Mountain Biking Boone NC And The High Country

The high country is home to some of the most scenic areas in America, found on our many trails and outdoor excursion areas. Sofield Properties has locations nestled in every area of our beautiful mountains, with our main office in Boone. If you are looking to live in or near some of the best mountain bike areas in the country we can help you relocate to a place that best suits your needs. Listed below are some of the best places to mountain bike in the area, but this is by no means a complete list. The best way to learn about mountain biking is to live in the area and get involved in the community. A great place to start is Cyclo.Via in downtown Boone.

Cyclo.Via

Cyclo.Via is an event that takes place in the summer. It promotes using bicycles for interesting purposes, and general cycling culture. You can meet a lot of cyclists here and get involved in a community by finding a group you like. There are also several bike shops through the area that are great places to get info if you miss out this summer. Not to mention other events in the area that focus on cycling. For example,

• Kid’s Bike Rally (Spring)
• BSG Aid Station (June)
• Via (Summer)
• Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day (October)

A good way to get involved with these activities and events is to check out the Boone Area Cycling website. The cycling community in Boone and the High Country is welcoming, and cyclists can be found everywhere in the area.  From the highways to the parkways, cyclists can be seen often in groups with smiles and, at times, faces of determination. It is a hilly place, and you can find routes and groups to fit your skill level everywhere through the High Country.

Beech Mountain Resort

One of the main areas cycling areas here in the High Country is Beech Mountain Resort. It offers trails and cycling activities for people of all skill levels. There are chair lifts that provide access to some of the tougher routes; if you want to ride down and get in a full day of biking, this is the spot for you. It isn’t called the High Country for no reason! Lance Armstrong was constantly quoted complimenting the High Country, specifically Boone, after returning to cycling after winning his battle with cancer. “I was a bike racer again. I passed the rest of the trip in a state of near-reverence for those beautiful, peaceful, soulful mountains. The rides were demanding and quiet, and I rode with a pure love the bike, until Boone began to feel like the Holy Land to me, a place I had come to on a pilgrimage. If I ever have any serious problems again, I know that I will go back to Boone and find an answer. I got my life back on those rides.” High praise for the High Country – it fits!

The Beech Mountain area is 5,506 feet high and has numerous routes through the area with distances spanning up to 11 miles.  If you want to start with a smoother route, it also has 50 miles of paved trails. There are double tracks, single tracks, gravel trails, and several spots to go to scenic overlooks. It is truly an amazing place, and is revered by mountain bikers throughout the entire country.

Sugar Mountain

Sugar Mountain is another great cycling area, and it has a resort at the top. The area has routes that due vary in difficulty but are all easy to find and the resort has maps that show you exactly where to start with difficulty levels mapped out. You can get to some amazing views in Sugar Mountain as well, but the difficulty levels can be extreme if that’s not what you’re looking for. You can be looking out at a vista that stretches for miles and miles and then take a route that has you blazing down the mountain in a heart pumping mountain bike ride. The trails are also free during the warmer months through most of October when the weather starts to get much colder.

Beech Mountain has a wider array of easy to ride trails, but Sugar Mountain caters more to the extreme routes for experienced riders. It’s also noted to be one of the most exciting mountain bike destinations in the country. It’s been the location of the “National collegiate Downhill Championship” before in October 2013. If you’re into high-level mountain biking you should definitely explore Sugar Mountain.

Rocky Knob Park

The Rocky Knob Park has a great story behind its creation. Eight years ago, there were two $5,000 grants given to the Bikes Belong Foundation. These were used in conjunction with the Boone Area Cyclists, who worked together with the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority, to secure $500,000 through the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. It was constructed by professional companies and volunteers, and now the park has eight miles of trails for hiking, running, biking, and four areas for skill practices. It has bathrooms, picnic shelters, and even a playground for kids. It is located just outside of Boone, with rental bikes available at nearby Magic Cycles. The fantastic location is relatively new, well maintained, and has a great family vibe.

W. Ker Scott Dam

Just down the road in Wilkesboro, there are several biking trails at the Ker Scott Dam that professional and recreational mountain bikers are taking more and more interest in as they develop over the years. They include the Dark Mountain Trail, the Overmountain Victory Trail, and the Warrior Creek Loop. The Dark Mountain Trail is a tight and fast single track with loops, and is said to be an exciting ride. The Overmountain Victory Trail is a bit lighter and has scenic views along with some hilly rides and creek crossings. The last trail, the Warrior Creek Loop, is one of the younger trails yet it is highly developed. The trail features “rock gardens” and is widely considered to be high in technical difficulty. The Kerr Scott trails are improving from year to year and bringing more mountain bikers to the High Country as a result. They also host “trail days” in which volunteers help clear trash to promote a clean environment and comfortable biking trails.  These outstanding trails, along with many more still in development, provide excellent biking locations for people of all skill levels.