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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
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Powhatan 0.45 mi56 ft1.4%
Fredrick Law Olmsted Way Climb0.87 mi276 ft5.9%
Ripper Climb0.21 mi82 ft7.0%
Deerfield to Pine Tree climb1.08 mi213 ft3.7%
Pine Tree Loop Descent 10.19 mi-85 ft-8.1%
Pine Tree Loop Descent 20.59 mi-161 ft-5.1%
Middle Explorer Climb1.21 mi167 ft1.9%
Explorer Uphill Clockwise0.65 mi171 ft4.9%
Explorer climb to Sleepy0.38 mi121 ft6.0%
Lower Explorer0.88 mi-79 ft-1.6%
Wheel Breaker0.24 mi-92 ft-7.1%
Explorer DH segment0.18 mi-89 ft-8.9%
Pine Tree Trail0.67 mi-85 ft-2.3%
Goose Bumps Trail0.33 mi-69 ft-0.2%