Virginia Mountain Bike Trail from Adventure Seen on Vimeo.
Ride Start Time = 9am
Map of & Directions to Ride Start: http://goo.gl/maps/GFiwS
Ride Start Coordinates: 38.759543,-78.841171
This VES event will have 2 length options:
- GNM route which is a 4-6 hour ride (after climbing 568 turn left onto Great North Mt 1009 - see map below), and ...
- GNM + Trout Pond, Figure 8, 55 mile route (adds Thorny Bottom Rd and the Long Mountain Trail / 1007).
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| The overlook above Trout Pond. |
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| A view from the Great North Mountain ridge. |
- 15 miles west of Mt. Jackson, VA - Exit 273 on I81
- 25m Northwest of Harrisonburg
- 1h30m from Charlottesville
- 2h from Washington DC and Frederick, MD
- 2h15m from Roanoke
- 2h30m from Richmond
All trails (EXCEPT the two drawn in red trails in the image below) are easily visible on National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map #792 (click here to buy map #792):
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| The 2 drawn-in RED trails above are not on map #792 - please make note of them! |
Cue Sheet: Thank you Kyle Lawrence!
Parking: Tomahawk Pond on the east side of State Route 610. About 5 miles south of Basye on 610
- Head north on 610 for 5 miles to Basye
- Left turn onto SR 717 (Travel roughly 1.5 miles)
- Left turn onto Forest Road 1628
- Stay right on the road until it ends then you will continue north on a short piece of trail
- Trail ends up on SR 720 (Crooked Run Rd)
- Left on Crooked Run and start looking for blaze on north side of road at a switchback (Less than a 1/2 mile up)
- Follow the road (568A) past a handful of recent timber cuts until it turns to route 252 and around the gate
- You will pass two trails Falls Ridge (572) and Stack Rock (568B)
- Careful not to miss the turn for Laurel Run (568) it comes at a sharp bend in the road and will be on your left. Oftentimes, hikers park cars here and obstruct the gate/trail head
- Climb Laurel Run. At the top you can either choose the bonus loop dropping down to Trout Pond or begin your journey on the ridge of Great North Mountain (Trail #1009)
- (Optional) Trout Pond Directions: At the top of Laurel run, turn right onto 691 and look for a left onto 1007 (Marked with hiking sign)
- Drop down a fun descent and either take the Long Mountain Trail or shortcut it! and turn left to follow trails Trout Pond/Rockcliff Lake
- The climb out of Trout Pond can be found at the top of the campground and near one of the sites. You will climb past the well and follow the road all the way back up to the North Mountain Trail.
- (Optional) Trout Pond Directions: At the top of Laurel run, turn right onto 691 and look for a left onto 1007 (Marked with hiking sign)
- If you continue on Great North mountain you will have over 6 miles of beautiful ridge trail with a few incredible views. Make sure to REMAIN on 1009. The the intersection of Falls Ridge and Stack Rock can be tricky. You should never plummet steeply off the ride. before you reach the top of Crooked Run road.
- At the top of Crooked Run road, go around the tower and pick up the trail on the other side (not on the map)
- Continue on the ridge past Trail #420 (good bailout option) which will be marked with a hiking sign
- Follow the ridge all the way back to Trail #421 (Hunkerson Gap)
GPX File (Courtesy of Zack. Trail locations are approximate):
Overview Maps:
More Detail:
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NOTE: Ride Start / Tomahawk Pond is at route mile 27.95 on this map.
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This looks like a great route--as do all the rides. I just discovered the VES and would like to do some of the rides. Do you have cue sheets? I'd happily figure it out from the map but the resolution is such that I cannot quite see all the roads and trails. Anyone you know of from Charlottesville coming out for these rides? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteChristian
Christian, Kyle is working on putting together a cue sheet. If you get map 792 and download this higher resolution route image https://www.dropbox.com/s/oplhzxrksdw02xs/GNM.jpg you can easily view & highlight this route. I can help you the morning of the event too, and the cue sheet should be ready in a couple of days. I've never ridden GNM, but Kyle has done the whole figure 8. I've talked it over with him, and navigating both routes seems pretty straightforward. No question, we're going to have an incredible mtb adventure.
DeleteIs there a way to publish the raw GPX file? I use my smartphone for navigation and I cant get the gpx from garmin connect without a garmin device.
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts on how much of this route is singletrack vs dirt road? I am coming in from Colorado for a wedding at the end of September and would like to do this course.
Jon, I'll see if we can do that. After this Sunday we will have a bunch of actually ridden GPX files so navigating should be a breeze for you. Plus I'm publishing the cue sheet in 5 minutes ;) Post to our Facebook page when you're in town and you'll probably get a few locals to join you! https://www.facebook.com/virginiaenduranceseries
ReplyDeleteRaw GPX has now been posted above ^^ :)
ReplyDeleteHi Rob,
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of coming tomorrow but wonder about the pace? I can ride long but I'm not fast--and I ride a fully rigid bike so I generally go slow through rocks and downhills. I am happy with my pace but really dislike holding people up. I know there's some fast folks out there. As a point of reference: I rode your Lookout-Wolf Ridge-Narrowback VES ride (not with VES but just following the route) in about 7.5-8 hours with a stop a the car to refuel, stops to chat and BS and eat bagels along the way. Thanks!
Christian
Just got back from an overnight with my daughter on the North Mountain Trail section of this course. All I can say is that you guys are nuts to attempt to ride it. Sure, much of the trail is very doable. Heck, some of it would be quite boring on a bike. That said, maybe you didn't notice the 50-300ft shear drops on the eastern side of the trail, sometimes within inches of the trail edge. Also, to those who are slow over rocks, most of the ridge line is nothing but rocks, so expect a bumpy ride all the way, and some serious challenges in some sections.
ReplyDelete