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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Inadequate
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
Radar Time
x
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
- mountain biking recent
- mountain biking (>6 month)
- hiking (1 year)
- moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
- Downhill Ski
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
- Snowmobile
Winter Trails
Warning
A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
x
Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with NO bikes.
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
SaveTsali is a great trail system with trails that mix up flowy fun with some technical challenges. Be sure to check the trail use schedule before you head out. Mouse & Thompson and Right & Left Loop are open to mountain bikers and horses on alternating days so please respect the schedule
Primary Trail Type: Cross-Country
eBikes Allowed:
Yes
Land Status: National Forest
Land Manager: Nantahala NF, Cheoah Ranger District

Access Info:
Bathrooms and water are available at the parking area.
Disclaimer:
There is a $2 day use fee and camping is available.
Jan./Feb./March/April/June/Sept./Nov./Dec.
Right Loop and Left Loop:
Horses – Tuesday , Thursday, & Saturday
Mountain Bikes –Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday
Mouse Branch and Thompson Loop:
Horses – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday
Mountain Bikes – Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday
May/July/August/October
Right Loop and Left Loop:
Horses – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday
Mountain Bikes – Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday
Mouse Branch and Thompson Loop:
Horses – Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday
Mountain Bikes – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday
There is a per-person day use fee for trail use. Fees can be paid at either the Tsali Bike or Horse Trailheads.
Hiking: open every day
Jan./Feb./March/April/June/Sept./Nov./Dec.
Right Loop and Left Loop:
Horses – Tuesday , Thursday, & Saturday
Mountain Bikes –Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday
Mouse Branch and Thompson Loop:
Horses – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday
Mountain Bikes – Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday
May/July/August/October
Right Loop and Left Loop:
Horses – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday
Mountain Bikes – Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday
Mouse Branch and Thompson Loop:
Horses – Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday
Mountain Bikes – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday
There is a per-person day use fee for trail use. Fees can be paid at either the Tsali Bike or Horse Trailheads.
Hiking: open every day
Links
Activities Click to view
- Mountain Bike
20 trails
- Horse
19 trails
- Hike
20 trails
- Trail Running
20 trails
Region Details
- 5
- 4
- 10
Region Status
Open as of Oct 28, 2023Stats
- Avg Trail Rating
- Trails (view details)
- 19
- Trails Mountain Bike
- 20
- Trails E-Bike
- 4
- Trails Horse
- 19
- Trails Hike
- 20
- Trails Trail Running
- 20
- Total Distance
- 39 miles
- Total Descent Distance
- 18 miles
- Total Descent
- 4,109 ft
- Total Vertical
- 489 ft
- Highest Trailhead
- 2,193 ft
- Reports
- 227
- Photos
- 67
- Ridden Counter
- 7,130
Popular Tsali Recreation Area Mountain Biking Trails
Tsali Recreation Area Mountain Bike Routes
title | rating | distance |
---|---|---|
Tsali Loops - Left & Right | 19 miles | |
Tsali (IMBA Epic) | 24 miles |
Photos of Tsali Recreation Area Mountain Bike
trail: Left Loop
39 |
Sep 20, 2023 @ 4:27am
Sep 20, 2023
trail: Left Loop
27 |
Sep 10, 2023 @ 12:19pm
Sep 10, 2023
trail: Right Loop
18 |
Sep 10, 2023 @ 12:19pm
Sep 10, 2023
trail: Right Loop
20 |
Sep 10, 2023 @ 12:18pm
Sep 10, 2023
trail: Left Loop
22 |
Sep 10, 2023 @ 12:18pm
Sep 10, 2023
trail: Left Loop
25 |
Aug 26, 2023 @ 9:04am
Aug 26, 2023
trail: Right Loop
45 |
Nov 3, 2022 @ 8:47am
Nov 3, 2022Videos of Tsali Recreation Area Mountain Bike

trail: Mouse Branch Loop
7:04 |
151 |
Nov 8, 2022 , Bryson City

trail: Thompson Loop
6:21 |
140 |
Nov 5, 2022 , Bryson City

trail: Left Loop
1:00 |
209 |
Oct 15, 2020

trail: Left Loop
0:40 |
122 |
Oct 15, 2020
Recent Trail Reports
status | trail | date | condition | info | user |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mouse Branch Overlook Loop | Oct 27, 2023 @ 5:47am Oct 27, 2023 | Ideal | Ribar6 | ||
Mouse Branch Loop | Oct 27, 2023 @ 5:47am Oct 27, 2023 | Ideal | Ribar6 | ||
Overlook Loop Access | Oct 21, 2023 @ 11:06pm Oct 21, 2023 | Ideal | Pivot5-5 | ||
Overlook Loop | Oct 21, 2023 @ 11:06pm Oct 21, 2023 | Variable | Pivot5-5 | ||
Overlook Trail | Oct 21, 2023 @ 11:06pm Oct 21, 2023 | Ideal | Pivot5-5 | ||
Left Loop | Oct 21, 2023 @ 11:06pm Oct 21, 2023 | Ideal | Pivot5-5 | ||
Right Loop | Oct 21, 2023 @ 12:00pm Oct 21, 2023 | Ideal | direwolfnca | ||
County Line Road | Oct 21, 2023 @ 12:00pm Oct 21, 2023 | Ideal | direwolfnca | ||
Parking Lot | Jul 8, 2023 @ 1:11pm Jul 8, 2023 | Ideal | smokeymountain | ||
Thompson Loop | Jun 24, 2023 @ 2:48pm Jun 24, 2023 | Wet | JD7201 |
Activity Feed
username | action | type | title | date |
---|---|---|---|---|
DavidSA | ridden | trail | County Line Road | Nov 27, 2023 @ 7:17pm 21 hours |
Twolf1 | vote | trail | Right Loop | Nov 24, 2023 @ 7:37am Nov 24, 2023 |
Twolf1 | ridden | trail | Right Loop and 2 more | Nov 23, 2023 @ 6:21am Nov 23, 2023 |
phhoefer | wishlist | route | Tsali Loops - Left & Right | Nov 19, 2023 @ 6:18am Nov 19, 2023 |
briandarby | ridden | trail | County Line Road | Nov 17, 2023 @ 9:00pm Nov 17, 2023 |
Recent Comments
username | type | title | comment | date |
---|---|---|---|---|
trail | Lovely addition to Mouse Branch. A little... | Aug 18, 2023 @ 5:36pm Aug 18, 2023 | ||
trail | Mostly great condition — quite a number of... | Aug 18, 2023 @ 5:33pm Aug 18, 2023 | ||
report | IfVVO oviD | Jul 3, 2023 @ 12:59pm Jul 3, 2023 | ||
trail | Probably one of the best kept secrets,... | Jun 17, 2023 @ 9:13pm Jun 17, 2023 | ||
report | Made one cut through a pine tree blocking the... | Jul 4, 2021 @ 2:06pm Jul 4, 2021 |
Nearby Areas
name | distance | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nantahala Outdoor Center | 3 | 5.7 km | |||
Great Smoky Mountains National Park - West NC | 1 | 1 | 7.7 km | ||
Fontana Village Trails | 1 | 6 | 13.5 km | ||
Fire Mountain Trails | 4 | 6 | 15.4 km | ||
Central Nantahala National Forest | 15.4 km |
Activity Type Stats
activitytype | trails | distance | descent | descent distance | total vertical | rating | global rank | state rank | photos | reports | routes | ridelogs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mountain Bike | 20 | 39 miles | 4,108 ft | 18 miles | 489 ft | #1,520 | #832 | 53 | 227 | 2 | 3,589 | |
E-Bike | 4 | 29 miles | 2,703 ft | 13 miles | 384 ft | #454 | #135 | 5 | 198 | 1 | 55 | |
Horse | 19 | 39 miles | 4,108 ft | 18 miles | 489 ft | #63 | #54 | 71 | 2 | |||
Hike | 20 | 39 miles | 4,108 ft | 18 miles | 489 ft | #1,141 | #724 | 9 | 227 | 74 | ||
Trail Running | 20 | 39 miles | 4,108 ft | 18 miles | 489 ft | #1,145 | #719 | 227 | 37 |
- By markholloway
Trailforks Map Team & contributors
- Admins: NA-SORBA
- #11123 - 15,821 views
- tsali recreation area activity log | embed map of Tsali Recreation Area mountain bike trails | tsali recreation area mountain biking points of interest
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