Bull & Jake Bikepacking Trail

• Trails and roads in the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management area are closed to bicycles all day during primitive weapons and firearms deer seasons and before 10 a.m. EST during archery and turkey seasons.
• Bears and critters are common in the area, hanging your food is recommended.
• Parking at the Jake Mountain Trailhead is considered day-use, however there is nothing denoting “no overnight parking” nor did we experience any problems on our trip.
• The trail network is multi-use and is heavily used by equestrians.
• The route is best ridden during the spring and fall, however it’s still doable in the winter and summer.

• Rock Creek offers the most ideal primitive camping areas along the route; access to filterable water, trout fishing, and a little serenity are a few of the perks. Oh, and they are free.
• Frank Gross camping area is set alongside the creek with a total of 8 camping spots and clean pit toilets. Camping is $8 a night and reservations are mandatory.
• There is one designated primitive campground within the WMA (Frank Gross), however camping is allowed anywhere on WMAs on National Forest lands, except where posted otherwise.

• Food is not available along the route but hunger is the best cook; throw that on top of a Spirits Tavern burger, along with a fried egg, bacon, and blueberry chutney  when you get off the trail and you’ll be in ecstacy. Their beer,  wine and cocktail selection will leave you calling a cab to get back to the campground. Located in the nearby town of Dahlonega, Spirits Tavern is great end to a bikepacking adventure.
• In the mood for some BBQ and sweet tea, hit up one of the closest restaurants to the trail: Hickory Prime BBQ. Don’t be deterred because its attached to a gas station, thats how its done in the South. Once you walk in the door the BBQ trophies and the smell of pulled pork will convince you that you’ve made the right choice.
• Water is filterable along Rock Creek Road for the first day. Make sure you carry enough to get you to Jones creek which is the next filterable water along the route.

The route starts with about 10 miles of smooth singletrack then transitions into well-graded gravel that travels over a large Cat 4 climb. After an epic descent, the gravel follows Rock Creek, which has plenty of camping, a great swimming hole, and opportunities to hook up with some stocked trout. The next morning starts with a lonely forest road, which leads to about 5-7 miles of pavement along a quiet county road. The pavement eventually turns to more gravel, which climbs Springer Mountain and passes closely to the Southern Terminus of the AT. Winding Stair Gap road is probably the most epic descent of the route, at its end is the first opportunity for filterable water in the day. The route then leads up a long technical climb to the top of Bull Mountain, it is all rideable should you have the lungs and legs. A rock cairn marks the top, the descent is a bit rocky and super enjoyable. A couple of small punchy climbs and flowing singletrack bring you back to the Jake Mountain Trailhead.

Additional Resources

• Regional Topo Map
• Dahlonega.org
• Use the MTB project app to navigate the singletrack trail systems