Routes For Pisgah Nat Forest in North Carolina?

[Emily]

tried to drop in on "Little Pisgah Ridge" but that was far too gnarly for bikepacking.

I would have to dispute this declaration. I have ridden that trail fully loaded, or at least what I consider "fully loaded." I rode it with my CTR setup of frame bag, handlebar bag, and seat bag, on a SIR9 with 100mm suspension fork. I do not think that any of the trails in Pisgah are impossible to ride loaded if you have a well-packed bike. Indeed, I think Pisgah trails are about on par with the Colorado Trail, though perhaps a bit more likely to follow the fall line.

That said, I agree that Pisgah singletrack is not analogous to the Great Divide route. Glad you had a good trip and found a route that served your needs.

[surlydave]

sb- I  have about 1/2 of a sweet detailed route description written out for you.  I'll post it here when done, and probably add it to the routes stuff in the header.  I've got some time on my hands (injured), so I'm probably going to write up 3 or so Pisgah 2-3 day bikepacking routes of varying challenge and contribute to the site.  

Yes please.  That would be much appreciated.  I am planning a long weekend in late May or early June and have been
looking at my Ranger District map for a 3 day/ 2 night route.  I'll need a good place to leave my truck for 3 days and a route that takes me back there.  I've ridden some of this area at least a dozen times but not much in last 5 years and never bikepacked it. Ideal water collection points would be a added bonus.
Thanks

[trebor]

Surly - for water, make note of these locations in the Pisgah Ranger District. There may be more, but over the years I've gotten water at all of them.

Davidson River Campground
Pinkbeds
Cradle of the Forestry Center
North Mills River Campground
Fish Hatchery

[sjanes]

Next time you come to town you can try this route: http://ashevillejanes.blogspot.com/2011/06/pisgah-traverse.html   

[ryansigsbey]

This looks awesome!  I did a ride from Boone to Brevard last summer but didn't ride that extensively in the Ashville/Brevard area.  Parkway/Tunnel Road into Asheville and then headed towards Bent Creek via roads.  Up Gravel to Parkway, down Laurel Mountain and then somehow over to 276.  Can't remember which trails but pretty much most direct route.  It was about 180 miles in 3 days but we did it with support   The problem with Boone to Old Fort/Asheville area is that most of the trails are illegal, which is what we ended up doing but it would be cool to try and link up something legal -  TRANS NC!  North of Boone is going to be a tricky one as well...

[kkjellquist]

Anyone stumbling across this thread and looking at riding Pisgah should get this map;

http://pisgahmapcompany.com/?page_id=28

It has definitely de-throned NatGeo #780 as THE Pisgah Map.  Just a simple idea like printing the trail names on the trails instead of just a number to look up makes this one far superior. 

I am also just discovering they have a bunch of GPX files;
http://pisgahmapcompany.com/?page_id=119

(I have no financial connection to the makers of the this map)

[Chunt]

These guys hold a lot of races in the area and put their course maps on the site. The Pisgah 111K course (more singletrack) and the Monster Cross course (gravel) both look like some nice bikepacking routes for the Pisgah area. I'm scoping them out now with a map on my desk for some ideas.

http://www.pisgahproductions.com/

[Chunt]

I had a window to go for a short Pisgah bikepacking explorer last week. Nice area, but as Emily said, most people overestimate the distance that can be covered in this area. I concur. Video ...

https://vimeo.com/50855402

[VanGo]

Chris:

Thanks so much for your posts and video.  I've been pouring over maps to take my first bikepacking trip (backpacker for 20+ years / mtb'r for 4 years = like you, why not put them together).  Trying to get up from Wilmington to take my ride but life keeps getting in the way.

The video was pretty inspiring and I appreciate the information at the end (was going to ask on your camera/editing choices).  Well done.

I had a window to go for a short Pisgah bikepacking explorer last week. Nice area, but as Emily said, most people overestimate the distance that can be covered in this area. I concur. Video ...

https://vimeo.com/50855402

[Chunt]

Thanks VanGo!  I'll be interested to hear what route and trails you take as well. I've been hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and climbing in this area for years. Still there's a lot of memory fades and uncertainty as to just the best connector trails and such to take in Pisgah. There are a lot of choices and a lot more to explore. The thing I found truly unique about Pisgah is it's a lot of backcountry singletrack and doubletrack, it's fairly close to civilization and a lot of it's open to bikes, making backcountry bivy options numerous. There's a fair amount of hike-a-bike in certain sections and it's clear by the way the trails were constructed, a lot of it was made for hiking (not biking), but if you're adventurous nothing's out of the question. One thing I'd be aware of though, especially in the lower sections where river crossings are inevitable and there are sometimes no bridges is to choose your route wisely in winter. The area just north of Turkey Pen Gap has some of those wet crossings. The higher you go in elevation though the less you'll encounter that situation.

That being said, also be aware that water options can be scarce the higher you go. If you look closely at the video you'll notice I'm licking my lips a lot, because I ran out of water on the ridge route back to the truck  

Also, one thing I would do different would be to get a better map. The Nat Geo one I felt didn't really show me a few trails that really could've saved me some anguish. These guys make a better map from what I understand.

http://pisgahmapcompany.com/?page_id=28

Have fun and report back!

[VanGo]

I will definitely post it.  May not have an awesome video to chronicle like you did but....  I appreciate all of the suggestions and advice.  I've hiked multiple times all the areas in Shinning Rock and did the Art Loeb trail summer before last.  I've ridden parts of Pisgah but nothing necessitating an over-night stay. 

Appreciate the suggestion on the map.  I have my route marked on a Nat Geo but have already decided to get one of the maps from Pisgahmapcompany.  Some of the areas with extensive trails are just a mess on the NatGeo map so something with clarity will be nice.  Appreciate the tip.

We'll see.  I will not be able to go until late Oct/early Nov.  Done plenty of winter hiking/camping before but not rides in low temps.

We'll see.....