>>> 9.06.03 - Norris Dam State Park - Tennessee

Description: Nice quiet park road. Two long hills on main road, 14 mile loop.
When: Summer 2003, 2004
Distance: 30 miles (two full loops)

Review: Located at Norris Lake in Norris Tennessee, this 4,038-acre park offers scenic cycling. In college I frequently came here to mountain bike. The main park road provides a great casual weekend ride if you want to tackle some challenging hills. There are three great hills on this road and one is over a mile long.

The best place to park is below the dam. You can ride up and across the dam and up one more hill which will lead you to a viewpoint looking out over Norris Dam, resevoir and forest below. A great reward and beautiful scenery. The traffic is minimal if you start out early.

Don't stray too far when riding at Norris. If you go off too far you might see a gang of wild Tennessee dogs just 'keepin it rural'. Cyclists deal with dogs on occasion and I'm not afraid of them... except when they are in packs or happen to be breeds, bred to eat me. I tend to stay on park roads since riding pretty far into some secluded areas. I was almost pulled off my bike by a pit bull and german shepard (together). Luckily I had gears! Highly recommended if you're looking for 30 miles or less.