You can get 20 miles one way on single & two-track by doing this apparent rerouting of Pinhoti 6-5-4 by adding P3. Start from the obvious new parking lot on Dennis Mill Road (about 1 mile north of Hwy 282/76, nearer to Chatsworth than Ellijay). As an out-and-back this makes for what Earthdog calls a "Fat Forty", a real endurance ride with a lot of rolling climbing, multiple creek crossings, fast two-track downhill and some gravel road. We did it on singlespeed, and I wished for more than a 19 tooth in back. The initial climb of ¾ mile is seriously stout, and it seems about 60/40 climbing/descending starting from this direction. While the "new" singletrack seems limited to about 3 miles, thereupon connecting the old two-track, it is a pleasant and challenging endeavor.
It is significantly more uphill starting at the Dennis Mill Road parking trailhead, that 60/40 split since you basically will climb all the way to 52 near Ft. Mountain State Park, before hitting P3 downhill. So you'll really like starting there when you're on the way back. We did the ride in perfect weather on Saturday, April 26, 2014.
Tied this up with Pinhoti 3. Beautiful ride, but the climbs were brutal. Nothing technical, just an endurance beat down. Fun ride.
| ThankThe single track of P5 near the Dennis Mill parking lot is currently in the process of being mechanically widened. In a few months it will be packed in enough to be enjoyable but for the time being it's pretty soft and mushy. The climb out of the parking lot is very steep and the soft trail makes it a VERY difficult ride. Once you hit the double track the trail actually gets pretty tame. Enjoy it while you can. The ride up P4 is a beast. Another route option other than the standard out and back would be to return on the Rock Creek ORV trails.
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