Taxonomy upgrade extras
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
Words by Matt Noe
Herb Parsons Lake State Park is less than an hour from anywhere in the Memphis, Tennesse metro area, making it perfect for a quick after-work spin in the summertime, or a nice long weekend or mid-day mental health ride. The trail started as an ATV route back in the 80’s, and as off-road mountain biking grew in popularity, the trail changed to the point that tire tracks far outnumber footprints or mechanized tire tread on this trail, and have for the last twelve or so years. In December 1996, additional mileage was added, with further major additions going in over the last three or so years as well. The trail system is home to an off-road triathlon each year as well as a six-hour solo-only MTB event each fall, with more events possibly being added in the coming years.
The park can be made into anything from a relaxing, easygoing family ride that wanders through the woods, to a tree-clipping, race-paced thrill ride. The soil here ranges from sandy hard pack to some loamy stuff, which drains fairly well so it’s usually the first place to blow off some stress after a sustained rain. Some manmade log rides (with bailouts) and a couple of moderately adventurous bridges make things interesting, but mostly it’s just wooded, rolling, swoopy singletrack with a couple of scenic lake views thrown in along the way. There is also enough variety of amongst the nine miles of bi-directional trails (thanks to the tireless efforts of Steve K. and the rest of the Mid-South Trails Association) that you can mix things up and avoid circling the lake again and again; for those that do prefer to go round and round, counterclockwise is the preferred and more popular direction. The “Holiday Loop”—named for the time of year it was completed—is a favorite; just don’t let the bike get out from underneath you, it’s easy to go precariously fast through there.
The trail does turn into pavement about 2/3 of the way through, but only to navigate over a finger of the lake. Once you cross the bridge, it’s time to dive right back into a ribbon of singletrack winding through a pine forest. Is there anything in life finer than singletrack in a pine forest?
