DOUTHAT STATE PARK - DAY 1

What a great place to ride a mountain bike. Only rode 13 miles today, but did quite a bit of climbing. Trails are spectacular varying from smoothed and buffed out to slightly eroded and sandy. No technical features however make this an excellent place to bring a aerobically fit novice mountain biker. 

 Today's ride started with a climb up Beard's Gap Hollow.

 
 To Stony Run trail. Stony run is a 3 mile long climb. Nothing technical or too strenuous aerobically as the trail switch backs up the mountain at a fairly shallow grade.

Typical trail bed climbing up Stony Run trail. Leaves are starting to turn, but Douthat is fairly low elevation compared to the Southern Appalachians. Valleys are only around 1,000 feet above sea level.

Took a right here to Tuscarora Overlook.

Tuscarora overlook shelter. Following picture is the view from the front porch.

 Tuscarora Overlook Trail heading towards Blue Suck Falls Trail.

Descending Blue Suck Falls trail. 2.3 miles down hill, steep and fast.

Trail Junction be hard to get lost in this State Park. All trails are blazed and are well marked at every junction. This is the start of Locust Gap Trail an undulating piece of singletrack on the way back towards my campsite.

End of the trail and end of day 1 at Douthat. Today I rode the trails on the opposite side of the lake and descended one of the best trails I've ever ridden Brush Hollow Trail 3 miles of awesome side hill, well mountain in this case, single track.