The Blankets Creek trail system consists of seven different trails:
Mosquito Flats - 1.0 Miles (Beginner) Mosquito Flats is as it sounds, flat. A nice meandering singletrack trail that winds along Blankets Creek and through the woods. There are some small, flat bridges and one little 3-4 foot hill, but it is smooth and is an easy trail to ride.
Mosquito Flats Extension - .5 Miles (Beginner) The recently cut Mosquito Flats Extension is now being ridden-in and adds an additional .5 mile option to Mosquito Flats. While it is as flat, it does have a few more bridges and is a little more technical to navigate with some tighter turns and a rougher tread.
Mosquito Bite - .7 Miles (Beginner +) Mosquito Bite provides the Beginner with a bit more challenge. There is a winding boardwalk, 3 elevated bridges, a switchback turn and some small, short hills. A few areas of roots and rocks hint at what lies ahead on the other trails at Blankets Creek and give beginners a chance to get comfortable riding over these elements.
Dwelling Loop – 4.2 Miles (Intermediate) The Dwelling Loop is our most popular and most ridden trail. A true contour-trail, Dwelling brings in all the elements of singletrack in our area: Rocks, roots and some elevation changes. In general, this is a fast flowing XC trail that allows you to carry consistent momentum as you move from section to section. You’ll find a number of log crossings and tight tree gates add some interest to the loop. Dwelling is an excellent place to develop your fitness and to begin to tackle more complex technical combinations like riding over root-ledges during a climb.
There is a new advanced Alt-Line trail on Dwelling that has a fast berm turn, a tabletop and 3 small jumps. This is an optional trail and is ridden in the same direction everyday regardless of Dwelling’s daily direction.
South Loop – 4.2 Miles (Advanced) South Loop is our hand-cut, technical trail that brings a real backcountry feel to Blankets Creek. We do as little maintenance as possible to this trail and try to keep it as natural feeling as we can. This is the favored trail of our more experienced riders that like to mix it up with the roots and rocks. Climbs are longer and steeper than those on the Dwelling Loop, but the real story is the rocks. Rock gardens, rock crossings, rocky switchbacks, rock-n-roll! Trail features include switchbacks, creek crossings and a log ride.
Van Michael Trail – 3.9 Miles (Advanced) Van Michael Trail brings the amplitude. This machine-cut trail is relatively smooth but sweeps up and down several peaks on the west side of the park. Switchback and berm turns abound and a good speed can be maintained on VMT by the fit rider. Technical features are limited primarily to some rocky sections near the infamous “Kevorkian Pass.” There is also a really nice log ride carved out of a single fallen tree. If you’re from the “you have to go up to get down” school, this is your trail.
Quehl Holler - .25 Miles (Expert) Quehl Holler is our brand new flow trail. 755 feet long, this trail is all downhill on hard-packed, smooth Georgia red clay. Berm, drop, jump, berm, drop, tabletop all the way down to the big finish on the “Wall Ride.” Speed, flow and air-time rule the day on a trail that you’ll want to do over and over. We advise that you scout this trail carefully prior to committing yourself to a full-bore run. While there are lines available that allow you to keep your wheels on the ground for the distance, some of the lines have gap jumps that are deep and long. This is an Expert level trail and we recommend full-face helmets and armor for those that plan to wring out the best from this trail.
