4.5 miles
Distance
648 ft
Climb
-1,733 ft
Descent
00:52:51
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of Kitsuma Trail

  • USFS
    Land Manager

Kitsuma Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Old Fort
    , North Carolina
  • Difficulty Rating
    Black Diamond rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Blue (4 votes)
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Downhill Primary
    Popular direction shown
  • Climb Difficulty
    Black Diamond
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Season
    Year Round
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    No
  • TTFs on Trail
    Roller Coaster
  • Global Ranking
    #1022 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #84260 in Trail Running
    • #37638 in Hiking
  • Local Popularity
    95 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 35 in Trail Running
    • 75 in Hiking
  • Land Owner
    Pisgah National Forest Grandfather Ranger Station

Kitsuma is a point to point singletrack trail that has a machine groomed tread in most parts. A steep, punchy switchback filled climb follows a set of spines from Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain, NC to the parking lot of Old Fort Picnic area. It can be accessed from the base at Old Fort Picnic Grounds or the base of the upper climb.

Access Info

Two parking areas - Kitsuma parking lot via Royal Gorge Rd or Old Fort Picnic Area. The climb from Old Fort picnic area can be either up Old Hwy 70/ Point Lookout Trail (USFS gated paved greenway next to Piney Grove Church) or Mill Creek Road (paved then turns to grave) for a longer climb.

Disclaimer

KITSUMA PINNACLE & steep chute(the only left hand fork) IS OFF LIMITS TO BIKES. HIKERS ONLY.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Kitsuma multi-use trail trail
  • Altitude change
    -1,086 ft
  • Altitude min
    1,641 ft
  • Altitude max
    3,145 ft
  • Altitude start
    2,726 ft
  • Altitude end
    1,640 ft
  • Grade
    -4.6%
  • Grade max
    -48.5%
  • Grade min
    56.3%
  • Distance climb
    1 mile
  • Distance down
    3 miles
  • Distance flat
    1,270 ft
  • Avg time
    00:52:51
  • Avg reverse time
    00:57:23
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Feb 19, 2023
Variable
Avg: 4.75 (37 votes)
Your vote: 0

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  • Basemap 
  • Trail Style 
    • ?
  • Activity Type  
3D
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)
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  • no data
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  • > 6 months
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The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
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  • Description & Photos
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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.
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  • Backcountry Ski
  • Nordic Ski
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      Directions to kitsuma trailhead (35.621080, -82.268090)
      update trails status or condition

      Kitsuma Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Feb 19, 2023 @ 3:53pm
      Feb 19, 2023
      Feb 12, 2023 @ 1:37pm
      Feb 12, 2023
      Lots of rain today. will need a few days to dry out, especially the bottom 1.5 miles
      Jan 11, 2023 @ 3:56am
      Jan 11, 2023
      		 For clarity, the repair work from Dec 2022 is complete on this Kitsuma-adjacent greenway and it is OPEN now.
      Dec 30, 2022 @ 10:01am
      Dec 30, 2022
      		 Very wet and muddy in sections. Worst in the last mile before the parking lot.
      Nov 23, 2022 @ 11:51am
      Nov 23, 2022
      		 Typical late November leaf pack throughout first 2/3 of trail, last 1/3 recently raked and cleaned up. Still many hidden roots and rocks.
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 12 rides
      • 12 miles avg distance
      6 Months
      • 175 rides
      • 12 miles avg distance
      All
      • 3,547 rides
      • Last: Apr 1, 2023

      Technical Trail Features (TTF)

      Photos

      more »
      13 |
      Feb 23, 2023 @ 4:11pm
      Feb 23, 2023
      284 |
      Jan 5, 2021 @ 9:38am
      Jan 5, 2021
      209 |
      Jan 5, 2021 @ 9:37am
      Jan 5, 2021
      239 |
      Apr 12, 2020 @ 10:12am
      Apr 12, 2020

      Trail Lists

      Routes with this trail

      titledistance
      Kitsuma9 miles
      Kitsuma Shuttle Run5 miles
      Heartbreak-Kitsuma Shuttle16 miles

      15 Reviews & Comments


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      Videos

      more »
      youtuber Exploring The South East! Pisgah Flow and...
      16:06 | 1043 | Oct 3, 2018 , Old Fort
      youtuber Mountain Biking Kitsuma, First Ride In Pisgah
      10:23 | 709 | Oct 23, 2018 , Old Fort
      youtuber Heartbreak Ridge Breaks Me?
      15:37 | 615 | Nov 6, 2018 , Old Fort
      youtuber One of my favorite trails | Kitsuma Black...
      9:48 | 273 | May 15, 2022 , Old Fort

      Nearby Trails

      Old Fort

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