{"id":38052,"date":"2018-08-31T09:43:12","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T16:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=38052"},"modified":"2023-06-08T14:26:21","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T21:26:21","slug":"heres-how-the-popular-itusi-trail-is-getting-an-overhaul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/heres-how-the-popular-itusi-trail-is-getting-an-overhaul","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s How the Popular Itusi Trail is Getting an Overhaul"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of North Carolina\u2019s most iconic mountain bike trails is getting a face-lift. The Itusi Trail, in Lake Norman State Park outside of Charlotte, was one of the first mountain bike-specific trails built in North Carolina\u2019s state park system. In 2003, the Tarheel Trailblazers built Hawk Loop, a 3-mile loop on the shore of Lake Norman. In the last 15 years, the trail club has grown that original piece of singletrack into the Itusi Trail, a 30.5-mile system divided into eight different loops. Now, the club is set to do $20,000 worth of work on the original Hawk Loop.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis trail has seen thousands of riders over the years, so many tire tracks,\u201d says Will Washam, volunteer trail coordinator for the Tarheel Trailblazers<\/a>. \u201cThere was a time when that was the only trail in the park. A lot of folks have made laps on the Hawk Loop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hawk Loop traverses the Hicks Creek ravine, passing through a hardwood forest with an open forest floor on the edge of the lake. It\u2019s a beginner-friendly trail with easy access from the Lake Norman Visitor\u2019s Center, so it receives a lot of attention from families and new mountain bikers looking for a short ride. A decade and a half of solid use have left a number of stretches of singletrack in bad shape, particularly old segments of trail that follow the fall line, which are quick to erode. This year, the Tarheel Trailblazers received a $10,000 grant from REI Charlotte, and are working to raise funds to match that grant. With the $20,000, the club will hire pros and heavy machinery to reroute the fall line sections of trail, building more sustainable singletrack that uses the natural contour of the land.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll reroute almost a mile of trail, and the end result will be even more beginner friendly,\u201d Washam says, adding that completing the work on Hawk Loop will free up the club\u2019s volunteers to maintain other pieces of the Itusi Trail throughout the year. The club maintains more than 100 miles of trail in the Charlotte area, but the Itusi demands a significant amount of the club\u2019s time and energy, particularly the older sections of trail that weren\u2019t built with sustainability in mind.<\/p>\n

The Itusi is known for its fast, flowy loops, most of which don\u2019t have steep climbs or many technical root or rock gardens, giving it broad appeal to a variety of mountain bikers. Washam says the Itusi is the most heavily trafficked trail system that the club maintains, but it still offers riders a backcountry experience because the state park\u2019s acreage is so vast that the trails could be designed without much overlap.<\/p>\n

\"Trail

Biran Malec leads a crew of Tarheel Trailblazers members to rough in a trail corridor. (Photo Credit: Goodstuff Creative)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe Itusi adds so much to Lake Norman,\u201d says Joy Shuck, the outdoor programs and outreach market coordinator for REI Charlotte. \u201cIt\u2019s an important resource for bikers and our Co-op members in general.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shuck says REI staff will also get their hands dirty and help with the trail work after the pros rough cut the new trail with mini-excavators. Trail work is expected to begin in November, and the new Hawk Loop should be ready to ride by the end of winter.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of North Carolina\u2019s most iconic mountain bike trails is getting a face-lift. The Itusi Trail, in Lake Norman State Park outside of Charlotte, was one of the first mountain bike-specific trails built in North Carolina\u2019s state park system. In 2003, the Tarheel Trailblazers built Hawk Loop, a 3-mile loop on the shore of Lake […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":38057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1127,1133,110,298,424,480,821],"internal-tag":[1680],"class_list":["post-38052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","tag-cycling","tag-mountain-bike-trails","tag-mountain-biking","tag-north-carolina","tag-rei-stewardship","tag-stewardship","tag-trails","internal-tag-pre-redirect-cycling"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/heres-how-the-popular-itusi-trail-is-getting-an-overhaul","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Here\u2019s How the Popular Itusi Trail is Getting an Overhaul","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/heres-how-the-popular-itusi-trail-is-getting-an-overhaul","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/heres-how-the-popular-itusi-trail-is-getting-an-overhaul"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/Itusi-Trail_PC-Goodstuff-Creative_HERO.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/Itusi-Trail_PC-Goodstuff-Creative_HERO.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["cycling","mountain bike trails","mountain biking","north carolina","philanthropy","stewardship","trails"],"dateCreated":"2018-08-31T16:43:12Z","datePublished":"2018-08-31T16:43:12Z","dateModified":"2023-06-08T21:26:21Z"},"rendered":"