Review Date
April 13, 2008

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: tatim78 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I have ridden this trail for the first time today. I loved it! The trail offers riders a great ride with some very fast sections and some slightly technical sections as well. There are several elevation changes that may challenge even the best of riders. The technical aspect of the trail is all left up to how fast you choose to ride. Many roots and rocks at off camber slopes challenge riders to maintain course on a particular line. The trail is extremely well maintained and great for experts and beginners alike. Make sure you wear your helmet, you may find out you're not quite as invincible as you think on this one.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Oak Mtn

Review Date
July 23, 2007

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: bjeylee ,  Racer

Summary:
"Swayback Bridge Trail is quickly becoming one of the best trails in Alabama, if not the south." I have to disagree. This isn't a bad trail, but to say it's one of the best in the state...come on. Enjoyed it, had some fun sections, liked the "roller coaster" section as well as those challenging "wall" climbs. Good trail to get extra miles in if your tired of Oak Mtn. Overall a pretty good trail, but it didnt' live up to the hype.

Recommended Route:
Pick a color and rip it.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
oak mtn, chikasabogue, cheaha...

Review Date
July 13, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: GreenLightGo ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
This is a great trail system. I've ridden it twice in the past two weeks, both times, the tight curvy singletrack has provided great entertainment and some decent challenges. Not too rocky, lots of tree roots and some odd off-camber stretches keep you on your toes. I've done portions of the gold route, all of the red (7 mi) and all of the green (2.5 mi). Haven't tried blue or black yet though a good portion of black overlaps red.

As mentioned below in one of the reviews - the Nevegal front/ Small Block 8 rear combo works well when dry. I've got the DTC compound 2.35 on both. In fall/winter, you'll want something with more bite to counteract the pine needles.

Trail drains well after a rain. Early morning summer rides will net you lots of spider webs but it's cooler. Later afternoon shadows through the trees will make it challenging to read terrain with sunglasses - go clear lense. Definitely take water in the summer, wear glasses (it's tight in many places) and go have fun in Central Alabama.

Recommended Route:
Red route skirts the lake and has some great views.

Review Date
May 8, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: corb ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I was really surprised at the quality of this trail. TOLA has done an excellent job building this great singletrack. The trails are very well marked and the varying range of difficulty is nice if you have a mixed-skill group of riders. The waterline trails are very nice.

Recommended Route:
The Black Trail

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Oak Mountain State Park

Review Date
October 31, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: dlhiott ,  Racer

Summary:
Swayback Bridge Trail is quickly becoming one of the best trails in Alabama, if not the south. It has just about every feature you could want in an XC trail. This trail is fast and flows well because a good portion of it was designed and built by some of the fasted MTB racers in the state. If this trail is "too easy" for you then you aren't riding fast enough! Actually, Swayback offers a little something for everyone... There is some easy, fast, flat sections. There are tight and twisty sections. There are short but steep climbs that really get your attention. And, there are some blistering downhill sections where you can reach 29+ mph if yo uare willing to let it all hang out. This trail is almost entirely single track and well groomed with the occasional rocks and roots that are par for the central Alabama area. There is very little sand (only two patches I can think of) and the soil is fairly grippy.

The best tires for this area (when dry) are Hutchinson Pythons, Maxxis Cross-Mark, Kenda Nevegal and Small Block 8. In the winter when it is damp and pine straw is on the trail, I highly reccommend something with more bite. My absolute favorite winter tire for this trail is the Maxxis Larson Mimo. Only problem is Maxxis doesn't make them any more.

Trail is mainteained and operated by Trail of Legends Assoc. (http://www.trailoflegends.org) and they even have their own cycling team, Chain Reaction-TOLA (http://teamchainreaction.com) that helps with trail design and maintenance.

This trail is open for hikers and bikers alike so everyone MUST practice good trail manners and respect each other's right for the pursuit of happiness. ALWAYS WERE A HELMET

Recommended Route:
There are primarily three routes...

You can enter the trail from the far-right trail head and travel in a counter clock-wise direction. Just reemeber to keep veering to the right for the complete trail of 11.25 miles.

You can enter beneath the main trail head sign (you can't miss it) to travel in a clockwise direction. Just keep veering to the left to ride the complete trail of 11.25 miles.

Finally, you can enter via the power-line trailhead, hang a left into the woods and follow the markers for the 7.5 mile race loop.

If you have little ones that you are trying to get into the sport, don't worry, the clockwise option offers a cut out that provides a 1.5 mile loop for beginners.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Bump Trail at Oak Mountain State Park.
Dead Dog Trail in Trussville.
Cheaha Mountain Express at Cheaha State Park.
All trails at Kentuck ORV park in Oxford.

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