Left Loop Mountain Bike Trail – Tsali Recreation Area (Graham County, NC)

Overall Difficulty: Intermediate
Technical Difficulty: Moderate
Physical Difficulty: Moderate
Configuration: Loop
Length: 11.9 miles

Public lands offer endless riding opportunities, especially with the adoption of recreation by many state and federal agencies as a valuable resource to manage. Tsali recreation area of western North Carolina, considered by some as a southeastern mecca for mountain biking, is located in the Nantahala National Forest along the banks of Fontana Lake. The area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and offers a trail system that covers over 30 miles of terrain that explores the banks of Fontana Lake, climbs to awe-inspiring overlooks of the Appalachian mountains, and travels through dense, ancient hardwood forests. The left loop trail, one of the four designated trails of Tsali, is open to mountain bikers on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and open to horseback riders the other days. An 11.9 mile loop trail, the left loop trail hops from cove to cove of Fontana lake, with the occasional climb and subsequent fast descent that eventually leaves the banks of the lake and returns to the trailhead via a gravel doubletrack.

To begin this trail, ride past the information kiosk and bike cleaning station and immediately take a left following the trail signs for the left loop trail. An initial climb and quick descent will drop you into the horse trailer parking lot, from which you will cross and drop into the forest following the signs. Gentle rollers take you across the contours of the hillsides, with bank turns allowing for smoother transitions between opposing aspects. An abrupt left turn places you in a drainage that leads you to your first glimpse of Fontana Lake. Begin following the shoreline with the occasional creek crossing as many tributaries are crossed as the trail hops from cove to cove. Dry oak forests transition to fern and moss laden under stories as dynamic moisture gradients are encountered while constantly climbing and descending opposing hillsides.

Only slight climbs have been encountered thus far, but a moderately larger climb is encountered as the trail ascends to an overlooking peninsula, and then continues up the ridgeline. The climb peaks and the trail rolls over and begins a fun descent through Rhododendron trees that ends at another drainage and continues traversing more peninsulas. At this point, the climbs and descents begin to become a larger. One particular stretch of downhill includes water banks that increase the technicality of the descent and sharp, exposed turns require slight speed checks to avoid unwanted full bodied launches off of the embankment. An intersection is soon encountered that offers an extra 2 mile overlook loop that climbs for one mile to the cusp of a rock outcropping. Enjoy a nice view of Fontana Lake and the surrounding Appalachians, and then continue on the overlook trail which descends quickly and eventually returns to the left loop trail.  Read more

HammerSchmidt Who? We’ll All Know Real Soon

Trends and styles of riding have burgeoned in recent years; almost always as a result of the constantly evolving technology that is present in the sport. The early 90’s yielded suspension to the mountain biking community which many feel has been the greatest advance in the sport of mountain biking to date. In spite of this, some traditionalists have dismissed this development and fully embraced the simplicity of the fully rigid frame. While the significance of suspension may be debatable to some, especially with the evolution in frame geometry, production of disc brakes, and improvements in wheel and tire design, SRAM has boldly added another contender to the debate, the Truvativ HammerSchmidt front shifting line, that should make any rider of any style momentarily recede from the debate and eagerly await their chance to try out this new advancement. Leaving the front derailleur obsolete, the HammerSchmidt is a breakthrough in front transmission technology that provides the same benefits of a duel ring system neatly packed into one single ring.

The Truvativ HammerSchmidt will overcome many of the problems encountered with a two or three ring system. Riding with traditional two or three ring systems require constant attention and planning in response to the approaching terrain. In fact, shifting is an art that requires careful timing to successfully shift your front derailleur, especially in situations with abrupt terrain changes. A surprise incline can leave you in a precarious situation as you desperately try to keep the pedals moving in order to guide the chain to the lower ring. Similarly, many chainring teeth are ravaged as they unsuccessfully clear trail obstructions, or an unsuspecting rider is granted the surprise of zero chain tension as they begin to crank upwards after a bumpy downhill jolted the chain completely off of the rings. The HammerSchmidt should successfully evade all of these problems, all the while packaged into a cool, sleek design.  Read more

Hawkes Creek Farm (Winterville, GA)

Overall Difficulty: Intermediate
Technical Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Physical Difficulty: Moderate
Configuration: Loop
Length: 4.5 miles

For many, the passion for mountain biking is a unique bond built between earth’s selfless offerings of beautiful landscapes and the ensuing need to explore these tracts, ever progressing in strength, technique, and confidence. Regrettably, many of these natural playgrounds are left unexplored by anxious two-wheeled travelers, inaccessible as private property. Fortunately, there is hope. Some landowners share this same passion for mountain biking and have unselfishly made their land available for others to enjoy. Hawkes Creek Farm, located outside of Winterville GA, is privately owned but is open to the public for riders to explore expanses of sycamore and poplar forest, green, rolling pastures, and lush ravines on a well-maintained 8 km loop singletrack loop. A minimal amount of horse use exists, so visitors are preferred to ride on odd days to avoid horse-bike collisions.

The parking lot is easily located at the entrance of Hawkes Creek Farm just off of Hargrove Lake road. With the trailhead directly across from the parking lot, this loop trail is navigated with ease for local races are often held here and the trail is well-marked and maintained. Enter the hardwood canopy, following a quick singletrack, and enjoy this rural Georgia landscape. Do not loose too much focus on the trail because minor root and log obstacles do exist to punish any lackadaisical rider. Quickly thereafter, you emerge to a gravel road and head right. Watch for arrows to your left that will lead you on to a grassy doubletrack that traverses horse pastures, lined with barbed-wire fencing, and accented with a quintessential barn on the horizon.

Watch for on-looking white-tail deer as you make a quick descent into the next forested section followed by the first steep climb. Following suit to many trails in Georgia, the occasional set of exposed roots and downed trees add a certain cadence to your ride while the smooth, quick sections of singletrack add a chorus of wind whistling through your helmet as you are able to enjoy turns and straight-aways at speeds of enjoyable levels. The songs of singing tree frogs welcome you as the trail descends to a creek bottom. A few contours exist, followed by a tranquil ride alongside Hawkes Creek which abruptly ends after the 4 km marker.

A left turn peels you from the creek’s sweet embrace and ascends towards a short slickrock and rock garden section. Attack this section with rabid intentions, and if your balance, strength, and luck are perfectly aligned you will be granted success. Do not celebrate prematurely though, because the trail continues to climb for another 50 feet. Atop the hill, a small victory is warranted, and with a quick drag on the camelback you push on. Cross another gravel road at the 5 km marker and travel along more singletrack with familiar ups and downs. On one particular descent, a small launch is encountered for those interested in removing their wheels from the ground momentarily. Although a smooth landing does exist, a sharp left at the bottom demands a quick, sliding left turn; otherwise an elegant (or not so elegant) swan dive into the approaching foliage is rather likely.

The understory becomes thicker and oak and poplar trees dwarf any rider as the trail hugs the edges of a lush ravine. After squeezing through a few tight trees, the trail ascends from this bottomland to the top of a long climb. The trail rolls over the hill and you are shortly back to where you started from at the parking lot. Hawkes Creek Farm offers an excellent singletrack ride in a wonderful landscape, with hills and obstacles to transform this trail into a moderately difficult ride. With than being said, it is certainly manageable for beginners and laps can added for a more advanced ride. As this trail is privately owned, be respectful and maintain full biking etiquette to preserve continued access to awesome areas such as this.

Google Map of the Trailhead

441 Mountain Bike Trail (Athens, GA)

It is not an easy accomplishment for a single trail to satisfy the needs of multiple disciplines of riding. It is particularly difficult in an area lacking the epic combination of long, steep descents forged with technical obstacles. 441 trail, however, magnificently exploits the given terrain to create a ride that should satisfy cross-country and freeride bikers alike. With steep climbs, technical rock obstacles, and tabletop jumps, this singletrack trail is constantly progressing (thanks to hard-working local riders) into a masterful playground packed tight within encroaching development.

The trailhead begins just north of Loop 10 off of highway 441. Accessed with ease from the North Oconee River Greenway, riders often park at the North Oconee River Greenway parking lot at the intersection and MLK and College Ave. to avoid potential parking issues closer to the trailhead. After a quick ride alongside the muddy Oconee River and a skillful set of maneuvers to avoid passing walkers, joggers, and daring eastern chipmunks, exit the Greenway path to the right just before entering Sandy Creek Nature Center. This street will lead straight to Hwy. 441, with the singletrack trailhead directly across the highway, next to a gas station .

As a trail that is completely developed and maintained by a diverse set of local riders, there are no trail markers and no set routes or direction that must be obeyed. In fact, sections can be looped, bypassed, or added to create routes as diverse as the terrain. This review, however, follows a route that maximizes distance and captures a multitude of obstacles, hills, and jumps. The trail begins by squeezing through a pine dominated forest, with sections requiring careful attention to your elbows as to avoid an intimate, yet abrasive encounter with a loblolly pine. Stay right as you follow the perimeter which leads to a bumpy descent, across a wood-plank bridge.

Traverse momentarily, then take a giant gulp of oxygen and begin cranking up a fairly steep hill that includes a natural half-pipe near the top, just to keep things interesting. As you approach the top, the trail makes a sharp turn to the left that descends and traverses across the hill in which you just climbed. Momentum and balance is imperative, for rock, root, and log obstacles lie and wait to claim victim of the approaching, unsuspecting rider.

Continue winding back and forth, with the occasional stretch of ripping downhill. These downhill stretches are certainly well-earned, because hills do not go un-ridden on this trail.

The steep climbs and technical trail obstacles keep the mouths of numerous cross-country riders constantly watering while the occasional well placed set of drops and rock hits can satisfy the likes of any freerider looking to bounce down a trail on their beefy rigs, grinning from ear to ear. Before completing the first section of trail, a series of four drops can entertain any rider of any discipline.

Prepare for a sharp right turn at the bottom of the third drop, a quick ascent, and then a gradual, meandering climb out of the first forested section. The trail leads through a kudzu-ridden field, and is then intersected by a road. Cross the road and press on following the trail into the second forested section.

Quick, tight turns shortly subside and give way to yet another straight, gradual climb. A rock garden awaits you at the top. Upon successfully negotiating the rocks, you are left overlooking a ravine, which has been wonderfully transformed into a small, yet highly entertaining freeride area. Make your way around to the top of the ravine, pick your line and get ready for take off. Two tabletops, a smaller gap jump, a number of different drop-in points, and wall ride allow for a suite of combinations that puts any dollar menu to shame.

After you have had your fun at the freeride pit, you may continue up from the top of the ravine and exit the forest to a power line cut. Alternatively, there is another loop still in its infancy that begins just to the other side of the freeride drop-in. This extension loop descends and traverses the other side of the hill that you climbed moments ago. As this trail is still being developed, sections are not well worn but can certainly add mileage and more fun to your ride as it eventually loops back to the freeride pit that you just left. To exit, ride to the power line cut and head right for a fast downhill section that empties you onto the trail that enters the second forest section.

To return to the trailhead, cross the street following the trail back across the kudzu field and into the first forested section. Instead of backtracking the entire way back, one can stay right once the trail parallels the highway for a finale that leaves your heart pounding as you make fast drops and quick passes through tight trees. 441 trail is a great ride for confident beginners who are ready to progress their riding to the next level. Conversely, more advanced riders will appreciate the technicality of the ride and anxiously wait for what will come next with the ongoing development of the trail. Broken chains, flat tires, and broken arms are not strangers to this trail, so be prepared, be careful, and enjoy this rough, challenging ride, and if it is not challenging enough for you, try riding this route in the other direction.

Overall Difficulty: Intermediate – Advanced
Technical Difficulty: Moderate – Difficult
Physical Difficulty: Moderate
Configuration: Loop with some backtracking
Length: 4 miles

Google Map of the Trailhead

Chase Street Mountain Bike Trail (Athens, GA)

Despite ongoing development throughout the Georgia Piedmont, it is still possible to hop off of the unforgiving pavement and disappear into a forested seclusion filled with screaming downhills, grueling uphills, and scattered hairpin turns. Chase Street trail is no exception, located just miles from downtown Athens, GA, this trail provides an easy escape for local and visiting biking enthusiasts alike. Don’t let the distance fool you. Chase Street trail can provide a well-deserved sense of achievement for any beginner and more advanced riders can tack on a few more laps for a satisfying pace and even hill-climb workout.

Located off of Chase street just outside of Loop 10, a gravel double track leads west, parallel to Loop 10, towards the trailhead. Like of many of these urban escapes, the trail is not well marked but easily located with a watchful set of eyes. As you approach the forested section on your right, just prior to the steep double track ascent directly ahead, look right for the trailhead that quickly descends into the thick hardwood forest. A subsequent quick left turn begins a series of back and forth traverses that leaves your legs burning and quickly empties you on to another double track alongside a stream. Continue with the stream to your right, looking for a single track that veers off to the left and ascends up the hillside for another section of back and forth traversing.

After negotiating a series of down logs and steep climbs, the trail levels out and leads to a fairly technical rock garden. Easily bypassed to the right, the main trail progresses through a short, yet challenging series of rocks that has left some with a face full of dirt. After a few more turns and a gradual ascent, you are emptied back onto the gravel double track from which you began. Head right and immediately cross the road to enter a very short forested section that quickly spits you back across the same double track and into the second forested section.

Canopies of sweetgum, grapevine, and pine needles envelop the trail as you crank past the remains of old golf carts (due to the neighboring country club) and fly over a wooden bridge crossing another small stream. A steady climb evolves to a steep finish that completes the second forested section. Upon exiting, the trail leads straight to the railroad tracks. For those who have parked at the trailhead, this would be a good spot to turn around and follow the trail back to the beginning to complete a nice out and back ride. Otherwise, some folks opt to cross the tracks and head left that eventually leads to an access road to the boulevard neighborhood of Athens. Another option would be to cross and join with the Loop 10 trail that begins directly beneath the underpass.

Where this trail lacks in technical difficulty, it certainly makes up for in strenuousness. The location and trail length is accommodating for those who want to get a quick ride in after work or pound out a few laps for an intense hill workout. For those driving to the trailhead, the gravel double track had been used for parking as well as surrounding business parking lots. Parking at a business during business hours might not be appreciated so make sure where you choose to park is ok.

Overall Difficulty: Intermediate
Technical Difficulty: Easy
Physical Difficulty: Strenuous
Configuration: Out and back
Length: 2.70 miles

Google Map of the Trailhead