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One memorable downhill!


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Map Key

2.2

Miles

3.6

KM

Singletrack

4,852' 1,479 m

High

3,325' 1,014 m

Low

0' 0 m

Up

1,526' 465 m

Down

13%

Avg Grade (7°)

31%

Max Grade (17°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Not Allowed

Description

From the top of the Laurel Mountain Connector, Pilot starts rolling fast immediately. For the first half-mile, the trail follows the ridge and drops through more Laurel thickets and straight-lines through much of it, dropping 200 feet in the process. Soon after that, the trail begins to get rockier and rockier and very tight switchbacks start appearing. This is what Pilot Rock is known for.

This trail comes with consequences. The rocks in the middle of the trail are often thick, and the out-slope of the trail (especially at the switchbacks) is near the edge of steep dropoffs. There are amazing views along this stretch, so taking it slow can be a great thing!

There is a beast of a rock garden that appears after you get below Pilot Rock itself. This is rideable for experts, but a very rugged section. Beyond that, the trail starts to straighten out and flat out rips again. Near the bottom there is one creek crossing before FS 1206.

Contacts

Shared By:

Paul Stahlschmidt with improvements by Trevor Smela

Trail Ratings

  4.7 from 33 votes

#281

Overall
  4.7 from 33 votes
5 Star
85%
4 Star
9%
3 Star
3%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
3%
Trail Rankings

#281

Overall
42 Views Last Month
9,781 Since Jun 10, 2013
Difficult Difficult

0%
0%
0%
0%
85%
15%

Photos

Riding dow some boulders on Pilot.
Jul 9, 2013 near Mills R…, NC
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Weather


Current Trail Conditions

Unknown
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Jul 25, 2023
Owen Mundy
Oct 11, 2021
Scott Miller
The recent heavy rains have made pilot rock quite eroded and V'ed out in several spots.
Dec 29, 2020
Michael Moore
Aug 25, 2019
Kale Stevens
Jul 2, 2019
Misty O'Bradovich
Apr 20, 2019
Nicholas Feliciano
Give it time after a lot of rain. Went and tried it after 5in of rain and 3hrs of drying and some spots was still flowing like a creek.
Mar 19, 2019
LeRoux Jooste
First time up Laurel and down Pilot Rock. Dry with some mud. Going down is tough as hell, slow and very technical. (For intermediate guy like me) 14.4mi — 3h 00m
Oct 7, 2018
Connor Woodruff
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