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Great trail with easy to challenging sections: smooth and fast to rocky and technical.


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Map Key

7.1

Miles

11.4

KM

95%

Singletrack

565' 172 m

High

452' 138 m

Low

361' 110 m

Up

374' 114 m

Down

2%

Avg Grade (1°)

8%

Max Grade (4°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Unknown

Overview

Shutes is a hidden gem and Wilson County's only trail. We're located north of Hermitage and Mt. Juliet. The trail is located across the street from the Shutes Branch Rec Area boat ramps and picnic facilities. We're also a great place for kids to learn to bike (on the old campground roads) or to take a walk. The trail gets around 20 riders a day, so you don't need to worry about crowds. The entire trail is 8.2 miles car to car, even though GPS units show less.

Need to Know

Some folks are intimidated by The White Rocks - there is now a bypass. Also, print a map from our blog site and learn the connectors - A to O. It's fun to skip around on the trail to add some variety.

Description

The trail is located in a former campground and winds around and across the old campsites. Because of the old campground roads and campsites, there are numerous connectors that allow for a variety of trail sections and easy outs if you don't have time for a full ride. All connectors are identified with the letters A through O on 4x4 posts and are shown on the trail maps posted on 3 kiosks.

The first 2.4 miles of trail is easy with about 30 ft of relief over the area. This is often referred to as the beginner section. The next 5.8 miles vary from rocky technical sections to fast flowy sections with short climbs and downhill runs. The sections encountered include the White Rocks, the Jungle, the Hillside, the Graveyard, and the interior. The interior is named for it's being located inside a "P" shaped campground road. A suggested route for beginners is shown on the kiosks, located at the start, B, and G connectors.

The whole system is 8.2 miles long with about 100 ft of relief from the lowest to highest points.

The trail dries quickly in summer, but is very hazardous when wet. The rocks have almost no traction and should be avoided when wet. Please avoid when wet in the winter, because the clay soils are thin and when eroded, more rock is exposed.

Night riding is OK - so frozen winter rides are a good time to ride when the trail would otherwise be too muddy.

Another plus is the aforementioned campground roads. These gated roads are used by locals for walking and training kids to ride bikes. A local road bike club also does some novice training on the campground roads. The road loop climbs almost 80 vertical feet in less than a mile. Enough to get a beginner panting. Over a mile of asphalt is located behind three gates.

History & Background

Former COE Campground on Old Hickory Lake. Also, the area is shared by the Nashville office of the National Weather Service. Built by Tommy Hatcher and Steve Capps and local volunteers with the full support of the Corp of Engineers who were instrumental in the success of the project. We are officially the Friends of Shutes Branch MTB Trail and maintain a blog and Facebook page.

Contacts

Shared By:

Steve Capps with improvements by Tommy Hatcher

Trail Ratings

  4.3 from 33 votes

#567

Overall
  4.3 from 33 votes
5 Star
52%
4 Star
27%
3 Star
18%
2 Star
3%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#13

in Tennessee

#567

Overall
81 Views Last Month
17,049 Since Jun 4, 2015
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

3%
6%
50%
9%
29%
3%

Photos

Pictures of White Rock do it no justice, but this will give you a taste. This can be a challenge for new riders, luckily they added a bypass trail.
Aug 9, 2019 near Green Hill, TN
A section of "white rock" - as mentioned there's a bypass (location needs updating on photo).
Jul 3, 2016 near Green Hill, TN
Mile 3 Sign and some more technical trail.
Jul 3, 2016 near Green Hill, TN
Shutes Branch Trail, January 2010 - Beginners Section and sections from the first 4 miles.
Jun 2, 2015 near Green Hill, TN
Nice and wide and tame on the B through D beginner section
Jul 3, 2016 near Green Hill, TN
Well maintained trailhead with updated maps.
Jul 3, 2016 near Green Hill, TN
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