Review Date
June 7, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: Trek6 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Went there for 3 days and loved everyday of it. Talked with a few locals on what they thought to be the best routes of travel rather than following the recommended routes. What I would recommend is bike of the fire lane same route for right and left loop, then follow along the lake back to camp. This would mean ride left loop counterclockwise and right loop clockwise. Mouse was great, did that loop clockwise went out to the overlook and that loops back around to a previous spot onto mouse you had biked already but continued it clockwise that was a great route. Thompson as previously stated, recommended is counterclockwise. But that way its 6.5 miles of steady climb to a 1.5 intense fast downhill. If I were to ride it again I would probably do the 1.5 of tough climb(Clockwise) to a very long smooth downhill. But don't get me wrong that downhill is worth the climb, just depends on how much of a work out you want.

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Review Date
September 21, 2008

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 2 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: natepac ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Just got back to Pcola,Florida from Tsali. Rode Thompson and Mouse. Both very fast trails in some/most sections with great flow. Anymore shrub growth in a lot of areas and i would have been getting smacked in the face. mediocre climbs. Not technical at all. the trail path was smooth like butter, hardly any rocks/roots. Beginners could ride ths trail without much difficulty except for some small climbs. Just long sections of fast pedaling rolling hills with small banked turns.
Although not supposed too (i rode about 4miles of the Right trail looking for my wife, who had wandered off snapping photos) and it appeared similar to thompson and mouse.
overall i would give it a 3.25/5 just for the speed factor.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Rode Blankets creek the following day and was more impressed with their Trails.

Review Date
May 29, 2008

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 1 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: marxtrain ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
After reading all the reviews, I was expecting a lot more than this network of mediocre trails could provide. Great cross country stuff, but what a let down after frequenting the Pisgah, Davidson and Bent Creek systems. A lot of hype for some constantly pedaling rolling hills. I don't think our tires ever left the trail (zero hops and drops). Now in all fairness, we only did Mouse and Thompson, but after those two dissappointing rides, we had no real motivation to hang out to do Left and Right.

Recommended Route:
Head to Pisgah, Davidson, or Bent Creek areas. There are some awesome trails near the hatchery. Tsali is hardly worth the ride (1+ hours) from Asheville.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Greene Lick; Ingles Field; Butter Gap; Trace Ridge; Cove Creek;

Review Date
April 29, 2008

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: Major813 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I just got back to Florida after riding Tsali. First thing is that not all trails are open every day of the week. On day 1 (Saturday) I rode Thompson and Mouse. Thompson was my most favorite of the two. Not technical at all but you need lots of stamina because these climbs are serious ! I rode Mouse 2nd because that was the suggested route. Mouse was not that good of a trail becuase it felt like I was climbing the entire time. Now I will say this the Last 3/4 of a mile is some fast downhill where I caught some serious air, but I felt there was way too much work for little reward total distance was about 16 miles.
Day 2 consited of Left and Right Loop. Left loop was great. it was pretty fast single track. A little more technical than the other trails. This trail takes you all around Lake Fontanna and the view was breathtaking. I really enjoyed it because I was averageing about 15 mph. After I rode into the Right Loop and traveled to the Overlook....Dude...that must have been the most grueling climb that i have ever encountered, but once you get to the Overlook its all worth it. Then the Trail rolls into the right loop. Right Loop consists of some great DH runs that are very exciting. Due to rain we had to exit thru right loop from the merge of the two trails and headed thru some beautiful single track app 7 miles to the trail head. Again not too technical. Total Distance was app 22 miles.
All in all I give the Trail 4 out of 5 stars. Not too technical but the scenery makes up for those grueling climbs. There is something very peaceful about the trail that I loved. Maybe it was being close to nature.

Recommended Route:
Saturday Thompson and Mouse app 16 miles....Sunday Left Loop and Right Loop.

Review Date
December 27, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: cms0415 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Living in the mountains as a guide i was riding the trails here at least 4 -5 times a week. These are some the best well maintained single track anywhere. Perfect for beginners to advanced riders. Stop by the NOC and pick up a map or get the free one from the trailhead. Left loop is the most technical of the trails. Some spots got a little sketchy and quite loose without any rain. Many of the spots on Left loop that are usually muddy no matter the weather finally dried up this summer. The rock garden on left loop with a long drop to the lake is the sketchiest part, if you're not confident walk it! The ride up to the overlook is totally worth the long climb! The descent down is awesome, but don't miss the switchback or its a nice flight to the lake! There is another long descent which you can really open it up on, nice and long not too steep! Overall any of the trails are worth riding. Be sure to check the sign about which are open to bikes. I recommend staying a couple days and riding all the trails. And if you paddle, the nantahala river is 20 minutes away, a perfect multi element weekend!

Recommended Route:
Right and left loop combined, starting with left loop and merging onto right at about 9 miles for a total of 17 miles. Also mouse loop to the overlook (backward) then back out, total is about 10 miles and almost entirely singletrack. I think combing mouse and thompson would make a good ride as well, but got stung by yellow jacket 4 miles in so just finished mouse.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Flint Ridge, Shell Stand Creek, Fontana