Bear Creek — Attraction in Chatsworth

Parked the car at the top of the gravel road labeled Bear Creek South on Trailforks, right at the start of Bear Creek Loop. (Glad we skipped that part - it was boring uphill gravel with not much room for cars going by.) We started the loop to the left (clockwise - opposite of Trailforks map) with a lot of single track climbing - nothing insanely steep but we walked a lot of it because my lowest gears were skipping and we’re used to riding in Florida without those kinds of ascents.

Once you get to the fire road close to the middle point of the loop, it’s much more rolling and easy to ride. I actually really enjoyed the fire road despite others saying it’s boring. It’s beautiful and you can get more speed if you’re not comfortable with that yet on tricky single track. Could also focus more on the scenery.

On the far side of the loop (east side, 3/4 way through when traveling clockwise), we jumped on the Bear Creek Cut, which is shown as a black diamond but it wasn’t nearly as steep or tricky as other parts of the trail labeled as blue. That brought us back to the west side of the loop we had ascended earlier, and it was a really nice, fun descent I felt comfortable with as a more beginner rider who hasn’t been on a lot of real “mountains.” More advanced riders were flying down but I could easily control speed and stay slow.

We then got back to the end of the loop and decided we wanted to go back for another half-loop using the Bear Creek Cut. This time we ascented to the right side of the loop (counterclockwise, as shown by Trailforks). I was instantly glad we didn’t descend that side - it was MUCH steeper with switchbacks and way out of my league for descending. (For this reason, I recommend the clockwise loop described above crossing back to the left side at Bear Creek Cut to any beginner riders.) We had to walk nearly the entire ascent, with my low gears out of commission and our legs tired in general.

It evened out more once we got to the fire road, which had one big tree down that was a bit of a puzzle to crawl through with bikes. We then got back on Bear Creek Cut and repeated the same descent, even more fun the second time.

Highly recommended scenic trail for beginner-intermediate riders looking to challenge themselves without the scary drop offs off the side of the trail. Aside from the steep portion of the right/east side of the loop described above, I never felt scared of falling off a mountain side or severely injuring myself, which is my kinda trail! I’m sure it would be great for advanced riders...

Overall, I had an amazing backpacking experience, but there are a couple of key factors to know about the current conditions of the trail. First, there is a massive tree down on the road leading to the main access area for Bear Creek Trail. You can drive to park at the campsite for Bear Creek camping area, but if you have a sedan, you’re really not going to be able to make it to the campsite parking area because there is a deep stream that you have to drive through.

Overall, the trail is really good. The first part is the hardest, but when you are wanting to give up, it starts to ease and becomes a very smooth trail once you get your pace. There are a couple of downed trees along the trail, but you should be able to navigate around them pretty easily by either going around them, over them, or under the trees.

If you’re looking for a Jumanji-like hiking trail that gives you scenic views that make you feel like you’re not in Georgia, then this is a perfect trail for you. However, please note that while the trail is considered moderate effort, it is really moderate-high because of some of the harder points. Overall, I had a great time and would be interested in coming back. The only downside, other than a couple of trees blocking the trailhead, is that there’s not really any scenic overlook. You’re within the forest the...

Very popular trail for mountain bikers, but just as nice for hikers. Lots of folks with dogs for bikes to dodge, but most hikers just stop at the immense Gennett poplar just a mile up the trail. The entire Bear Creek loop is a great hike -- a pretty good climb for the first 2.7 miles, but still in the "easy" category. The full loop is 7 miles but the last mile can be cut off by taking the Pinhoti trail back to the Gennett poplar and trailhead. Full loopers are rewarded by a very nice steep deep-forest 1 mile downhill back to the trailhead -- with a crossing of Bear Creek at the very end that may require...