MTB WNC Trail Information Tables
Contents

Choose the trails from the list below!

Important Information!

Bent Creek area trails

Mills River area trails

Davidson River area trails

Coleman Boundary and Other Pisgah National Forest trails

Nantahala National Forest trails--includes the Tsali Trails.

South Mountains State Park trails--I Need Your Help!

WNC Trail Information Tables

-Bent Creek Area trails-

PLEASE VISIT www.mtbikewnc.com to view the rest of this site!  The new site is much better than this one, and this one is no longer updated!

Symbols: * means not shown on map, new trail.

Numbers: Red: number shown on Trails Illustrated map.  Blue: Number shown on USGS Quad maps.

The links in the tables are to one of the Best Rides that includes the trail, or to images of the trail.

Bent Creek is extremely convenient to Asheville, NC, which makes it very popular.  Not to mention the great mountain biking.  Great for first timers to experts, trails of all types abound within this section of the Pisgah National Forest. For a better explanation of "The Top" and the rest of  the Bent Creek area, visit the Guide to Bent Creek.

Locate Bent Creek on the Western North Carolina Area Map.

Bent Creek Area Trails

Name	Difficulty	Length (miles)	Numbers	Comments
Explorer Loop	More Difficult	3.0	50 *	Seasonal use only.
Homestead	Easy	1.0	69 *	Seasonal use only. Starts on road leading to beach--follows lakeshore, passes beach and dam, then goes along Bent Creek. Technical in spots, bridges, rocky places, rhododendron tunnels, fun way around south side of the lake.
Ingles Field Gap	More Difficult	1.5	71 *	Level places, fairly steep climbs or great downhills. Intersects many other trails. Partial horse use. Climbs from Ledford Branch Road to Ingles Field Gap (which is "The Top" or "5 Points").
Little Hickory Top	More Difficult	1.8	82 *	Starting from Ingles Field Gap, this singletrack folows an old roadbed along Little Hickory Top's slopes down to Laurel Branch. Great downhill. Technical and rocky in spots, muddy areas, one huge gully with a corrugated pipe at the bottom.
Lower Sidehill	Most Difficult	3.1	87 *	I recommend riding this from Bent Creek Gap Road down to Boyd Branch. In this direction, a short, steep climb is followed by a screaming fast, bumpy downhill to a gravel road.  Past Laurel Branch creek and this gravel road is another short but great downhill.
North Boundary	Easy	3.8	94 *	Gravel road alternative to access "the top" (Ingles Field Gap).  Past Ingles Field Gap, this road is extremely overgrown with thorns, or "jaggers".
Sidehill	Official: Easiest My rating: More Difficult	2.1	116 *	Long trail. From Ledford Gap to next intersection and unnamed gap, this is a fast, gradual uphill.  Past intersection, it is a short, fast, fairly technical downhill to Boyd Branch. Further on, from intersection with Little Hickory Top trail, this is an awesome downhill in either direction.
Sleepy Gap	More Difficult	1.8	118 339	Short, steep climb. Top part closed to bikes.
"Warmup"	?? Easy	These trails, shown on the Bent Creek Trail Maps, are non- system (unofficial) trails. These are the only non-system trails I would recommend riding, as they are very fun and extremely well used.  The other non-system trails are faint, questionable, confusing, no fun, and not recommended at all!		Short, aptly named. Use this one to get ready for the rest of your ride at Bent Creek. From Hardtimes road, this is a short, moderate climb followed by a short but very fun, fast descent.
"Fern Glen"	?? Easy/More Difficult			Relatively level trail is moderately technical (rooty) and travels through some beautiful fern- and ground pine-filled woods.
"Powerline"	?? More Difficult			Travels underneath some powerlines.  Steep sections, wide open area.
"Red Dirt"	?? Easy			Short rocky section and creek crossing on upper end, rest is a slight grade, a hardpacked, fast trail.
"Stone Wall"	?? Most Difficult			This sucker is steep, narrow, rocky, and technical! A blast! Ride this downhill (from Sidehill down to gravel road).