Boyd Branch Loop Best Ride

• Difficulty: Easy
• Total Length: 1.75 mi
• Trail Tread Condition: Few Obstacles
• Climb: Climbs Gently
• Lowest Elevation: 2180 ft
• Highest Elevation: 2370 ft
• Total Elevation Gain: 190 ft
• Trails/Roads Used: Boyd Branch Road, Boyd Branch Trail, Bent Creek Gap Road
• Ride Configuration: Loop
• Starting point: Parking area at intersection of Bent Creek Gap and Boyd Branch Roads.
• How to Get There: From Asheville, take I-240 west to I-26 east and get off on exit 2, NC 191. Turn left; pass the Biltmore Square Mall, and head south on NC 191 for 2 miles. Turn right at the stoplight, following the brown signs to the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area (bear left at fork after 0.2 mi on this road). About 0.2 mi. after passing the Hardtimes Trailhead, turn right onto Bent Creek Gap Road; it becomes gravel shortly. Follow this up the hill and down the other side to the bottom, where there is a parking area with information signs on the left and an intersection with a gated gravel road on the right. Park here.

This is an easy, fun ride, suitable for families, children, and even the first-time mountain biker. It's also great in addition to any of the other rides at Bent Creek. If this is your first time mountain biking, you've chosen a great trail on which to get started! Take it easy, and get a feel for the bike and the trail - don't try to push yourself too hard or ride anything you don't feel comfortable with. And of course, have fun!

Start the ride by heading around the gate, uphill, onto the gravel road (Boyd Branch Road). The road goes gently uphill through some nice woods alongside Boyd Branch creek. Look for a dark grove of hemlocks on your left, which are struggling to survive after being attacked by the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid. Some of the hemlocks seem to be putting on new growth as of 2007, though. Will they be able to survive the attack?

The gravel road you are on will become only slightly steeper as you go. The Sidehill trail (another gravel road now) will enter from the left; keep straight on Boyd Branch road. You will end up in a small grassy clearing, which is the highest point on this ride. Here, turn right onto the Boyd Branch trail, a singletrack trail leading downhill into the woods. The first section used to be rocky, but during the summer of 2006 was graded and smoothed over with gravel. You will soon come to Boyd Branch creek again, which you will cross. This crossing used to be somewhat rocky and "technical", but was also smoothed out after the recent trail projects at Bent Creek. A series of small steps leads down to the stream which is nicely "paved" on either side with large, flat stones. The creek itself has a clean, smooth gravel bottom. After the creek crossing, the trail will mostly level out but continue slightly downhill. The trail surface is smooth, hard packed red clay, giving the trail its former unofficial name of "Red Dirt". The trail will come to a short uphill section, then start back down and cross over a large lump, and intersect Bent Creek Gap Road. Turn right and coast downhill on this loose gravel road back to your vehicle and the starting point of the ride.