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Black Mountain Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Difficult
 4.4 (97)
  1. Areas
  2. NC
  3. …West and Mountains
  4. …Pisgah National Forest
  5. Avery Creek
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“An exhausting day combining long fire road climbs and very technical singletrack descents. ”

Kristen Arendt
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Map Key

13.6

Miles

21.9

KM

60%

Singletrack

4,174' 1,272 m

High

2,158' 658 m

Low

2,160' 658 m

Up

2,130' 649 m

Down

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

43%

Max Grade (23°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Not Allowed

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

Jan 31, 2023: Pisgah Ranger District Volunteer Group Meeting

Jan 25, 2023: First Dig Day of 2023

Jan 3, 2023: Butter Gap Trail to be Preserved and Enhanced

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

Shared By:

Kristen Arendt with improvements by Christian E and 1 other
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.4 from 97 votes

#1

in Avery Creek

#54

Overall
  4.4 from 97 votes
5 Star
61%
4 Star
28%
3 Star
7%
2 Star
3%
1 Star
1%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Avery Creek

#4

in North Carolina

#54

Overall
236 Views Last Month
36,487 Since May 3, 2018
Difficult
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Photos

The last section of lower black with Christopher Langley!
Feb 11, 2018 near Brevard, NC
Spectacular view from atop Black Mountain.
Jun 14, 2017 near Brevard, NC
Lower Black Mountain super flow!
Jul 8, 2021 near Brevard, NC
A legendary downhill.
Jul 9, 2013 near Brevard, NC
The drops keep on coming at you.
Jul 9, 2013 near Brevard, NC
Watch out for rattlesnakes - on top of Black Mountain view point.
May 16, 2019 near Brevard, NC

11 Comments

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

Minor Issues 18 days ago
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Check-Ins

Sep 3, 2022
sheldon martin
-Entry gravel road long gradual climb -wet,muddy,slick condit -LONG UPHILL HIKE A BIKE -3 fast extremely technical decents -dangerous and high speeds 16.2mi
Aug 27, 2022
Keith Brooks
Jul 30, 2022
Anthony Dickinson
Jul 23, 2022
Courtney Willemin
solo trip; short loop, cut across turkey gap rd; downhill super rocky/rooty; tough on the hands, adrenaline inducing & fast; overall really enjoyed it 8.8mi
Jul 22, 2022
Jeff Miceli
13.4mi — 3h 13m
Jun 15, 2022
francois simard
May 22, 2022
Scott Sturgess
May 15, 2022
Julia Lance
Dodged a downpour on this ride. Hike-a-bike sections were tough as remembered, but the descent is fast, chunky, and fun! 16mi

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