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High and Dry in Tennessee

Dec 18, 2017
by Robert Rebholz  
High and Dry

When it gets to this time of year in North America, wet weather can put a real damper on riding. Where I live in the Northeastern United States, November rain turns my usual riding spots into unrideable mud pits. It’s not until the temperatures plunge in January and the ground freezes that proper winter shredding conditions can be had. So what to do during this riding purgatory? In years past I sat on the sidelines, painfully waiting for the thermometer to dip below freezing. This year I decided to take a lesson from an outstanding trail builder on how to pick the best trail to ride in any weather conditions.

High and Dry

My friend Rich Kidd, better known as Shaggy, has been a mainstay of the Knoxville, Tennessee riding scene for years. He is a full-time trail builder employed by the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club (AMBC). Shaggy has been a part of great trail building projects in Knoxville like the amazing Baker Creek Preserve, Loyston Point and Fort Dickerson Park. On my last trip down South, Shaggy had mentioned to me that there is some great wet weather riding near him. Recently I decided to take him up on his offer and check out a few spots in Tennessee that can be ridden directly after it rains, without damaging the trails.

High and Dry

“Gorges are great places to head after a lot of precipitation happens because the drainage is excellent,” Shaggy explained on the way to our first spot, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

The park encompasses 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau and protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries. Straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border, Big South Fork boasts miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs. “BSF is unique because it is one of the few areas in the US managed by the National Park Service that allows mountain biking,” Shaggy said as we pulled into the visitor center parking lot.

High and Dry

There we met up with Shaggy’s friend Shawn McCann. It turns out that Shawn grew up in my hometown of Buffalo, New York, and is an owner of Harper’s Bike Shop in Knoxville. “We are going to ride a section of the John Muir Trail as well as the Grand Gap Trail today,” Shawn said as he traced our route out on the Trailforks mobile app.

“This trail was built as part of a New Deal program in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps,” Shawn said. “After the Depression hit, the government created projects like the John Muir Trail to put people back to work and teach them marketable skills.”

As we started out on the John Muir Trail, the first thing I noticed was the high quality of the trail building. “These trails were built decades before mountain bikes were invented, but it’s amazing how well they work for riding,” Shawn said as we rolled through the undulating terrain.

High and Dry

“The John Muir Trail is also unique because it was built to actually take you somewhere,” Shaggy said as we approached the Grand Gap Trail. “If you ride the 47-mile IMBA Epic, you can start in Tennessee and ride due north into Kentucky.” This departure from the spaghetti string loops of most modern trail centers makes Big South Fork even more of a must-ride spot. As we turned onto the Grand Gap Trail the views of the gorge finally opened up. The trail hugs the edge of the escarpment, at times directly next to the thousand-foot cliff. “There are some great spots to shred in this next section,” Shawn said as we rolled into a downhill filled with loose rocks and plenty of extra credit options.

High and Dry

We stopped at the Angel Falls overlook to take in the stunning view and have some lunch. “This trail is awesome anytime, in any condition,” Shaggy said as he looked over the mighty Cumberland River. “The sandy soil of the escarpment allows for drainage even in the worst conditions.”

High and Dry

“We always meet up here on New Year's Day to start the year off right with a ride at the Big South Fork,” Shawn said. “We call that ride the ‘Mail Run’ because it doesn’t matter if it’s raining, sleeting, or snowing - we send it.”

Raccoon Mountain

High and Dry

The next spot Shaggy wanted to show me was Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Raccoon Mountain is owned by the electric utility organization Tennessee Valley Authority. The local Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association chapter collaborated closely with the TVA to gain access to Raccoon Mountain. “SORBA worked really hard to get this project going, and the trails are awesome,” Shaggy said as we geared up in the lower parking lot near the Tennessee River.

High and Dry

As we climbed up the High Voltage trail, Shaggy explained how the TVA uses Raccoon Mountain to generate power. “During times of low energy use, like in the middle of the night, water is pumped through an underground tunnel to a reservoir at the top of the mountain. When they need power during the day, they release water from the reservoir. The falling water travels down another underground tunnel to drive massive turbines, and generates megawatts of power.”

High and Dry

At the top we got a look at the massive reservoir and the huge electricity transmission towers. There were also awesome views of downtown Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley. “This whole zone was completely underutilized until SORBA and TVA got together on the project. Thousands of volunteer hours were spent making this a reality, as well as expertise from top-notch trail builders like Barry Smith,” Shaggy said.

High and Dry

“All of the trails here were machine-built, but done in a way to have that hand-built feel,” Shaggy said as we followed the path of the water dropping through the mountain to drive the generators.

High and Dry

I was supremely impressed with the mix of flow and technical riding at Raccoon Mountain. Scattered throughout the trail network were nuggets of chunky rock sections to get wild with. On the downhill section of Live Wire there was always something to boost, drop or jump.

High and Dry

“The soil at Raccoon Mountain is fairly sandy and the trails handle water pretty well,” Shaggy said as we finished off our downhill back to the car. “It’s great to have options when the bad weather comes.”

High and Dry

The Niagara Gorge

High and Dry

Inspired by the great wet weather riding in Tennessee, I used Shaggy's tips to find some spots near me in Western New York. Keeping in mind the dry conditions at the top of the Big South Fork escarpment, I decided to test out the riding in the Niagara River Gorge near Niagara Falls. My project was to scout the seven-mile gorge carved by the Niagara River along the US-Canadian border in New York and Ontario for great riding. The zone I thought might be best for wet-weather riding was right from the base of the Falls at Goat Island all the way to Artpark in Lewiston. I knew that the trail at the top of the gorge had very sandy soil and was built next to a thousand-foot drop.

High and Dry

I figured that these two elements together could make for a trail with great water shedding qualities. My hunch was confirmed when I went for a ride in the Niagara Gorge after a heavy downpour, and the trail was completely dry. Not only was the trail dry, but it was amazingly fun as well. The views of the Falls from the top of the gorge were tremendous. The trail down to the bottom of the gorge had some very technical rock gardens and was an absolute blast.

High and Dry

The section of the Niagara River downstream from the Falls has some of the most powerful currents in the world. There is a 90-degree bend in the Niagara River called the Whirlpool. The section of trail at the bottom of the gorge puts you right next to the furious turbulence of the water that only specially-outfitted jet boats can navigate. There is another great section of trail at the bottom of the gorge next to the Devil’s Hole Rapids, then it’s back to the top of the escarpment. From there I had a great view of the hydroelectric plants on both the US and Canadian sides of the river. I crossed over the pedestrian and cycling access road on top of the US power plant and made my way toward Lewiston.

High and Dry

There was another great downhill from the power plant to Artpark. I passed by more great views of the river and many waterfalls on the way to the popular cultural center in Lewiston. Artpark is a bustling venue for big act concerts and theater productions, but like the rest of the area is very quiet in the off-season.

High and Dry

Even though I live so close to Niagara Falls, I rarely make the trip because the crowds can be overwhelming during the summer. Most of the zones in the route I detailed are completely overrun with tourists from May to October. Riding in the shoulder seasons in Niagara Falls is the best time, in my opinion, because there are few visitors and the trails are at their tacky best. I hope my quest to find great wet-weather riding inspires you to find amazing spots to ride in your neck of the woods. Stay high, think outside the box, and you may just find some amazing shoulder season rides.

High and Dry

Thanks so much to everyone who helped with this interesting and enjoyable project. Thanks to Shaggy and Shawn McCann for being great hosts while I was in Tennessee. Thanks to Erin Donovan at Visit Knoxville for helping with accommodation. Thanks to Carla McCord and Daniel Limburg at Pivot Cycles, Scott Boyd at Hayes/Sun Ringle/Answer/Manitou, Clayton Wangbichler at WTB, Sam Johnston at 9point8, Andrew Slowey at Cane Creek, Blaike Hennessey at Thule, Jon Hadfield at OneUp, Bob Maas at Lake Cycling, and Jack Hinkens at Wolf Tooth. Thanks to Bob Kendzia for helping with the Niagara Escarpment photography. Also big thanks to Ryan Anderson for building up my Pivot LES Fat. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @Robert_Rebholz. See you on the trails!


MENTIONS: @robertbbr


Author Info:
robertbbr avatar

Member since May 10, 2007
30 articles

21 Comments
  • 14 0
 Tennessee, Tennessee, there ain't no place I'd rather be Baby won't you carry me back to Tennessee Drink all day and rock all night The law come to get you if you don't walk right Got a letter this morning, baby all it read You better head back to Tennessee Jed
  • 8 0
 Props to TN and the builders/community making it happen... I now wake from MTB adventure dreams east of the Mississ. thx to you! #EST4life
  • 8 0
 Shaggy is a cool Mofo. Raccoon is my backyard, I LOVE IT
  • 1 0
 Headed to Raccoon this week for the first time. Is there a prefered direction or route? Thanks!
  • 1 0
 @OzarkBike: I always hit it counter clockwise, Livewire is a blast of a downhill.
  • 1 0
 @OzarkBike: If you park at the bottom I prefer climbing Livewire then Go SwitchyardGrindstone MegawattRiver Gorge LaruelPointSplit Rock High Voltage Down

Or Climb Livewire and do a fast CW loop around Electric Ave to Laurel Point to HighVoltage
  • 2 0
 Thank you for the timely post. Making plans for a trip to Chat this weekend. Just moved to TN (Nashville) from the Western NC area. Need to check out Raccoon and Knox. Mid TN mtb riding scene is "ok", so it's great to know there's awesome trails within a couple hours drive.
  • 1 0
 Great Article Robert. Way to get the good pics of Niagara Gorge. I ride this all the time since I live in NT and don't always feel like driving to the normal southtowns trails... There's a kicker under the bridge near the Border crossing mid ride. its in a spot where I havent found a way around. But a quick 12y/o inner self Fun break...
  • 2 0
 Great story. Well done AMBC and SORBA Chattanooga on your stellar work collaborating with land managers to preserve access in these and other great places!
  • 2 0
 Damn, the secret is out about Big South Fork! Love that area. Last time I rode there, it was about 18 degrees & bourbon flasks were stuffed in packs on the ride.
  • 1 0
 Thanks for the excellent trip report. The Chattanooga area has some great riding options close by with good food and beer a plenty. Big South Fork is now on the “to ride” list.
  • 1 0
 My uncle just moved to Tennessee and this article has just motivated me to haul my bike with me when its time for a visit. Also, being a Buffalo area native, I would've never known the Niagara Escarpment is rideable.
  • 3 0
 Climbing up High Voltage ain’t no joke.
  • 1 0
 @C-Los @scottcannon
And here I thought we knew the “one and only” shaggy ;-)
  • 2 0
 Shaggy, were's the beer???
  • 2 0
 Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee
  • 2 0
 Great Article!
  • 2 0
 Where's Velma?
  • 2 0
 "stay high" lol
  • 1 0
 Hell yeah Shaggy!
  • 1 0
 Yea shag!!!







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