# Bikepacking ideas for NC



## Van-Go (Feb 26, 2009)

Long time hiker - 3 year mountain biker.

Wanted to combine the two this year and take a bikepacking trip. I am searching for good routes of any duration (1-3 nights). 

I seem to recall a thread in this forum a couple years ago of good routes in Pisgah but can't seem to find it via the search mode.

Anyone have any good routes to bikepack in NC (or SC/TN/VA)?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.


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## Mike Brown (Mar 12, 2004)

van-go- bikepacking is one of my mostest favoritests things, so I'll chime in. 

In NC, there's no single trail that can be followed (such as the AZT or CT). What I've done is link together long streches of gravel and trail, even using pavement when I have to. It's really easy to plan 3 day routes doing this. For example, my next trip is going to be to leave my house, ride up to the Parkway and then take the Parkway all the way to 181 as the first day. I'll set-up camp and spend a day or two playing in Wilson's, then ride home. My last trip was from my house, ride to the NC Arboretum, and then spent 2 days wandering aroound the district trails at my own pace. 
If I was looking to go longer, I'd combine these two, or maybe go explore more further west. 

In SC, the Palmetto Trail is mostly open to bikes, I plan on trying tihs some time in the next couple years, even though a lot of people have told me parts of are only borderline fun on a bike. Whatever, I'm still on my bike outside not sitting a desk typing on this stupid machine. This spring, I plan on spending a weekend riding around FATS>Turkey Creek>Wine>Modoc with a few friends. 

I know these aren't exact routes or anything, but they might help give you an idea of how I plan my trips using the resources around here...bikepacking is what you make of it. Shoot, I could bikepack around Charlotte going from park to park and pirate camping where I'm not supposed to. Just use what you got and know and have fun! 


I know these aren't exact directions, but they should give you an idea of


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## mikeridesabike (Feb 16, 2009)

I think that the Pinhoti trail down in GA would be good for this type of riding. It is a continuous trail that is somewhere around 100 miles.


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## 29ftw (Apr 28, 2010)

A ride/overnight that I would like to do this year if I can pick up an EpicDesigns seatbag (or similar) is park at Andrews Geyser -> Montreat/Ridgecrest -> up the OTR -> up Mt Mitchell entrance rd -> overnight at top and come back down Heartbreak to geyser. I've heard the tiny campground up there is very sick. I'm not sure if you can reserve sites or not..


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## donmeredith74 (Dec 29, 2006)

Google TNGA... all the riding you want over in North Georgia.

I'm always up for a bikepacking trip if someone wants to go. Mike, maybe we should do the Columbia to Charleston section of the Palmetto sometime. I've always wanted to do it just so I can say I did. That's the most continuous section in the state. I think there's just one gap. It should be easy riding.


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## stumpbumper (Dec 3, 2010)

I believe the sections you are referring to are called the Swamp Fox Passage of the Palmetto trail and run through Francis Marion National Forest. Total is around 47 miles and I'm thinking the Enoree Passage at 36 milles is the second longest of the PT system. I have never ridden either so a friend and I are riding section 3 of the latter on Saturday to check it out. If it turns out to be nice we will later bikepack from one end to the other, camp there and then ride back to our start point the next day. I would also like to bikepack the Swamp Fox passage this year before it gets too hot and the mosquitoes grow to the size of turkey gobblers..


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## Van-Go (Feb 26, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. Will check on these. Any other suggestions? I'm thinking I can pull out the hiking map and figure a way through Pisgah for a good trip.

[Hey Don. It's Erik from BP Light. Hope you're doing well. Still on that Raleigh SS? :thumbsup: ]


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## donmeredith74 (Dec 29, 2006)

*NC Bikepacking*

Sorry... forgot your ID Erik. I've had a nice little soap opera on the bike front but I'm settled in on a ridiculously swank Black Sheep now. If you get the Nat Geo map for the slick rock area there are a TON of trails you can network together. If you get crossed up on which one to grab send me a note so I can dig mine up and tell you exactly which one.


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## Van-Go (Feb 26, 2009)

*Awesome*

I will look up that area. Slightly familiar with it. Been mostly looking at Pisgah.

I've ridden a few loops there over the past couple of summers and hiked the Art Loeb trail last summer. Just figured I'd try to put these to interests together and give it a go.

Thanks so much for the suggestion.

Not familiar with your bike. Will have to look into that. Just finished building a Niner EMD 1 x 9 to race with. 21 pounds and change. But love training on my SS.

E


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## donmeredith74 (Dec 29, 2006)

Keep me posted on trips... I'll probably want to tag along.


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## pisgahproductions (Jan 25, 2004)

The wife and I have done a few bike-packing trips in Pisgah. One route to check out:
Day 1: From Bent Creek->Lower Sidehill->Bent Creek Gap Rd(479?)->5000->Spencer->Trace->1206->Laurel->Pilot->1206->276->Club Gap. 
Day 2: From Club Gap->Black Mountain->Turkey Pen->S.Mills->Mullinax->Laurel Creek->5015->1206->5000->Bent Creek Gap Rd->Lower Sidehill->back to the car.


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## Carlman (Jan 19, 2009)

I've been around the Francis-Marion-Florence-Mullins areas many times growing up and I cannot imagine less interesting riding conditions. It is flat. Pisgah has occasional 7+ mile climbs, lots of switchbacks, fast turns, and almost no flat spots. Doing 36 miles in Marion would take me about 3 hours at a moderate pace. I could do other things that day, before or after the ride. 36 in Pisgah would take me all day and I'd be pretty tired and not interested in any other activities that day.
Consider avoiding hike-a-bike portions of Pisgah also where you'll have 2" of rock to climb with the bike and pack. Take a look on our local forum for more about Pisgah routes: trianglemtb.com

Good luck,
Carl


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## Ohwell73 (Oct 8, 2009)

Planning to ride the Southern Traverse from the Confederate Breastworks down to Douthat SP as a 2day/1 night ride as the first attempt at bikepacking. Then somthing along the lines of what Eric has outlined above in but that is some serious elevation in Pisgah loaded with gear. Should be interesting. Looking into the Trans GA route also.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I wish I had been aware of bikepacking when I spent a week at Pisgah back in 03. Do yourself a favor - pick up a Trails Illustrated map of Pisgah. Mine shows all the mtb trails out there and you can piece together a route that fits your mileage goals. I used it to put together some fun routes based on some recommendations I found in some guidebooks. I was drooling at the number of trails out there but had no concept of hauling my camping gear on the bike with me back then. It didn't help that I was out with my dad and his idea of camping is filling a utility trailer with mountains of gear and driving out to a spot to set up a huge base camp.


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## oromis (Jul 13, 2011)

a couple years ago my wife and I bikepacked the C&O from WV to DC and have since been talking about doing some bike packing in the pisgah area. We went up to the town of Pisgah Forest near Brevard a couple of weeks ago to scout out the area for future trips(both hiking and biking). There is a great little bike shop in PF called _The Hub_ were we bought a map. If you are in the area you should check them out as they could probably tell you some nice routes. The wife and I both ended up getting sick before we could do too much scouting. Kinda ruined the purpose of the trip.

What we did learn was that although there are lots of fire roads they don't seem to link together. To link them together you would need to do some pretty serious single track in between. I ride single speed and when we hiked those sections of singletrack I was trying to think if it would be doable with a loaded bike. I think it would be but you would need to be a strong rider. Stronger than I am currently. I plan on going up there later in the year and I will post up when I finalize my route.

TNGA looks like the best option that is already established.


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## oromis (Jul 13, 2011)

I should also add that the Bent Creek area does have some fireroads that you could make big loops out of. You could also mix up some singletrack there as it is not to difficult. The downside is that there is no camping allowed in the park except for at the designated campground in the valley. That campground is nice but if you are going to stay there every night then it kind of defeats the purpose of bikepacking. It is more like car camping. There might be a trail that leaves the park that you could link up to but I have yet to find it.


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