october-2010

TRAVEL REPORT: NORTH CAROLINA
Go Two Wheeling
To hear Claudia Nix tell it, only two words
describe the scenery in Western North
Carolina this time of year: “beautiful” and
“gorgeous.” Nix, co-owner of Asheville’s
Liberty Bicycles, is no stranger to the local
flora, which she admires whenever she hits
the roads and trails on two wheels. One of
her fall road-biking favorites is a 37-mile
loop ride, which starts in Burnsville (36
miles from Asheville), hugs the North Toe
and Cane rivers and then follows Jack’s
Creek Road. “There are beautiful scenes
of tobacco barns, suspension bridges, lots
of old trees, the countryside—it’s just gorgeous,”
she says.
For something a bit shorter—but a lot
steeper—try the 3.6-mile Point Look Out
Trail through Pisgah National Forest. This
paved thigh-buster starts in the town of
Old Fort (24 miles from Asheville), rises
900 feet and ends in Ridgecrest. About
two miles in, riders will come to the trail’s
crown jewel: the lookout. “It’s this gorgeous,
quiet area where you have a wonderful view
of the whole valley of McDowell County,”
Nix says.
In fact, Pisgah National Forest is rife
with trails that bring bikers to breathtaking,
multicolored vistas. The Davidson
River area (33 miles from Asheville) has a
collection of routes suited for a variety of
skill levels. And just nine miles from downtown
Asheville, the much-loved Bent Creek
Experimental Forest is home to mostly
hard-packed trails. But don’t be too speedy:
You don’t want the stunning colors to go by
in a kaleidoscopic blur. mtbikewnc.com
OCTOBER 2010 GO MAGAZINE
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