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Jorge F. Arango (JFA) Trail

 4.4 (42)
  1. Areas
  2. SC
  3. …Upstate SC
  4. …Marietta
  5. Pleasant Ridge County Park
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Map Key

5.8 Miles 9.3 Kilometers


Singletrack

792' 241 m

Ascent

-768' -234 m

Descent

5%

Avg Grade (3°)

26%

Max Grade (15°)

1,390' 424 m

High

1,043' 318 m

Low

Shared By Timothy Parrish

Conditions

All Clear 1 day ago
Dry - Trail is in great shape. History
Getting forecast...

“Smooth-rolling, hard-pack singletrack trail that borders the perimeter of Pleasant Ridge County Park”

— Timothy Parrish
Driving DirectionsGPX File

Dogs Leashed

Features -none-

Directional; changes direction monthly. Please see the big metal arrow sign for direction of travel. Hikers travel opposite direction of cyclists. Night riding until 10 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays permitted. Night riding in any direction permitted.

Description

This trail is dedicated to Jorge Francisco Arango. A generous man, awesome mountain biker, dog lover, and best friend to many. His friends and family along with JFA Foundation, SORBA volunteers, and Greenville County built this trail so that others may enjoy his favorite sport and his love for friends and dogs.

The trail begins at the first parking lot off to the right from the main park road. The trail starts across the paved road right next to the small creek. There are two wooden signs that mark the start of the trail.

The trail is mostly smooth-rolling, hard-packed singletrack. It is interspersed with a few rock gardens and contains a few tight off-camber switchbacks.

The trail begins with a slow, steady climb from the lower elevations of the park. It cuts through some tight new growth small-tree forest and gradually goes deeper into the park as the trail climbs the ridge. The highest point of the trail is about 2.5 miles in where the trail is very narrow in some areas and cuts through some very dense forest. In this area, there are a few nice large granite cliffs visible during the fall into the early spring before leaves obscure their view.

The trail then continues along the ridge behind Camp Spearhead, which is visible down to the left. The trail then ends with a slow, steady descent while passing through a fern grove over a short section of trail embedded with small logs. The trail ends abruptly at the main park road, which one must cross to get back to the parking lot.

Contacts

Local Club: Upstate SORBA

May 18, 2016: May Board Meeting Notes

Mar 14, 2016: Mountain Bike Access in Wilderness

Mar 14, 2016: March 7, 2016 Board Meeting Minutes

Land Manager: Greenville (SC) County Parks, Recreation, & Tourism

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Your Check-Ins

Check-Ins

Jan 6, 2019
Allen Allen
All trails closed as of Sunday 1/6/19. No indication of when they will open.
Dec 23, 2018
Stephen Dobek
6.1mi
Dec 18, 2018
Paul K
Dec 4, 2018
John Zabelle
Lots of leaves, no other issues.
Nov 26, 2018
John Zabelle
Lots of leaves, only a couple soggy spots. 5.8mi
Nov 23, 2018
Stephen Dobek
5.1mi
Nov 8, 2018
Greg Tempel
Awesome trail 11.2mi — 1h 19m
Sep 23, 2018
Todd Criswell
Rock gardens. Fun downhill until I went over the handlebars at the creek crossing. 5.8mi

Stewarded By

Stewarded by Upstate SORBA
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.4 from 42 votes

#1

in Pleasant Ridge County Park

#68

Overall
  4.4 from 42 votes
5 Star
52%
4 Star
38%
3 Star
10%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Rankings

#1

in Pleasant Ridge County…

#1

in South Carolina

#68

Overall
237 Views Last Month
10,298 Since May 1, 2014
Intermediate Intermediate
0%
26%
66%
8%
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0%
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Photos

Beautiful waterfall on Mill Creek.
Beautiful waterfall on Mill Creek.
 2
Remnants of old home site.
Remnants of old home site.
 3
Trail quickly narrows and begins to feature roots and rocks.
Trail quickly narrows and begins to feature roo…
 2
Steep rock drop exit of alternate high-line.
Steep rock drop exit of alternate high-line.
 2
Impressive exposed rock ledge formation next to the trail.
Impressive exposed rock ledge formation next to…
 2
Uphill curve.
Uphill curve.
 4

2 Comments

Sort by: Oldest
Newest Oldest Popular
Stephen Dobek
Winston, GA
Stephen Dobek   Winston, GA
I did Paris Mountain the day before I came to JFA. My legs were pretty shot from PM but this was perfect. The climb at the beginning was a challenge and totally worth the work to get the downhill. This was a solid workout. When I come back I’ll make sure I have more time so I can try to double up the loop. Nov 23, 2018
Stephen Dobek
Winston, GA
Stephen Dobek   Winston, GA
My first ride here was ccw, today bikes were going cw. Either direction on this trail is fun. Ccw has more sustained climbing and a quicker downhill, but cw is definitely the more flowy way to go. I added Leroy Smith this time around. That is a sinister little stretch of trail, single black diamond might not do it justice. If you’re in the upstate, these trails are a must ride. Maybe not as long as some of the other options around, but a ton of fun nonetheless. Dec 23, 2018

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