Tsali - Bryson City, NC

[hynds]

For Tsali Dec 3, 2004 - pretty good but some mud holes

I called NOC and they report 'pretty good' trail conditions at Tsali with some mud holes. I tried the trailhead number and left a message. I will post something here if I hear from them today.

[Commander]

12/04/04 - 12/05/04

Tsali is a mixed bag these days.

The right loop is horrifically muddy with tons of mud holes that could easily be fixed with just a bit of time (Some will take more sophistcated work). It is worth riding but be ready to get dirty even on a dry week

The Left loop is in pretty good shape with a small mud hole or 2 but dry for the most part. There are a couple of trees down mostly near the beginning of the trail.

Thompson loop has 3-4 trees down that had to be climbed over. Wasn't too muddy with a mudhole here and there more near the end.

No riding on Mouse loop but the talk was muddy as well.

The unfortunate part is most of the mud holes mentioned do not clear up even during dryer conditions and some holes are over 2 years old. most of these conditions could be fixed with simple hand tools and several people willing to work. This is a bit far away for us but if anyone has an idea something really should be done. Tsali is riding on it's reputation and the money we are paying to use the trail isn't being used to maintain them.

Hope this helps everyone.

[Schaarschmidt]

Just returned from a mountain bike trip to NC. The report of "some mud puddles" at Tsali is gross mis-statement of fact. A more accurate report would be:

Right Loop - Plagued with mud puddles to the extend that this trail is barely enjoyable to ride. The last time I was at Tsali (18 months ago) there were a lot of small to medium mud puddles. All of those mud puddles still exist, however they are now much larger and deeper. Also, there are a lot of newer small and medium mud puddles that make this trail a muddy mess. If you plan to ride this trail, expect the accumulation of mud on your drive-train and possible chainsuck problems. I made it though the trail without too much of a problem, but a few I rode with were not as fortunate. I suggest that you take an extra water bottle to rinse off your drive trail, just in case.

Left Loop - Still a nice ride, however it too has seen the addition of several new mud puddles, in addition to the ones that were there 18 months ago.

Thompson & Mouse Branch - Cannot give a report as I left and went to Fontana to ride.

It is really sad, as this used to be an outstanding trail system. However, it is clear that none of the rider fees ($2/rider) are going to maintain the trail, other than the removal of downed trees. Shame on the Forest Service for using the mountain bikers as a source of revenue while failing to protect the very resource (the trails) that the mountain bikers go to the park to utilize.

[Guest]

Hynds, great to finally meet and ride with you. Thanks for taking the time away from the family to drive over and ride with us. I hope we met your "expectations." Next year plan to bring your wife with you and stay in the cabins. I'll post to this forum once the jersey's are in.

Rob

[Guest]

Rode the Right loop two days ago after a couple days of rain/snow, it wasn't too bad. There are a couple puddles that would benefit from some logs but overall it ok. No trees down.

[Schaarschmidt]

Rode the Thompson Trail yesterday. It was difficult to judge the condition of the trail as it started to rain during our ride. Noted a few puddles with standing water that had clearly been there prior to the start of the rain, otherwise trail in good condition. Did not ride other trails due to rain.

[Commander]

Super Messy, Stay away and expect right loop to be rutted even when dry.

[Guest]

Typical shot of scenery at Tsali.....

Rick

[Schaarschmidt]

All of the trails have have a few trees down and also puddles with standing water due to the lack of maintenance. Left loop is in the best shape followed by Thompson loop and are in ridable condition. Right loop and Mouse should be avoided.

Mouse loop has a lot of puddles with standing water (about 1 every 75', 2" to 8" deep) the trial between the mud puddles, it should be avoided due to the number of puddles. Did not ride the Right loop due to others reporting that its condition is very muddy with a lot of puddles with standing water, some of which were rumored to be hub deep.

All of the trails need a lot of maintenance.

[jsimpson]

Rode all four trails June 16-20. Trails were dry except for a few mud holes that were still holding water. These trails could use a little work to drain better. It was dry when we rode, it you ride within a few days of a rain expect to get muddy. There is also a lot of overgrowth on Thompson and Left Loop, but over all the trails were rideable, no trees down, and lots of fun.