Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Eden, North Carolina

Bobblets Gap is a natural surface two-track that starts on the south side of the Blue Ridge near Montvale, Virginia, and traverses up the mountain. At the top, it goes under the Blue Ridge Parkway and back off the north side of the mountain range, where it intersects with the Appalachian Trail and a...
Learn more about Bobblets Gap

This is a gravel FS road leading to prime trout water. It's a scenic short path off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Go to the end of the road and take a left onto Jennings Creek. The trout water parallels the road for a few miles. The water is stocked and there are 2 nearby campgrounds off Jennings Creek Ro...
Learn more about Powell's Gap

FS 224 is an improved gravel road that is pretty well-maintained, winding up and down and around the mountain, and can be run in either direction. That being said, you should pay attention to washouts and downed trees due to storms. There are a few streams that cross the road, but they were only 6 i...
Learn more about Wildlife Road - FS 224

Overstreet Creek climbs from just over 1,300 feet in elevation to 3,250 ft, where it meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. This four-mile-long route is mostly gravel, but some of the steep sections include larger rocks. The namesake creek parallels the road for most of the length, and several waterfalls are...
Learn more about Overstreet Creek

This is a dead-end route leading to a junction of 4 other trails. This route has only 2 dispersed sites. This is a maintained gravel forest service road and is primarily used for horseback riding on the gated trails. The surface is smooth gravel. Cell service is adequate at the end.
Learn more about Middle Creek

This dirt track travels just north of Gatewood Reservoir. At just under 3 miles, it's a great quick run, or you can add to a route that includes some of the other local forest roads. There are a few ruts and mud holes, but nothing too extreme, and unless there was a lot of rain, it shouldn't be an i...
Learn more about Pond Lick Road

North Creek, designated as Forest Service Road 59, begins where the pavement ends on North Creek Road. The route is open year‑round and remains an easy trail throughout, with a maintained gravel surface and low vegetation overgrowth. The most notable obstacles are potholes, all less than 6 inches de...
Learn more about North Creek

Colon Hollow, designated as Forest Service Road 782, begins directly across from the North Creek Campground. The trail starts at a historic log cabin, which serves as a notable landmark, though the structure is not open for entry. The route is easy overall, consisting of a well‑maintained gravel sur...
Learn more about Colon Hollow

The trail is an easy, standard Forest Service road providing access to the Badin Lake campgrounds, group campgrounds, and recreation area. Most, if not all, of the Badin Lake campsites do not have power or water hookups; however, the grounds do feature a bathhouse, RV pump station, and lake access. ...
Learn more about Kings Mountain Road - FS 597A

McLeans Creek (FS 544) serves as the middle of three access routes to Uwharrie National Forest. While the majority of McLeans Creek proper features a paved surface, the westernmost mile quickly transitions into a gravel and hard-packed dirt forest service road. On Mullinix Road just before the inter...
Learn more about McLeans Creek - FS 544

Thomas Mountain, designated as Forest Service Road 768, is a maintained gravel road open year‑round. The route climbs steadily up the mountain, connecting North Creek at the lower end to Parker Gap at the higher end. Rutting is minimal, vegetation overgrowth is low, and the corridor remains consiste...
Learn more about Thomas Mountain

Cotton Place is a Forest Service road located within Uwharrie National Forest. It runs from Moccasin Creek (FS 576) to private property south of the national forest. The trail primarily provides access to the "front side" of Daniel (FS 390), the most challenging OHV area within Uwharrie National For...
Learn more about Cotton Place - FS 555

FS-576 in Uwharrie National Forest, also known as Moccasin Cir, is a gravel road that splits the National Forest from east to west and dead-ends at the Deep Woods camp area. Along the way, there are several primitive campsites just off the road. Some of them have stunning views of Badin Lake just so...
Learn more about FS-576

Patterson Creek Road is a great spot to find creek-side campsites. There are a half dozen sites scattered along this 7-mile route. Some are just off of the road, and a few are further off the track. You'll encounter several water crossings as well. Most are relatively short, but a couple on the nort...
Learn more about Patterson Creek

Goff Mountain Road, designated as FS 951 and sometimes referred to as Battery Creek, is an easy, well‑maintained gravel road suitable for most passenger vehicles. A few larger embedded rocks appear along the route, but none present significant difficulty for typical ground‑clearance vehicles. The t...
Learn more about Goff Mountain Road

Dutch John (FS 553) is a major Forest Service road providing direct access from the eastern national forest entrance, via Moccasin Creek (FS 576), to southeastern OHV trails such as Dickey Bell (FS 91), Falls Dam (FS 96), and Rocky Mount Loop (FS 92). This forest service road features small rocks, r...
Learn more about Dutch John - FS 553

Badin Lake FS 597 serves as the northernmost access road for Uwharrie National Forest, providing convenient entry to numerous primitive campgrounds, designated campsites, recreation areas, swim beaches, and OHV trails. While this dirt and gravel road is moderately maintained with occasional small ru...
Learn more about Badin Lake FS 597

Wilson Mountain (FS 907) and Skillern Mountain (FS 316) form a continuous, well‑maintained gravel route that transitions seamlessly at the county line. The road surface is consistently smooth with only minor rutting, scattered small rocks, and light vegetation overgrowth. Overall difficulty remains ...
Learn more about Wilson Mountain

This out-and-back starts in the valley, and after following along Hunting Creek, it tops out at a gate just past the aptly named Camping Gap. There are a couple of small campsites near the bottom, and plenty of space is available at the grassy clearing near Camping Gap. The majority of the road is g...
Learn more about Hunting Creek

FS-576 in Uwharrie National Forest, also known as Moccasin Cir, is a gravel road that splits the National Forest from east to west and dead-ends at the Deep Woods camp area. Along the way, there are several primitive campsites just off the road. Some of them have stunning views of Badin Lake just so...
Learn more about FS-576

FS-576 in Uwharrie National Forest, also known as Moccasin Cir, is a gravel road that splits the National Forest from east to west and dead-ends at the Deep Woods camp area. Along the way, there are several primitive campsites just off the road. Some of them have stunning views of Badin Lake just so...
Learn more about FS-576