This trail is new and very few riders have been on it so it has some soft spots that make pedaling a chore. The trail starts off with a climb from the gate that takes me about 5 minutes. You then will ride a fire road for about 3/8 of a mile then back onto single track. There is one more section of fire road that is flat and about an 1/8 of a mile. The rest of the 4.6 mile course is new single track. It is wide at the moment because this trail was made with machines instead of by hand. The trail follows the shoreline of Philpott Lake and runs from the base of the dam to the first campground along its north shore and at a couple of spot it runs along the shore line. There are some tough climbs along this trail with some fun but short down hill. It is an out and back trail so the steeper down hills turn into some tough climbs on the way back. I believe once this trail has been packed all the way through and some vegetation grows back to make it more of a single track this trail will be an asset for the mountain bikers in this area. At the moment its probably the toughest trail that I know of within a 50 minute ride. Come try it out an help me break it in.
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This can be done as a loop using the fire road between Salthouse Branch Road and Philpott Dam. From Salthouse Branch Park gatehouse, go up the hill away from the park and take right on Cottonwood (gravel road with "private drive" signage, I believe it is public road leading to fire road, so ignore the signage). Fire road can be used to get over to Philpott Dam or as a return loop if you ride the singletrack to the dam from Salthouse. I do a shorter loop by climbing road from Salthouse gate, riding the fire roads and taking the fifth dirt road on right (counting all roads on right as soon as I leave pavement) back down to the lake. Once to the lake, singletrack will be to the right to take you back to Salthouse. I'll post a gps route next time I ride it.
Singletrack from my short route to Salthouse Branch is rolling without any obstacles, except several tough climbs that will max your heart rate! The fire road is very washed out and only useable by foot, bike, horse, or extreme ATV. It will be a workout for any level rider, but a beginner can manage it.
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