Ride the trails with an experienced mountain bike instructor at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Chestnut Mountain Nature Park in Canton. 

After 17 years, one of the most beloved triathlons in the southeast has crossed the finish line.

Get started with mountain biking

Take a ride with experienced rider Alex Kirby 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 5 at Chestnut Mountain Bike Park in Canton .

Youth and adults who are new to mountain biking will be able to pick up skills and confidence on the trails during this free program. Loaner bikes and helmets will be available. Registration required with Haywood County Recreation and Parks at bit.ly/haywoodrec.

Race Lake Logan

The annual Lake Logan Multisport Festival is just a month away, with three tri-sport events coming up in Haywood County Aug. 5-6.

Cherokee’s Fire Mountain family of outdoor experiences is set to add a new member after the tribe announced its intention to build a pump track and bike skills park, along with 8-10 miles of trail. 

Although the indirect benefits of the unprecedented tourism boom that’s enveloped Haywood County over the past few years are readily apparent in the form of increased sales taxes and steady work for hospitality industry professionals, locals are finally about to get something out of it besides soaring housing costs and crowded attractions.

As the September start date for Maranda Bradley’s long-planned bicycle ride along the Trail of Tears  approached, its carefully woven threads began to unravel, and Bradley’s nerves began to fray. 

This is one of the fastest growing recreational activities in the Smokies, one easily witnessed by all the vehicles with mountain bikes strapped to the back or top. Pretty straightforward as to why so may partake of this sport: the Smokies contain some of the best bike trails anywhere. Here are the popular spots:

The first trails at Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Park will be ready to ride before the leaves drop this fall thanks to an overwhelmingly successful fundraising effort from Asheville YouTuber Seth Alvo. 

Maranda Bradley knows exactly what her 2015 self would say if she knew what the 2020 version was up to now. 

“‘You’re crazy. You’re in a wheelchair. You can’t even hold your bowels.’ That’s what I would say at this point,” said Bradley.

Emerging from the back of his bicycle shop in downtown Sylva, Motion Makers owner Kent Cranford squeezes around a service desk blocking the front entrance and steps outside to ensure he’s adhering to proper social distancing in the era of the coronavirus while being interviewed.