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7.9 miles
Distance
1,148 ft
Climb
-1,156 ft
Descent
3,478 ft
High Point
-10 ft
Altitude change
2,393 ft
Altitude min
2,430 ft
Altitude start
2,421 ft
Altitude end
-45.1%
Grade max
26.2%
Grade min
4 miles
Distance climb
3 miles
Distance down
4,131 ft
Distance flat
If you like steep techy downhills this is the route for you.
Climb up wash creek road to Spencer Gap. Solid climbing up Spencer Gap. At the trail junction, take a break and prepare for the hardest climb of the route up Trace ridge. It short and stout. Once it starts to ease up and head back downhill take a break and prepare for whats ahead. You have two options here: crush it or crash it. Keep it fast and loose and enjoy the ride.
Detailed Description
Trace Ridge is a 8 mile popular expert route located near Candler North Carolina. This mountain bike only route can be used one direction and has a hard overall physical rating. This route includes 8 trails. This route climbs 1,148 ft with a max elevation of 3,478 ft then descends -1,156 ft.
Trail Issues on Route
- Minor Issue / Yellow: 1 trail (newest: Jun 22, 2025)
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Stats
-
Distance8 miles
-
Avg time1 hr 23 min
-
Altitude min2,393 ft
-
Altitude start2,430 ft
-
Altitude end2,421 ft
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Climb1,148 ft
-
Descent-1,156 ft
-
Grade max-45.1%
-
Grade min26.2%
-
Distance climb4 miles
-
Distance down3 miles
-
Distance flat4,131 ft
21 Reviews & Comments
Powermoose1
If you are familiar with Brevard riding, this trail is a mixture of Hooker and Lower Black: It's straight like hooker, but with more jank like lower black. There are lots of high speed booters,little drops, and trail doubles.
It's a blue trail on the brakes, and a black trail if you let it rip. IMHO, It's the best descent in Mills River, and one of the best in the whole area. It's not as long as some other descents, which also means it's lappable. The flat areas offer good chances to shake out the arms and laugh at all the near death moments you just had. I rode it on a trail bike and had enough travel to get down, but an enduro setup would have been preferable if your goal is maximum speed.
I have seen 3 bears on it as well: 2 on the climb up Spencer, and 1 on the descent. They didn't mind me, and I didn't mind them. If you are riding this in the evening, I'd expect to see some too.
It's a blue trail on the brakes, and a black trail if you let it rip. IMHO, It's the best descent in Mills River, and one of the best in the whole area. It's not as long as some other descents, which also means it's lappable. The flat areas offer good chances to shake out the arms and laugh at all the near death moments you just had. I rode it on a trail bike and had enough travel to get down, but an enduro setup would have been preferable if your goal is maximum speed.
I have seen 3 bears on it as well: 2 on the climb up Spencer, and 1 on the descent. They didn't mind me, and I didn't mind them. If you are riding this in the evening, I'd expect to see some too.
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mtb
Never Ending Road: getting lost is half the fun
trail: Wash Creek Road
2:54 | 104 | comments: 0 | favs:
May 4, 2025
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