Off Road Adventures at Durhamtown

Off Road Adventures at Durhamtown, the park most riders still call Durhamtown, is the biggest riding resort in the Southeast: more than 5,000 acres of Georgia pine country in Union Point, between Atlanta and Augusta, with 16 tracks and 150 miles of one-way trails. The tagline on the gate is "more than just a track, we're an experience," and the place is built so a family can ride, rent, wrench, eat and sleep on the property for a whole weekend.

The motocross lineup runs the full range. The Bomber is the pro track, a 1.3 plus mile circuit designed by former AMA Supercross champion Mark Barnett that keeps most riders over two minutes a lap. MX 1 and MX 2 sit behind the main parking lot (MX 1 with sand in the soil and good drainage, MX 2 big and fast), while MX 4, MX 5 and MX 6 are tucked out along the trail system, two of them flowing through the pines on the way back to the lodge. There is a GP track that blends motocross with off-road speed, a straight rhythm strip for head-to-head jump racing, and a dirt drag strip. For the kids there are the PeeWee MX track (13 and under), the Armadillo track (10 and under, 90cc and smaller), a Stacyc track and a supervised learner loop. SxS drivers get their own turbo track.

The trails are the other half of the draw: 150 miles of one-way routes with 35 miles of dirt-bike-only single track, color coded from smooth beginner loops to hill climbs and technical sections, with call boxes along the way. All trails are one way and helmets are required at all times.

It is open daily. Tracks run 9 AM to 5 PM, trails 9 to 4:30, and the lodge 8 to 6, where everyone checks in for an arm band. A day pass is $40 for a bike or ATV (men 16 and up) or $30 for women and children 9 to 15, kids 8 and under ride free, and passengers and spectators pay $15. Georgia Off-road Rentals on site rents dirt bikes, ATVs and SxS by the half or full day, and The Pro Shop at Durhamtown stocks gear, parts and VP race fuel, so a snapped lever does not end the weekend.

Racing is a Youth MX Series with four rounds each fall and winter ($35 a class, Stacyc $15, $15 gate, AMA membership required) covering youth, ATV, Stacyc and adult pit bike classes, plus a separate six round SxS series. Stay over in one of the cabins ($65 to $250 a night) or the two RV parks; cabins do not include a ride pass. Call (706) 486-0091 or check the Facebook page for race weekend closures before you haul.