s sake and it was great. Owl’s Roost is much rootier than Wild Turkey and has some pretty gnarly short climbs in spots but my new 29er seemed to just glide over the bumps and leapt up the short steeps. By the time we got back to the house we had clocked over 20 miles in just over 2 hours or so, 70% of it on singletrack – incredible for a February ride!

I’m hoping the nice weather we’re seeing here in the southeast is here to stay – maybe Punxy Phil was wrong after all…

Over at the Raleigh News and Observer Joe Miller says a potential land acquisition at Eno River State Park in North Carolina *could* open new trails to mountain biking within the park. Mountain biking is addressed in the park’s draft General Management Plan which will be revised with public input over the next few years. Park officials say they’ve already been contacted by local MTB clubs who have offered to help build the trails – now that’s enthusiasm!

When we lived in Durham we did alot of trail running and hiking at Eno River State Park and I always tried to imagine which trails would be the best for mountain biking. The Cox Mountain trail is one of the steepest trails in the area and would make a killer downhill in a region severely lacking gravity options (though I don’t think this trail is even remotely being considered for mountain biking). The Dunnagen trail would offer some fast and fun ridge riding but again, not on the table as far as I know.

As more and more land management plans come up for review and revision we should start to see even more parks allowing mountain biking in the future. Read the local paper to see which parks in your area are drafting new plans and speak out – you just might get some new singletrack!