MTB WNC's Guide to Bent Creek Contents

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Bent Creek
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Bent Creek

Bent Creek
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South Ridge Road/Lower Sidehill--this is a long, moderate to difficult ride combining some great gravel roads with some of the best singletrack at Bent Creek.  Start: Hardtimes trailhead. Highest Point: Gravel road just past Long Branch and on Lower Sidehill trail after initial climb, both at just shy of 2800 feet.  

Start by riding around the gate at the back of the parking lot. Follow this gravel road until an intersection near creek. Make a right and then an immediate left across Bent Creek on the concrete bridge. Follow this gravel road, which travels gradually uphill, until the intersection with the first gravel road on the right. This is South Ridge Road, FR 479M. Turn right onto it, uphill, passing another gate. Stay on this road its entire length, which is a long ride, until the intersection with Bent Creek Gap Road. Along the way, you will pass in and out of many coves, the forest changing each time along the way. The road is slowly undulating with more uphill than down. At the end of a fast downhill will be a gate and the end of this road; make a left, steeply uphill onto Bent Creek Gap Road. Keep an eye out on the right for the Lower Sidehill trail (you should see it just before the road makes a left turn). Turn here and follow this up a steep, rocky incline to achieve again 2800 feet. After topping out, this becomes a 650 vertical foot downhill. It is fast and FUN! At the intersection after the downhill, make a left, cross the stream and intersect with a gravel road. Here, you will basically cross the gravel road, but the trail is staggered, so turn right, ride a few feet, and pick up lower sidehill again (it's a utility road) on the other side. Follow this uphill into a clearing where some logging has been done recently. Ride straight through the clearing. The utility road will become a trail again, top out, and begin downhill. This downhill is fast in places, technical in others, and fun all the way. Lower Sidehill will then intersect another gravel road. Turn right and ride down to the intersection with Bent Creek Gap Road. Ride straight across and pick up the gravel road, crossing a neat little bridge over a wash out.

You will now follow this route all the way back to Hardtimes Road, but there are many intersections. Go straight through all of them. You'll first reach some posts; ride between them and continue going straight. The route will become paved for the next 0.1 mile. At the stop sign, continue straight, riding back onto a gravel road (signs pointing to the dam will be seen). Ride straight on this gravel road past the campground to your left and the lake to your right. When you get to the parking area and the dam, ride straight up and over it, picking up the gravel road again on the other side. Follow this straight along the creek until you get to the concrete bridge on the right. Keep going straight, and just past this bridge, turn left onto the gravel Hardtimes road. Follow this back up to the Hardtimes Trailhead parking lot to finish the ride.