Review Date
May 15, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: pumbaxc ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
After I missed the right turn to go up the fire road, and rode 3 miles up Ken Burton the hard way, I realized my mistake and came down...now the real ride begins...

the climb up Brown mountain road was as fun as a fireroad climb can be. Not too steep, firm, decent view.
The descent down had a lot of switchbacks that i couldn't ride, but overall it was nothing scary. I'd have to agree with the previous reviewers when they say that the last part of the trail needs some work.
Way too many water crossings and washed out parts of the trail. If it weren't such a dry rain year, I would have definitely been walking through knee high water a bunch of times. Overall sill a good ride.

Review Date
July 29, 2005

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: countmordor ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I started Riding this trail about 10 Years ago. It's great and you definetly don't need body armor. Front suspension will help or just ride with your butt over your rear wheel. I used to ride it in a fully rigid 40 pound bike. It's a great trail and far enough to prevent all the Kook trafic and Testosterone full body armor crowd...I just have to laugh when I see these silly Macho Men with all armor and sky gogles to go down these single track trails. You think they are going to descend down Everest.... MTB is about the physical work to climb the Mountain and the technical ability to hug the trail down... Meanwhile, this trail is great to advance physical fitnes and technical skills.

Review Date
December 13, 2004

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: McAaRrKin ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
LIKE THE PREVIOUS REVIEW SAID --- ITS A DIFFICULT TRAIL
FULL SUSPENTION HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.. BRING SPARE TUBE!!! AND BODY ARMOR
I would have to say this trail is really tiring. Its not the climb that is tough or the single track. The thing that gets you drained is the rock garden and the creek crossing with the sand. The up hill climb is long and slightly steep at some parts but not to tough if you've been riding for a while. The down hill is where things get a bit scary. The single track is very narrow and there isn't much room for mistakes. The Switch backs are also very tight. Though it is not a rutted trail the abundance of rocks on the trail makes it hard. There are also small drops here and there to keep things interesting. The other thing is that the brushes hangs over the trail so i found that half the time going down I was hitting branches and srubs.. etc..Once you get to the bottom the hard part begins. The first creek crossing i tried no to get wet by hopping the rocks but soon found it impossible to stay dry on the other ones. Addition to the water there is also soft sand that your tires just dig into. And addition to that, there is a rock garden. This contiunes for a long while and then the rest is fire road back down.

Recommended Route:
up brown mountain and down ken burton

Review Date
December 13, 2004

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: ptfmb71 ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
I agree with the previous review...this trail is not that difficult. For a beginner it may be more challenging, but for experienced riders it's fun and somewhat challenging. The climb to the top is 6mi and a good workout(in middle chain ring). The single track is fast with many switchbacks and some technical spots. Once you are at the bottom you will get wet with another short climb. Total distance is about 14mi about 3hrs.

Recommended Route:
Same as described

Review Date
November 14, 2004

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: mtnfiend ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Based on the review of this trail I was cautious and brought my body armor. The ~6 mile ride to the top on the Brown Mountain Road was okay, no big deal. The first half was more difficult than the second, very poor signage though.

I honestly don't want to sound critical of the first reviewer of this trail or others who ride these trails, but...the Ken Burton Trail is not that difficult. Nearly all of the switchbacks are rideable and if not easily walkable. The views are great and the area is somewhat remote.

From what I gather the Brown Mountain Trail is heavily traveled; although most people ride to the end of the road and then right back down the same way they came up. I don't understand why. I mean the road up is a nice ride but that's not what mountain biking is about. If that's all people ride, get a road bike and ride on steep roads. The point of riding, to me, the Brown Mountain Road is to get to the singletrack trail down; it's not the point of the ride.

Well enough philosophical banter. The worst part of this ride the day I road the trail was riding through the Arroyo. The recent rains (early Nov. 2004) destroyed the trail. My drivetrain is mutilated from riding through 12" deep water and then through chunky sand that took it's toll. All complaining aside, until the trail is worked on I would not ride this trail again. If you do ride the trail expect several long portages (not really sure if that's a word but you get the point).

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