Are you looking for a great place to ride your bike on single track trails? Look no further! The Lake Hickory Trail System, in agreement with the Northwest North Carolina Mountain Bike Alliance, hired Terra Tek Trails to make major improvements to the trail system. Their goal is to create sustainable trails that are clearly marked and technically diverse. They are making a beginner loop, an intermediate/advanced loop, and a pump track. In June, they started construction on the beginner loop and it was completed and opened in early September. The trails that were once a crazy maze with lots of obstacles and hard hills to climb are now a great place for beginners to ride or for more advanced riders to experience a fun speedy shred.
The beginner loop is a fairly easy 1 ½ mile circuit for bikers, hikers or runners. Bikes go left from the start and hikers or runners go right. This is a loop where a beginner would not need to get off their bike to push it over or around any obstacles. The smooth, hard pack dirt trail is mildly technical with gentle hills and banked turns. There are some roots and rocks, but not enough to slow you down. The most fun part are rollers on the trail. Rollers are like giant speed bumps and they are super fun to ride over. A very neat feature is that there are small technical parts on the trail like jumps and rocks, but they can be bypassed.
The new beginner loop is fit for many age categories. I recommend it for 5 years old and up. As long as you can ride a bike without training wheels and go up minor hills, you are ready to ride this trail. The more experience you have riding, the faster you can go and the more fun you will have. The easiest access to this trail is from Hickory City Park, located at 1515 12th St Dr NW in Hickory. From the parking lot, you will take the paved greenway path around a curve and up a small hill. Look for a sign on the right for the Beginners Loop trailhead. This is an amazingly fun trail to ride. Check it out today!
For more information about the Lake Hickory Trail System, including current trail status and updates, visit lakehickorytrails.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Editor's Note: The new pump track at Lake Hickory Trails officially opened September 29, 2017! The track is located across from the Beginners Loop trailhead referenced above; look for a sign to go up very soon. Donations are sought to help fund the completion of the phase 2 intermediate/advanced loop and can be made online at lakehickorytrails.com.
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