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Bent Creek Beginner Loop (Explorer Loop Bent Creek Trail System Pine Tree Loop Bent Creek Bent Creek Experimental Forest)
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
6.13 mi
726 ft
A flat, flowy, beginner-friendly loop in Asheville's most popular trail system
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 Trail System 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 mapped here showcases the most beginner friendly trails at Bent Creek.
This route is essentially a combination of the Pine Tree Loop and the Explorer Loop. The singletrack is relatively flat and quite smooth—but it’s still flowy and fast! A few roots will remind you that you’re still riding a mountain bike trail, but you can’t really ask for a better beginner mountain bike trail than this!
The forest is thick here, with portions of this trail running through dense rhododendron that overhangs the trail, forming beautiful, green rhodo tunnels 12 months of the year.
A nearby campground at Lake Powhatan is the perfect spot to spend the night, turning your visit to Bent Creek into a true weekend getaway in the woods.
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
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 Trail System 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 mapped here showcases the most beginner friendly trails at Bent Creek.
This route is essentially a combination of the Pine Tree Loop and the Explorer Loop. The singletrack is relatively flat and quite smooth—but it’s still flowy and fast! A few roots will remind you that you’re still riding a mountain bike trail, but you can’t really ask for a better beginner mountain bike trail than this!
The forest is thick here, with portions of this trail running through dense rhododendron that overhangs the trail, forming beautiful, green rhodo tunnels 12 months of the year.
A nearby campground at Lake Powhatan is the perfect spot to spend the night, turning your visit to Bent Creek into a true weekend getaway in the woods.
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
Route and Elevation
Segments
Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
---|---|---|---|
Powhatan | 0.45 mi | 56 ft | 1.4% |
Fredrick Law Olmsted Way Climb | 0.87 mi | 276 ft | 5.9% |
Ripper Climb | 0.21 mi | 82 ft | 7.0% |
Deerfield to Pine Tree climb | 1.08 mi | 213 ft | 3.7% |
Pine Tree Loop Descent 1 | 0.19 mi | -85 ft | -8.1% |
Pine Tree Loop Descent 2 | 0.59 mi | -161 ft | -5.1% |
Middle Explorer Climb | 1.21 mi | 167 ft | 1.9% |
Explorer Uphill Clockwise | 0.65 mi | 171 ft | 4.9% |
Explorer climb to Sleepy | 0.38 mi | 121 ft | 6.0% |
Lower Explorer | 0.88 mi | -79 ft | -1.6% |
Wheel Breaker | 0.24 mi | -92 ft | -7.1% |
Explorer DH segment | 0.18 mi | -89 ft | -8.9% |
Pine Tree Trail | 0.67 mi | -85 ft | -2.3% |
Goose Bumps Trail | 0.33 mi | -69 ft | -0.2% |