Gorges State Park is one of the steepest in the South. Located along the Blue Ridge Escarpment—the “Blue Wall”—near the North Carolina-South Carolina border, the park is home to sheer cliffs and spectacular waterfalls, including Whitewater Falls, the largest east of the Rockies. It’s already a celebrated oasis for hikers, trail runners, and paddlers. It could soon be a mountain biking mecca, too.
Gorges State Park is one of nine finalists for the $100,000 Bell Built Grant to fund a gravity downhill mountain bike trail. Brevard mountain biker Park Baker has helped spearhead the effort.
The grant is only available for a black diamond or double black diamond trail and will feature jumps, rollers and berms. The trail will potentially have alternate lines to help new and experienced riders learn and progress.
Other regional finalists are located in Knoxville, Tenn., and Anniston, Ala. Mountain bikers will help choose the winner during a two weeks of online voting that begins May 11.
Read more about the potential gravity trail in Gorges here.
