BillyB

I never actually Mountain Biked in Pisgah. Been on a couple dozen backpacking trips there though. Even though I've been to many spots on the West coast and the Rockies, my favorite backcountry camping spot to this day is Shining Rock in the Pisgah Wilderness area.

Besides which - I had great MTB trails right by my house. I lived right across the Catawba River from Charlotte in the little town of Belmont. From my house, I could go 2 miles down a country road and hit some pretty bodacious trails along the South Fork of the Catawba River. There was an unused railroad trestle going over the South Fork of the Catawba that I'd carry my bike across. It was a 5 second spit drop (200 feet?) down. Pretty wild looking straight down between the railroad ties with all of that air beneath you.

As for Ballona Creek - I've heard of gangs on this path, but I guess since I usually exit at McConnel Ave - I've never seen them.