Tsali Recreation Area in the Nantahala National Forest of North Carolina is world-renowned for its many miles of mountain biking trails. Tsali is located in a peninsula of land jutting out into Fontana Lake on the south side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Beginners and experts alike come from all over the country to enjoy the four twisting, single-track loops. There is also a great National Forest Service campground and two boat ramps, and great fishing and swimming. Cool in the summer, sheltered in rougher weather, Tsali is always a great choice for playing outside.
There is a day fee charged for use of the trails, but not use of the boat ramps. Yearly trail passes are also available.
The Trails at Tsali Recreation Area
Each trail has a name and its own character. Left Loop (12 miles) and Right Loop (11, 6, or 4 miles) loops are the longest two, running way out the peninsula from either side of it and meeting up with each other at a fantastic overlook. Right Loop offers several options for shorts cuts, allowing visitors to choose several different distances. Mouse Branch Loop (6.5 miles) twists back and forth through mountains coves and is cool and shady and offers an optional 2.5 mile extension to an overlook with great views of the lake. Thompson Loop (7.7 miles) has long, gradual hills and passes several old home sites.
Winding over ridges and through forest coves, the trails snake along the lake, offering views of blue-green water and the mountains. Mountain bikes can spend hours zipping and bouncing through the forest, and believe me they do!
Tsali Recreation Area Without a Bike
But Tsali has plenty to offer for those who are not mountain bikers. For starters, only two of the four trails are open to mountain bikes on any given day. The other two are open to horseback riders. Horseback riders have their own parking area away from the bicycles. (Here is an easy way to know which trails are open on a given day: If the name of the day of the week has a 'T' in it – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday – Thompson and Mouse Branch Loops are open to bikes, Left and Right Loops to horseback riders.
All of the trails are open seven days a week for runners, hikers and fishers. Hikers usually park with the mountain bikers. Whether your passion on foot is to carry a camera and hunt wildflowers, get some exercise or make your way to a favorite fishing spot, Tsali offers well-maintained trails with easy access to the lake. And because Tsali is located on Forest Service, not National Park land, well-behaved dogs are welcome as partners on the trails. Right Loop offers the most options for shortening or lengthening a loop hike. You can always do an "out and back" on any of the trails. All the trails have mile-marker posts very half mile, making judging distances easy.
For those bringing boats – power or paddle – there are two parking areas, one above each boat ramp. The gravel ramp and parking area below the bike parking area is the original access to the lake and is the one most often used by folks with canoes and kayaks. The newer, paved ramp and parking area to the east of the original boat ramp is preferred by powerboat owners. Either will give you access to either quiet coves or the wide open expanses of Fontana Lake. For those wishing to boat to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Trestle Bridge, the paved boat ramp offers closer access.
Swimming is best done in the cove at the gravel boat launch. With few powerboats and a more beach-like landscape, this area is quieter and safer for those who just want to float and cool off.
Tent campers will find Tsali campground to be clean and cool, though because it is a small campground, only 41 spaces, it fills up fast. The campground offers showers, flush toilets and picnic tables. More picnic tables are located in the bike/hike parking area, where there is also a water pump for drinking water, and pit toilets. Whether visiting Tsali for a day or three, with or without a bike, there is something for everyone to do.
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