Black Mountain Best Ride

• Difficulty: Most Difficult
• Total Length: 12.5 mi
• Trail Tread Condition: Very Rough
• Climb: Climbs Steeply
• Total Elevation Gain: 2000 ft
• Trails/Roads Used: FR 477, Buckhorn Gap, Black Mountain, Maxwell Cove Road, Clawhammer Road
• Ride Configuration: Loop on singletrack, doubletrack becoming singletrack, and gravel roads
• Starting point: Horse stables on FR 477.
• How to Get There: From Asheville, take I-240 west to I-26 east to the exit for the Asheville Airport (exit 9). Turn right onto NC 280; follow this 4-lane highway for 16 miles toward Brevard. At the intersection with US highways 276 and 64, turn right onto US 276 west (follow signs for Pisgah National Forest). Next, turn right onto gravel FR 477; you will see signs for the Riding Stables. Park at the stables.

Ride back out of the stables and uphill on FR 477 (the road you drove in on). This becomes a moderate climb. When you emerge under the high tension power line right of way, you know you are approaching the turn. At the parking pulloff, turn onto the Buckhorn Gap trail, which you'll loosely follow all the way up to the gap itself. This trail starts off downhill, with some great jumps, and then levels off. You will pass a beautiful waterfall, far below on the right. The trail will meet up with the stream and the Avery Creek trail and here, you can either ford the creek and pick up the Buckhorn Gap trail again on the other side, or push your bike upstream a few hundred feet (that section of trail is insane) and cross on a narrow log bridge. You should then be heading upstream on the right side of the creek, on the Buckhorn Gap trail. The trail will again intersect the creek. There is a sign, stating "To Buckhorn Gap" with an arrow on a tree, and it points right up the stream. Since that's not the best way to get there, either ford the creek here or go up and around an enormous hemlock tree to the right and take the narrow log bridge just upstream to get back on the trail.

There will be 4 more large creek crossings on this trail. Each one has both a place to ford the creek and a log bridge. In between crossings, the trail is a typical streamside grunt. It's quite technical: it's rooty, rocky, and muddy in spots. It's also badly eroded from horses' hooves. You will intersect the Twin Falls trail twice. The second intersection is in an open area with some hitching posts. A side hike to the falls here is highly recommended; it is short (just a few hundred feet) and there are some very rewarding scenes at the end. Keep on the Buckhorn Gap trail; it switches back to the right to begin pulling away from the creek. This is steep, badly eroded (a shallow clay canyon), and muddy, with many waterbars, some of which have been demolished by horses' hooves. The trail will fork, and you will bear left, leaving the Buckhorn Gap trail. The left fork will moderate shortly to become rideable, but it'll continue uphill for a long, moderately technical climb on old roadbeds. At a grassy clearing and intersection, turn left onto the gravel road that you'll follow the rest of the way to the gap. It starts out fairly level, with even a downhill section or two, but soon becomes a stiff climb. The Buckhorn Gap trail will exit right but no bikes or horses are allowed on the trail from there to the gap. Unlike us mountain bikers (who would never take this trail, right?), horseback riders disobey this all the time. So continue on the tedious, hot, sunny gravel road (try to avoid doing this climb on a hot, sunny summer day at noon). At the next gravel road intersection, make a right (it's signed) to finish the blasted climb up to the gap.

The top of this climb is Buckhorn Gap itself, a 6 way intersection and a good place to rest before the next climb. Make a right onto the Black Mountain trail (no horses allowed!). This is steep and narrow, it switches back many times, and it has many waterbars and log steps to begin with. You will push or carry your bike a good bit from here up to the top of Black Mountain, unless you have awesome technical skill. Following a knife-like ridgeline, the trail will cross over a small knob, then right over the summit of Clawhammer Mountain. It'll then dip you down into a gap between the peaks of Clawhammer and Black Mountain. Here, there is a rock slab and an incredible cliff-top view that helps make all the climbing worthwhile. The final climb up to Black Mountain from here is insanely "technical", with very steep sections, switchbacks, rock slabs, boulders, and drop offs. For most riders who didn't grow up on the North Shore, this is beyond technical; it is hard-core rugged. You will pass by a neat rock cave, then switchback straight up and go right over it. After this and a few more super steep switchbacks, the trail will enter a rhododendron tunnel where you can get back on your bike and pass just to the right of the peak of Black Mountain (elev. 4286 ft.). After that, check your breaks and get ready for a 1900 vertical foot downhill! The Turkey Pen trail will enter from the left in the midst of a fern-filled woods; keep straight on the Black Mountain trail. This fun trail becomes very rocky, and in places it's very steep and technical, with tons of waterbars. The intersection with Maxwell Cove Road is in Pressley Gap; here you'll turn right. This road is becoming singletrack/doubletrack and it is very steep in places (for a gravel road), extremely fast, and fun! Beware of horses and other riders in the curves, though. There is one short but annoying uphill section. At the next gravel road intersection and gate, you'll make a left, and coast back down to the horse stables and the starting point.

The long way down: to ride the entire downhill on singletrack, stay straight on the Black Mountain trail at Pressley Gap instead of turning right on to Maxwell Cove Road. You'll have to climb a bit a t first, but it soon resumes its downhill plunge. Follow this to the intersection with US 276; turn right (use caution, this is a busy highway). Turn right again on FR 477 and ride back up to the horse stables to finish the ride.