Tennessee mountain biking is a hidden gem for all cycling enthusiasts. The state offers a diverse range of terrain, from the rugged mountains of the Great Smoky Mountains to the rolling hills of middle Tennessee, all of which are perfect for a different mountain biking adventure.
We were able to ride a variety of different areas as we were just passing through the state on our way to North Carolina. Spending the night just outside of Nashville, we we went and rode two different trail systems. Wilkins Branch Mountain Bike Park and Percy Warner Park. After that we headed east to Knoxville. Right outside of downtown we found Baker Creek Preserve and it led to other trail systems around in that area. Great flow, jumps and chunk. Just north of town is this place named Windrock. Well, short on time and bad weather, we were unable to get there. I guess that gives us a good reason to stop here again to checkout out.
Below you will see a few good shots of the trail systems we were able to ride and check out. We had a good time and wish we could have spent a few more days here. I will say that the trail systems are almost too spread out and to get a bit of variety you are having to pedal further or drive to different systems in the same day. Now I know we didn’t ride everything and no one really can when you are here for a few days.
Percy Warner Park
Percy Warner is in a really nice area just south west of Nashville. It was close to where we were staying so I just drove there not knowing what it was. There are a few fun flow trails that start all at one spot. Good progression with bigger jumps on the hardest trail at the top, Screamin Delta Demon. Our favorite was Flume Zoom. Small jumps, good berms and fast through the trees. These laps are short so doing each one a few times is fun. Wabash Cannonball was great for a warm up after the mellow climb up.
Wilkins Branch Mountain Bike Park
Well its named a mountain bike park but its all pedal pedal. This area had flow as well like Percy Warner, but a few fun wood features and bigger jumps with longer downhills. As for climbing it was steeper but not too bad. This trail was about 30 minutes south of the above trail system. Nestled in this cool area along the country side where all you see is multi-million dollar homes as you make your way to it. I guess this area is home to some of the most famous people that live in Nashville.
Baker Creek Preserve
Bring your DJ or E-bike, there’s riding for everyone here. In the main parking lot there is a sweet skills area that any BMX, dirt jump or trail rider could enjoy. The climbs were really smooth but longer than what we’ve been doing so far. Most of the trails on the front side are flow. Great berms with lots of support and fast rolling as well. On the back side we found some tech. More like tech flow “Party in the Woods” and “Soups On” were our favorite trails in this area. A good mix of everything for sure. The locals we meet on the trails had plenty of good recommendations for food, places to ride and things to see. It was nice of them to point us in a good direction when were riding blind for everything.
Vee Hollow Bike Park
Vee Hollow is Nestled right up against Great Smokey National Park and damn is it beautiful over there. This place was in Townsend TN about one hour south of Knoxville. This area was really busy with the flow of people going in and out of the park. As far as the trails, we saw maybe 6 people? and that was at the end of the ride. I would call this place ultra flow. super fun and fast lines through narrow areas with trees along the side. natural jumps and features complement these decent really well and you can get going pretty quick on some. we did a few laps all over and our favorite trail were “Rattler” and “Juice” The people that recommended this place to us nailed it for flow and views. They told us to stay away from the burger place at the bottom, it smelled way better than it tasted according to them. As you roll up there is a fun skills area to get warmed up on before pedaling off into the green forests.
