About the Ride: Route Description

Over two days, you'll take on some of the toughest terrain in Eastern America and get away from it all at some magnificent mountain hideaways.

DOWNLOAD MAPS (coming soon)
The following maps are PDF files. Some of them are large files, so be patient if you are on dialup.
Saturday Map, Saturday Profile, Sunday Map, Sunday Profile

STARTING POINT
Spruce Pine, NC is the starting point for the Sacred Summits Cycling Tour. This quiet, historic resort town is noted for its nearby gems and lively arts community. Area attractions include Roan Mountain, the Toe River, the Nolichucky River and the Penland School of Crafts.

Individual rooms and inexpensive bunkhouse lodging are available at the historic Pinebridge Inn, a stately brick schoolhouse converted into a modern hotel. The inn overlooks the Toe River near the Sacred Summits starting line in downtown Spruce Pine.

ENDING POINT
Lake Logan Episcopal Center, nestled in the Pisgah National Forest southwest of Asheville, was once a retreat for the executives of Champion Paper Company. President Richard Nixon and the Rev. Billy Graham were among the many movers and shakers who got away from it all at this rustic resort, centered on a beautiful mountain lake. Today, the Lake Logan Center offers a unique environment for worship, education and recreation for all people. Lake Logan is surrounded by more than 5,000 acres of pristine forest land, preserved for future generations thanks to the efforts of the North Carolina Conservation Fund, the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, the U.S. Forest Service, and the State of North Carolina.

Between these two points, the Sacred Summits Tour winds through the rugged and inspiring terrain of the mountains of western North Carolina.

Friday- 80 miles
Friday's ride begins with a warm-up glide out of Spruce Pine along the Toe River. The ride enters the Parkway near Gillespie Gap, the passage used by the famous Overmountain Men. In the fall of 1780, these fiercely independent pioneers marched across the gap towards a battle with British forces at Kings Mountain.
The ride's first thirty miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway include about twenty miles of climbing. The route ascends from the oak-hickory forests surrounding Little Switzerland to the tall spruces and firs of the Black Mountains near Mount Mitchell. These trees, now endangered by an insect predator and acid rain, are northern species that have survived since the last ice age. If the climb into the Blacks seems tough, it should…it's the biological equivalent of a 1,000 mile drive north to Canada!

The route keeps climbing into the Craggy Mountains, passing Craggy Gardens, a large heath bald covered with rhododendron and other flowering shrubs. Craggy will be a welcome sight for riders, since it marks the start of an 11-mile swooping descent toward Asheville. The route skirts the city as it heads for the tour's overnight stop at Lake Powhatan.

Overnight - Lake Powhatan
After an ample outdoor lunch in Biltmore Forest, it's a short ride to scenic Lake Powhatan, the tour's Friday night venue. Lake Powhatan is a forest service recreation area tucked into the mountains just south of Asheville. Lake Powhatan offers lake swimming, hiking, trout fishing, and mountain biking. The evening meal and entertainment will take place here.

Riders planning to camp can pitch tents in two campground loops reserved for Sacred Summits riders. The Lake Powhatan campsites are set in a dense hardwood forest. Bathhouses with hot showers and flush toilets are centrally located on each loop.

Riders wanting hotel accommodations will be shuttled to the Hampton Inn at I-26 and N.C. 191, across from Biltmore Square Mall. The Hampton Inn is a short drive from Lake Powhatan.
Riders will enter and exit Lake Powhatan via the North Carolina Arboretum. The 434-acre N.C. Arboretum offers public gardens, hiking and exhibits all in a beautiful mountain setting.

Saturday - 50 miles
Saturday begins with a quiet ride to a hot breakfast on the grounds of the North Carolina Arboretum. After a short stretch along the banks of the French Broad River, the route re-enters the Blue Ridge Parkway and the long slog toward towering Mount Pisgah begins. The scenic road literally cuts through the mountainside through tunnel after tunnel on this challenging section of the ride. Once atop Pisgah ridge, the route weaves past landmarks like Graveyard Fields, Looking Glass Rock and Devils Courthouse.

Sacred Summits riders will fly to the finish line. The route departs the Parkway at Beech Gap for a curvy 12-mile descent to Lake Logan. A festive finish line cookout will await riders. Those who care to linger can swim, hike, fish or just kick back in this secluded mountain setting.