The Blue Ridge area has nice entry-level routes for multi-day, two-wheeled getaways
Interested in the place to go bikepacking? Using into the woods on two wheels with all of the necessities strapped to your bike is a enjoyable approach to cowl huge miles throughout a single journey. However working as much as a multi-day getaway takes slightly follow and preparation. Fortuitously, within the Blue Ridge area, there are many choices for entry-level bikepackers nonetheless getting their rigs dialed. Listed below are a handful of easy-to-follow off-road routes that supply loads of facilities for budding long-distance cyclists.
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal – Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and West Virginia
Not so way back, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal’s towpath was a mule path, the footpath utilized by the hardy horse-donkey hybrids used to drag boats between mountainous western Maryland and Washington, D.C.’s waterfront Georgetown neighborhood, the best location on the Potomac River accessible to seafaring ships. Paralleling the east financial institution of the Potomac River, the route was accomplished in 1850, after greater than 20 years of building, and served as an important financial artery, however the arrival of regional rail traces, significantly the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, made the canal pointless, and, by the Nineteen Thirties, the business thoroughfare had been deserted.
In 1938, the Nationwide Park Service took over administration of the route, and the Civilian Conservation Corps started restoring the historic canal. However efforts stalled throughout World Struggle II and the riverside hall almost grew to become parkway. Advocates, nevertheless, pushed to protect the historic route as a leisure path and, in 1971, the riverside canal and its towpath had been declared because the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Nationwide Historic Park.
Right this moment, the whole 184.5-mile towpath is open to cyclists, providing a car-free route that has conveniently scattered trailside lodging. For starters, the Nationwide Park Service (NPS) manages 31 free hiker-biker campsites and 5 car-accessible campgrounds alongside the route. There are additionally a dozen trailside cities alongside the route providing inns, guesthouses, and riverside cottages. These embrace Harpers Ferry, W. Va., located on the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, and the historic city of Hancock, one in every of Maryland’s oldest settlements.
For a a technique journey, bikes are permitted on Amtrak’s Capitol Restricted prepare and on the MARC’s Brunswick Line. On the path’s western terminus, in Cumberland, Md., a vibrant city with an historic district studded with breweries, eating places, and artisanal retailers, cyclists may choose to proceed driving westward towards Pittsburgh for 150 miles alongside the Nice Allegheny Passage.
Excessive Bridge Path – Virginia
Rambling by way of the central Virginia countryside from Burkeville to Pamplin, Excessive Bridge Path State Park affords greater than 31 miles to experience. The crushed gravel rail-trail is the centerpiece of the state park, and the multi-use path is dotted with parking areas, historic websites, and picnic areas geared up with grills and tables. The path and park are named for his or her defining characteristic, the 125-foot-high bridge towering above the Appomattox River. Constructed by the Southside Railroad in 1854, in the course of the Civil Struggle, the half-mile-long bridge was focused by troops on either side of the battle, however amazingly, the wood construction survived. Added to the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations in 2008, the photogenic bridge is about 0.3 miles from the path’s Camp Paradise parking space. Whereas the park doesn’t characteristic campgrounds, the path runs by way of Farmville, which is located close to the route’s midpoint.
Caledon State Park – Virginia
A gateway to gravel grinding, Virginia’s Caledon State Park is a perfect getaway for households or first-time bikepackers, particularly riders craving a woodsy, off-road route. That includes greater than 2,500 acres alongside the Potomac River, together with three miles of shoreline, the park is a hotspot for birdlife, significantly as a summer season spot for bald eagles. A patchwork of wetlands, riverfront, and blended woodlands of oak, maple, and tulip poplar, the protected space was first preserved as a Pure Space in 1984, when bald eagles had been nonetheless on the Endangered Species Listing. Fortuitously, bald eagle populations have rebounded during the last 4 many years and, because of this, public entry to the world was expanded.
In 2012, Caledon Pure Space was reclassified as a state park, and at this time there are greater than 10 miles of trails open to cyclists. The park additionally affords six campsites located beside the Potomac River, completely positioned for admiring the sundown. On dry land, the campsites are solely accessible by bike or on foot, however they’re additionally reachable in a kayak or canoe, forming a part of the Captain John Smith Nationwide Heritage Path. Whereas the campsites are primitive, it’s solely a 3.5-mile experience to the riverside spots. And for the reason that park is nestled alongside the tidal portion of the Potomac River, the driftwood-strewn beachfront can also be sprinkled with fossils, together with historical shark tooth.
Torrey Brown Rail Path – Maryland and Pennsylvania
Extending from the Baltimore suburbs and the city of New Freedom, simply throughout the border in Pennsylvania, the 21-mile Torrey Brown Rail Path makes for a simple weekend getaway. The crushed gravel path follows the historic path of the North Central Railroad, a line that operated for 140 years, ferrying passengers and freight from Baltimore to factors north in Pennsylvania and New York. However in 1972, a violent tropical storm severely broken the rail mattress; and some years later, the Maryland Division of Pure Sources obtained the previous transportation hall.
The primary 7.2-mile stretch alongside Massive Gunpowder Falls between Cockeysville and Monkton opened in 1984 as a part of Gunpowder Falls State Park. Right this moment, although, the path continues northward for greater than 10 miles. Throughout the Pennsylvania border in New Freedom, the path connects to the 21-mile Heritage Rail Path County Park, one other hyperlink within the historic North Central Railroad. Alongside the best way, the city of Monkton affords an assortment of eating choices and lodging for cyclists, and the trailside Monkton Practice Station has been reimagined as a museum and store.
Virginia Creeper Path – Virginia
The Virginia Creeper Path traverses a scenic swath of the distant Jefferson Nationwide Forest, however the 34 mile rail-trail remains to be loaded with facilities for cyclists. The route originated as a footpath utilized by the area’s indigenous communities, and later by westbound settlers, however by the early 1900s, the path had been reworked into the Virginia-Carolina Railroad, a hyperlink within the Norfolk & Western Rail. The route related communities in southwest Virginia and North Carolina, utilizing steam-powered locomotives that used to “creep” up the steep mountain grades. As soon as accomplished in 1912, the Whitetop Laurel Station grew to become the best prepare station east of the Mississippi River, however for the reason that final prepare ran in 1977 the previous rail mattress has been reimagined as a regional leisure path, extending from the city of Abingdon to Whitetop Station, alongside the Virginia-North Carolina border.
The city of Damascus, host of the Appalachian Path Days Pageant, is the path’s midpoint, providing in a single day lodging, eateries, and locations to replenish on gear. Between Whitetop Station and Damascus, the 17-mile stretch of path is generally downhill, and it options entry factors and facilities, together with water stops and restrooms at Inexperienced Cove Station (open seasonally). Between Damascus and Abingdon, the path typically parallels the trout-stocked waters of Whitetop Laurel Creek, and, whereas there’s extra climbing alongside this stretch, cyclists are rewarded with scenic views of South Holston Lake and the confluence of the South and Center Forks of the Holston River. The historic city of Abingdon, the path’s jap terminus, affords a spread of lodging and eating choices. With outfitters in Abingdon and Damascus providing bike rental and shuttle providers, it’s straightforward to plan a visit tailor-made to desired mileage, even in case you solely wish to experience downhill.
Cowl photograph: A gaggle of bikers experience on the C&O Canal Towpath in Allegany County, maryland. photograph courtesy of Allegany County, MD