Riding recs around TN/NC I-40 corridor / NE Smokies?

[hiljentaa]

Going to be staying in a little town called Cosby, TN March 24-April 3.

I don't know anything about the area.

I have a hardtail 29, a road bike with 30mm tires, and potentially a cross bike.

It's totally flat where I live, so I want to get in as much climbing/descending as possible.

Looking for all day loops, dirt, twisty roads, backwoods folk.

Recommendations on roads, trails, or anything to investigate in the area is much appreciated.

[malcolm]

I think you are close to pisgah as well as the great smokey mtns national park. Search on singletracks and you should be able to find an abundance of trails in the area.

http://www.singletracks.com/

[Matthew]

I think you should PM Volant. He lives in Knoxville and has good knowledge of the area. I recently bought a pair of MTB wheels from him and he is a great guy. He should have lots of info for you. Matt

[LJohnny]

That should be a fun trip. One of the best single track areas is in the Pisgah National Forest. There is quite a bit of info online for single track in this area. Also local shops used to have a "blue" booklet with info on the trails and what time of the year was OK to ride on them, etc.

[Lovetoclimb]

While I have never made it up as far as Cosby, there are some amazing gravel/cross bike loops I have done out there, as well as road rides with long gravel climbs. The western counties of NC that border TN, specifically Haywood and Madison are among my favorite to ride in. PM me and I will shoot you a few loops I have done that you can probably connect up to from wherever you are.