Asheville/Pisgah/Brevard

I've been really liking the other side of Dupont lately.

Corn Mills Shoals parking lot. Corn Mills Shoals trail over and do Burnt Mountain which is a really fun technical down without being too steep/fast. Then the long climb up the Big Rock trail and the lookout at the top and then down Cedar Cedar Rock trail. If there's still legs take Twixt, cross the road, up Rock Quarry Road and come down Wilkie Trail which drops you off basically back at your car.

Post ride at Cedar Mountain Outpost. The ride back into Brevard from that side of Dupont is really scenic.
 
Santapez said:
I've been really liking the other side of Dupont lately.

Corn Mills Shoals parking lot. Corn Mills Shoals trail over and do Burnt Mountain which is a really fun technical down without being too steep/fast. Then the long climb up the Big Rock trail and the lookout at the top and then down Cedar Cedar Rock trail. If there's still legs take Twixt, cross the road, up Rock Quarry Road and come down Wilkie Trail which drops you off basically back at your car.

Post ride at Cedar Mountain Outpost. The ride back into Brevard from that side of Dupont is really scenic.
Click to expand...

Up Cedar Rock. Down Big Rock.

Take Little River Trail past the first left for Cedar Rock and continue until you get to the second left for Cedar Rock and climb the rock slab up to the famous intersection with the trail signs... Then go to the overlook and down BR.

Screenshot_20260119-144931.png
 
Santapez said:
I've been really liking the other side of Dupont lately.

Corn Mills Shoals parking lot. Corn Mills Shoals trail over and do Burnt Mountain which is a really fun technical down without being too steep/fast. Then the long climb up the Big Rock trail and the lookout at the top and then down Cedar Cedar Rock trail. If there's still legs take Twixt, cross the road, up Rock Quarry Road and come down Wilkie Trail which drops you off basically back at your car.

Post ride at Cedar Mountain Outpost. The ride back into Brevard from that side of Dupont is really scenic.
Click to expand...
MissJR said:
Up Cedar Rock. Down Big Rock.

Take Little River Trail past the first left for Cedar Rock and continue until you get to the second left for Cedar Rock and climb the rock slab up to the famous intersection with the trail signs... Then go to the overlook and down BR.

View attachment 275243
Click to expand...
Thank you! I think I got it.

After climbing up Rock Quarry Road to get to Wilkie, any reason I would turn right and go down the western part of Wilkie then turn around at some point to return to the rock quarry road/wilkie intersection, or should I just go straight south and complete the CCW Wilkie return to the Corn Mills Shoals parking area?

Where else besides Black Mtn do you have to hit in Pisgah?
 
krink said:
Thank you! I think I got it.

After climbing up Rock Quarry Road to get to Wilkie, any reason I would turn right and go down the western part of Wilkie then turn around at some point to return to the rock quarry road/wilkie intersection, or should I just go straight south and complete the CCW Wilkie return to the Corn Mills Shoals parking area?

Where else besides Black Mtn do you have to hit in Pisgah?
Click to expand...
I don't think I've actually done that section of wilkie just in that it doesn't make a loop 🤷‍♀️

Was Butter mentioned?

There's also stuff like Bennett but I have to double check a good loop for that. It's not one I really do.
 
I don't know anyone who has done that. 🙂 Almost seems like just a way to get into the park from the road, or a hike. If people are tired they'll cut through Micajah to Wilke but it's worth going to the higher point.

Usually people are done climbing after doing CedarRock/BigRock and Burnt.


1768857921242.png



For shorter but fun in Pisgah I like Sycamore. It's the first trails in the park basically and doesn't require huge climbs before descending. Usually go up Thrift like you're going up to Lower Black, but cut right to go on Grassy Road Trail. Usually go straight onto "Sycamore Upper" which is the clockwise direction as there's some climbing at the beginning before descending. Then go back and re-do the climb but then make a right and bomb down "Lower Sycamore". Can be added onto Lower Black.

I showed the connector trail from the ranger station here. If you're doing a huge Black loop the ranger station is the way to go for a bigger parking lot, you'll finish on that connector trail. If just doing Lower Black or Sycamore it's easier to just park at the bottom small lot across from the Art Loeb Trailhead called "Thrift Cove Parking.

For a big day I'd say Avery or Butter. Avery is more technical with drops and raw. Butter is a fresh man made trail. If it's post-rain I'd choose Avery over Butter.

1768858095501.png


Also, if you're in town I'd highly suggest doing at least one big day where you start from your place, take the bike path through town do the rides and finish at The Hub or Ecusta brewery. They finished the huge pedestrian/biker bridge this past year that crosses the river over to The Hub. We do a lot of the rides from The Hub so we can get a flat ground warmup.
 
Santapez said:
I don't know anyone who has done that. 🙂 Almost seems like just a way to get into the park from the road, or a hike. If people are tired they'll cut through Micajah to Wilke but it's worth going to the higher point.

Usually people are done climbing after doing CedarRock/BigRock and Burnt.


View attachment 275251


For shorter but fun in Pisgah I like Sycamore. It's the first trails in the park basically and doesn't require huge climbs before descending. Usually go up Thrift like you're going up to Lower Black, but cut right to go on Grassy Road Trail. Usually go straight onto "Sycamore Upper" which is the clockwise direction as there's some climbing at the beginning before descending. Then go back and re-do the climb but then make a right and bomb down "Lower Sycamore". Can be added onto Lower Black.

I showed the connector trail from the ranger station here. If you're doing a huge Black loop the ranger station is the way to go for a bigger parking lot, you'll finish on that connector trail. If just doing Lower Black or Sycamore it's easier to just park at the bottom small lot across from the Art Loeb Trailhead called "Thrift Cove Parking.

For a big day I'd say Avery or Butter. Avery is more technical with drops and raw. Butter is a fresh man made trail. If it's post-rain I'd choose Avery over Butter.

View attachment 275254

Also, if you're in town I'd highly suggest doing at least one big day where you start from your place, take the bike path through town do the rides and finish at The Hub or Ecusta brewery. They finished the huge pedestrian/biker bridge this past year that crosses the river over to The Hub. We do a lot of the rides from The Hub so we can get a flat ground warmup.
Click to expand...

Since you mentioned Butter...lol. Was thinking about getting a shuttle to Catheys Creek Road dropped off at Lower Gap road to Butter-Searcy-Davidson loop, do Butter twice and then descend Horse Cove road to Joel Branch to the HUB. is that a worthwile ride?
 
krink said:
Since you mentioned Butter...lol. Was thinking about getting a shuttle to Catheys Creek Road dropped off at Lower Gap road to Butter-Searcy-Davidson loop, do Butter twice and then descend Horse Cove road to Joel Branch to the HUB. is that a worthwile ride?
Click to expand...

I think horse cove and Joel Branch are a whole lot of unnecessary gravel. We've done it from our house, up JB and make our way over to Bracken but, again, that's a whole lot of gravel.

But if you want:

Get dropped off at fish Hatchery lot

Take the road for a little bit to the Davidson River trail... Pop out back on the road and take it to Searcy road ... To Searcy connector... To full butter... Cat Gap to the parking lot

Or go a little further on Davidson River road to long Branch, cut over and then up Searcy Creek road to connector and full butter.

If you want gravel: then I guess take horse cove after butter over to Bracken.... Then you can take the road back into town from there and hit up like 185 King Street or something.

Note 1: only the very small section of cat Gap at the end of the butter loop is open to mountain
bikes. (Horse cove thru there is fine).

Note 2: part of the road past the fish Hatchery lot is currently closed. I'm not sure what they're doing or how long it's going to take.
 
also-- just want to add... if you're interested in doing a group ride, Austin from Cognative hosts weekly rides on Tuesdays around DuPont and Pisgah and sometimes Mills River.. They should start up again in April sometime. A & B group (usually similar route... with A being a little longer and faster pace... B group being more chill)

Facebook

www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
krink said:
@Santapez @MissJR Ive read that there has been major work on the top of Avery Creek Trail. Is it worth including?
Click to expand...
had to double check (avery isn't one i hit up often)

current status of avery from someone who works on the trails: I think there is a tree down on it right above that road in the middle, but very much passable. Not any fresh work though
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom