Road Trip Recommendations – Kansas City and Roanoke

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    • #277848

      I am about to head out on a 2 week trip from Boulder, CO to Asheville, NC and would like ride recommendations for a couple of my stops.  For reference, I ride most everything within 2 hours of Boulder and usually ride Bent Creek and Dupont when I am in Asheville.  A mix of intermediate (75%) and advanced (25%) trails would be ideal while traveling by myself.

      I will be in Kansas City on Monday night and have time for 2 rides in Missouri.  1.) Swope Park looks like an obvious choice.  Which direction do most people ride?  Should I be concerned about parking – unload my car at the hotel before riding?  2.) I have time for a longer ride on Tuesday.  Blue River Parkway, Landahl Park Reserve or Berryman Trail?

      I will be in Blacksburg, VA next Saturday for a football game and will spend the rest of the weekend in Roanoke.  1.) Carvins Cove seems like a good choice for Sunday.  Do any of you have a favorite 15 to 20 mile loop?  2.) I may have time for another ride on Monday.  Mill Mountain, back to Carvins or stop at Kerr Scott in Wilkesboro, NC on my way to Asheville?

    • #277873

      I will also be spending a couple of days in Louisville, KY but will not have much time to ride there.  Are there any must ride trails in the area?

    • #277911

      Jealous.  Some thoughts for CC: something for everyone there.  Where to start/go depends entirely on fitness level and harsh climbing/descending comfort.  If you’re into 10+ % avg grades (up to 30+% at times),  start on the Southwest “side” and probably at Timberview parking lot.

      The following route is 15miles with a total of 3k vert give or take but gives a full view of most everything at CC except the jump lines (OG and Trough) or worst/best rock crawling tech (rattlin run) but it’s hard core up and down to start.

      – Lot to Gauntlet on Horsepen.

      – Gauntlet up/Hi-Dee-Ho down (1,000 ft up over 2miles) and high consequence descent if at speed. Classic “upper” trails at CC.

      – 4 gorge and extension to Kerncliff (Northside flow trails – some punchy ups but nothing like the “upper” trails)

      – Kerncliff to Araminta (fire road but steep and loose)

      – Araminta to Hemlock Tunnel (fast single track) to Lakeside

      – Lakeside (southside fast flow) to Horsepen to Lot. Let it rip and prepare for plenty of drifting corners.

      Tons of options for adding/dropping a bit of length or elevation (super clear maps on any of the websites and maybe best trail markings I have seen).  E.g. Make the start a bit easier by using Trough up and Buck down or get a little air by coming down OG and onto Gauntlet for remainder down. I would suggest not leaving a Gauntlet or Hi-Dee-Ho climb for late in ride unless you’re really fit.

      Can park at bennet springs lot and save upper trails for after 4 gorge warmups or skip entirely.

      Cannot go wrong at CC. Enjoy!

    • #279784

      Kansas City is pretty close to northwest Arkansas,  so if you have time, you should really come check out the trails here.

      Some recommendations:

      – Coler Mountain Bike Preserve (Hardcore)

      – The Back 40 (Endless possibilities, great variety)

      – Lake Leatherwood (Downhill trails, was one of the Enduro World Series stops this year)

      – Fitzgerald Mountain (Best Trail Ever is a great one)

      – Slaughter Pen (Bentonville trail system that kicked the recent MTB explosion into gear)

      All of these and more can be found on the OZ Trails site: https://oztrailsnwa.com/trail-locations/

      Have an awesome trip! Sounds like a blast!

      – David

    • #290189

      DG – thanks for the recommendations on Carvins Cove.  I ended up getting rained out in Roanoke but did get to enjoy an awesome 6 overtime football game at Virginia Tech.  I can’t wait to get back and give the riding a try.

       

       

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