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Tags:
Level: Intermediate
Length: 20 mi (32.2 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Network
Elevation: +986/ -1,058 ft
Total: 145 riders
Mountain Biking Chilhowee trail system
#8 of 202 mountain bike trails in Tennessee
This network has it all. I'm not sure how many miles, but anyone will enjoy these trails from the beg. rider to the expert. Trails are Benton Falls Trail, Rimrock Trail, Slickrock Trail, Clear Creek Trail, Red Leaf Trail, Azalea Trail, Arbutus Trail and the Clemmer Trail. Only experts should ride the Clear Creek Trail. Some spots are very dangerous. The Clemmer is a difficult 4 mile up hill climb, but worth it when you get to the top. I like to ride up Clemmer to the campground and then Azalea to Clear Creek to Rimrock and down Clemmer. Or Clemmer to the campground and then Slickrock and down Clemmer. Whatever route you take get off your bike and hike down to Benton Falls. It is worth the time. You can also ride some old roads around the mountain. This area has everything!
First added by alvin.santoy on Jan 1, 2003. Last updated May 11, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: yes
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: yes
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
From interstate 75 north of Chattanooga, TN take Cleveland Bypass to 64. 64 takes you to Ocoee lake and past the Ocoee Dam. A couple of miles after the Dam you will see the Ranger station on the left (accross from the lake). Take left after ranger station and follow road up the mountain to the Chilhowee Recreational Area. Trails start from here. Alternate start is past ranger station take 30 and bike parking area is just on the left. This is the start of the Clemmer Trail.
System trails (9)
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Love these trails. Come back every year for the cohutta 100 and big frog 65. Lots of climbing and some technical rocky rooty sections.
| ThankLoved Clemmers bc I needed a good uphill slog! Haha! I need to get in shape! Loved some of the fun creek crossings, and although wide, had a ton of fun on the sand and slick rock mini-drops coming back down from the campground. Fast, gravel-y DH isn't my fave, so the rest of Clemmers downhill back to the parking lot was...meh. I need to check out the slick rock and other side trails next time.
| ThankI rode from the trailhead to Benton Falls. The total distance, one way for this trip was 4.6 miles (in case someone wants to do it in the future). I think the climb is about 3 miles but not that bad. A lot of road rock for the first couple of miles and then changes to the sandstone and granite with more larger rocks to serve as play stones on the way up. As you reach the top the trail alternates between hardpack dirt/sand and stretches of rock. A few stream crossings that are fun to hit at speed, but be on your toes. Clemmer goes past Benton Falls but this was only my dog's second trip for this season and I didn't want to push her too much. Overall a fun trail. While I liked the downhill, it wasn't as fun as Thunder Rock Express.
| ThankNot a bad ride, i went to the falls, was good riding until the upper trail past the first creek crossing. Worth the trip tho
| ThankRight in my backyard. Love this trail system. It has everything East TN has to offer. I like to start at the bottom and ride to the top.
| ThankGreat trails! Good mix of tougher climbs and rolling downhill. Some rock gardens and roots but I didn't run into anything too technical. I only gave it a 4 because there were a few fallen trees on the trail that had clearly been there for awhile, and also I biked through SO MANY SPIDERWEBS.
| ThankOverall I would definitely go back!
Rode from the campground to the Benton falls. Great ride not super technical, double track mostly. We started by section f of the campground and added a mile or so of single track. Can wait to go back and ride the rest.
| Thankgood trail. rode up from parking lot at rt 30 than did the slickrock loop. than up past the falls and down clear creek. very fun fast and sometimes tehnical trail. combined with slickrock well worth it.more old school than new school boring flowwy stuff. definitely need some legs and lungs.
| ThankAbout 90% of this trail is not that bad really its that 10% that is sketchy as all get out, rocky and steep with the only exit in a crash being rocks or cliff side lol.
| ThankOne word technical; with a rugged outdoorsiness that's hard to find this set of trails has handed me my backside on more than one occasion but I keep coming back for more there is something strangely addictive about this place.
| ThankLong steady climb up to the top, But a very fast 3-4 mile downhill back to the parking lot.. Rainbow falls is also a great place to swim with some good rocky single track down on the way back out.
| ThankChallenging climb from the trailhead but tons of fun at the top with stream crossings and connections to other, less strenuous trails then a thrill-ride downhill to end the ride!
| Thankfast down hill and good climb out..
| ThankBest use is access to C-F campground loops.
| ThankThis trail is best accessed by riding Azalea from the lake parking lot and exiting left to pick up Clear Creek. Ride down to Rimrock, exit right down to Rock Creek and back up to Clemmer for a beginners loop. Clear Creek doesn't get difficult until after the Rimrock breakout.
| ThankUse this trail to break out of Clear Creek and return to Clemmer.
| ThankAmazing downhill on clemmer! My friend didnt use his brakes wisely on the gravel and payed for it. I got up to 30mph easily on here but maintaing control is crucial. One wrong move and you could hit very hard.
| ThankI started on this trail @ the intersection of Rim Rock heading towards Highway 30. This trail is very very sketch (up or down). Lots of hike n bike sections, one section in particular is very dangerous. Personally I wouldn't waste my time w/ it, not fun @ all.
| ThankThis is a really fast section on top of Chillhowee. Not very long.
| ThankPretty decent climb. Do this to get the full elevation of the mountain. Gets rocky towards the top. Coming down is tons of fun.
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