Riding Experiences at Pisgha, NC?

Molasses

Active Member
I am still determined to get out to Moab but... man alive!! By the time you pay for the plane ticket, hotel, rental car and bike shipping/rental fees it is well prettttttttyyyy freakkkkkkkin expensive for a long weekend (4 days of riding). Soooo I am thinking that a road trip may be more in the budget and I thought maybe a trip to North Carolina may be in order. It is my understanding that Tsali is a hardpack and fast (like Hartshorne) and Pisgha is more along the lines of the Northern NJ rides (Mahlon Dickerson, Ringwood etc...). I am leaning towards Pisgha but wanted to gain some perspective from those New Jersey riders that have ventured down there. Worth the trip?

Thanks All!
 
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Shar0se

Guest
I am proud to say that I rode at Pisgah!! (I'm proud to say I rode anywhere really :)) I am a beginner and was even more so of a beginner when I was there but I had fun- it's a pretty place if nothing else. I was there in Dec- camping! brrrrrr...... Ryan H. will know more-- My vote is to take the trip!! :)
 

Molasses

Active Member
Thanks for the reply!

I am curious what NJ trails you would compare to the Pisgha Trails? Sounds like you had fun and that is my primary objective...

Thanks for the feedback!
 

dualfisted

Member
Everyone raves about Tsali, I lived in NC and ATL, Ga area for a while. My recommendation would probably lean towards hitting the North Georgia area. There's primitive camping and a really nice biking loop near Elijay, Ga if you're all about that style of camping. Also, about forty minutes NE of Elijay is Helen, Ga which is a great town with camping (primitive and not so), solid lodging, a great German styled town with fun restaurants AND great riding with a few different loop option rides and a race course all within riding distance from the town, the App. trail cuts thru there too and there's great road riding in that area also, really, really nice area. My point I guess is, with North Georgia you get a lot of different riding options all within an hour or so of one another. Personally, I'd stay in Atlanta for the nightlife, then, base day trips north. You won't have to drive more than two hours one way for a ride. There's a ton of trails that you can put twenty miles on the bike no problem. Where ever you would choose to stay, there's a ton of different riding options that are a reasonable drive from where you'd be at. There's tons of national rec. areas up there, lots of ride options, and both Helen, and the Blankets Creek trail just north of Woodstock both offer race course style trails as well, so you could do long grueling national rec areas one day, then do rolling, fast race style loops the next. Just a ton of options in that North Georgia area and most of them are pretty well documented on the internet so you can plan out your time there before you arrive and know what you're getting into. My opinion on the NC deal is that the riding areas tend to be a bit more spread out from one another, making it tough to bed down in one place. Just throwing the idea your way.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
I've been there twice. It's about a 13 hr drive. Don't even bother flying and going through all that trouble. There's a bunch of local pay campsites and there's some primitive stuff on the side of the forest roads which are pretty nice. They have great trails but be prepared to climb 5-7 miles to start out the ride. I would LOVE to get back to that area. Need a trail guide? :D Also do some research and check out DuPont State Forest which is close by. It has less climbing but some really cool stuff. They have one trail which they call the slick rock of the east. It's fun but definitely pales in comparison...
 

scalpel6

Member
I've been there twice. It's about a 13 hr drive. Don't even bother flying and going through all that trouble. There's a bunch of local pay campsites and there's some primitive stuff on the side of the forest roads which are pretty nice. They have great trails but be prepared to climb 5-7 miles to start out the ride. I would LOVE to get back to that area. Need a trail guide? :D Also do some research and check out DuPont State Forest which is close by. It has less climbing but some really cool stuff. They have one trail which they call the slick rock of the east. It's fun but definitely pales in comparison...

Good call on DuPont :getsome: I still have dreams about that place.
 

NJ Jess

Active Member
The South

has lots of great rides. I went to Appalachian State U in Boone NC. Pigsah, Cashiers, and even Tennesse had way fun rides. But you actually do not have to go that far south. Find CaptPhun in West Virginia,...and ride it all in one place. Susan Haywood is a local there too. ( you might find the Capt on mtbr.com,...virginia forum.)
 
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dualfisted

Member
NJ JESS is throwin' down a good idea too. I "hear" that the area around Snowshoe Mt., that whole county is renowned for its amazing singletrack and also has great elevation to. Snowshoe is about a mile high, haven't been there other than to snowboard though. It's only about an 8 hour drive from Exit 98 too.
 

rayder

Active Member
pisgah was great

I went to N.C. last year for a mtn vacation and stayed for a week near Pisgah and a week near Tsali. the mtbing at Pisgah was much better,wilder, morre diverse, and challenging. Rode all of Tsali in two days and could have done it in one but the two sides of the park are open to mtb's on alternate days. It was too well groomed if there's such a thing, couldn't find a bump. Pisgah is huge, many different sections to the place. I have a poor sense of direction so I go into the lbs's and buy maps and ask for good loops/rides. they were very friendly and helpful. We did one group ride we saw info on in the lbs at the bent creek section of Pisgah and that was the best because I didn't have to keep stopping at trail intersections and pulling the map out. trails were well marked though. pisgah was the best, Dupont state park was fun, tsali was disappointing although my girlfriend who is a beginner found it fun.
 

scalpel6

Member
Bent Creek Trail

We had a great time at Bent Creek. This is the everyday trail for my friends in Ashville. I spent 3 hours there and had a blast. You can't go wrong with this trip. You should also chekout The Biltmore Estate http://www.biltmore.com/
 
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Neen

Guest
I've ridden there twice and agree with most of the comments already posted. Pisgah was great, Tsali is fun but smallish, Dupont is also fun. Both times we hit the LBS and asked for guidance on trails and they steered us in the right direction. I am actually considering a trip down there sometime this spring. Although now I want to ride Georgia too! :hmmm:
 
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DANSPANK

Guest
I can vouch for the North Georgia trails. I lived in the Atl for 4 years. Bear Mountain in an IMBA Epic trail - really, really nice - make sure you take the extra "Bunny Hill" or trail or something - but it's at the end of the initial 6 mile climb right out of the car park.

Jake mountain is also a good ride and then as Dual Fisted mentioned you have Blankets Creek, Yellow River (behind Stone Mountain) is a great spot on the East Side. And there's lots more. You'll need a car though.

I've ridden Tsali and loved it. Quite a bit of climbing from what I remember but great trails in great condition. 3 hours from Atlanta I think. Plus you can do some great river rafting if you fancy a change.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
While you're at it if you're going to northern GA check out conyers where the 1996 Olympic MTB course was. It's a really cool course that has two totally different halves. The first half is sooper fast burmy hardpack while the other is more techy exposed rock and looser ridge climbs/riding. Really neat place.
 

dualfisted

Member
agreed on the Conyers dealybop

That's what I'm talking about, you could do a week in the North Georgia/ ATL area and not have to drive more than an hour and a half in any one direction and ride a different place every day. Plus, since almost none of the mountain towns anywhere have any nightlife whatsoever, the bars in Helen close at like 11pm and that's late for these mountain towns, Atlanta is a great central place to stay and party, then kick it to the hills during the day, then enjoy a nice ride back into the ATL for more rockin' the casbah. Either way, hope I've been of some help, it's one of the few solid mtb areas that I'm pretty familiar with. TJ
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
And if you're in the ATL, check out the Buckhead section and don't forget to stop by Mako's. Great place...
 
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DANSPANK

Guest
Unfortunately that whole area, with Makos, Fados, and all of those places has now been levelled. I started many a hangover there a few years back. The idea is to make it more of an upmarket shop place with wide sidewalks and stuff. Fados has a new location about .5 miles down the road but the rest alas has gone to the great bar in the sky. (no more girl on a swing in the window at Makos)

Dunwoody (where I used to live) is right on the GA400/I285 crossing and has lots of great bars, restaurants and things, plus some of the suit-type hotels that will give you enough space to bring your bikes into your room and cook your own meals and stuff.

On top of that the GA 400 is the road you would take to head north towards the mountains. It's a good home base for all of the trails mentioned in this thread for North Georgia.

When are you heading down? I'll be in Atlanta on March 22/23.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately that whole area, with Makos, Fados, and all of those places has now been levelled. I started many a hangover there a few years back. The idea is to make it more of an upmarket shop place with wide sidewalks and stuff. Fados has a new location about .5 miles down the road but the rest alas has gone to the great bar in the sky. (no more girl on a swing in the window at Makos)

Dunwoody (where I used to live) is right on the GA400/I285 crossing and has lots of great bars, restaurants and things, plus some of the suit-type hotels that will give you enough space to bring your bikes into your room and cook your own meals and stuff.

On top of that the GA 400 is the road you would take to head north towards the mountains. It's a good home base for all of the trails mentioned in this thread for North Georgia.

When are you heading down? I'll be in Atlanta on March 22/23.

What? It's all gone? I have great memories of riding on that swing... :mad:
 
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DANSPANK

Guest
Yep, levelled; Makos, the old Fado, Uranus, Two-to-Tango, Jack Rabbit Lounge, all of that stuff. So sad
 

dualfisted

Member
Buckhead blows!!!!! HaHA

I've been to Buckhead more times than I care to admit,,,,,, Buckhead at night is like going to Seaside on a friday night, except substitute greasy people with South ATL thugs. I personally recommend East ATL and Little Five and the like. No stupid house music dance clubs and more of a diverse/ fun crowd. Nothin' but thugs rollin' up Peachtree on a friday or saturday night in Buckhead anymore,,,,, cheesey. Then again, I prefer freaks and working class types to the whole dance club scene.
 
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