Celebrate New Year's Day Mountain Biking at Big South Fork
Join the Big South Fork Bike Club's annual New Year's Day "Mail Run" event. Bikers will meet at the Bandy Creek Visitor Center at 9 am (ET), January 1st and then hit the trails. The ride is traditionally called the Mail Run because, like mail delivery, ‘neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of the night’ stops members from riding on New Year's Day. The Mail Run consists of a choice of rides varying anywhere from 8 to 35 miles so bikers can pick the group ride of a length they are most comfortable with.
The 2016 Mail Run ride will be a special event since it will take place on the first day of the National Park Service’s Centennial year. In order to help celebrate the National Park Service’s one hundred years, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area has partnered with the International Mountain Biking Association, Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, and the Big South Fork Bike Club to highlight 100 miles of outstanding mountain biking in the park during 2016. The 100 miles of highlighted trails include West Bandy-Collier Ridge Route, Duncan Hollow-Grand Gap Loop, IMBA/Epic Route, Kentucky Bike Trail, Chestnut Ridge-John Muir Trail Route, and Hatfield Ridge-Fork Ridge Route. The International Mountain Biking Association now has a special webpage http://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8012330/big-south-fork-national-recreation-area) that helps bikers plan their routes on those trails.
For further information, please call park headquarters at (423) 569-9778.