Located in the northern tip of the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest, the Bent Creek Reasearch and Demonstration Forest encompasses Bent Creek's watershed, and contains a collection of trails that is well suited to beginning and intermediate mountain bikers, families, and groups. With some trails containing large climbs and technical sections, more advanced riders will can fun here as well.
Bent Creek is popular for after-dinner rides, because it is just a few minutes' drive from Western North Carolina's largest city, Asheville. A campground, mountain lake, and family recreation area make this area very popular with tourists. Due to the crowds, this area is patrolled nearly every summer weekend by members of Southeastern Mountain Bike Patrol.
This trail network can be connected with others in Pisgah National Forest via the unimproved Bent Creek Gap Road to make long, epic type rides. This area is also a perfect place to begin your day trips if you plan on spending several days in Pisgah.
Though less advanced riders may find them difficult, none of the trails in the Bent Creek trail system are considered extremely technical - especially since most have been re-graded in the last few months. Most trails follow old road or railroad beds and have only a few areas that require significant technical skill, with steeps, rocks, roots, mud, and creek crossings. Fast, hardpacked sections of trail lie between these obstacles.
Over 50 dedicated volunteers helped with construction on the Wolf Branch Trail on Saturday, June 2 - National Trails Day. Work included grading for drainage and the construction of 4 new, sturdy wooden bridges which eliminated some muddy, technical creek crossings. Come out and give the new trail a ride!
All trails within the Bent Creek area which were closed for logging are once again reopened. Work will now begin to restore the trails which were temporarily converted to roads to a trail-like status. This will be a long process, but riding conditions on them should start to improve quickly. Watch out for new sunny openings on hot summer days (plan on hitting them going downhill).
This tree in Lake Powhatan, while picturesque, makes a great spot to fish as well!
The National Forest has implemented some much needed improvements to trails and facilities in Bent Creek, including several trail re-routes that make sense. Several illegal user-created, non-system trails have been closed and rehabilitated. Several very logical changes have been made, including a connector from North Boundary Road to the excellent "Green's Lick" trail (which has seen realignments and been reopened). The previous connector was unsustainable; although many thought it was a hoot to ride it wasn't appropriate in an area such as Bent Creek. This has created another officially legal loop ride in Bent Creek. The second reroute of note is a connector from the end of the Hardtimes Connector trail to the Deer Lake Lodge trail at the end of the bridge just below the Rice Pinnacle parking area.
In addition to that project, another ambitious and much-needed project has taken place at last minute notice during the Spring of 2006: rehabilitiating many of the old trails in Bent Creek. Light machinery and lots of elbow grease went into re-surfacing about 15 miles of existing trails; they're a lot smoother now, though, so some of the technical appeal of the old, eroded, rocky trails is gone (but will likely return as time goes on). This project came as a result of an influx of money for repairs of damages from the remanants of hurricanes Frances and Ivan in September of 2004, which caused extensive damage to Forest Service fixtures across Bent Creek and the rest of Western North Carolina's public lands. The primary purpose of the trail work was to improve drainage and decrease erosion to make sure the area is complying with the federal Clean Water Act.
And in addition to the trail work, Lake Powhatan has been drained, dredged, and re-filled. All of the eroded trails ended up in the lake, making it shallow, warm, and crawling with nasties like fecal coliform bacteria and leeches. This has hopefully been mitigated with the dredging project.
Finally, work on several new parking areas has been completed, with expansions at others. Sign boards and new toilet facilities have been installed to the delight of some, and dismay of others. Nevertheless, it was a big project representing a big change in the way we use Bent Creek. With these projects now complete, Bent Creek can hopefully settle down and let us get familiar with it again - and hopefully let us keep loving it for a long time.
| Trail | Map Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Little Hickory Top | 136 |
|
| Sidehill | 145 |
|
This guide is intended to help inform people of where and where not to ride at Bent Creek. The 2002 Decision Notice issued by the Forest Service states that "All areas off these designated trails in the Bent Creek area would be closed to equestrian and bike use." This is a break from policy elsewhere in the Pisgah Ranger District which states that all trails are open unless signed as closed, and users can not be cited for using a closed trail that is not signed.
But because Bent Creek is a specially designated research forest, mountain bikers need to make sure that it is not abused in any way. Research is this forests' primary use. Riding off-trail or riding "social" trails that are not part of the official trail system may not only get you ticketed, but more importantly it may destroy decades of important research that cannot be recovered. If the privilege to ride in this area is abused, bikers and other recreational users may forfeit their right to enjoy the area forever.
All trails and roads shown on the maps as open and used in the ride descriptions on this site are system trails. As well as some that are shown on the map, some non-system "social" trails exist at Bent Creek that are not on the map. Stay on the well used trails shown on the Bent Creek Trail Maps, and do not disturb any forest research areas. All gravel roads are OK to ride unless there are signs that state differently.
A 2004 Forest Service decision to move forward with a research logging project within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest has turned 3.3 miles of existing singletrack trails into roads. In actuality, these trails followed old "unclassified" Forest Service logging roadbeds, and the roads were reconstructed to allow logging equipment and passenger vehicles to once again access the research areas. 2 miles of the 3.3 miles will be allowed to "revert to trail" as quickly as possible, while the remaining 1.3 miles of what was previously trail will be maintained as a closed gravel road. All reconstructed roads will be re-opened for mountain bike travel, though in a greatly altered condition. The section of trail that has been permanently changed is the current Sidehill trail from Boyd Branch Road to Ledford Gap, unfortunately containing two of the best singletrack trail segments within Bent Creek.
This project represents a significant change to the dynamics of mountain biking in WNC, as Bent Creek - and the particular trails being reconstructed - are some of the best options mountain bikers have for taking a ride when they don't have a lot of time. These moderately technical, moderately climbing trails appealed to a wide variety of users - from near beginner to expert - and they were quick and easy to access from the city of Asheville. The group of trails north of Bent Creek Gap Road combined to make many loop options, several of which were Best Rides on this site. Now that the project is complete, the "healing" can begin, and we will all still be able to enjoy fantastic mountain biking in this multi-use area.
It is important to note, however, that this project represents an excellent example of how public involvement can steer Forest Service actions. The original EA (Environmental Assessment) released to the public outlined a 5 mile road reconstruction project. The EA sparked comments, debate, and letters by area residents and other land managers who were concerned about the effects of the project. After this public involvement period, Forest Service officials re-considered the project and were able to reduce the amount of road reconstruction to 3.3 miles, which represents 1.7 miles of "saved" trail. This change underscores the Forest Service's willingness to listen and work with the public on matters like this.
Also not to be forgoten is the research itself. This country's National Forests are managed for the widest variety of uses for as many different users as possible. While Bent Creek has long been established as a mountain biking destination for locals and visitors to WNC alike, it has been around much longer as a research forest and this is the primary purpose of this area. Frankly, I applaud the Forest Service for even allowing recreation in Bent Creek and greatly applaud them for scaling back their road reconstruction to save our trails. The value of the research done in the Experimental Forest should not be underestimated. In the EA, it appears that in many locations, American Chestnut and Chestnut hybrid trees will be planted. This is an interesting development, and as far as I am aware, this represents the first release of the resistant, genetically altered trees back into the "wild" after being eliminated by the Chestnut Blight in the first half of this century.
The 2002 Decision Notice released by the Forest Service at Bent Creek states that once the new trail system was designated, "All areas off these designated trails in the Bent Creek area would be closed to equestrian and bike use." Starting in April, 2004, Forest Service officials began citing mountain bikers found on the closed trails with a $75 fine. More information is available in an article in the Asheville Citizen-Times Newspaper.
Update 5/26/04: The Forest Service has since issued a nice official map of legal trails at Bent Creek and begun a signage project to ensure that everyone is aware of which trails are open. It is a shaded relief topographic map. You may download the map here (PDF, 1.4MB - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader). Unfortunately, as of later Summer 2006, many of the "illegal" trails are still completely un-signed as closed, and not obliterated like the Forest Service said it would do. This means it is absolutely essential to know where to ride before you hit the trails!
The Lake Powhatan Campground is located within the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area at Bent Creek. Open only from April 1 to October 31, this campground offers 98 sites, flush toilets, and hot showers, all near the shore of Lake Powhatan which includes a swimming beach and fishing pier. You can also ride right out of the campground onto Bent Creek's fantastic trails. Sites are $12 a night and the campground can become quite crowded on summer weekends. There is no dispersed camping allowed within this area, and all old roadside campsites along Bent Creek Gap Road have been eliminated.
Apple Blossom Cottage
Mountain biking, road riding and hiking galore are only minutes from Apple Blossom Cottage. We're 5 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost # 405.5), 10 minutes from Pisgah National forest, 20 minutes from Bent Creek trails and 20 minutes from downtown Asheville! Come back to the cottage after a fun filled day...wash and then store your bikes in the basement, enjoy a cool one on either the front or back porch, then head to the hot tub where you can sit and relax while gazing overhead at the stars and moon while enjoying the luminance of the fireflies! And don't forget...we're PET FRIENDLY!
http://www.ashevillecabinscottagesandmore.com/
Bent Creek Lodge
We offer the perfect place to stay for your Western North Carolina biking adventure. The inviting lodge is located in a section of forest between the Blue Ridge Parkway and the French Broad River. You can easily bike or drive from the Lodge to the Bent Creek Recreation Area. The North and South Mills River areas are just a short drive down the road, and the Davidson River area and Dupont State Forest are only 45 minutes away. After a ride you can come back to the Lodge, soak those tired muscles in a whirlpool tub and head for the night life and great restaurants in Asheville, only 15 minutes away!
http://www.bentcreeknc.com
Bon Paul & Sharky's Hostel of Asheville
Relax in our back deck hot tub and watch the sunset with beautiful views of Mount Pisgah. Our friendly knowledgeable staff will tell you about all the great places to hike and check out in town. High Speed wireless internet is available. Linens are included. We have bikes to borrow, bus and airport pick up, and camping available as well!
http://www.bonpaulandsharkys.com
There are several good starting points at Bent Creek, the most popular being the Hardtimes Trailhead. Others include the Rice Pinnacle parking area, the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area, the Lake Powhatan Campground, Ledford Branch Road and Boyd Branch Road.
Hardtimes Trailhead:
From Asheville, take I-240 west to I-26 east and get off on exit 2, NC 191. Turn left, pass the Biltmore Square Mall, and head south on NC 191 for 2 miles. Turn right at the stoplight onto Bent
Creek Ranch Road, following the brown signs to the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area (bear left at fork after 0.2 mi on this road). The paved, signed Hardtimes trailhead parking area is just over 2 miles down this road on the left. Other popular starting points are beyond Hardtimes further into the valley.
To get to the other areas listed above, see the Bent Creek Area Maps.
