Heritage Farm’s brand-new downhill mountain bike park, Mountain Rim Bike Park, is as charming as it is epic. Not only does it consist of trails thoughtfully designed by local riders and trail builders, each trail is named after and marked with a real piece of vintage farm machinery!
Whether you’re looking for a fulfilling getaway with the fam, a fun weekend with your riding buddies, or a trip for just you and your bike, here is why every mountain biker owes it to themselves to head to Heritage Farm.
The Park
Since the bike park resides on Heritage Farm’s private property, lead trail builder Tracy Toler of Adventure Trail Systems had a blank canvas to design the park from scratch with only bikers in mind. With all skill levels considered, in less than a year and a half, the park went from zero trails to nine totaling around five and a half miles—all flowy and with thoughtfully placed features. The creative freedom made for a safer and more inclusive experience with trail markers every 250 feet to help the bike rangers who patrol the mountain pinpoint an emergency and prevent riders from getting lost.
Visitors start at the Adventure Station where they can rent mountain bikes from hardtails to full suspension, up to full suspension e-bikes, which are recommended for those who take on the 900 ft of elevation gain on the ride up trail, Grindstone. This is also where riders who opt into the Holler Hauler UTV shuttle will be picked up and taken to the top with their bikes. Whether you challenge yourself on the climb or take the exciting UTV ride, the journey up is half the adventure!
At the top there are two trail hubs where various trials begin, along with a pump track / skills park named Thrasher where riders can practice riding berms, jumps, and more. Hay Baler is their beginner trail loop located at the top of the park. Riders can test their skills on this trail with all the same features found on the downhill trails, but without having to go down the mountain. Their other green trail, Corn Husker, is the easy way down the mountain as a smoother trail with all the fun and flow of the other trails.
Riders can move up to the park’s blue trails Humdinger, Hit ‘N’ Miss, and Rock Crusher. Humdinger not only gets its name from the actual antique humdinger that sits at the trailhead, it also has an exciting jump that locals call “the real humdinger”. Hit ‘N’ Miss is up and down at times, then very steep with some ripper berms in between, also living up to its name. Rock Crusher is an especially epic trail not only for the rock garden featured on it, but also because the top of it is part of a dueling slalom section where two riders can race side by side!
The Reaper is one of the park’s two expert level trails that shares the dueling slalom section with Rock Crusher. The other expert trail is actually a connector trail from Hit ‘N’ Miss to Corn Husker called Stump Grinder, that gives riders the opportunity to mix up their riding experience.
The Digs
There are five beautiful and historical inns on the property (one even has a pool) for riders to sleep and shower after a big day on the trails. Each cabin is equipped with kitchens, newly finished bathrooms, and porches that offer a lovely place to sit and take in the scenery. There are also food spots right on the property, including Village Vittles which features Appalachian favorites.
Along with the bike trails, the Adventure Park offers exciting aerial courses and ziplines that can send you soaring over the valley. As the state’s first and only Smithsonian affiliate, Heritage Farm also offers seven different museums highlighting different parts of early Appalachian life. Just a stones throw from the Adventure Station are the Nature Center, Critter Corner, and Tree House Trek all featuring different kinds of interactive and educational activities related to Appalachia.
There is much more to come from Heritage Farm’s Mountain Rim Bike Park, including new trails, and an All Access Pass to allow pass holder access to the park seven days a week. Keep an eye on their website to stay up to date on upcoming events and biking clinics throughout the year.
There’s something for everyone (and every biker) at Heritage Farm!
All photos and words by Shannon McGowan of Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine.
