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Black Mountain Loop

 4.7 (37)
  1. Areas
  2. NC
  3. …West and Mountains
  4. …Pisgah National Forest
  5. Avery Creek
Google Map

12.2 Miles 19.7 Kilometers


60%

Singletrack

2,244' 684 m

Ascent

-2,231' -680 m

Descent

7%

Avg Grade (4°)

44%

Max Grade (24°)

4,171' 1,271 m

High

2,159' 658 m

Low

Shared By Kristen Arendt

Conditions

All Clear 50 days ago
Dry History
Getting forecast...

“An exhausting day combining long fire road climbs and very technical singletrack descents.”

— Kristen Arendt
Driving DirectionsGPX File

Dogs Unknown

Features -none-

Overview

If you're looking for a taste of Pisgah without biting off a full day of extremely technical singletrack, this ride features the Black Mountain trail downhill in its entirety with a tough climb up Clawhammer Road.

Description

Starting at the Pisgah Ranger Station, turn right onto Highway 276 (busy highway most of the times). Turn right on Avery Creek Road to start the climb. This section is gradual, and be sure to enjoy the warm-up on the easy stretch.

At just over 2.5 miles, turn right onto Clawhammer Road. Clawhammer is one of the necessary evils in Pisgah. It's a long gravel road/doubletrack that climbs over 1,300 ft. Just keep going, as the descent is well worth the climb!

From Clawhammer Road, turn onto Black Mountain Trail (#127). This trail is legendary for many reasons, but mostly it is known for its downhill, which loses over 1900 ft. from its highest point. Black Mountain has plenty of technical riding. There are loads of rocks, small drops, and some eroded areas. Overall, the trail gets less technical the closer you get toward the bottom.

There is a solid amount of gnar between the summit of Black Mountain. and the Turkeypen Gap trailhead. This section is steep, with ditched-out trail and waterbars that don't function anymore. The lower section near Thrift Cove is more mellow than the upper.

Eventually, the trail ends at FSR #5061. Turn right on the road to return to the trailhead.

Contacts

Local Club: Pisgah Area SORBA

Dec 2, 2018: What’s Happening in 2019 with the RTP Grants

Nov 29, 2018: RTP Grants Awarded to Pisgah Area SORBA

Nov 27, 2018: Camp Grier Trail Work Weekend

Land Manager: USFS - Pisgah National Forest, Pisgah Ranger District

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Your Check-Ins

Check-Ins

Oct 27, 2018
thatboyaintright .
Oct 21, 2018
Joel Mathewson
12.2mi
Oct 7, 2018
Kenny Byrge
12.2mi
Oct 7, 2018
Mason M
absolutely epic down hill but the hike a bike was miserable and a lot of climbing
Sep 1, 2018
Nicholas Feliciano
This is a hiker bike trail after climbing clawhammer. Lots of drop and it gets flowy towards the end.
Aug 22, 2018
Tamás Debreczeni
Aug 14, 2018
C 2
Only did the lower sections ! Phenomenal! 8mi
Jul 25, 2018
Kevin Dubois
Did Bennett gap loop and black mountain loop back to back. Fire roads up hill, hike a bike at the top a bunch, enduro downhill.

Stewarded By

Stewarded by Pisgah Area SORBA
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.7 from 37 votes

#1

in Avery Creek

#94

Overall
  4.7 from 37 votes
5 Star
70%
4 Star
27%
3 Star
3%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Rankings

#1

in Avery Creek

#7

in North Carolina

#94

Overall
577 Views Last Month
15,757 Since May 3, 2018
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Photos

The last section of lower black with Christopher Langley!
The last section of lower black with Christophe…
 6
Scenic overlook atop Black Mountain
Scenic overlook atop Black Mountain
 5
A legendary downhill.
A legendary downhill.
 6
Spectacular view from atop Black Mountain.
Spectacular view from atop Black Mountain.
 3
The drops keep on coming at you.
The drops keep on coming at you.
 4
Gnarly steps on Black Mountain descent.
Gnarly steps on Black Mountain descent.
 4

2 Comments

Sort by: Oldest
Newest Oldest Popular
Benjamin Brackin
Benjamin Brackin  
Long fire road climb followed by 2 miles of nasty hike-a-bike. A couple of short descents followed by more climbing, then you are rewarded by fast as hell downhill with some sections full of non-stop drops. Plenty of off camber roots and rocks as well to keep you on your toes. Nov 15, 2017
Vu Tran
Vienna Va
Vu Tran   Vienna Va
Wow wow wow. Just spent last weekend with the fellas May 9, 2018

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