Half gravel climb, half paved creekside. all of the gravel is in the first 12 miles of this ride, including the climb up from miles 8 to 10. That’s the difficult stretch, but it’s worth it. Don’t turn around at that point. The fun is ahead. Most of the downhill is paved and smooth. There’s 2 miles on Highway 107, but it’s fast, level, and I had no traffic there. As of July 2026, there are signs that say the road to paint Creek is close to through traffic, but easily riden by bicycle or motorcycle. The app is wrong. There’s no more gravel. It’s all beautiful paved creekside ride back to River Road. (On this clockwise loop, it’s all paved from mile 12.4 on far side of the mountain, till mile 20.9 when you get back on River Road).