Tanasi

Tanasi

	Tanasi
Location:	Tennessee
Nearest Town:	murphy,nc or cleveland, tn
Directions to Trailhead:	hwy 64 go to the ocoee outdoor center. cross the fat wood bridge on your bike and there u are
Trail Description:	fireroads, kinda up and down. some single and double track
Trail Length:	about 11 miles
Trail Type:	Singletrack & Fire Roads
Skill Level:	Trails for all skill levels
Web Link:	http://www.bike-skateboard-parts.com/trails.html#Ocoee
Submitted By:	tim-bo

Matt from Atlanta, GA Date: October 22, 2002 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: Up from the WWC, clockwise around Chestnut Mtn, hitting all of the loops along the way. Other recommended trails in the same area: Chilhowee is a great second day.
Review: Be sure to stop by the WWC to get a free (with a $3 parking tag) sweatproof color map. All trails are very well marked an the colors are coordinated to the maps. There are also on-trail cues to guide you. (I pulled the map off www.chattbike.com before I went to the trail.) This is a great trail system. Although I am not a big fan of riding on FS roads, the quality of the single track makes climbing these FS roads worth it. The Quartz loop is great, but needs to be ridden more. I would recommend the doing the QL counter-clockwise for the best downhill. Also, run the ThunderRock CG Express trail from the Chestnut loop to the Campground. It is fast and fun. Overall, the riding is probably intermediate. Very few technical sections with a lot of easy riding from a technical perspective. However, it is mountain biking, so there are some strenuous climbs. Definitely a great ride.	Overall Rating:

Terry from Conyers, GA Date: July 30, 2002 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: Park at Thunder Rock. Climb FS45 to Westfork. You have to really watch for this one. It is on the left in a big hairpin turn in the road. It is easy to miss because it drops off sharply from the road. West Fork climbs on up until you hit The Chestnut Mtn Loop. Go right. Watch for the Quartz Loop on the left right by where the trail hits another FS road (221?). This is a spur that takes you out to a loop. Stay left. You will pass two other trails. The second trail is where you will return to the spur after completing the loop. When you complete the loop, go left and make your first left. This will take you up and back down (fast!) until you hit a closed FS road that is slowly reverting to single track. Go right here and look for the River View Loop on your left. Follow it a ways and it eventually hits the same closed FS Road. Go right, Pass Chestnut Mtn and take the next left onto Bear Paw loop. As you complete the loop, you can either go straight ahead and start climbing or make a hard left and ride down to the Whitewater Center. Stay straight. Pass The Bear Paw turn off, and look for a left onto Chestnut Mtn. Follow this a couple of miles looking for T R EXP (this is how the sign is marked for the Thunder Rock Express trail. When you hit the bottom, you are basically back at Thunder Rock. Other recommended trails in the same area: Chilhowee -- A slightly more challenging but at least as fun ride.
Review: This is a great ride. I rode all the new terrain for the first time last weekend. They have really come a long way!!!	Overall Rating:

The Lone Clydesdale from Jawja Date: July 8, 2001 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: see "Terry from Conyers, GA" - two reviews down. This is an excellent loop if you prefer your uphill grunts on fairly smooth fire roads and your downhill breezin' on singletrack. Other recommended trails in the same area: Definitely Chilhowee - up Clemmer, around on top (especially Slickrock and Azalea), down Clear Creek.
Review: Go just as Terry from Conyers said below, although if you park near the lower (non-suspension) bridge, you can cross it and go left up through the picnic area and paved path to the trailhead. Bear Paw is a fun, wide singletrack - beginner/intermediate, try it both directions, especially downhill on the right/East spur for one small but fun jump on which you can get decent air and a safe runout (very important in the LC's Book of Safe Air). Head out the FS 1330 at the top of Bear Paw to begin the Chestnut Mountain loop. If you want a singletrack grunt, turn at the junction with FS 1330A just a short distance on the right. I'm glad I continued on the roller coaster of FS 1330 (but generally UP) to the gate at FS 221 and took a right up the hill a short way to FS 1330B (look for beige blaze and white diamond - it's just a slight veer to the right). I took this road screamin' down in the big ring, past one junction where some wipe has torn the signs down (stay right). About another 3/4 mile or so down you will come to a small grassy clearing where the loop breaks off to the right, an old road that turns into some fine singletrack - a great middle ring cruise! Some of this is what I call 'class A' - cut by hand, very narrow in spots (not on an old road bed like much of the 'class B' singletrack of Tsali). After a time it reverts to old road and brings you back to the FS 1330 junction you passed at the top. Turn right and ride around Bear Paw a few more times!! I plan to find out who works on the trails up here and help them build some more of this stuff. Five wheelies for this four-wheelies-with-potential trail system.	Overall Rating:

John Hembree from Lebanon, TN Date: April 24, 2001 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Check the information at the top, I came through cleveland, tn .. copperhill etc ... Other recommended trails in the same area: chilhowee, and if your there, you ain't too far from Tsali ..
Review: This is a great trail .. go ride it, it should have a much higher rating, I loved this trail, it challenges you, has all types of surface to ride on, good mix, tough stuff on the single track. The first person who reviewed the trail at the bottom is obviously an newby or total gear head if they think this trail stinks.	Overall Rating:

Terry from Conyers, GA Date: April 7, 2001 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Combine the Bear Paw Loop with the Chestnut Mtn Loop for a good 11+ mile Romp. After crossing the bridge at the White Water Center, follow Green Blazes (rectangle over square) and stay to the left on Bear Paw until you hit some double track with a Tan Blaze (also rectangle over square). Follow it to the gate at FS221. Take a right and go a short distance to the gate at FS 1330B (note the tan blazes again). Follow for a screaming long downhill (watch the blazes; avoid white diamonds to get back to the White Water Center). Trail returns to single track and gets twisty and a bit technical. Stay with Tan Blazes until you hook up with Bear Paw Loop. Take it the opposite of the way you came in to complete the loop and you avoid repeating any trail except the downhill spur back to the White Water Center. Other recommended trails in the same area: I have just recently moved to the Atlanta area and even more recently returned to the joys of Mtn Biking. I haven't ridden anything else in SE TN or W NC. I did hear some good things about the trails at Chillowee (sp?) further down the river.
Review: I think this trail must be improving over time as they either improve or expand the trails. This ride should average 3.5 to 4 tires not the lame 2.something it has accumulated to date. As an out-of-shape overweight slob, I found the climb (pretty steady for nearly 2 miles following the route outlined above) way over my head (when you're fat gravity can be a killer). It was worth it when I hit the top and thundered down the old Forest Service Road at tear-jerking speeds (gravity does have its moments for us "over 200 pounders"). One word of caution, they are adding more terrain to the system, but they have been careless with the blazes. As you near the end of the long decent, you must watch carefully for a sharp right to get back on the single track. If you go straight, you will see the same blazes, and think all is well. If you find yourself under a big power line looking straight down at the river wondering where the h*ll the trail went (I am speaking from experience here) you have to back track and watch carefully (on the left now) for the singletrack turnoff. Otherwise this is a good trail if you don't mind a long climb and some mixed double/single-track riding. I am thinking of returning later in the summer to mix a bit of biking with some white water! NOTE: I am giving a 4 star trail 5 stars just to try and move the average to a more appropriate level.	Overall Rating:

Kevin from Chattanooga Date: August 26, 2000 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: I took the day to find all the singletrack I could. It's out there. Go find it. Other recommended trails in the same area: All Chilohowee Trails.
Review: The first hill up is great. (Unless you had Hardees on the way) Take a left to climb more, and another left at the top. Short trip up two track and you see SINGLETRACK to the right. It's good. Some tricky spots. Spits you out on a forest road. Go left and left again to make the loop. When you get back to first intersection, turn left to make a long downhill to the car even longer. Then go play on the rocks at the whitewater center. It's great for trials practice.	Overall Rating:

Steve Calhoun from Cleveland, TN Date: February 12, 2000 Trail Ridden: Once a month
Recommended Route: Whitewater Center on highway 64 across wooden bridge. Other recommended trails in the same area: Chilhowee Mountain network.
Review: Moderate trail with a mix of singletrack, doubletrack, and fireroads. I helped build trails in this area, and we are continuing to expand, this is just the beginning. One warning - I encountered a group of wild boars about 5 miles in on this trail one morning last spring. Three of them chased me back down the trail. Very exciting experience!! but that's what mountain biking is all about.	Overall Rating:

kathie from cleveland Date: December 19, 1999 Trail Ridden: Once a month
Recommended Route: Cross the bridge behind the Whitewater Center and turn left up a pretty good uphill. When you get to the top of the loop turn left on old service road. Go to first service road on right - this will take you to the new singletrack. Ride the awesome, tight singletrack until you come to a split - if you go right it leads out to a gravel road that will take you quickly down to Powerhouse #3 then you will have to ride the road back to Whitewater Center. If you go left it takes you to serviceroad that leads either to Sylco (right) or (left) back to serviceroad - there is a gate there) that will dump you back onto the main loop. Turn left and enjoy the downhill back to the bridge. Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: Trails are marked very well. The new singletrack is really cool. Not enough of it yet but I hear they are working on that. Definately worth riding - very pretty out there.	Overall Rating:

TOP DOG from Chattanooga Date: December 13, 1999 Trail Ridden: Once a month
Recommended Route: Choose your own ! Other recommended trails in the same area: White water center trail. THis is a great trail for beginners it follows the grade of the "upper Ocoee"
Review: This trail is brutal right off the bat,but gets better once you hit the fire rds.	Overall Rating:

me from here Date: November 12, 1999 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: this trail is gay it sux big testis	Overall Rating: