Mountain Biking in Big South Fork

What do you get when you combine nearly 2 miles of double-track gravel road out-and-back (3.6 miles total) with a 1.7-mile section of single-track between two bluffs above the Big South Fork Cumberland River? Duncan Hollow inside Bandy Creek Campground. This short trail offers another good excuse to come to Big South Fork for an extended stay, camp at the modern facilities at night, and ride all the many miles of nearby trails during the day. What better way to top off a breakfast of French toast and French roast than to take the leisurely ride through Duncan Hollow, stretching out the hamstrings and sneaking up on all the wild things?

The double-track part of the ride falls gently through the thick woods of the Cumberland Plateau. Part of the forest, however, is a departure from the mixed hardwoods. Managed jointly by the National Park Service and the University of Tennessee, it is a parcel of hundreds of American chestnuts that have been planted in an effort to develop a blight-resistant strain. American chestnuts are those giants of trees whose hulks can still be seen rotting on the ground, victims of the blight that felled them more than 75 years ago.

On the soggy morning I rode here, three deer appeared out of the mist on the shoulder of the road just past the chestnut forest. When they saw me, each whipped up its big white flag of a tail before jumping stiff-legged down the hill. Their noisy flight no doubt alerted the big tom turkey I saw around the next curve; he was already moving at a blur into a tangle of forest.

The leisurely pace of this ride is broken on the descent to a small, heretofore unnamed trickle of water. The creek is so small, in fact, that it is left off of the National Geographic Trails illustrated map of Big South Fork, an oversight I have corrected here. I have also taken the liberty in the spirit of Lewis and Clark to name this body of water: Duncan Loop Branch.

After you descend into the cove split by Duncan Loop Branch, the fairly demanding climb out will bring a deep burning to your thighs.

Finding the trail: Leave Oneida on TN 297, headed west. About 10 minutes out of town, TN 297 turns left at Terry and Terry Store where a forest servicebrown sign points the way to Big South Fork. Travel several slow, switchbacking miles on the descent into the river canyon, and on the climb back out. Once back on top, turn right toward Bandy Creek Campground on Bandy Creek Campground Road. Approximately 2 miles after the turn, look for the road on the left, which leads to the visitor center parking lot.

Notes on the trail: Leave the parking lot at the Bandy Creek Visitor Center and cross Bandy Creek Road, heading into the campground itself. Head toward Loop A. Just as the swimming pool appears on the left and in the middle of a left-hand curve uphill bear right onto the gravel road. Pass the chestnut forest on the right before the right turn for the John Litton Farm, hiking only. Another trail goes off to the left here, but go straight to the next intersection. The main road veers left here, and the bike trail continues straight ahead (look for the white bicycle painted on a wooden post). Continue riding downhill, making the loop in a clockwise direction. After crossing Duncan Loop Branch, then reaching the top of the hill, turn left to return to the trailhead or right for another lap.

View: Trail Map