Kerr Scott Mountain Bike Trails

Here's some really good singletrack in North Carolina.

http://www.bmcc.us/kerr_scott.htm

I used to ride the Dark Mountain trail when I lived in NC and then rode the Overmountain Victory Trail as it was being built. After moving to FL in 2009, I got the chance to ride these trails again last weekend. The Warrior Creek Trail was new to me and really impressive. The trail builders have done a wonderful job of building and maintaining the trails. I regret that I've never helped them

There are three things I really like in a mountain bike trail: a good rhythm, sustained climbs, and challenging but not ridiculous downhills. By rhythm I mean that the trail isn't obstructed to the point that I have to stop a lot and get off my bike. A 5-7 mile loop is perfect. The combination of sustained climbs and a challenging downhill mean the trail is distracting enough that my mind isn't wandering onto topics like work while I'm riding - I'm really focused on the ride and getting a good workout. The trails at Kerr Scott meet my needs.

The Dark Mountain trail feels a lot like the trails I used to ride in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, e.g. Hobby Park, Country Park, and Owl's Roost. Dark Mountain is just better - longer climbs, longer downhills, and almost no annoying roots.

Warrior Creek reminds me a lot of Tsali, probably because it follows the lake shoreline much like Tsali.Warrior Creek had some steep, short undulations outside of the long climbs which made it more challenging than Tsali

Since there are about 26 miles of trail now, wrapped around a lake, with campsites, a comparison to Tsali seems reasonable. There are a few things more appealing about Tsali vs. Kerr Scott. All four of the Tsali trails can be ridden right from the parking lot and campsites. I don't see how this is easily done at Kerr Scott, but the Overmountain Victory Trail could be used to get from camping to Dark Mountain. Tsali also has some longer climbs and descents, and better views.