group of rock crawlers coming from cols ohio to ride tenn need advice

jeepguy365 · Mar 1, 2018

Is it gnarly because there is a lot of mud? Everybody's website showcases mud pics?

tonybolton · Mar 1, 2018

I think GMP has more "ROCK" than WindROCK. But like most parks, the mud is crazy slick when wet.

TBItoy · Mar 1, 2018

tonybolton said:
Makes me feel good knowing my ol hooptie can make it through GMP when I hear buggy guys talk about it being gnarly.

have you ever rode the "hard" trails?

most people dont (they don't want to spend an hour to go 100 yrds), plus to hit every hard obstacle, requires a lot of back tracking.

You don't like rattle rock either tho. laughing1

tonybolton · Mar 1, 2018

I think I've been on everything there except top part of Crackhead. I have no desire for that. Well...that...and the "slab" on bounty hill.

...and Rattle Rock is just so gay-ishly long.

stepup · Mar 1, 2018

tonybolton said:
I think I've been on everything there except top part of Crackhead. I have no desire for that. Well...that...and the "slab" on bounty hill.

...and Rattle Rock is just so gay-ishly long.

And there you go cussing the greatest trail in the southeast. I have always tried to time trips to GMP when it's dry because it has to be the slickest place on earth when it's wet.

TBItoy · Mar 2, 2018

tonybolton said:
I think I've been on everything there except top part of Crackhead. I have no desire for that. Well...that...and the "slab" on bounty hill.

...and Rattle Rock is just so gay-ishly long.

If you look at the carto track map, there is a ton of gnarly stuff around 3, 70, 71, 35, 37, 19, 65, 63, heck even 17 (completely covered in tall grass and saplings starting to grow last time I was there)... and the little drop down loops off of 14-15 that VERY few people take the time/effort to find and run. oh and 23 alternate (most people use 23 as a drop down to get to hellavator from the top)... fun fact: Hellavator was originally named "Lunchbox"

Plus most of the really tough obstacles can be directly bypassed so you can still take those trails and not hit the hero lines.

tonybolton · Mar 2, 2018

Well, I guess I've been everywhere the MAINSTREAM toughness is....or at least bypassed around it. LOL (Bounty hill).

stepup · Mar 2, 2018

tonybolton said:
Well, I guess I've been everywhere the MAINSTREAM toughness is....or at least bypassed around it. LOL (Bounty hill).

Honey Bee is one of the nastiest trails I have ever been on. It is right off the road and the rocks and cracks are just huge. When we were up there last time we were out after dark one night and saw a sign that lead through a little pig trail to a trail called Stinger. It is a hidden Gem. That had 3 of the nastiest ledges in the whole park. We climbed all of them in the dark that night. There were just 2 of the 8 buggies out riding and me and the other guy worked our way out the top. When I saw it the next day in the daylight I just couldn't believe it. I was like damn I could have died. Then I climbed it and rolled on the next to last Ledge. There is just so much more than meets the eye at GMP. I truly think it is probably one of the best places to ride in the South East but it is so far from anything of note that people don't pay attention to it. The rocks are bigger and the trails are rougher overall than anywhere else I have rode. I mean you can go to Windrock and ride Rattle Rock and IMO ride one of the longest most demanding and fun trails that I know of. You can go to Rail Trail and get in some very nasty spots. But if you go to GMP you are on just flat out nasty obstacles. Crack Head is insane. Helevator is insane. The Jungle Slab is insane. Honey Bee is inasane. Stinger is insane. I am sure there some I am missing but all of those trails can be absolutly insane depending on the line you choose. AOP is a awesome place and there are some spots that are just as rough if not worse than GMP but to me Golden Mountain is just all freaking Rock and actually has trails that are growing up because they are to rough to ride. Last time we were there we strated up a trail that had grass and saplings growing in it. We went up it and I would venture to say we were probably the first group to climb it in a few years and there may not have been anyone since. It isn't unclimable it has just gotten hard to find and most people probably drive right by it and don't even know what it is.

TBItoy · Mar 2, 2018

Hehe we all had to winch out the top of stinger when we cut it.

I've seen Tonyb climb the jungle slab like paved road tho

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tonybolton · Mar 2, 2018

I like Honey Bee(but I jump out at that terrible ass gulley rock pinch area near bottom then join back in for the top stuff. RazorBack is about what I consider my "fun level" of riding.

We hit Stinger last time out and that last ledge I think we all went through sideways leaned over and on 3 wheels. Pretty cool I did not think my rig would do it but good spotter up a head kept the winch cable from being used.

tonybolton · Mar 2, 2018

TBItoy said:
I've seen Tonyb climb the jungle slab like paved road tho

I can assure you I'm not having fun while doing it.

halcat · Mar 2, 2018

I think Steve and big Sam (and a few more) are there now. BTW Steve is the instigator of 50% of the tough trails there. he built the bridge and cut crack head and Winston Churchill. TBItoy's copperhead is as mean as they get and claimed my $600.00 pair of glasses during a rock race at dixi run. Late nigh runs on crackhead, the jungle and razorback has claimed a many of parts. Dixi run is the only reason NAPA is still open in Sparta

stepup · Mar 6, 2018

halcat said:
I think Steve and big Sam (and a few more) are there now. BTW Steve is the instigator of 50% of the tough trails there. he built the bridge and cut crack head and Winston Churchill. TBItoy's copperhead is as mean as they get and claimed my $600.00 pair of glasses during a rock race at dixi run. Late nigh runs on crackhead, the jungle and razorback has claimed a many of parts. Dixi run is the only reason NAPA is still open in Sparta

If you do any riding at GMP you will end up having to visit the NAPA there.