Something for everyone! Chestnut Mtn Trail to Thunder Rock is fast and technical. Old Copper Road Trail is very flat and easy. Well maintained, and hard to get lost. Lots of fun for all levels. You can ride Old Copper Road over to Brush Creek, and Boyd Gap is short and technical near Brush creek as well.
While most of the singletrack trails require a good bit of climbing on fireroads to connect them, the singletrack is well-worth all of the effort! There are climbs and descents aplenty, as well as beautiful roller coaster trails that make you wonder which you've done more of, climbing or descending. With some sections rolling along the tops of the ridges and other deep beneath the boughs of mighty old-growth timber, the beauty of this area is astounding!
 | Bear Paw Loop |   | 1 mi |
 | Bypass Trail |  | 1 mi |
| Chestnut Mountain Loop | | 6 mi |
| Old Copper Rd | | 3 mi |
| Quartz Loop | | 2 mi |
 | Rhododendron Trail | | 1 mi |
| River View Loop | | 2 mi |
 | Thunderrock Express | | 1 mi |
 | West Fork | | 3 mi |
My first time at Tanasi. Chose to do Brush Creek out and back...we needed a break from the heavy climbing. It was a FUN ride! Watch those wet bridges as others mentioned, we both took a tumble on the bridge closes to Boyd Gap on the way back...ouch!
| ThankI rode this on vacation from TX and it was kind of hard to find but eventually got to the trailhead up and then down a Forest Service Road. Parked at the power station and rode up then turn left and down to some trails, about an hour climb. However, the climb was worth it ... fantastic downhill, rocks, roots, narrow trails but VERY doable if you pay attention to what you're doing. I got help with directions from the FSR from a mtn biker and he said this was the best trail in Tanasi. I haven't ridden that many in GA/TN but this was certainly a great trail. I think there may be a junction trail from the FSR to the trailhead but I did not take it and went up the FSR too far, I think. Once done I wanted to do this again but didn't want to do the climb again or possibly get lost on the junction trail. Check with LBS to see if they can tell you more or have a map.
| ThankTerrifying. Hard. You might die. Pray that no one is riding toward you.
| ThankAwesome trails! Love coming down in the spring to hit the warmer weather and the hills! There is something for everyone and it is a great area to ride and stay in. The trails are amazing!
| ThankLove these trails. Come back every year for the cohutta 100 and big frog 65. Lots of climbing and some technical rocky rooty sections.
| ThankGreat variety of trails. Plenty of climbing and fun descents. Enough technicals to keep you focused. This trail system really feels like being out in the wilderness.
| ThankTruly a great reward after climbing through the other trails in the Tanasi system. Fast flowy sections, rooty rocky technical sections, a few small stream crossings, and hang on for dear life fast sections. This trail has it all.
| ThankRhododendron Trail is a very easy task that connects the Ocoee Whitewater Center to Thunder Rock Campground. It's is hard packed with very little elevation change. It is a great warm up for many other trails in the area and has good view of the river and some run off waterfalls.
| ThankFun trail. I am a beginner and rode this due to it being considered a green or easy trail. There are definitely some features that could push this to intermediate! Lots of roots, rocks, and a really cool bumpy water crossing. Probably an awesome warm up trail for the rest of the Tanasi system for more advanced riders.
| ThankI started at thunder Rock campground which was free parking. Did the Rhododendron trail, fun, easy, but watch out for walkers. Then Bear Paw, several hikers, and climbing. Chestnut MT. to 1330 Bypass, Quartz spur then picked up Chestnut Mt. again. (This was mostly climbing the whole time and no hikers after Bear Paw). Then the downhill fun begun on Poplar Hollow and 45FS back to TRC parking. this was 7.8 miles w/1153 ft. elevation. Great workout.
| ThankFun and challenging. We climbed from the Ocoee Whitewater center up Bear Paw and it is a very challenging climb. Anyway you want to ride this- other than on Old copper or rhododendron, you are going to have a big climb to get up to the trails. But the challenge and downhills that follow are worth it. We took a left on to Chestnut, which is a fire road that climbs, and climbs. We rode Riverview loop counter clockwise and it was a thrilling ride that ended with more climbing. We jumped on the bypass and rode that, which was a nice trail, followed by Quartz loop clockwise before heading over to Thunder Rock express. Nice thrilling finish. The next day we went back and did Bear paw loop as a loop and the finish was an absolute speed run. Save that for a weekday, as there are many hikers on that up hill loop on the weekend. All in all a really fun, well maintained trail network.
| ThankGreat trail system, I have ridden throughout the southeast and this has something for all but beginner riders. This is mountain riding and you will do a lot of climbing and decending but it's not super crazy. The trails are pretty smooth (not super rooty or rocky) for mountain riding and traction is very good. This is not as difficult as Elligay/Pinhoti trails or as rocky as Raccoon mountain, just good plain fun.
| ThankGreat trail system! I rode up from the whitewater center on bearpaw and chestnut mountain and took thunder rock express down...what a ride! I wish I had time to explore more of the trails but my limited experience was enough to bring me back here as soon as possible!
| ThankGreat trail system, by far one of the best in East TN. I like to ride it backwards from the thunder rock campground for the tough climbs. You can start by the whitewater center and hit a few climbs, but then it goes into downhill. It offers something for every riding level.
| ThankLots of climbing but I loved it.
| ThankLots to explore here. Parked at the Thunder Rock Campground then followed the trail along the river up to the Whitewater Center to get provisions. they have free maps of the trail system there if you didn't print/bring one. To warm up we took Old Copper Trail up to the Upper Ocoee River putin. Two words: roots, rocks. Otherwise just a pleasant ride along the river.
Next we took the right leg of Chestnut Mountain Loop up to Thunder Rock Express. CML was a relentless slough uphill. Some roots but not bad overall. There is some downhill as well but overall it is a climb. Nice trail though. Loved it. We then left CML to drop down the Thunder Rock Express. Man, what a ride that is. Jumps, banks, thin edges with consequences. Nice! An excellent chance to fine tune your quick reflexes if you stay off the damn brakes and enjoy the rush.
| ThankThis is a single track trail NOT gravel it is quite good, leads to quartz loop trail instead of taking the bottom half of chestnut which IS a gravel forest service road.
| ThankReally nice trail system, but lots of climbing on fire roads. Well, lots of climbing in general. Thunder Rock is a great downhill for 5 minutes, but not as long as I wanted it to be. Nicely maintained trail system, but not Tenessee's best.
| ThankThis trail surprised me after having ridden Chilhowee for the last 6 months this was a breathe of fresh air, incredibly flowy beautifully maintained and the scenery was spectacular -- Highly Recommended!!
| ThankThis trail system has several features that puts it on the top of my list:
1) The facilities around this trail are top notch because of the whitewater facility. Clean restrooms, water fountains, and a roaring river helps riders get in the mindset to ride.
2) Well maintained trails. These trails are nicely groomed and adequately marked to give the first time user confidence not to get lost. These trails feature a fair amount of climbing and a good amount of technical features to challenge more advanced rider.
| Thank