OK, y’all just bear with me a second. You know the bike’s my thing but sometimes those boots are made for walking. And what better place to take a hike (and share with yinz) than a purpose-built MTB trail with some kick-ass features that welcome the shoe leather.
The Emerald Outback trail system sits on the top of Beech Mountain in western North Carolina. It’s a destination trail system for hikers, mountain bikers, and trail runners with over seven miles of trails. And it’s not for the faint of heart sitting at over 5400 feet elevation. And, oh yeah – 50-mile vistas from the overlooks.
The Emerald Outback was built and maintained by the Town of Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation Department. It’s free and open to the public seven days a week, dawn until dusk. The Trailhead for this system is at the Summit Lot, which can be accessed by following the Beech Mountain Parkway to North Pinnacle Ridge Road. Parking is free.