photos courtesy recreation.gov
SORBA is working with the US Corps of Engineers to open a brand new 6.7-mile mountain bike trail loop in the Paynes Creek recreation area on Lake Hartwell on the GA/SC border off I-85. Professional trailbuilders have already cut the rough trails (the same crew that built FATS) and SORBA is organizing two work days to get the finishing touches complete in time for an April 29 grand opening!
Singletracks is all about new mountain bike trails and so we’re offering free trail memberships ($19.99 value) to everyone who volunteers on the April 23 trail work day. There’s also a trail work day this Saturday for those who can’t make it April 23 and it looks like the weather should be amazing!
Paynes Creek offers camping and access to beautiful Lake Hartwell which means this new trail system should become an instant classic. The topography in the area is rolling and although I haven’t seen the site yet, I predict these trails will be both fast and family-friendly.
Details, including links to directions and start times can be found on this forum thread. Check in and let us know if you can make it!
I’m really excited about these trails!
I plan to be there for the April work.
[…] At this moment, Paynes Creek is about as new of a trail as you’ll ever ride, having just opened at the end of April (2011). This is the first true singletrack mountain bike trail in this section of Northeast Georgia and helps fill in a large gap in the map. Paynes Creek was designed and built through the cooperation of the US Army Corps of Engineers, the crew behind the epic trail design of FATS, the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), people like you who were willing to volunteer, and even Singletracks.com. […]