A Basecamp Near the Pinhoti

Bear Creek. The classic of this area, roughly 10 minutes from the cabin. Climbs on old roadbed, and a short spur leads to the Gennett Poplar, a tulip poplar around twenty feet in circumference that the loggers left standing a century ago. Trees that size used to be ordinary here. Now there is this one.

Pinhoti sections near Mulberry Gap. The singletrack that put this area on the regional map. Mulberry Gap itself is about 6 minutes away, feeds riders, runs shuttles, and has done more for trail culture in these mountains than any marketing ever will. Stop in.

Mountaintown. A long backcountry descent with a reputation it has earned. Ask about conditions first. Backcountry means backcountry out here.

The question that actually decides a riding weekend is what happens after the ride. Staying in town means loading a filthy bike into a vehicle and driving. Staying here means rolling back to the cabin, hosing the dust off, and walking down to Holly Creek, which runs cold enough to serve as an ice bath and is exactly as effective and exactly as unpleasant as the expensive kind.

Then the grill, the fire pit, and a deck with nobody on the other side of the wall, because there is no other side of the wall. Starlink will confirm your job survived the day without you.

Sleeps five: king loft, bunk room for three, one bath, full kitchen. No bike shop nearby, so bring spares, tubes, and a spare hanger. The valley runs cooler than town, so pack a layer past what the forecast says. Wash bikes outside, not in the creek.

We keep current notes on trail conditions and are glad to share them, along with unsolicited opinions about which direction to ride Bear Creek. Dates are on Airbnb.