UGA Intramural Fields, Athens, Georgia

Long Skinny

Getting There
The intramural fields are located just off of the College Station exit on Loop 10. After exiting, head towards the inside of the loop. The entrance to the park/fields is very close to the bypass, and is pretty hard to miss.  The trails begin either on the other side of the pond, or at the very end of the paved road into the park (for lack of a better word).  There are also several other access points, as these trails go every which way!

The Route
There is a trail that runs around the outside of the network, with  trails criss-crossing all over the place inside of the loop.  Imagine a spider web, and you'll pretty much have the trail map in your head.  In all there are only a couple of miles of trails here, counting all of the different spurs. However, this area can be linked together with other urban trails in the area to create a much longer ride. 

All About the Trail
Despite the lack of mileage and anything remarkable whatsoever, the IM Fields are worth a mention because they are the most popular in-town mountain bike ride in Athens, Georgia.  While the amount of wooded area that contains these trails is very small, it is possible to get a good little ride in by going back and forth across the circle on various different trails, and circling the entire area several times. 

As the most popular in-town mountain bike destination, there are several small bridges throughout the trail system, including one long skinny, and several tough slightly elevated skinnies built on a downed tree.  There is also a section of switchbacks constructed by local mountain bikers, a few jumps, and an abundance of extremely rooty trail. Despite the lack of any serious elevation gain or loss, there are several areas that are pretty technically challenging!

Bottom Line
Great place for in-Athens locals to ride without having to get in the car.  Grab your bike, and ride to the trail!  Otherwise, this isn't worth much of a drive.