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A Guide for the Trails in the BSF and DBNF
 
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Bikepacking Sheltowee
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chuckc1971
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Joined: 03 Nov 2008
Posts: 32
Location: Louisville, KY

PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:34 pm    Post subject: Bikepacking Sheltowee Reply with quote

I've been researching this site heavily since I found it just recently.

Someone posted a similar question on the Kentucky Mountain Bike Association Forum maybe a year or more ago.

According to the USDA Forest Service website, all but 53.9 miles of the Sheltowee in KY allow mountain biking. As I have read on here, several of these allowed miles are fairly steep ravine cuts, with steps and other terrain making biking difficult.

What I would like to do is to connect all the viable (via mountain bike anyway) and legal sections of the Sheltowee together in one trip. Where illegal or the terrain length/difficulty would make it not worth the trouble, I would like to connect either other trails, double track, forest service roads or highway if I absolutely have to to complete the whole trail. I will be planning on hammock camping perhaps in early to late fall when rain chances are lowest. I also plan to attach my bike frame to my pack and use the wheels as trekking poles for shorter sections that I must hike.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone done something like this? I am an experienced moutain biker. But, I have only done few overnight hikes on well marked trails.

2. Should I head north-south or vice verse?

3. Should I get the maps for BSF for the sourthern portions of the Sheltowee in TN?

Thanks for any input!
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Chilton
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Joined: 08 Apr 2007
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Location: Lexington, Ky

PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

1) I have not heard of anyone doing this before but there isn't much that someone hasn't already tried.

2) Honestly the northern section from what I know is the rougher section and I would recommend starting there. To me I would rather get the rough stuff over with then have a smooth pedal south. I also mountain bike quite a bit (not that I am any good) and there are some sections, especially in the RRG area that there is no way I'd ever want to ride a bike on. But then again, I'm not very good with my technical skills when it comes down to hills.

3) IDK. Why don't we have those maps yet Boyd?
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chuckc1971
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Joined: 03 Nov 2008
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Location: Louisville, KY

PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the reply.

It might take some planning, but also flexibility as I can only guess from the topo maps if the elevation change will not be bikeable for certain sections. I also have no clue how long this kind of trip would take. What is the typical time length for a thru-hike of the Sheltowee?

A lot of previous forum posts indicate the northern section had a lot of fallen timber, briars, etc.. How about now?

I just checked the topo maps and there is one for the southern terminus, but it has no where near the detail of the other maps.
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jbd
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Joined: 07 Sep 2008
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Location: Carlisle, Ky

PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi chuckc1971.

I looked at the thru hike postings and it looks like 14 to 22 days would be around the average for most people walking the trail. I'm looking at allowing 17 days when I do my thru hike next year.
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I.B.Me
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Joined: 23 Jun 2007
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Location: Perryville KY

PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am confident you could bike it in less than ten days including riding around the areas that are not bike feasable. I am sure you are more experienced than I on a bike but I would caution you about traffic and no shoulders on many of these narrow roads.

Our BSA troop is in the process of a hike and bike of the whole trail. The sections that we have biked have been completed much faster than the hikes. An experienced off road biker should far out pace any hiker. Then one may need to add days, weeks or months for the recovery period should one attempt to bike down indian staircase... Laughing

Good luck,
Rick

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chuckc1971
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Location: Louisville, KY

PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks again for the replies.

I was comparing the topo maps on this site vs. the Forest Service website.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone/recreation/sheltowee.shtml

One of the nice things for me about the fed website is that specific Sheltowee section per ranger districts is listed by activity allowed. However, the maps on this website are listed by county. Besides piecing together from both sets of maps side-side, does anyone have an easier way of figuring out which sections by topo map # do not allow biking? My primary concern is Sections 12-14 of the Cumberland Ranger District. Actually, the fed website doesn't even have maps for these sections anyhow.

Also, the last several miles in KY do not allow biking. How about the southern terminus in TN? I know they have opened up some trails during the week in BSF to bikes, but I don't know about the Sheltowee.

I.B.Me: Is your troop doing the trail in sections I assume? In sequence? What sections have you biked? Where is Indian Staircase?

Thanks again!
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jbd
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chuckc1971--I think Boyd is working on a map product that shows which parts of the trail are open to different activites i.e. horseback, bikes, off road type vehicles etc. Hopefully he will weigh in on that topic.

If he is working on such a map, he may need for people who have been on the trail to help provide or gather the information.

http://www.sheltoweetrace.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=303 See Boyds comment at the end of the thread.
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chuckc1971
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks jbd.

I have a further question: Could I push my bike through those areas designated as no biking or do the tires have to be off the ground? In the Grand Canyon, it's the latter. You can carry a bike in and across, but you can't even push a bike through it. What do the regulations for Sheltowee indicate? I guess I could call one of the ranger districts, but I bet the interpretation would vary depending on the person I talked to in that regard.
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I.B.Me
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chuck,
We BSA troop 71 has biked I-75 to S-tree (one day) and hwy 80 to I-75. The latter was a tough ride and I do not recomend it for 10-12 year old novice riders. It was more of a push for the smaller boys and those with walmart bikes. If the trail were well maintained it would not be so bad.

We plan to ride nothern terminus to Morehead in the spring.

Indian staircase is in the Red River Gorge. It is the south approach to "cloud splitter" and is a series of small ledges that form a natural stair case to make the climb. The reason that I referenced it is that it would just about be suicide to ride it. There may be some very experienced folks out there who will reply that they have road it both ways but my Missouri raising would say that I would have to see it to believe it.
The good news is that you can take Buffalo trail and skip the entire acent and decent the re-join the Sheltowee at the Red River pedestrian bridge.

Rick

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chuckc1971
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Location: Louisville, KY

PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Someone on another forum found this blog entry from 2000:

http://placeswepedal.biowheels.com/2000/01/08/our-unprecedented-journey-across-kys-sheltowee-trace-trail/

Pics:

http://www.biowheels.org/Home/PhotoAlbumn.asp?ArticleID=103

11 days in January and it appears they had some bushwhacking, bike mechanicals, sickness, weather issues, etc.. Considering I would be doing this in September or October with the, hopefully, better weather and longer daylight times, it's looking more and more doable for me.
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chuckc1971
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice picture of the Trace:

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jbd
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Location: Carlisle, Ky

PostPosted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That is a nice overview of the trace. It does make me wonder why the trace was not continued either to Maysville or to South Shore as Traildust has noted as a historical beginning point.

Traildust--if you see this; would this be a project that could be undertaken if we can put together an advocacy or conservancy organization?
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I.B.Me
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chuck,
That link brought back some fond and not so fond memories of when my son and I first hiked the trail.

We hiked that section from Pickett to near Koger arch on 8/7/99 just a couple months before the Matts in the link biked it. There were so many trees down that we just walked the trees like balance beams at about 6 or 8 feet above the ground then we would hop to the next tree. The reason we ended near Koger was that my son then only 8 years old fell while log hopping landing on another tree with his side and chest he then started convulsions. That was the only time we had to bug out during our section hike. We came back and made up the missed part on 8/27/00 and the trees had settled somewhat and Ryan was a year older by then.

Sorry for the reminisce.

I would be interested in trying the Jenny Wiley north from where it intersects with the Sheltowee near Dry Branch. If anyone else is game, let me know.

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jbd
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I.B.Me wrote:

I would be interested in trying the Jenny Wiley north from where it intersects with the Sheltowee near Dry Branch. If anyone else is game, let me know.

I.B.Me tell me more about this Jenny Wiley trail. I saw it mentioned somewhere but haven't located any info about it.
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Traildust
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:55 am    Post subject: extending the trail Reply with quote

yes, we would need some type of organization to pool our people power to see the trail lengthened. Example, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club is relocating the A.T. south of Springer with the consent of the National Park Service. One of the functions of the group would be relocations, expansions, shelters, water sources, maybe even privies.

I would vote for an extension to Vanceburg, south of South Shore. Or routing the trace over through one of the state parks, Carter Cave or Greenbo. Many good options.
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