Mountain Biking & Scenic Trips

Mountain Biking/Deep Creek or Fontana Dam or Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest or Cherohala Skyway: If you don't want to do a full day of Mountain Biking, but want to ride one of the top rated areas in the US, mix in either a trip to Deep Creek or Fontana Dam or Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest or the Cherohala Skyway with a ride at Tsali Recreation Area. If your preference is an afternoon bike ride with a morning of casual hiking and waterfalls go to "a" below. If you prefer a morning ride and have a civil engineering bent go to "b" below. If you prefer a morning ride and an afternoon of casual hiking, waterfalls or tubing go to "c" below. If you prefer a morning ride and an afternoon of casual hiking or scenic driving go to "d" below. Note: The Ingles Grocery Store in Bryson City has an excellent salad/deli bar to get all the "fixins" for a picnic. a. Take Exit 67 off US 74 and go through Bryson City to the Deep Creek Entrance of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (click on Waterfall Icon 16-18 for specifics), and enjoy an easy hour hike to three waterfalls while watching the young-at-heart "tubing" (riding an old inner tube down the rapids of Deep Creek). Return to US 74 and head West. At the bottom of a long mountain where the 4-lane splits into two 2-lanes take the 2-lane to the right NC 28 (Note: NC 28 is being widened to a 4-lane). Continue on NC 28 to Tsali Mountain Bike Area. b. From Tsali Mountain Bike Area turn right on NC 28 and continue on NC 28 to Fontana Dam (There are 30 minute tours of the dam every 1/2 hour from May thru Oct starting at 10:30 am and ending at 5 PM.). c. From Tsali Mountain Bike Area turn left on NC 28. Continue on NC 28 to US 74 and turn left on US 74. Take Exit 67 off US 74 and go through Bryson City to the Deep Creek Entrance of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (click on Waterfall Icon 16-18 for specifics), and enjoy an easy hour hike to three waterfalls or join the young-at-heart "tubing" (riding an old inner tube down the rapids of Deep Creek). d. From Tsali Mountain Bike Area turn right on NC 28. Continue on NC 28 to NC 143 and turn left on NC 143 (There are signs to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Cherohala Skyway and Robbinsville). When NC 143 dead ends in Robbinsville at the second stop light, (part of the movie "Nell" was filmed in the old part of Robbinsville) turn right on US 129, and go North for approximately 2 miles and turn left at the continuation of NC 143 (Again there are signs to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and the Cherohala Skyway). Approximately 10 miles after turning West off US 129 onto NC 143 is the turn off to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a virgin forest. There is a picnic table along the stream and the largest popular trees are on the upper loop trail, an easy to moderate hour hike. After marveling how the whole Eastern US used to be forest like this, return to NC 143 and turn right. Shortly thereafter NC 143 becomes the Cherohala Skyway, a scenic highway that easily rivals the Blue Ridge Parkway: well designed with wonderful vistas, plenty of stops at overlooks and short hikes. After seeing as much of the Cherohala Skyway as you care to, retrace your way back to US 129 and turn Right (South) passing through Robbinsville and when US 129 dead-ends in US 74 turn left and go through the Nantahala Gorge.