Anybody here ride the Tsali Trail system?

A friend of mine opened a campground last year down in Stecoah NC. It
wasn't until after I'd spent a week down there riding my motorcycle on
roads like the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway that I found out the
campground is within 6 miles of the Tsali trail system. I'm wondering
if the MTB riding down there in NC is worth making another trip down
there - this time with my mountain bike.

BTW - I've sort of lurked on and off for a few years, so I'll introduce
myself. Been doing a little mountain bike riding for about 15 years.
Had a Hard Rock Sport which I broke the frame on after a couple years,
then a Cannondale SM1000 for a LOT of years. Finally broke down and
bought a Specialized Epic Disc a couple years ago. Most of my riding
has been local trails in Central IL.

Stewey

Stewey wrote:
A friend of mine opened a campground last year down in Stecoah NC. It
wasn't until after I'd spent a week down there riding my motorcycle on
roads like the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway that I found out the
campground is within 6 miles of the Tsali trail system. I'm wondering
if the MTB riding down there in NC is worth making another trip down
there - this time with my mountain bike.

BTW - I've sort of lurked on and off for a few years, so I'll introduce
myself. Been doing a little mountain bike riding for about 15 years.
Had a Hard Rock Sport which I broke the frame on after a couple years,
then a Cannondale SM1000 for a LOT of years. Finally broke down and
bought a Specialized Epic Disc a couple years ago. Most of my riding
has been local trails in Central IL.

Stewey


Tsali is an IMBA epic trail: http://tinyurl.com/7gguk



--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

"Stewey" wrote in message
oups.com...
A friend of mine opened a campground last year down in Stecoah NC. It
wasn't until after I'd spent a week down there riding my motorcycle on
roads like the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway that I found out the
campground is within 6 miles of the Tsali trail system. I'm wondering
if the MTB riding down there in NC is worth making another trip down
there - this time with my mountain bike.

BTW - I've sort of lurked on and off for a few years, so I'll introduce
myself. Been doing a little mountain bike riding for about 15 years.
Had a Hard Rock Sport which I broke the frame on after a couple years,
then a Cannondale SM1000 for a LOT of years. Finally broke down and
bought a Specialized Epic Disc a couple years ago. Most of my riding
has been local trails in Central IL.

Stewey


I spent a day out there over this past summer. It was fabulous. If I ever
find my self back in that neck of the woods I will make sure I get to Tsali.
Nothing is all that technical or scary. My 11 year old rode with me the
whole way. It wasn't the most challenging MTB'ing I've ever done, but it
was lots of fun. Very fast The trails are well constructed, there is a
decent amount of climbing to keep you honest, and the area is just a
wonderful place to be in.

Here's a great resource. http://www.mtbikewnc.com/

Dupont State forest is another good spot to check if you get the chance to
sample a bit more.

Tom

Thanks for the feedback. I'm much more into enjoying the ride than
testing my technical skills (my bike is capable of a lot more than I'll
ever be). I'd read most of the web stuff on the area that I could find
but getting feedback of the BTDT type means a lot more. When I was at
my friends campground in May it seemed to rain most of the time I was
there - did it rain while you were there? If so, how bad is the muck
and do they restrict access when the trail isn't dry?

Oh, I forgot to plug my buddies campground down near Tsali It's located
about 6 miles or so from Tsali.

WWW.KickstandLodge.com

Even though his initial audience was motorcyclists, mountain bikers are
more than welcome. The campground has GREAT showers, and for people
who don't want to tent camp, there are small camping trailers, a couple
of bigger cabins and a bunkhouse if you don't mind listening to your
buddies snore. Oh, there's also a bike wash which might be important
if it's been raining down there. If you get down there, tell Fred that
Stewey told you about the place - I won't get a kickback but I might
get a beer!

Stewey

"Stewey" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for the feedback. I'm much more into enjoying the ride than
testing my technical skills (my bike is capable of a lot more than I'll
ever be). I'd read most of the web stuff on the area that I could find
but getting feedback of the BTDT type means a lot more. When I was at
my friends campground in May it seemed to rain most of the time I was
there - did it rain while you were there? If so, how bad is the muck
and do they restrict access when the trail isn't dry?

I was in western NC in early July, and it rained nearly every day. The day
we went to Tsali we managed to avoid any major rainfall, but the area was
all pretty damp from the tremendous amount of rain that had fallen in the
previous few weeks. Kinda felt like I was riding in some sort of rain
forest most of the day. That said, the trail system drains REALLY well.
The trails are build along various ridges opposite Great Smokey Mountain
National Park, which you can see across the lake. It was pretty damp
everywhere, but everything seemed to just run down the ridges and into the
lake. The trails were all pretty firm.

The only impact I saw from the rain was that the stream crossings were a bit
deeper than is probably normal, and there were probably more of them. None
of the climbs were slick and the soil appeared to just absorb whatever
moisture came down. We managed to get pretty filthy by the end of the day,
but that was mainly due to the occasional mud hole on the bench cut
sections. I don't know how bad it has to get before they close the area,
but I'm sure it takes a lot if they do it at all. There is actually a low
pressure bike wash station in the parking lot to help you get the goop off
before you head home. Nice touch.

Tom

Thanks for the feedback. I got to talking with one of the few people I
work with who rides and he's also been down there, but it was dry for
the entire time he was down there. He loved the ride and I'm trying to
talk him into going down there with me this spring.

IMHO, it'll worth the ride.

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC USA (3.5 hrs away from Tsali)
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"Stewey" wrote in message
oups.com...
A friend of mine opened a campground last year down in Stecoah NC. It
wasn't until after I'd spent a week down there riding my motorcycle on
roads like the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway that I found out the
campground is within 6 miles of the Tsali trail system. I'm wondering
if the MTB riding down there in NC is worth making another trip down
there - this time with my mountain bike.

BTW - I've sort of lurked on and off for a few years, so I'll introduce
myself. Been doing a little mountain bike riding for about 15 years.
Had a Hard Rock Sport which I broke the frame on after a couple years,
then a Cannondale SM1000 for a LOT of years. Finally broke down and
bought a Specialized Epic Disc a couple years ago. Most of my riding
has been local trails in Central IL.

Stewey