Reinhardt College Trails

I decided to revisit this trail from a ride two years prior. I was pleasntly surprised to see that some maintenance had been done! The skectchy bridge that crosses the lake had been replaced and the fallen trees had been removed. Signage was much better although the map on this site was incorrect. The trail numbers have changed and a new map (available at the kiosk) is accurate. There were a few deeper ruts remaining that are impassable. I would give it a higher rating, but the ruts are ridiculous. If you like narrow, tight, and rooty trails, these won't disappoint. There are some good climbs on a couple of the trails, but you could ride some optional loops to have a decent ride. I brought my dog with me as there are usually no other people on the trails. I did run into a family that was hiking on the double track section, but they were having fun. My dog gave them a glance, one "woof" , and she was back on my rear tire. Again, very pleased with what had been done so far and I will definitely be going back.

Rode the trails at Reinhardt today with my 13 yo. Neither of us are experienced riders. Completed 2.63 miles. Had a good time. This was after I had hiked it the day before. Trail #1 is a dbl track loop with some climbs/descents. The trail was pretty decent as Reinhardt students have been back here recently installing 2 campsites where trail 1 meets trail 8. Trail 2 is ok. Many roots that got us the next day riding. Trail 3 is in decent condition but 5 and 6 are not rideable. Overall, the trails need some cleaning and could be really nice.

Trail is completely overgrown and not maintained in any form.
Trail is not rideable.

I decided to ride the Reinhardt trail today. First of all, let me say that it rained the day before, so there was plenty of soft ground and MUD! The outer loop is mostly double track with a couple of decent climbs at the beginning and midway. Trail markings are lacking. You must follow the trails closely. I went from a double track to a barely visible downhill pigtrail that ended up on a utility right-of-way. The "bridge" on the pond was in bad shape. I actually missed the turn in the thick wooded area and continued straight to a small campsite. After backtracking, I found the trail again and saw the bridge. It's about 7 to 8 feet long and 2 feet wide, BUT time, weather, and lack of attention had allowed it to become twisted. If you try to cross, do it quickly and stay to the left side (if you're going clockwise around the pond). I rode on the "intermediate" trail mostly and hit some of the "advanced" by accident. This is definitely a hiking/biking trail as there were some trees down across the trail that were not passable and there were some very deep ruts on a section of the double track near the pond. I'm definitely going to try it again, but in much drier conditions. If you have not been on this trail before, I advise taking a map with you and be prepared to get COVERED with spider webs. The trail is obviously not used as much, but with a little TLC, it could be a really good track. I think that a fatbike would be excellent for this one! I rode on a Thurs morning and there was no one in the parking area or on the trail. The trail is not directional...however you want to tackle it..let er rip! I will reiterate that the trail goes from a doubletrack to barely visible singletrack. Make sure you watch for signs (trail is marked by colors and numbers)

Rode it today. It's in OK shape, but quite overgrown as many here have mentioned due to low maintenance. Quite a few washouts on the climbs/descents and several downed trees caused for a bit more hiking than I prefer. Clearly doesn't get much traffic....I was the only rider on a cool Saturday morning in August.

I had wanted to get up to these trails for awhile and found them not worth even the short ride. Severely overgrown and not well marked at all. Once you leave the gravel track from the trail head the ride is interupted repeatedly by blow downs and bramble patches. Several trails are completely impassable due to being overgrown. It's a shame because the potential for a great trail system exists, North Georgia topography can be so challenging and steep but these trails need some serious maintenance. Could be awesome singletrack! Areas of trails that are rideable are fun and challenging, just don't expect to be able to ride far without stopping or backtracking.

The key to this trail is finding your way to the singletrack trails inside of the main loop. Take a good look at the map and you'll see what I am talking about. The map lists the trails by numbers. Trails #1 and #3 run the majority of the outer perimeter and are also the most BORING trails out here. Do your best to avoid them and you'll be much happier with your ride. The other trails are tight singletrack that will throw you a couple of technical challenges coupled with punchy climbs. My favorite section was the stuff around the pond. Beautiful and flowy. Too bad there isn't more. As stated before, these trails don't get a lot of maintenance so be on the lookout for downed trees and be prepared for a decent amount of briars. The potential for a good trail is certainly here. This place just needs some trail work. For now, I'll rate it 2 stars but with a little work or some more mileage it could easily be a 3.

Following the previous review I was a little worried but we had no choice but to ride it today. To my suprise it was not that bad. I can tell that riding in the summer when the Burma and grass is full grown would be a nightmare. All of the long grass was dead and it us a good trail for the area. There are some steep sections and some technical fast downhill sections. Little black diamond cut thru sections were very enjoyable.

This trail is in need of some serious maintenance. We rode it last week and 95% of the trail grass was about as tall as the seat on my bike. Not to mention the briars hanging over the trail. My legs and arms were tore up. At one point in the trail the briars cross the complete trail and if you are like me and blazing down that hill you just have to take it in the chest. I am sure this will be a great trail once it is maintined. IF that happens I will ride again and update this review. I am gonna keep an eye out for a work party there and go help. It needs a lot of work.

For a mountain bike trail, this makes a great running trail. I wondered why, on a crystal clear day with 75 degree temps, this place was deserted. What I saw was a lot of wasted space and potential. Instead of winding the trail through and around the mountains, there are sharp climbs and steep descents and only a few miles of poorly designed trails. The technical section is not laid out very well, lacking any kind of flow and consisting mostly of dips, steep climbs, and super-narrow track to make it technical. More than half the system is rutted dirt road resembling powerline trails. Also, I just don't think a downhill 90 degree turn with a log in the middle of the turn is a good idea. And you should never come out of a blind low-speed turn directly into a 3 foot deep dip. I know this is a brutal review, but the trail just seemed like it was laid out by people who never rode a bike off-road. I know that's not true but that was the way it felt. It needs A LOT of work.* Review edited 5/2/2008

Rode it my first time yesterday. Enjoyed it. Lots of climbing, good technical, narrow singletrack, some old, wide established doubletrack, and some inbetweeen. Place has a lot of potential. Look forward to riding there again.