I'm driving up from Charleston, SC on Saturday to see Portugal. The Man at Bijou and I want to snag a ride on Sunday on my way out of town. I'll be heading west on 40 and then south on 26 to go home so something along the way would be good.
Looking at the reviews it seems like Concord may be the most popular place, but I want some advice from the locals. I saw Haw Ridge too, but am not sure how far out of the way it would be for me.
A little about me:
I haven't been riding much over the last 6 months so my fitness is down, but I'm still stronger than the average bear. I'm not afraid of climbing (I've ridden Curtis Creek and Clawhammer in Pisgah 100 times), but my tech skills are a bit down at the moment so I'm not looking for super gnar.
I'll be on a Niner Air 9 Carbon RDO and am looking for 15 - 20 miles of riding.
There are four trail networks within a 20 minute drive from downtown Knoxville. From closest to furthest you have: Ijams/Urban Wilderness/Dirty South, IC King park, Concord Park, and Haw Ridge.
Ijams/UW/DS has ~42 miles of trails, it's probably the most popular network, but doesn't do so well with wet weather and it's currently raining. Trails are well marked with overview maps regularly along the "South loop". The "South loop" is a ~12 mile loop through the whole trail network. Nothing overly technical and no huge climbs, but it's not flat either. Parking at Meade's Quarry is about 3 miles from downtown Knoxville. AMBC Trails | Appalachian Mountain Bike Club
IC King has ~ 8 miles of trails, some short, steep climbs with bypasses if you want. Fun place to ride. There are trail signs and maps placed regularly along the trails. It's about 6 miles from downtown Knoxville. I C King ParkIC King Park Trails
Concord has ~ 9 miles of trails, lots of short, steep climbs with no bypasses, tight singletrack with a lot of plant life. Some call it "the jungle" in the summer. Some trail signs, map at the trailhead. AMBC Trails | Appalachian Mountain Bike Club
Haw Ridge has ~25? miles of trails. There are hills, there are flat trails, technical trails, fireroads, etc. There are a few maps placed throughout the park and most trails are marked. This was the most popular Knoxville area trail network for a long time, until the South Knoxville trails were built. If you want to see wildlife Haw Ridge is your best bet, but that also means ticks. Bring a map with you for navigation. Haw Ridge Park
For the most up to date trail conditions search facebook for "Knoxville cycling"
I drove home from the airport to Maryville last night through some very heavy rain. The heavy showers may have been more scattered so maybe one of the systems didn't get hit as badly. Looking to go myself in the next three days so let us know how it is!
Thanks so much. Based on the current rain and what you know which one of those four would you ride if you were going to be out on Sunday?
Ijams/UW/DS sounds great, but I don't want to damage your trails, and Concord sounds like my second choice because I don't want to get lost and could ride it twice.
If we don't get anymore rain it's likely that all of them will be in good shape by Sunday. I'll try to remember to update on Saturday. If the Dirty South is still wet both IC King and Concord will likely be ok.
I enjoy all 4 systems. I definitely enjoy the Dirty South trails the most right now. Hopefully no more rain between now and then. The main loop is good, but some awesome trails off it too. I usually try to make it to AC/DC if I can. There's a rating system for difficulty. Some trails would definitely challenge your technical skills.
Unfortunately looks like a chance of getting more rain. Hopefully it won't be too bad for you. I just rode IC King and it was in good shape. There's some spots around a few bridges on the southern most trails that always hold water. Those were the only places that were bad.
Speaking of Pisgah, I've never gotten to ride in NC yet. I've got some vaca next month and I know someone that lives in Brevard that was recommending coming there. What would you recommend? I'm not much on big jumps, but I love rocky technical sections.
Definitely go to Brevard. If you like rocky and technical look up the Laurel Mountain to Pilot Rock loop. It's roughly 13 miles with about 8 miles of climbing and 4 miles of descending if memory serves me right. So fun. If your friend rides then he/she will know it.
The Dirty South will need a few more days to dry out, so if I were riding tomorrow I would probably go to IC King or Concord. We didn't really get any rain today, so unless it's raining tomorrow they should both be in ok shape.
FYI there is a Trek demo day at Concord tomorrow from 9-3.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I went to Ijams this morning and rode the south loop. I feel like I may have missed some of the better riding by going with the easy to follow loop, but I was really impressed with how the trails were ingrained into the community. You guys have a great town and I'll be back for sure.
Any thoughts on whether any of these trails will be too wet to ride today? I'm new to the area, and want to check out some intermediate-level trails before taking my 9-year-old son on them.
Even though some folks in the parking lot told me to go a certain way and the trails should be fine, it turned out to be quite slipperry on the rocks and the dirt was muddier than I usually try to ride on (I try not to hurt trails). About midway through my ride I had stopped for a break, and I heard a roar of water and looked around -- thinking I might have passed a waterfall. About 30 seconds later I realized it was raining hard, and what I had heard was the rain pounding on the multiple layers of tree canopy above me.
The rain kept pounding and I alternated between riding and walking/wading some sections just wanting to get out of there without breaking my neck -- trying to make sense of the paper trail map that was soaked and coming apart. I finally made it out about the time the rain slacked up. Then I explored the nice Melton Lake Greenway and rode it to the end and back, right as the bottom dropped out again and soaked me through again as I put my bike on the rack.
I know I'll go back to Haw Ridge some day soon, but I will be doubly-sure that it is bone dry when I go!
So I've ridden Haw Ridge and Concord now, and I think both are a little too much for my son to ride. Would Ijams or I.C. King be better for some fun, flowing singletrack with some technical and climbing, but without super steep climbs or long rock sections? If Ijams is better, please let me know what trails. Thanks.
I always take beginners up Flow to Hickory clockwise and back. Seems to be a great beginner route. Add in Ross Marble and Burnett's as skill increases.
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