Pokin' Around at Piney Knob
- padj58
- Nov 17, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 14, 2024
OVERVIEW
The town of Murphy, North Carolina is working to construct 22.3 miles of recreational hiking, running and mountain biking trails on the 700+ acre Murphy Watershed property off of Piney Knob Hill Road. Please note that construction is ongoing so we ask all users to please stay on marked trails. All the dirt single-track trails and will be built in accordance with International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) standards. Some use old forest roads as primarily or in part. The trails are open for dogs on leashes and are multi-directional. Look out for other users here.
SAFETY
There is some cell service here. The roadway"Piney Knob Hill" into the parking area is a single lane mountain road, paved at times with little to no pull offs. Consider an all-wheel drive vehicle in case you need to share the road. The parking area is shallow, consider how to conserve parking and turning around for others. The trails are maked every .25 miles from both directions list 911 as the contact for emergencies. Here is a downloadable PDF Piney Knob Map.
ROUTES
From the parking lot there are no signs for Piney Knob. There is a "conservation sign on the fence entrance. The gravel trail behind the restricted access fence leads to Junction 1. From there you can choose your route.
**Rhodocoaster could be the most flowy MTB trail in the SWNC region. Most folks seem to ride it clockwise, although it's pretty flowy both ways. It's like a pump track for 3.75 miles. Beautiful views, coves and trail sections with rhodo and laurel tunnels. Hardtails are welcome here!
*Grape Smuggler is a piece of going out and returning trails to the main junction - Junction 1. This is a great little flowy beginner trail with little climbing and descending.
*Flame Azalea is a fun down hill off of the Gobbler trail. Pretty fun and tight.
*The Gobbler climbs around and then descends along the rim of the Piney Knob property. This trail is a single track trail on an old forest road grade and is the longest trail in the park.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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