The southern Appalachians have a run of purpose-built downhill bike parks, most of them opened since 2020. They sit four to six hours from Charleston, which puts them inside a weekend. Two are free, three run rentals, and two carry you to the top.
Each entry below carries the address, the phone, and the links you actually need before setting out — the trail map, the pass page and the rental list.
| Park | Where | Drive | Good for | Uplift | Day pass | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ride Kanuga | Hendersonville, NC | 4 hrs | A first visit | Pedal up | $29 | Seven days |
| Ride Rock Creek | Zirconia, NC | 4 hrs | More laps | Shuttle | $55 | Fri–Sun |
| Berm Park | Canton, NC | 4.5 hrs | Families | Pedal up | Free | Daily |
| Fire Mountain | Cherokee, NC | 5.5 hrs | A full day of trail | Pedal up | Free | Daily |
| Jarrod’s Place | Summerville, GA | 5.5 hrs | The Savannah side | Shuttle | $55 | Thu–Sun |
Kanuga and Rock Creek both need a signed waiver, and both hand out a wristband at the shop even when the pass was bought online. Under-18s need a parent or guardian signature. Every park takes e-bikes.
Ride Kanuga
- Pedal up
- Rentals
- Food on site
- Helmet with rental
- $29 day pass
- Open seven days
1249 Kanuga Lake Road, Hendersonville NC 28739 · (828) 436-2002 · Trail map · Passes · Rentals
Ride Kanuga sits on 1,400 acres of the Kanuga Episcopal camp just outside Pisgah National Forest, opened in 2020 by professional downhill racer Neko Mulally and Dr. David LaMond. There are 14 trails — four green, six blue, two black — plus jump lines over roughly 500 feet of vertical, and a skills area on flat ground.
The climbing is done under your own power, and the rental fleet is built around that. A Specialized Turbo Levo Gen 3 is $129 for the day on its own or $149 with a pass; the Gen 4 is $149 and $169. The kids’ Turbo Levo SL is $99, or $109 with a youth pass. A half-shell helmet comes with every rental, a full-face is $10 on top, and a tow rope is another $10. Book ahead, and cancel 48 hours out for a refund. Bikes go back by 5pm.
An adult day pass is $29 and a youth pass $19. If the drive becomes a habit, an annual is $399 adult and $299 youth, and the Gravity pass covering both this park and Rock Creek is $999 and $799.
Trails run sunrise to sunset seven days a week. The shop is open 10 to 6 and rentals 10 to 5, and there is an adventure centre at the trailhead with a craft beer at the end of it.
Ride Rock Creek
- Shuttle
- Rentals
- Full-face helmet required
- $55 day pass
- Fri to Sun
298 W Rock Creek Road, Zirconia NC 28790 · (828) 844-1143 · Trail map · Passes · Rentals
Full-face helmets are required here, which is worth reading twice if the plan is to rent at Kanuga and drive over — a Kanuga rental comes with a half shell, and the full-face is a $10 add-on. Rock Creek rents enduro and downhill bikes with helmets of its own.
The park is fifteen minutes from Kanuga, built by the same founders on 300 acres backing onto DuPont State Forest. Buses with bike trailers run to the top, so the day goes on descending. The 14 trails run intermediate to expert across about 750 feet of vertical, and the park has hosted the USA Cycling national downhill championships.
An adult day pass is $55 and a youth pass $50. A four-hour afternoon pass is $40 and $35. Annual passes are $799 and $699, and the Gravity pass covering both parks is $999 and $799.
Shop and shuttles run Friday to Sunday, 10 to 6, with rentals until 5.
Berm Park
- Pedal up
- Free
- Open daily 7.30am to dusk
2153 Asheville Highway, Canton NC 28716 · Trail map · Park page · Trail-status texts
Berm Park is a public bike park inside Chestnut Mountain Nature Park in Canton, free to ride. The Town of Canton built it with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and the cycling YouTuber Seth Alvo, and it opened in April 2022.
It is ten bike-only acres inside a 450-acre nature park. One uphill-only climbing trail feeds five descents, and they step up cleanly: Chain Whip is the beginner line, High Roller beginner to intermediate, On the Fly intermediate, Click Bait advanced and Roll the Dice expert. The trailhead, Flight Deck, has benches and a bike repair stand.
Class 1 e-bikes are welcome. Dogs are fine on a lead of six feet or less. The park posts closures during wet weather, and the surest way to know before driving is the text alert list; Canton Town Hall is on (828) 648-2363 on weekdays.
Fire Mountain Trails
- Pedal up
- Free
- Open daily, year round
Trailhead on State Road 1361, Cherokee NC 28719, sharing the Oconaluftee Indian Village parking lot
Fire Mountain has more than 11 miles of purpose-built trail, free to ride and open every day of the year with no reservation. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians built it as a multi-use system with berms, rock gardens, tabletops and a one-way downhill trail full of sculpted jumps.
The parking lot sits at the foot of the mountain, so the climb comes first and every descent finishes back at the car. Every class of e-bike is welcome, which is broader than most parks allow.
Jarrod’s Place
- Shuttle
- Pedal option
- Rentals and shop
- $55 shuttle, $35 pedal
- Thu to Sun, year round
3580 Dry Creek Road, Summerville GA 30747 · (470) 336-1887 · Park map and trail status · Passes · Waiver
Jarrod’s Place is Georgia’s first shuttle-served bike park, on roughly 230 acres northwest of Rome. Jarrod Harris and Josh Cohan bought the land in 2021 and built trails from green to double black. The hill splits in two: the Lower Mountain is the shuttle-served half with almost no pedalling, and the Upper Mountain is pedal-access only and steeper.
Open-air shuttle trucks carry up to 20 riders to a mid-mountain drop. A shuttle day pass is $55, or $50 under 18; pedalling up instead is $35 and $30. Punch passes run $150 for three days, $225 for five and $400 for ten, and six months is $499. One thing to plan around: same-day passes are not sold online, so a walk-up buys at Park HQ.
The park runs Thursday to Sunday all year, rain or shine, with the shop open 9 to 6:30 and shuttles 10 to 6. Live trail status goes up on the park map page. The headquarters has a bike shop, bathrooms and showers.
Planning the weekend
Kanuga and Rock Creek are fifteen minutes apart, which makes the pair a straightforward two days: up on Friday, one park on Saturday, the other or Berm Park on Sunday, home by mid-afternoon. Hendersonville is about 30 minutes from Asheville and the same from Brevard.
If both Hendersonville parks are on the plan, the joint monthly membership is $125 for an adult and $99 for under-18s, against $84 for two separate day passes — so a second weekend inside the month is where it starts paying.
October and November bring dry trails and cool mornings. Closed-toe shoes, long shorts or pants, and gloves cover it, and a full-face helmet is the one piece worth sorting before you leave.
Questions
Do I need my own bike?
Kanuga rents e-bikes, Rock Creek rents enduro and downhill bikes, and Jarrod’s Place has a shop and a rental fleet. Bring a bike for Berm Park and Fire Mountain.
What helmet do I need?
Rock Creek requires a full face. A Kanuga rental includes a half shell, with a full-face available for $10 more. Berm Park and Fire Mountain set no requirement, and a full face is still the normal choice on a jump line.
Are e-bikes allowed?
At all five. Berm Park takes Class 1, Fire Mountain takes every class, and the other three take pedal-assist.
Which parks suit children?
Berm Park’s Chain Whip and Kanuga’s green trails. Kanuga’s youth pass is $19, under-fives ride free with a waiver, and there is a kids’ e-bike to rent at $99. Jarrod’s under-18 rate is $50 on the shuttle or $30 pedalling.
Which are open in winter?
Kanuga runs nearly every day of the year, Jarrod’s Place is open all year rain or shine, and Fire Mountain is year-round.