These three towns deliver awesome amenities and destination-worthy mountain biking action
It’s no secret that the Blue Ridge region is chock full of killer mountain biking trails and ride areas. But with many trail systems managed by a hodgepodge of municipal agencies, park service personnel and volunteers from local MTB clubs, finding new long-weekend-worthy spots can be tougher than you’d think. Here, we go beyond the list of usual suspects to highlight destinations that have tons of great amenities and deliver a treasure trove of rides sure to satisfy every wheelie in your pack.
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
Did you know the historic home of Penn State University’s main campus is also host to a thriving mountain biking community? Nestled in a narrow valley between 2,500-foot ridgelines in the state’s central Appalachian Valley and Ridge region, the 41,000-person county seat is surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of public lands in state forests and parks.
Groups like the Nittany Mountain Biking Association (NMBA) and Rothrock Trail Alliance (RTA) have capitalized on the location to build more than 200 miles of trails within 30 miles of the city. Downtown holds a cornucopia of restored early 19th century and Victorian homes and buildings—plus all the amenities you’d expect from a grade A college town.
THE RIDES
Rothrock State Forest
Its 96,975 acres contain dozens of 2,000-plus-foot peaks, the 45-mile Tussey Mountain ridgeline, four state parks and more than 100 miles of mountain biking trails. What’s more, the RTA recently hired pro trail builders to add another 53 miles of routes (around eight of which have already been installed).
Rides range in difficulty from flat and beginner-friendly loops to gnarly, downhill bombers that would test even the most experienced of thrashers. Find the trailhead to the International Mountain Biking Association designated epic Rothrock Trailmix in the community of Boalsburg on the edge of the forest just four miles outside of town. The 36-mile thigh-mauler carries you deep into the backcountry and offers a hit parade of the most spectacular flow trails, ridgeline rides, and technical singletrack in the area.
Harvest Fields Community Trails and Bike Park
The NMBA spearheaded development around this state-of-the-art skills facility and flow trail center sits just down the road from the main Rothrock trail area. About four miles of super-smooth, feature-rich blue- and green-level trails wind through woodlands that back onto the foot of the Tussey Mountain Ski and Recreation resort. But the star of the show is a progression park that opened in 2023. Built by Black Diamond Trail Designs, it’s divided into courses according to skill level and brings a joyous gauntlet of features like berms, rollers, rock gardens, tabletops, wooden North Shores, platform drops, and log jumps.
HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA
Thirty-plus years of intensive efforts among an extremely active base of enthusiasts and proximity to longtime MTB-friendly Massanutten Resort led the International Mountain Biking Association to crown this 50,000-person city in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley a Bronze-level Ride Center way back in 2012.
Blend that with a rapidly revitalizing historic downtown area that abuts James Madison University and boasts a slew of restaurants, music venues, bars, and breweries, and you have a rider’s paradise. In town, beautiful Hillandale Park holds a pump track, five miles of purpose-built MTB routes and a half-mile-long flow park with tabletops and berms. And pre- or post-ride, a must-stop is downtown staple Shenandoah Bicycle Company for a brew on the outdoor patio and to shoot the bull with in-the-know shredders about local trails and riding areas.
THE RIDES
Massanutten Resort
The 6,000-acre ski resort is home to one of two lift-assisted bike parks in the state. Slopes are now crisscrossed with about 12 miles of recently rebuilt trails that range in difficulty from greenhorn to prograde. A cluster of routes winds through forests near the lower lift, while a quartet of black-diamonds—including a jump line with about 50 tabletops and drops—along the 3,000-foot ridgeline rounds out the package. Be sure to soak up incredible eastward panoramic views of the Page Valley and Shenandoah National Park before dropping in.
Western Slope Bike Area
This 800-acre MTB oasis on the backside of Massanutten offers around 40 miles of prograde single and doubletrack. It’s managed by the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) and features a gravel service road to ridgeline trailheads serviced by optional weekend van shuttles. Trails run the skill-level gamut. Kid-friendly “Gravel Doubletrack” is a breezy loop through near-magical rhododendron thickets and old-growth oaks. Black-diamond burners like the fast and flowy 1.1-mile “Puzzler” boast features like 50-yard stone rock bridges, park-grade dirt berms, and tabletop jumps with ride-arounds. Connect them to lower elevation blues for five-mile rides with 1,650 feet of vertical descent.
Stokesville / George Washington National Forest
The SVBC has installed 40 miles and counting of Virginia’s highest-elevation purposebuilt MTB routes in the rural Allegheny Mountains about 25 miles west of downtown. The epic, 7.8-mile Timber Ridge Trail drops 2,800 feet through one of the Southeast’s lone remaining stands of mature Canadian hemlocks from 4,400-foot Reddish Knob. Fun, flowy but less demanding routes weave through the high hills around Stokesville Campground.
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
This near 200,000-person city in southeast Tennessee sits nestled amid the Great Smoky Mountains foothills on the banks of where the Holston and French Broad rivers meet to form the state’s namesake river. The stunning array of natural beauty has combined with a de facto motto of “Keep Knoxville Scrappy” to transform the city into an unpretentious mecca for outdoor recreation that brims with the kind of metropolitan amenities you’d expect to find in Asheville or Boulder. And for two-wheel enthusiasts, there’s plenty to enjoy, as Knoxville has a staggering 200 miles of MTB trails within 25 miles of downtown.
THE RIDES
Knoxville Urban Wilderness
The Knoxville Urban Wilderness is a sprawling 1,500-acre network of protected lands along the banks of three rivers that spans five city parks, four historic heritage sites, a quarry, numerous wildlife management areas, and nature preserves. And it’s all connected by a 60-plus-mile system of natural surface biking and hiking trails.
Baker Creek Preserve is the crown jewel of the many riding areas. The onsite bike park offers a pair of asphalt pump tracks—one of them huge—as well as asphalt and crushed-stone progressive jump lines. Eight miles of trails are broken up into some breezy two-way greens, three downhill blues, and a trio of black-diamond gravity routes. The latter are flagshipped by the stunning .6-mile shredder, Devil’s Racetrack, the result of a $100,000 2015 Bell Built Grant. The short but stellar doubletrack offers big rock drops, massive berms, large tabletops, and a 50-foot wooden wallride.
Windrock Bike Park
Co-developed and designed by pro downhiller Neko Mulally, Windrock was purpose-built for diehard riders. Legendary five-time World Cup downhill champ Aaron Gwin bought the 550-acre park in 2023 and promptly doubled its acreage. And best of all: It sits within an hour of downtown.
With amazing trails, Windrock serves as a training ground for top tier pros. While there are some green and blue routes—and plans are in the works to dramatically expand offerings—the majority of the 29-mile system is dedicated to experts and proliners. Catch the shuttle to the top of 3,200-foot Toddy Mountain and drop into a feature-loaded, 23-trail network with max vertical descents around 2,150 feet.
Cover photo: Rothrock State Forest. photo by Edward Stoddard, HappyValley.com
