21 m away
Bent Creek / Arboretum Gravel Tour
A gravel tour of Bent Creek Experimental Forest and the NC Arboretum.
Easy Mountain Biking
- Distance
- 29 km
- Ascent
- 537 m
- Descent
- 537 m
The most popular trail system near Asheville is popular for a very good reason: the trails are superb!
Mountain Biking Moderate
The Bent Creek Trail System is hands-down the most popular mountain bike trail system near the burgeoning mountain metropolis of Asheville, North Carolina. Its popularity is rightly earned: the trails here are of superb quality, and the network offers a little something for everyone.
You can think of the Bent Creek trails as being split into two different halves. The steeper half that goes up and down the mountainside are overall more difficult, and the flatter half, on the opposite side of the gravel road and near the lake, is very beginner-friendly. The route shown here incorporates the best of both halves—a win-win!
Green's Lick Trail rips down the mountainside at high-speed, diving into bermed terms, flying over tabletop jumps, and pinballing through rough rock gardens. While Green's Lick provides a taste of the gnar found in the main Pisgah National Forest, that gnar is tempered by bike-optimized swoop and flow. Yet another winning combination, which makes this the go-to trail in the network!
Overall the rest of the trails are well-built, high-quality classic singletrack. You won't find much in the way of flow trail features or new school trail building here, but you also won't be confronted by the fall line, washed out chunder found on most trails in the Pisgah National Forest. Rather, Bent Creek offers good-ole-fashioned trail riding of the highest caliber!
Sources: http://www.pisgahareasorba.org/2010/04/intermediateadvanced-ride-bent-creekledford-parking-area/
Moderate
Mostly stable trail tread with some variability, with unavoidable obstacles 8in/20cm tall or less. Other obstacles such as rock gullies and steep sections may exist. Ideal for lower intermediate riders.
21 m away
A gravel tour of Bent Creek Experimental Forest and the NC Arboretum.
Easy Mountain Biking
1.2 km away
A flat, flowy, beginner-friendly loop in Asheville's most popular trail system
Easy Mountain Biking
8.5 km away
A gated, dead-end road perfect as a gravel grind or overnight bikepacking trip.
Easy Mountain Biking
9.3 km away
Classic Pisgah at an intermediate level.
Difficult Mountain Biking
9 routes · Mountain Biking
3 routes · Mountain Biking
8 routes · Mountain Biking