Pisgah/DuPont riding times/weather/crowds

I'm usually trying to start my rides at dupont by 9am. Before 9am, the lots are usually still calm. By 10am, they're definitely filling up. Now that it's getting hotter, folks are showing up earlier. Earlier in the year, I'd be first in the lot (at Guion Farm) if I arrived anytime before 9am. But now, that's not the case. Weekday should be notably better. Traffic definitely dies down rapidly after noon. More from the heat than from storm risks. I've definitely noticed things have calmed down compared to last year's insanity.

Weather is spotty and iffy AF down here in the summertime. The bonus to dupont is that there aren't as many truly high spots where lightning is a big risk. the airstrip view point is one of them, for sure, because it's both higher and definitely exposed.

In Pisgah, the summits are tall enough that they'll generate their own weather. It's pretty common for thunderstorms to camp out at the summit for Black and other higher peaks in the afternoon (which is why if those are on your slate for summertime, you want to get up there early), but for the lower elevations to be sunny and dry. Nothing in Dupont is that tall. So if storms roll through, it's less predictable, but also less dangerous. You can also avoid the various summits at Dupont easily enough if you do get caught in a thunderstorm while you're riding.

fly4130 said:

So is it worth the hour and a half to head to Trace Ridge and back? If I stay close, which is better, Avery or Bennet? I doubt I will have the legs or time for both. I do like the idea to head over to Middle/Lower Black mountain to end the ride. It sounds like parking may not be as big of an issue as I feared.

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On the Ranger District corridor up 276, parking is rarely problematic. The fitness/tech filter keeps crowds down. Plus, you can park lots of places in town and ride in without needing to park right at the trailhead. I've commonly parked at Oskar Blues and ridden the greenway into the forest.

Trace lot is small and can be difficult at peak times, even though the trails are never actually crowded up there. If you're looking to maximize trail time and minimize drive time given the constraints of a 10am rental pickup time, then it's difficult to justify driving all the way to Trace. If you want something off the 276 corridor, going to the Turkeypen lot and doing some combination of Squirrel makes more sense.

Bennett and Avery are pretty different from each other. Bennett is a bit rockier and raw and there are a couple places you're likely to need to get off your bike. Avery has been more recently reworked. There's a bit more flowiness to it now. There are some techy spots with slightly harder alts, and there are a few jumps (with one massive one on an alternate line near the bottom). I actually haven't ridden either in a bit, so my beta is a little dated, given how the heavy rain here can change things fairly quickly.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Last Monday I picked up my rental at The Hub and decided I felt good enough to head up the mountain with Avery Creek as my downhill goal. Slogged from the shop over to Avery Creek Road, then up Clawhammer, then up Upper Black Mountain. Met someone pushing a bike the other direction as he was going up and I was going down the little saddle to the east of the Rich Mountain "summit". If you are on here, I hope you found your fun .

Right at the top of Rich Mountain it started raining. I scoped out a nice leaf canopy to wait it out, and after 10 minutes it started thundering and raining pretty hard. At that point I made the call to get moving and headed downhill in a downpour and a river running down the trail. Met two younger hikers sitting on the bench at the Avery Creek intersection, embracing the rain and waiting on the rest of their group coming up Avery Creek. Said I will look out for them on the way down, wished them well, and kept on going.

After a bit more of a gap then expected I found the rest of the group. Apparently the first two I met higher up were pretty strong hikers. One of them had no rain gear on, and their packs indicated they were looking for a back country camp, or at least on a training hike. In any case, it was going to be a rough day for them. Again I wished them well and headed on down, stopping more often than I would have liked to wipe my face off. That said, even in the rain the trail was amazing. I definitely turned it down a notch. After hiking up the hill to the road at the end of the trail twice, as the first time I thought there was no way I should be going back up hill, I was back on the road for the cruise back to the shop.

When I got back, soaked completely and the bike a mess, they assumed I was at DuPont and informed me that it had not rained a drop at the shop. When I said, nah, I was up here in the hills they just laughed and said that's the mountain weather for you. As I refueled with a few beers the rain finally made it to the shop.

Some observations. One, I absolutely loved the chunky downhill on Avery Creek. That is something I just don't get to experience locally and it was so much fun, even in the pretty rough conditions. Two, I did not hate the climb up. I was mentally ready, had plenty of fuel and liquid, and was in no hurry. That made it very enjoyable just to be in the mountains. Three, I rented a Transition Scout, which was already on my short list for next bike, and was completely blown away with how well it climbed and not prepared for how much better at descending steep and chunky it is than my current bike. I hit up Baker Creek in Knoxville on my bike on Saturday and made the pedal over to Marie Meyers to hit some of the rocky sections. Marie was waaaaaaay mellower than Avery Creek yet I was crawling and just not comfortable. A bit unfair as I ride a Surly Wednesday with 29+ tires and a Mastodon but it was still a stark contrast and and one I just was not expecting.

Big thanks to the rider loading up after his ride at the bottom of Black Mountain. Your directions to Avery Creek Road and Clawhammer were very helpful. Thanks again here for all the local knowledge and thanks to The Hub for the sweet rental. I can't wait to come back.