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+ 31

Laurel Mountain (Laurel Mountain Pilot Rock Pilot Cove Slate Rock)

Mountain Biking Trail

Hard
17.78 mi
3,441 ft
Big climbs, big views, technical high-speed descents—Pisgah National Forest at its finest!

The Laurel Mountain Trail runs through a remote section of the Pisgah National Forest that is far enough off the beaten path that seemingly few mountain bikers make the effort to ride it. Their loss is your gain! Consider yourself informed that Laurel Mountain is one of the very best mountain bike rides in Pisgah, if you can handle brutal climbs and an endless sea of boulders during a double black diamond descent.

The route shown here also incorporates Pilot Cove and Slate Rock early on. While you can choose to bypass this add-on for an easier ride, Pilot Cove and Slate Rock create a top-notch short little loop in and of themselves. Not only that, Slate Rock offers up one of the best views in Pisgah National Forest from a bike legal trail. If you have the legs, I highly recommend working it into your Laurel Mountain loop.

Once the dirt road climb is finished, the Laurel Mountain trail continues to climb along the ridgeline, with some sections of hike-a-bike.

Once to the top of Pilot Rock, it's all gravy! Pilot Rock drops fast and furious through a sea of rock gardens, babyheads, boulders, and boulder-filled switchbacks. Pilot Rock is one of the gnarliest trails you'll find outside of a dedicated downhill mountain bike park. If you enjoy that sort of thing, the endless chunder and technical challenge will keep you engaged all the way down this ripping descent! Do take a moment to pause every once and a while, because the views from some sections of this trail are camera-worthy in their own right. Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Pilot Cove Climb1.37 mi705 ft9.7%
Yellow Gap Rd Climb0.93 mi794 ft16.0%
Sluggin 2 slate 0.34 mi377 ft20.5%
Slate Rock Smidgen0.48 mi-266 ft-10.0%
Rock to Ridge 0.78 mi269 ft1.8%
Yellow Gap Rd Climb0.45 mi266 ft11.1%
Ridge to water crossing0.30 mi-210 ft-13.2%
ridge to road2.92 mi-1,010 ft-6.5%
Laurel-Pilot: THE CLIMB8.36 mi2,129 ft4.8%
Gravel climb to Laurel1.21 mi404 ft6.3%
National Forest Rd Climb0.36 mi302 ft15.6%
National Forest Rd Climb1.30 mi400 ft5.8%
Laurel climb: yellow gap>Pilot Jtn 6.12 mi1,503 ft4.6%
Laurel climb to Sassafras Gap5.02 mi968 ft3.4%
Laurel Mtn Climb, service road to first rest spot2.57 mi410 ft3.0%
Laurel Mt. Climb Pisgah Stage Race6.64 mi1,699 ft4.5%
Luarel Mt>Pilot Rock8.73 mi1,680 ft0.4%
Opening 2M of Laurel Mtn Tech1.75 mi397 ft4.0%
Laurel climb to Good Enough Gap5.44 mi1,076 ft3.7%
National Forest Rd Climb0.95 mi299 ft5.9%
National Forest Rd Climb0.76 mi276 ft6.8%
Laurel hike-a-bike0.23 mi292 ft23.2%
Turkey Spring Gap to Pilot Rock0.23 mi161 ft13.1%
Pilot Connector Climb0.19 mi135 ft13.2%
PISGAH STAGE RACE ENDURO NUMBER FOUR2.17 mi-1,473 ft-12.5%
Pilot DH2.05 mi-1,398 ft-12.9%
Pilot Connector to Upper Rock Outcrop0.97 mi-584 ft-11.4%
Pilot Rock to 12061.99 mi-1,509 ft-14.3%
Pilot Rock middle mile1.01 mi-696 ft-12.9%
Pilot Rock last mile0.99 mi-735 ft-14.0%
Upper Rock Outcrop to Lower Rock Outcrop0.41 mi-289 ft-13.0%
Lower Rock Outcrop to Bradley Creek0.83 mi-600 ft-13.3%
Rock Garden0.17 mi-125 ft-13.4%
Pilot Chute DH to Rd0.39 mi-325 ft-15.4%