| Sure you can ride your mountain bike just about | | | | off-road goodness. The North Loop will be complete |
| anywhere but there's nothing like riding miles of | | | | in spring 2008 and is going to bust the guts of all but |
| winding hand-built single track (just wide enough for | | | | the most experienced cyclists. With breakneck climbs |
| one) through the forests of North Georgia. But | | | | and headlong descents, you really have to know how |
| where? Unfortunately, mountain bikes have been | | | | to handle your bike if you want to make it to the |
| unceremoniously kicked out of public parks all over | | | | end of this four mile trail. Fortunately there's plenty |
| the Southeast for their tendancy to erode paths built | | | | of opportunity to train up. |
| for hikers and even collide with the hikers | | | | The Mosquito Flats trail and the slightly more |
| themselves. The solution? Well if you live in | | | | challenging Mosquito Bite Trail (1.3 miles total) are fun |
| Woodstock Georgia, you wrangle your own park and | | | | easy rides perfect for kids and beginners or to get |
| build your own trail. | | | | your heart rate up before taking on the more |
| The Southeast Off-Road Bicycle Organization | | | | challenging trails. Intermediate riders can try the |
| (SORBA) is responsible for the wildly popular Blankets | | | | Dwelling loop (3.5 miles) and advanced riders can try |
| Creek trail system that skirts Blankets Creek at the | | | | the South Loop (4 miles) for a steady stream of |
| edge of Lake Allatoona. Other nearby SORBA | | | | switchbacks, climbing, rock gardens, roots and log |
| projects include Atlanta's Morningside Nature Preserve | | | | crossings. |
| trail that links Midtown Atlanta with Buckhead through | | | | Though all previous trails were built by hand with |
| a 30 acre forested trail, and Big Creek Park in | | | | rakes, shovels and a lot of back-breaking labour, the |
| Roswell. | | | | new North Loop trail is being blazed by a |
| BLANKETS CREEK | | | | mini-excavator. The main benefit is that the trail will |
| Almost entirely built by hand by a team of | | | | be complete in less than half the time it would take |
| volunteers, Blankets Creek Park is Cherokee County's | | | | to build it by hand. |
| only designated bike park and is proving itself to be | | | | GETTING HERE |
| one of the state's best rides. Right in Woodstock, | | | | Blankets Creek is located in Woodstock on the |
| just off Sixes Road, not too far from downtown and | | | | shores of Lake Allatoona. To get here, take I-75 |
| just 25 miles outside of Atlanta, the park draws over | | | | north to I-575 north and take exit 11. Turn left on |
| 100,000 bikes annually. Kids, men, women, families, | | | | Sixes Road, go about 1.8 miles and turn left into the |
| couples, lone wolves, seasoned riders and even | | | | trail head parking lot. The park is open every day, but |
| hikers all converge here for the great trails, a good | | | | closed for rain. Check the trail direction before you |
| workout and fun times. | | | | begin as it changes daily. Admission is a $1 suggested |
| The park has three short loops that let you choose | | | | donation. |
| your own adventure - from beginner trails to | | | | WHAT TO BRING |
| hair-raisers that demand technical skill. The group is | | | | - A helmet. You can't ride the trails without one. |
| currently building a fourth for a total of 16 miles of | | | | |