732 m away
Neverending Road

A gated, dead-end road perfect as a gravel grind or overnight bikepacking trip.
Easy Mountain Biking
- Distance
- 40 km
- Ascent
- 702 m
- Descent
- 702 m
Classic Pisgah at an intermediate level.
Mountain Biking Difficult
While the Pisgah National Forest is known for its gnar, the Fletcher Creek/Trace Ridge area is very approachable for intermediate riders. Some sections are even excellent for beginners.
According to Timm Muth in an article on Singletracks.com, the lower portion of Spencer Branch is "surprisingly smooth, with plenty of small rooty hops and creek crossings to keep it interesting."
Once you access the upper trails in this complex route, the singletrack gets steeper and more challenging. By Pisgah standards, these trails are still very approachable by intermediate riders—at least, intermediate riders with good fitness. Bear in mind that these trails are intermediate compared to other routes in Pisgah—root webs, rock gardens, and stream crossings abound, keeping the riding quite challenging.
Another factor helping to make this route approachable is how its split into two distinct halves. Since riders will return to the trailhead halfway through the ride, it's easy to cut this route in half—or even less.
Spencer Gap specifically has seen about half the trail rerouted into a more sustainable alignment. As a result, half of this segment is classic Pisgah tech and the other half is smooth, flowy, and filled with berms—the best of both worlds!
Sources: http://www.pisgahareasorba.org/2010/04/trace-ridge-spencer-branch-middle-fork-fletcher-creek-intermediate/ https://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-trails/love-newbies-8-easy-mtb-rides-western-north-carolina/3/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P-zRJiDeWA
Difficult
Mostly stable trail tread with some variability featuring larger and more unavoidable obstacles that may include, but not be limited to: bigger stones, roots, steps, and narrow curves. Compared to lower intermediate, technical difficulty is more advanced and grades of slopes are steeper. Ideal for upper intermediate riders.
732 m away
A gated, dead-end road perfect as a gravel grind or overnight bikepacking trip.
Easy Mountain Biking
7.9 km away
Big climbs, big views, technical high-speed descents—Pisgah National Forest at its finest!
Extreme Mountain Biking
8.1 km away
A flat, flowy, beginner-friendly loop in Asheville's most popular trail system
Easy Mountain Biking
8.6 km away
An epic loop featuring some of Pisgah's most remote trails.
Severe Mountain Biking
8.6 km away
A new-school flow trail loaded with berms and jumps.
Moderate Mountain Biking
9.3 km away
A gravel tour of Bent Creek Experimental Forest and the NC Arboretum.
Easy Mountain Biking
9.3 km away
The most popular trail system near Asheville is popular for a very good reason: the trails are superb!
Moderate Mountain Biking
9 routes · Mountain Biking
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8 routes · Mountain Biking