Mtn Bike Rides

Black Mountain Bike Rides

Distance: 30+ miles
Rating: moderate to strenuous
Elevation: 800' to 2828'

Maps: USGS Quadrangles: Black Mountain, Roddy, Dorton, Ozone

Access: Take exit 329 off of I40 at Crab Orchard (east of Crossville), drive south on the road that crosses I40 to Black Mountain (5 miles). Park at Owl Roost Gap (3.2 miles from I40) or at the FAA towers.

Click here for map ... good luck and also a 3-D map (24K).

Description: This is a popular hiking (Cumberland Trail) and rock climbing area. Off-road vehicles frequent the area, and there is a maze of jeep roads and ATV trails, making navigation difficult. Much of the land is private, so obey signs.

A nice starter loop (6.5 miles) is to park at Owl Roost Gap (2320') (where a jeep road descends off to the east). From the Gap ride back down the pavement 0.3 miles and take the jeep road going west along the north face of Black Mountain. This face is covered with wild flowers in mid to late April. At mile 0.6 pass a jeep road descending right. At mile 1.3 pass a jeep road climbing left. At mile 1.9, the jeep road intersects the Cumberland Trail (white blazes) that has descended 1.2 miles from the mountain top. Turn right and go down the Cumberland Trail to the 4-way intersection at mile 2.1. Go left down the nice descent to the 6-way intersection (1930') at mile 2.7. Take the left (at "10 o'clock") and descend and cross a creek and visit Windless cave at mile 3.0 (1890'). (A trail from the left at the creek crossing has descended 1.8 miles from the mountain top. Note that the cave is the drain for a large sink hole.) Continue climbing on past the cave, and at mile 4.9 you arrive at a clearing with lots of downed trees. Take the ATV track to the left and climb up to a 4-way intersection at mile 5.2. The road to the left goes back to the pavement, continue straight (east) to the intersection with Dug Hill Ridge road at mile 5.3. You can turn left and climb 1.1 miles to the pavement (go right at the next intersection).

To extend the ride, turn right and zoom down Dug Hill Ridge to mile 6.9, where you take a sharp left and descend down to Sandy Creek and then push up the other side to a 4-way intersection in a clearing at mile 8.5 (1940'). The road to the right takes you toward Basin Rock/Falls and on to Whites Creek. Turn left and climb 1.7 miles back to the Gap, or go straight ahead and take a left in 0.8 miles at the next 4-way (1940'), and climb The Shinbone 1.1 miles to 2500'. At the top you have views to the North, bear left and descend back to the dirt road 0.1 miles from the Gap.