Whitewater Center

About

The Whitewater Center should be near the top of your list if you're visiting Charlotte. You can spend an entire (albeit, somewhat pricey) day here filled with outdoor activities including zip lines,whitewater rafting, kayaks, rock climbing, and of course mountain biking. The 1,300-acre property features over 40-miles of multi-use trails and several additional commodities such as an expansive off-leash dog park, a huge playground in the woods, summer concerts, race series, and much more. 

Race Day for the Half Enchilada Race!

The trail system consists primarily of natural-surface, singletrack trails arranged in a network of interconnecting loops so it's possible to make endless variations of length and difficulty. Actually, there is a race for that... Modeled after the famous race in Utah, the Whitewater Center hosts a Whole Enchilada MTB race each year that includes every bit of trail across the property (there's a half variation called the Half Enchilada that is the most popular variation at around ~24 miles).

While the trails are shared by mountain bikers, trail runners, and hikers, they are heavily optimized for cross-country style riding. The system offers a wide variety of terrain, ranging from flat, fast-flowing beginner trails (like Panda or the Dog Leg trail) to highly technical, root-filled, and rocky intermediate and advanced loops (such as East Main, Bandit, Figure 8, Slalom Course).

Mountain biking or hiking within the trail network is free but there is a parking fee to park within the facility. There is a school adjacent to the facility that a lot of hikers/bikers use to park for free and ride/hike (kinda far, ~1.5 miles) into the facility. Trail status is updated daily depending on weather conditions on the website and you can pay for a day pass (all inclusive activities) or pay per individual activities you want to try out. 

Parking at Whitewater Center

Main Loops

There are three main loops: North Main, South Main, and East Main. The entrance to the facility is a long, meandering road called the parkway, and aptly, there is a one-direction, singletrack trail on either side of the road called the Parkway loop. There is also a trail network across the road from the entrance to the facility that hosts several other trails. Off of each of these main veins of the trail network, there are several branching trails that often interconnect or bring you to another, often unexpected place. 

South Main

One of the favorites here, this has several optional, climbing-intensive offshoot trails such as Goat Hill (VERY climby), Carpet, Wedge, and Toilet Bowl, and some feature-focused offshoot trails such as Slalom (mild dirt jumps) and Tower 93 (fast but short downhill section). The overall vibe is of punchy climbing followed by fast downhills mixed with overall speed and flow on a mostly machined trail.

North Main

This trail is mostly adjacent to the Catawba River and features a lot of roots, rocks, and climbing. The trail really begins with Figure-8 which has punchy and techy downhill sections followed by similarly punchy, rooty climbs.

East Main

This is Pisgah junior. If you have your eyes down the road a bit at riding in Pisgah National Forest, test yourself on this trail. Tons of very difficult climbing followed by the longest and fastest (and techiest) downhills at Whitewater. The is usually the punctuation mark on the already difficult Whole Enchilada race (mentioned above). Tons of rocks, roots, climbs, and descents peppered with occasional features that'll keep you on your toes and get your legs and arms burning. Optionally, you can tie in Tributary and/or Prairie Dog that are mini-versions of East Main to make the ride longer (and funner, if thats a word).

Parkway and Across the Road Trails

Parkway is an all-weather trail that remains open due to the amount of gravel mixed in. Don't let the semi-flat nature fool you... while it's a great trail for beginners, there are some brief climbs, fast downhill runs, and overall great speed and flow that'll surprise you. Take this trail to many others like East Main, Tributary, Corn Dog, and more. Across the road and under the wooden arch, you'll find a few more trails such as Panda, Bandit, Rail, and Smokey, that are true XC trails that get progressively more difficult as you head further in. However, none require much technical skill and this is a great place to bring beginners to get their legs under them.

Trails