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Fairly technical compared to anything else I’ve ridden locally. I’d say it’s a notch below San Lee but has much better flow (unless you enjoy endless switchbacks) and is overall a more enjoyable ride. Trail is fairly easy to follow(rode CCW), minus the connector to skip the closed (?) section. It’s kind of just randomly off to the side and not marked well. Figured it out after I ended up back at the gauntlet and may have ridden the closed trial…not sure. Overall, I think most intermediate riders can handle the whole trail. Maybe a few sections with increased difficulty but mostly rideable. Has bailouts if something is over your skill level. Definitely one of the best trails in the area. |
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Super technical with lots of climbing followed by fast and gnarly descents filled with rocks, roots, some jumps/gaps, and rough terrain. Better have your suspension dialed in or you’ll be knocked around quite a bit. Signage kind of sucks and it’s easy to get turned around near the end, probably a good idea to bring your phone for the first few times.
For intermediate or advanced riders, this is probably one of the better trails in the area to get warmed up on before heading to the mountains. I don’t think there’s anything that comes close besides San Lee. |
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Make sure to bring your big boy climbing pants, and plenty of water. BY FAR the toughest trail in the triangle IMO. Technicality is probably on par with San Lee, but this trail is so much more physically demanding. 1,100ft of elevation gain over 9.5 miles kicked my butt. Harris lake is roughly the same distance with 200ft of elevation gain to put that in perspective. Not only that, but a lot of the climbs are very technical, making it even tougher. All that said, this trail is a blast. For every climb you endure, you’ll be rewarded with a great downhill at some point; not just smooth downhills, but ones with drops, gaps etc. There are rock gardens galore, log crossings plenty of little bend and jumps (even a double or two). Very interesting trail with great scenery to boot. Signage is a absent; It’s easy to take a wrong turn in a few places. My only other complaint is that it’s on gamelands and we’re restricted to Sunday most of the year. |
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I started riding New Light in 2016 and it has become one of my local favorites. Compared to Pisgah, DuPont, and all the “real” stuff in the western part of our state, NL is a mild warm up at best…but in the context of where we are, NL is more for intermediate riders and up. I would never bring a beginner or someone fresh off a road bike - Harris or Crabby are for those riders. As some sections wash out and wear, it’d be cool to see a few work days announced, but the trails are still fun in their raw state. Best time to hit it in the summer is very early in the morning, btw. NL isn’t great on a summer afternoon! |
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As an older rider (71 Y.O.), I really like New Light. It reminds me of how trails were in the 90's. It's got some hard up and fun downs and some rocks and logs for variety. I think that the whole loop is probably one of the most challenging rides in the Raleigh area. The parking is tight, there were at least twenty cars there when I went yesterday. This is probably because it is only open on Sundays until May 1st., then it might thin out. There apparently is a fun ride every Sun. at 9am called "Dirt Church". |
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Rode this trail for the first time on 7-17-21. High humidity and about 85 degrees when our group got started. I quickly found out that I should have waited for cooler weather. This trail is tough! The hills are killer and they don't stop. The down hills are awesome but are still pretty technical with small drops, rocks, and roots so even then you don't get much a of a break. Even though I had to stop a few times to keep from losing my breakfast and walk up a few hills I still really enjoyed the trail. It's by far the hardest trail in the Triangle I've ridden yet.
There are a couple of gap jumps, some pretty cool features, lots of rocks, roots, and awesome scenery by the lake. The flow is good in a few spots but there really isn't much of it. This trail humbled me but I'll be back when it cools off a bit. Then I can't blame the heat on my wimpy performance. |
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Decent trail for intermediate and above skill level. Make sure your conditioning is up to par if you're doing the whole trail! |
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Lots love it, but I don't. I love flowy fun trails. Warrior creek is about as challenging a trail as I enjoy, so New Light isn't for me. So many rooty-rocky climbs and so much walking the bike that's it's more like cyclocross than mtbiking. Give it a shot- if you're like me, you'll enjoy telling stories about what a gnarly trail this is. I'd ride this again for no less than $1000. Not fun. |
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No detailed review given.
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No detailed review given.
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Tried this trail out yesterday for the first time.
The road / parking lot is a little tricky to find but if you watch closely you'll see it - the directions are spot on but the road looks a little like a driveway so I was hesitant to pull in until a turned around and confirmed. If you go slow you'll see cars parked nose in on the side of the road, and its very accessible with good parking.
The trails are a little tricky to find - the easiest way is to take the trail to the right of the main sign with the trail map - that will take you into the network. From there you can jump onto a few other trails including both short and long (think really long) loops.
I road the red connector which starts right next to the trail sign to easy street and made a bit of a backtrack / loop. If I did it again I would go to the end of the parking area (there is a gate) and Easy Street starts there - there is a small mound on the side of the road.
The trails are pretty challenging from my perspective - lots of smaller drops and some nice uphills - nothing a reasonably skilled MTB'r can't handle but it is a leg burner. Also, there are a few rocky creek crossings that are easily crossed, but also can be walked if needed.
There were a dozen or so cars in the parking lot and I only saw a handful of folks on the trail so riders get distributed out pretty well. I also saw a few hikers on the trail. I didn't ride any of the larger loops, but they look pretty long. There is a network of fire roads so there may be bailouts on the longer loops and the fire-roads are pretty easy double track. If you ride the entire outer loop of trails it looks like its about 8 miles - i'd like to try it but won't start at 4:30 PM.
I look forward to May when this trail is open more often and I can take a day to ride the full loop! Overall great trail and a great job by T-MTB is getting access and establishing the trails and bridges. Hope they publish some workdays - would love to volunteer to help. |
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I can't believe it took me this long to ride New Light. My favorite trail in the Triangle by far! Great punchy climbs, super technical rocky areas and roots galore. I would not bring a newby rider here. If someone brought me to New Light when I first started riding big bikes I would have quit, ha. |
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This KING KONG trial of this area IMHO; While not super technical it is a raw tough trail like in the good ole days, there is more than enough short stiff climbs with its accompanying friend the switch backs and every type tree roll overs imaginable. |
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Ride CCW if you are new! While yes, some masochists ride backwards, with almost all of the fun features oriented the other way, I'd start out CCW, i.e. turn right at gate rather than going straight out of the parking lot. In general, it was scenic and challenging and certainly worth a visit. The light handed management (probably no excavators massaging the clay) means it is more vulnerable to fall line erosion but also fun to slide in the composting leaves. Lots of cool rock features. |
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No detailed review given.
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Well this was a really fun ride but brutally tough for a beginner level rider. I rode out on First Loop and then I took the Fire Road back. A few of the climbs had so many roots that I just had to get off and walk. I had a great time on the flatter sections of the trail and the downhills were a lot of fun. I got a lot of practice at small drops and climbing over roots and rocks. I ride a Trek Full Stache 8 with the 29 plus tires so honestly the rocks and roots on this trail did not have much impact except when climbing. If I was on a hardtail I would probably be pissing blood from all the bouncing. Again all this is from a beginner perspective so if you are a decent rider you won't have any issues. Really nice group of people out there on a Sunday. Definitely worth a visit. |
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Come prepared to climb as the going can get tough. I wouldn't say this is extremely technical stuff but it certainly ramps up on the climbs and there are a few sections that are just a slog. The trails aren't very well marked and if you go the wrong way on these they are impossible to climb even with a extra wide 50 tooth granny gear.
I wouldn't say they are black diamond difficult but I would agree with MTB project in saying they are blue black its not length that gets you its the climbs.
My only criticism is that it is so easy to get turned around out there and the four or five times I've been out there I've had to resort to GPS to find my way back.
You can't really get enough speed to get any flow and the trail is in some parts really tight forcing some slow downs but there are a couple sections like sigs loop which has a gold amount of flow with a beautiful view of the lake.
Speaking of Sigs loop wear loads of bug spray since this section is a little overgrown and I got bitten to bits by chiggers and mosquitoes.
There aren't any amenities like bathrooms or water fountains so bring plenty of gear, water, and stoke |
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I consider myself an intermediate rider, and had a tough time on this trail. Lots of rock gardens, baby heads(large rocks), steep climbs/descents and technical areas that reminded me of tough rides out west.
The whole experience made me question my skills as a mtb rider. Having said all of that, I believe a lot of the fears were more mental then physical restraints, and recognizing that makes me want to give it another go.
3 tips for this trail:
Track your line, don't spin out, and trust your wheels! |
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This trail is amazing just the way I like it ,nice climbs and fast decents and some really nice technicals spots.... |
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I really do like this trail, but here's what you should know:
It's not as technical as people say. Yes, there are some very technical sections, but the majority of it is not. Most of it is rooty, but not difficult to stay clean, especially with some momentum.
Climbing isn't really difficult. I frequent the trail on a singlespeed and while there are a lot of short climbs, they don't seem steep or difficult and I can do them with just one gear. Not like the climbs are rocky road for example.
There are a few nice hops and very small tabletops, and one gap jump that is an accident because there used to be a bridge that collapsed. Be careful because it has a small takeoff and no landing so you do need speed.
The trail is not very flowy in general. Maybe with a full suspension you can conserve some more momentum and overall make it flowier but it just doesn't have a flowy vibe. I'm on average about 3mph slower on this trail than most other trails in the area.
All this being said, if you're a beginner, you will probably hate this place the first few times you go, but if you keep at it you may end up really loving it. It is the most difficult ride in the area IMO. |
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Ok,so let's be honest! This trail and its entire existence is a mountain bikers feast! Climbs you may ask"plenty and challenging! Drops? I hope you have good forks! Speed?Those hydraulic brakes better say Shimano xt or xtr somewhere on them"you will need them". I have been riding since 1990 and tried many trails, I like hard stuff, challenging course that work my lungs to exhaustion and this trail will give you that and more. Enjoy it and pack an energy booster. Views are awesome! |
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It's hard (I don't know hot to handle big rocky climbs), but it's very funny.
There are a lot of very-very fast downhills.
It's my favorite in MTB area!
I recommend everyone to try it (you need to check all tracks, I spent 2 days) |
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I just moved to the area and have ridden this trail a couple of times so I figured I would post a review since it's been about a year since the last one. The directions on the page are still relevant as far as finding the trail. It's got a lot mellower climbs and descents and you can definitely pick up some speed going down. The first half of the trail is fun but not too challenging or difficult for someone of moderate skill. The second half definitely has more technical features with a couple of awesome gaps, a lot of smaller rock hills, and rock gardens. It goes along the edge of the lake and has some great views. It's definitely a workout so be prepared to commit to the trail because you can't really cut out early if you get tired. The trail is definitely worth checking out. It's probably the closest to a "natural" mountain biking trail so don't expect smooth machine made features. |
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One of my favorite trails within 50 miles of the Triangle. Unfortunately as Mr.Monkeywrench mentioned, there is some serious logging going on right now. The first 1.5 - 2 miles are gone. FUBAR, don't even bother.
My suggestion (as of 6.8.2014) is to head out on the old fire road you usually finish on, make the first right onto another fire road and head for the water. Look for that section of the trail with the burnout and short flowy downhill, to your left. You will see a white trail post where the trails starts. From there on out it is mostly the same.
Lets hope the logging stops soon. |
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Tried to ride the trails today; be advised considerable logging activity is going on which has disrupted the entry trail.
Advise go there with someone that knows the trails well otherwise you spend awhile on the fire trails. |
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Great trail. Besides San Lee, it may be the best in the area. It has a good mix of everything. The San Lee trail Wizard needs to put his special brand of magic on this trail. |
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I've only been there once when I first moved to the area a few months ago. Definable one of the harder trails in the local area. It isn't marked very well and I managed to get myself lost for a bit. Definitely has come long climbs compared to anything else I have ridden around here. Some very rocky sections as well. I would not recommend this place for beginners. |
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I'm going to go back and give it another shot but my first ride here wasn't fun. I tried to follow the fir road down to lower trails and ended up spending most of my ride climbing back up it. There were trees that were painted to look like trail markers that weren't trails and by the time I climbed all the way back out to the lot I had no gas left to ride anything else. That said, it was my first ride and I'm going to give it another shot. |
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Rode it for the first time today. Considering myself technically intermediate + and physically intermediate -, I found the trail quite challenging, especially for the technical aspect. Lot of rocks, roots and obstacles to get over. Funny while going downhill, sometimes very difficult while going uphill. All the trails together are making quite a long ride, and some of the uphill sections are difficult but never very long. Finally, the marking is not very good ; there is very few intersections, so you won't get lost, but it's very hard to know where you are "on the map", which can be annoying to manage your effort. Overall, I'm still preferring Beaver Dam, even if I would come again to ride something different. |
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Definitely one of my favorite spots to ride. I haven't ridden this place yet where I haven't smacked into a tree or dinged my bike. Walked away with some nice battle scars from this place on my self and my bike. Great climbing and downhill spots, and of course, The Gauntlet! |
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This place is absolutely beautiful. I have only ridden here in the winter and cannot wait to see these trails in the spring/fall. There are some technical sections along with a few difficult climbs so bring your legs. It certainly is a shame that these trails are not open everyday all year round, but we are lucky to have the time that we do on these trails. This is a must ride for any serious mountain biker in the area. Do yourself a favor and make a day at New Light. |
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Fun trail with short climbs. Rock gardens for intermediate fun. Ride it fast to increase the fun. |
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New light is pretty difficult for the Triangle. Many many rock gardens and rock piles are available on this trail. Some jumps are along the trails, but have rough landings/need to be ridden carefully. The scenery on this trail is pretty cool, and there is a lot of nature present. I would rate New Light as being for Intermediate/Advanced. |
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I've ridden Beaver Dam a million times and some how just never made it across to to New Light. This is a great trail, plenty of up and down, has some great rock features, it feels like you're way out in the middle of no-where and you go right down to the edge of the lake. For the triangle area there are some great climbs, too.
It could be better marked once you're out on the trail, I found a few signs at the parking area, but once out on the trail there wasn't much of anything.
I'd rate this up with Beaver Dam and San Lee trails as far as fun and diverse trail types. |
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I hadn't ridden this trail in several years mainly because its a bit of a drive to get to for me. Rode it today and really enjoyed it! I especially like the rock gardens/piles. I don't remember them from the last time I rode. I am a cross country junkie on a FS. The FS makes this a really fun trail. Saw a few guys on hardtails. As long as you are in reasonably good shape and have average bike handling skills you hardtail riders will enjoy this trail as well. Great lake views and its only about 5-10 mins from Beaver Dam so if you want to get some miles in and not just repeat the same trail its real easy to do. |
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Good, as always, today. Not that I was upset or offended, but I came across a large pile of fresh horse poop early on, then later two guys, looked like noobs, with two dogs, off leash.
Didn't bother me, but I wondered who, if anyone, enforces anything @ N/L?
A large tree down blocks the Lake something (sp/name) loop; funky bypass in place. It would be easier to access by boat than on foot or bike. |
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This is the second time I have ridden at New Light. The first time, this past winter, I crashed hard and limped off the trail. Not the case this time. Had a fun ride with some great folks. The trail is very challenging, as mentioned below, it is as clost to Pisgah as I have found in the area. It is a very technical ride with a lot of short ups and downs and a few other longer climbs. A coiuple nice downhill stretches with some fun jumps and plenty of obstacles. Be ready for a tough ride. |
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Ive been riding the triangle for years but for some reason I have not made it out here before.
This trail is by far the best in the triangle! |
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I don't know how others feel but I loved this location back before it started getting chopped up/cut off but that's how it goes. I liked before how it was longer but I just ride today and doodling along it's at least a little over an hour still, after backtracking once and stopping to check my map twice.
Now that I know the route, it will probably be a little more fun having to "think" less.
I also worry a lot about the car getting vandalized as it's happened apparently several times out there. At least now there are some houses in sight of the parking section that may deter the idiots.
I plan to go ride several locations in one day soon, Beaver Dam, Harris, Chapel Hill, etc as a way to prep for longer events ;) |
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No detailed review given.
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No detailed review given.
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I just finished my first ride at New Light and I am quite impressed! I did the big loop CCW. We got lost a bit after coming out of the First Loop. We took Sig's loop the opposite way and missed The Gauntlet initially, but figured it out after a while. There are lots and lots of rocks & rock gardens which were really fun. The downhills are gnarly and there are a bunch of fun drops. I didn't think the trail was overly exhausting, but then again we did stop a lot. It's definitely the most technical trail i've ridden in the Raleigh area. Good stuff. |
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I like these trails a lot. Overall, I like them because they are hard and technical and as close as we can get to some Pisgah areas. I come to NL because I am able to train for endurance, strength and skill. I think there are plenty of technical features to aspire towards. I.E. The Gauntlet, the section connecting The Gauntlet and WIWO. Lots of rock to challenge yourself in that section. Log skinny. Free riding...not as much built up features...you can jump the log bridge, lots of rock to jump and some table top jumps. (I don't have much exp. in this area). The scenery is great, lake views, wooded forest, creek crossing, great to ride in the fall, seen a lot of wildlife...turkey and deer so far. Flow? Judging from my own skills, I flow through these trails at about an intermediate level. I almost flowroll over the rock at the top of the switchbacks, I have yet to make the gauntlet. First Loop has some great downhill runs. I love the steep hill climbs and I flow up those as fast as I am able. The flow is good for me and my all mountain bike and will get better as I ride out there more. |
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This trail is a gut buster, you better bring the A game cause it will hurt you or your bike if you are not paying attention. This is not a flowy ride along and hum to yourself trail. This thing works you out and spits you up. Begginers should stay home. Some of the rocks are sick, I am to old to try them but I can appreciate the skill of others that do. I feel really good when I finish this one in one piece. I ride it maybe twice a year and always forget how hard it can be until the next time. Someone has been putting work in out there. Looks good. Thanks |
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No detailed review given.
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It's pretty much like all the previous reviews. I love my hardtail and haven't found an urban trail that I couldn't handle...until New Light. My hardtail managed it's way around, but my full suspension would have been much more fun. I even think that the full suspension would have climbed better. My hardtail wanted to spin out on the gravel climbs. The obstacles were great. The rock gardens are my favorite. My only issue was that fact that I got lost. I started with the First Loop, Route 66, Sig's Loop, The Gauntlet and then Burned Out. At the end of Burned Out I came across a couple of tracks and made the wrong turn and ended up going back through all the loops, backwards. I did notice that there were signs posted when the trail crossed over fire roads. Any ways, I can't wait to go back. |
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I tried this trail based on the reviews and the desire to try something more difficult than Crabtree. I am not a novice biker, but this trail is not for beginners or casual mountain bikers. These trails have some flowing sections, but many sections are tight and twisty, with tons of roots and rocks. If you are not in great shape and don't have advanced skills, you can look forward to lots of hike-a-bike sections. If you are going to ride here be sure to bring along your cell phone, an extra tube, and your tools. And please, please follow basic trail etiquette and remember that downhill riders should yield to uphill riders. |
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No detailed review given.
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No detailed review given.
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OMO, New Light is the best riding in the Raleigh area. I have not found any better. Throughout the entire trail there are rock gardens, log crossings, snake backs, roots, good up and down climbs…fantastic. If New Light is not open, then Beaver Dam is a 10 minute drive. This is good news since BD is the second best that I have ridden in this area. |
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I've only been riding for a few weeks ( years of BMX and other riding ) but these trails were intense. i had a blast between the rock gardens and random down hills but the switchbacks and hill climbs...all im gonna say is it'll help if your half billy goat. Ive been to legends and crabtree and falls...this one by far is the most technical. I wouldn't suggest doing it alone if your a beginner. actually i wouldn't suggest a beginner to do it at all..it was the first time i clipped in with my pedals and thank God i did. over all tough but great ride..you really feel like you've accomplished allot when you finish it. |
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This is my honest opinion, not meant to piss anyone off.
I am thoroughly disappointed with these trails. I did an 8 mile loop there today and enjoyed 1.5-2 miles of it and the rest was pretty bad.
I have been riding mountain bikes for over a year and on bicycles for about 15 years and I have NEVER been pissed off or upset about riding through 2 broken wrists, a missing tooth, 30+ stitches in my face... but today about 6 miles in I literally lost it.
I was so upset with these trails and the fact that most of the time they were dangerous and not rideable. Jagged spaced out rocky sections that professional trials riders would have tons of trouble with, stumps from small trees that are right on the trail and hidden by the overgrown weeds and vine.
General bad upkeep, minus the lack of ANY type of ability to get speed. I walked the bike the last 1.5 miles after going over the bars on one slightly downhill rocky section and catching my forearm on a sharp rock.
I fell about 3 times and tipped over twice, just from twigs and rocks scattered throughout the middle of the trail. A lot of the "rock bridges" are completely loose and dangerous. I just really regretted going to these trails today... first time in 50-100 trips to the trails I actually regretted going and wished I were somewhere else even if it was somewhere not on my bike.
I will never go back to this trail system again... I guess I should have listened more to trianglemtb's review. |
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No detailed review given.
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The worst thing about this trail system is that it is only open on Sundays from September 1st to May 14th. Between May 15th and August 31st, you can ride it every day of the week! What can one really say about New Light? There are lots of adjectives to describe it but easy is not one that I have ever heard. There are some really hard sections in New Light. Long rooty, rocky climbs, log crossings, log rides, rock gardens, tight twists and turns are all in abundance. The great thing is that unlike Beaver Dam located a few miles away, there are ride outs. You can take one just a little at a time or bite into the whole thing. This is a place for mountain bikers. You won’t see guys out there on there cyclocross bikes and hybrids. This is the place that I make sure I have my bike pump, tubes, chain breaker, multi-tool, and cell phone.
New Light is also a beautiful place to ride. It is miles from any interstate or major highway. There are rarely more than a handful of cars in the parking area. In fact, there have been many summer evening when I have gone out by myself and been the only person out there with hundreds of acres all to myself. New Light sits right on Falls Lake and there is often a cool breeze coming off of the water. During the peak of summer, it is as green as it gets. There are moist fern filled gullies where the temperature drops almost seem like air conditioning. |
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I love this trail. |
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No detailed review given.
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Definitely a good workout, especially on a SS. The big "loop" has a very different feel when ridden CW vs. CCW - some sections of trail seem designed for the CCW direction. Lots of rocky terrain to tackle, though most of the rock "features" have bypasses. Lots of active work going on out there that is greatly appreciated!! Fireroads tend to stay much more wet & muddy than the singletrack after wet weather. |
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No detailed review given.
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New Light is a lot of fun for accomplished riders. People who are not proficient at bike handling or are a bit out of shape may be in over their heads. There are a few options for creative lines but not tons, so I won't give New Light a high Freeride rating. There's not a heck of a lot of animals to be seen, but there are sections along Falls Lake that are nice scenery wise.
If you like technical rocks and challenging climbing, New Light would be a good choice for you. |
4.2 / 5.0 based on 61 votes
2.8 / 5.0 based on 61 votes
