# Maggie Valley



## Sympatico (Apr 7, 2004)

I am going to Maggie Valley in a couple of weeks and wanted to find a couple of good ride routes in the area. I guess the name of a good bike shop or club in Maggie Valley or even Waynesville would be helpful as well. 

I took my mountain bike out there the last time I went and the main challenge was to climb the mountain we were staying on. It was about a 3 mile climb that was really, really steep. I did get to ride around other than that a little and I am more interested in doing some longer rides this time. I really enjoyed the little bit of riding I did away from the cabin. I did some moderately difficult hills on a couple of occasions which I really enjoyed. It was a nice change coming from Florida. Now the mountain we stayed on was a different story altogether. That was painful. 

Any help appreciated.


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## BikeWNC (Sep 9, 2004)

A great ride not too far from Maggie starts over in Bethel. Drive to Waynesville, take Hwy 276 east to Bethel and park. Ride up Hwy 215 to the Blue Ridge Parkway, turn left, ride to Hwy 276 and decend back to Bethel. It's 45 miles with 4000 ft of climbing. Most of the climb is on Hwy 215. I would avoid the weekend and around July 4th if possible unless you start very early. I did this ride yesterday as part of a longer 106 mile ride.

Edit for correct directions.


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## wncbiker (Feb 18, 2005)

*maggie valley*

Go the the website for blueridgebicycleclub.org and look at the listing for area rides. Also, we have a weekly ride starting in Canton, at the Canton Recreation Park(swimming pool) every Wednesday evening at 6 pm. Info about the ride is on the bike club web site.


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## Sympatico (Apr 7, 2004)

*Excellent*



BikeWNC said:


> A great ride not too far from Maggie starts over in Bethel. Drive to Waynesville, take Hwy 276 west to Bethel and park. Ride up Hwy 215 to the Blue Ridge Parkway, turn left, ride ro Hwy 276 and decend back to Bethel. It's 45 miles with 4000 ft of climbing. Most of the climb is on Hwy 215. I would avoid the weekend and around July 4th if possible unless you start very early. I did this ride yesterday as part of a longer 106 mile ride.



Excellent information. Thanks very much. I am desperately looking for a more forgiving cassette I can throw on the road bike for the week so I can take it instead of my mountain bike. At 205lbs and coming from Florida I want to make sure I can get up the hill.

How steep is the climbing on that route?


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## BikeWNC (Sep 9, 2004)

Sympatico,

Note I changed the directions to Bethel to read "take Hwy 276 EAST to Bethel"

The climb up Hwy 215 is pretty steady after some early flat. The first pitch around the dam at Lake Logan is short but perhaps 8% max. After that it mellows out until Sunburst Picnic area when the pitch picks up to a steady 5-6%. When you cross the West Fork of the Pigeon River the grade picks up for perhaps a mile to near 9% then mellows again until the last 0.5 mile before the BRP where it is again 9-10%. 

Once on the BRP you really have it made. The grade is at max 5% on the way to Hwy 276 with lots of fast downhills. Watch the pavement the first 3 miles on the way down Hwy 276. It is poor compared to the rest of the ride. 

Have fun! Take all you need for the day cause there are no provisions available until back near Bethel. Water may be available at the Sunburst Picnic Area but I'm not sure.


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## Sympatico (Apr 7, 2004)

*Perfect*



BikeWNC said:


> Sympatico,
> 
> Note I changed the directions to Bethel to read "take Hwy 276 EAST to Bethel"
> 
> ...



That sounds perfect. Very challenging for us flatlanders I'm sure but not as insane as the place I tried to climb last year. Only about a week and a half away now so Im pretty excited.

Thanks again.


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## wncbiker (Feb 18, 2005)

*re: good ride in Maggie Valley*



Sympatico said:


> I am going to Maggie Valley in a couple of weeks and wanted to find a couple of good ride routes in the area. I guess the name of a good bike shop or club in Maggie Valley or even Waynesville would be helpful as well.
> 
> I took my mountain bike out there the last time I went and the main challenge was to climb the mountain we were staying on. It was about a 3 mile climb that was really, really steep. I did get to ride around other than that a little and I am more interested in doing some longer rides this time. I really enjoyed the little bit of riding I did away from the cabin. I did some moderately difficult hills on a couple of occasions which I really enjoyed. It was a nice change coming from Florida. Now the mountain we stayed on was a different story altogether. That was painful.
> 
> Any help appreciated.


If you want to start in Maggie Valley, a good loop consist of, start at the intersection of US 276/19-23( Dellwood), take US 276 North toward I-40, when you reach the intersection with I-40, go under the interstate & trun right unto Rabbitskin Rd. Rabbitskin climbs up to a gap, 2-3 miles of climbing and then it descends for several miles to a bridge across the Pigeon River. Instead of crossing the bridge, stay straight unto Iron Duff Rd. Follow Iron Duff road to Coleman Mountain Rd, turn right unto Coleman Mtn Road and climb up by I-40 & cross underneath I-40. Coleman Mtn Road ends back at US-276, just south of I-40. Take Us-276 back to the inersection with US 23. This is about 17-20 mile loop with flats, two good climbs, & some rolling country lanes.

Hope this helps, enjoy.


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## motts (Jan 2, 2003)

I ride in Maggie Valley frequently and usually head up Hwy 19 to the Blue Ride Parkway (4 miles at 9 degree grade). Turn left and take the Parkway to the Smoky Mountain National Park (14 miles, mostly descending). Turn around and enjoy the climb back to Hwy 19!!! It’s an out and back but once on the Parkway, hardly any traffic!!!


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## Sympatico (Apr 7, 2004)

*Outstanding*



wncbiker said:


> If you want to start in Maggie Valley, a good loop consist of, start at the intersection of US 276/19-23( Dellwood), take US 276 North toward I-40, when you reach the intersection with I-40, go under the interstate & trun right unto Rabbitskin Rd. Rabbitskin climbs up to a gap, 2-3 miles of climbing and then it descends for several miles to a bridge across the Pigeon River. Instead of crossing the bridge, stay straight unto Iron Duff Rd. Follow Iron Duff road to Coleman Mountain Rd, turn right unto Coleman Mtn Road and climb up by I-40 & cross underneath I-40. Coleman Mtn Road ends back at US-276, just south of I-40. Take Us-276 back to the inersection with US 23. This is about 17-20 mile loop with flats, two good climbs, & some rolling country lanes.
> 
> Hope this helps, enjoy.



Thanks, that sounds perfect too. There is a chance that I will have to take my mountain bike instead of my road bike and the previous mentioned route would be too long for the MTB. So I was thinking I needed a shorter route in case I couldnt bring my road bike. This is perfect. 

Now of course if I bring my road bike I have more routes which is most excellent. I really appreciate your help. You guys are great.


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## wncbiker (Feb 18, 2005)

*Mountain Bike Option*

Hey, if you are bringing your mtb, you might check out the Heintooga Road in the national park. Drive up 19-23 to Soco Gap, take the parkway south to the road to Balsam Mtn Campground, drive out to Heintooga Picnic area & park. Follow the gravel road (one way traffic) down to the Park entrance At Big Cove & then ride back up. Great down hill down & then climb back up to car. I am not sure about the elevation change, but it is quite a bit. Somewhere around 30-40 miles in total distance(out&back).


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## BikeWNC (Sep 9, 2004)

It's called Round Bottom Road and it is a very nice ride. From the gate at the picnic ground down to the gate just above the ford of the Straight Fork it is 13.2 miles. The climb back up has 2700 ft of elevation gain. If you cross the ford it is 3.8 miles out to the next gate and coming back has about 300 ft of climb. 

So a down and up from the picnic area to Round Bottom is 26.4 miles and 2900 ft of climbing while the long route is 30.2 miles and 3200 ft of climbing.


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## Sympatico (Apr 7, 2004)

*Thanks*



wncbiker said:


> If you want to start in Maggie Valley, a good loop consist of, start at the intersection of US 276/19-23( Dellwood), take US 276 North toward I-40, when you reach the intersection with I-40, go under the interstate & trun right unto Rabbitskin Rd. Rabbitskin climbs up to a gap, 2-3 miles of climbing and then it descends for several miles to a bridge across the Pigeon River. Instead of crossing the bridge, stay straight unto Iron Duff Rd. Follow Iron Duff road to Coleman Mountain Rd, turn right unto Coleman Mtn Road and climb up by I-40 & cross underneath I-40. Coleman Mtn Road ends back at US-276, just south of I-40. Take Us-276 back to the inersection with US 23. This is about 17-20 mile loop with flats, two good climbs, & some rolling country lanes.
> 
> Hope this helps, enjoy.



Thanks again for the route. I rode this one twice..... actually I kind of rode it twice. The first time we took a wrong turn and ended up in Waynesville (my fault,forgot to bring the directions with me). It was fine, all it did was lengthen the ride to about 27 miles which was nice. Got it right the second time with the exception of turning right instead of left to go under the highway toward the end of the ride. Didnt seem like a big deal until we had to go past a chow and 2 pit bulls UP HILL to get back on track.

The climbs on the route were perfect for me. Not so hard that I couldnt do them but hard enough that I had to dig deep to get over. The hardest climb was at the end of the ride. When we get back to 19, we turn right and then left at Smokey Mountain Retreat (Gattis Branch Road I think). We would climb about 1.25 miles up to the house we stayed in. Very steep. I would have to guess 15% plus. I would even venture to say it gets up to 20% or so in spots. 

We had an absolute blast. After riding in Florida all the time, it is quite a change to ride through the mountains. The views were fantastic and the few drivers we saw were very accomodating. The climbing, although difficult at 210 lbs, was actually fun and I looked forward to the next climb. I was only able to find a 12-25 cassette but decided I really wanted to ride the new road bike so I went with it. I certainly could have used another gear but it worked fine.

I wanted to ride the longer route WNC provided but we never had enough time to go on a longer ride like that. Maybe next time.

Thanks again, you guys were very helpful. It would have been a lot less enjoyable to just wander around without a specific route. We never would have found such a beautiful place to ride without you.


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## wncbiker (Feb 18, 2005)

*Glad you enjoy the ride*



Sympatico said:


> Thanks again for the route. I rode this one twice..... actually I kind of rode it twice. The first time we took a wrong turn and ended up in Waynesville (my fault,forgot to bring the directions with me). It was fine, all it did was lengthen the ride to about 27 miles which was nice. Got it right the second time with the exception of turning right instead of left to go under the highway toward the end of the ride. Didnt seem like a big deal until we had to go past a chow and 2 pit bulls UP HILL to get back on track.
> 
> The climbs on the route were perfect for me. Not so hard that I couldnt do them but hard enough that I had to dig deep to get over. The hardest climb was at the end of the ride. When we get back to 19, we turn right and then left at Smokey Mountain Retreat (Gattis Branch Road I think). We would climb about 1.25 miles up to the house we stayed in. Very steep. I would have to guess 15% plus. I would even venture to say it gets up to 20% or so in spots.
> 
> ...




I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. I don't know if you were on the route on Saturday, about 12:30 or so, But me & two other bikers met a couple going out on 276 near the intersection with I-40. We were getting ready to head up coleman mtn road in reverse from the direction you rode it.

Next time you are in the area, check out the ride library posted by the Blue Rdige Bicycle Club.


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## Sympatico (Apr 7, 2004)

*Not Us*



wncbiker said:


> I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. I don't know if you were on the route on Saturday, about 12:30 or so, But me & two other bikers met a couple going out on 276 near the intersection with I-40. We were getting ready to head up coleman mtn road in reverse from the direction you rode it.
> 
> Next time you are in the area, check out the ride library posted by the Blue Rdige Bicycle Club.



We rode on Monday, Tuesday and Friday of last week and we rode early a.m. We will definitely check out the club library next time. And now that i am not as intimidated by the mountain, I wouldnt mind hooking up with some local people to ride with. Unfortunately, it wont be until at least next summer.

Thanks again.


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## ThePorge (Nov 11, 2005)

*Round Bottom Road*

Round Bottom Road can be made into almost a 50 mile loop if you're willing to ride on some pavement. Just follow round bottom road and it will turn to pavement at a fish hatchery. I'm not sure if it keeps the same name at this point, but you pretty much just follow the road until you come to Big Cove Road (which you can only make a left onto and you will immediately cross a bridge). Stay on Big cove until you go under the start of the BRP. Loop onto 441 and go back to the BRP and climb back to the Balsam Mtn spur and back to Heintooga. Traffic is light on the BRP, but keep in mind the climb back up will take you thru 4 or 5 tunnels. Most of the climb back up is 6% until you pass Big Witch, then it will steep'n a bit to around 8~9%. You will also have a climb from Black camp Gap to Heintooga, but if you can make the first this one shouldn't give you any trouble. I always camp at the Balsam Mtn. Camp ground and we leave our road bikes down at Ocanuluftee visitor center securely attached to a vehicle and just switch out bikes and do the climb on our road bikes although I've done it on my mountain bike a couple of time as well. I think the loop will give you just over 4200' of climbing. Hope that helps.

George


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