Southern Appalachia weekend: Uwharrie, Turkey Bay and Windrock Park

The southern end of Appalachia rides year-round, and in July the shade of the forest trail is the point. This weekend's three are a Forest Service system in North Carolina, a lakeside OHV area in Kentucky and a big private park in Tennessee. Between them they run from easy wooded loops to extreme rock, so there is something for a stock machine and something for a built one.

Uwharrie National Forest OHV Trails in North Carolina is a compact designated system in the Badin Lake area, rated a 5, on rock, clay and forest trail. Daniel and Dutch John are the harder rock trails. A Uwharrie OHV trail permit is generally required, sold by the day or year. The season is typically April through mid-December, with closures in winter and for wet-weather protection. Confirm with the Forest Service before you go.

Uwharrie's clay is the reason for the wet-weather closures. When it is dry it is grippy and fast; after rain it is slick enough that the Forest Service shuts the system rather than let it get torn up. If the forecast is wet, call ahead. The rock trails are short but real, and a full-size rig should have skid plates and recovery points before trying Daniel.

Turkey Bay OHV Area sits inside Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky, also Forest Service land. It is roughly 2,500 acres of wooded trail and hill climbs on the Kentucky Lake shore, rated a 4 and mostly easy to moderate. A Land Between the Lakes OHV permit, sold by the day or year, is generally required. It is open year-round with wet-weather closures possible in winter and spring. Call the managing agency before you make the drive.

Turkey Bay is the family option of the three. The hill climbs give a confident rider something to do while the rest of the group works the loops, and the lake means somewhere to cool off afterwards. Mud is the main hazard in summer after a storm; the trails drain slowly under the trees.

Windrock Park, on private mountain land near Oliver Springs, Tennessee, is the big one. Over 300 miles of marked trail from graded road to extreme rock, rated a 6, run by the Coal Creek Mining and Manufacturing Company. A paid Windrock permit and a signed waiver are required for each rider. It is open year-round with spring mud and occasional winter ice. Confirm the operating hours and any closures with the park before you go.

At Windrock, the marking system is what keeps a weekend sane. The trails are graded and the extreme ones are clearly signed; a group that stays on the grade it can handle will have a long, good day. The hill climbs are long and steep, and a CVT machine will run its belt hot on them, so give it time to cool and carry a spare belt with the tools to fit it.

Heat is the summer risk in all three. Start early, carry more water than seems reasonable, and watch the radiator screen on any UTV; packed mud and grass on the screen is the most common cause of overheating on a trail machine. Check coolant level before the day starts, and remember that the capacity is in your service manual, not here.

After a weekend of water crossings and clay, grease every zerk and inspect the brake pads. Water washes grease out of joints that then wear quickly and quietly, and mud eats pads far faster than road use does. It is an hour's work that saves a much bigger bill.