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10 Virginia Bicycle Routes for Any Season

Blue Ridge Highlands, Central Virginia, Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads, Heart of Appalachia, Northern Virginia, Outdoors, Shenandoah Valley, Southern Virginia, Sports Marketing, Travel Ideas / November 2, 2015 by Casey Higgins / 27 Comments

Any season is the perfect season if you’re an avid cyclist. Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet … you get the picture. Roll on along Virginia’s most popular bicycle routes and enjoy the beauty of now.

HIGH BRIDGE TRAIL | BURKEVILLE TO PAMPLIN CITY

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Photo Credit: Kyle LaFerriere, @laferriere.photography

At 31 miles long, this rail-to-trail is a beautiful stroll through small communities with the namesake High Bridge being the cherry on top. Finely crushed limestone makes for an easy, pretty level ride.

TIP: Stop for lunch in Farmville.  Walkers Diner and Charley’s Waterfront Cafe are steps from the trail.

VIRGINIA CAPITAL TRAIL | RICHMOND TO WILLIAMSBURG

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Photo Credit: Big Orange Frame

Connecting the Commonwealth’s past and present capitals is the 52-mile Virginia Capital Trail. You’ll love its paved surface, the bridges, fences, cornfields, and other nice details along the route.

TIP: Check out the interactive Trail Map to pin down parking and restrooms. For lunch, consider Cul’s Courthouse Grille. It’s a mid-way point offering delicious specials.

NEW RIVER TRAIL | PULASKI TO GALAX

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Photo Credit: Henry Saint-Jean

A rail trail, New River Trail meanders 57 miles through four counties while paralleling the river for which it’s named for 39 miles. It’s a multi-use trail, welcoming to hikers, cyclists, and equestrians.

TIP: Download the Trail Guide to identify parking, camping, restrooms, and points of interest. Get sidetracked for a little while to enjoy lunch in Wytheville. We hear there are “world famous hot dogs” there.

VIRGINIA CREEPER TRAIL | ABINGDON TO WHITETOP

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Photo Credit: Cameron Davidson

If you want to, the Virginia Creeper Trail can be all down hill. Now that is my kind of cycling. The 34.3-mile rail trail is beautiful in every season, and is a multi-use trail open for horseback riding, cycling, and hiking.

TIP: Connect with a bike service to ride the route backwards. Whitetop Station to Alvardo Station is down hill.

HEART OF APPALACHIA BIKE ROUTE | BURKES GARDEN TO COEBURN

Scenic Burkes Garden
Photo Credit: Cameron Davidson

Serious cyclists will love this 128-mile route comprised of roads, rail trails, single-track trails, and more. Make it a “bucket list” item and backpack your way through it, from Burkes Garden to Guest River Gorge in Coeburn. Take a little more time and explore the additional 40 miles of side trails, which lead to beautiful places like Russell Creek Falls and The Pinnacle at Big Cedar Falls.

TIP: Be prepared. This is a fairly self-sufficient adventure. RideWithGPS.com Route Map

COLONIAL PARKWAY | JAMESTOWN TO YORKTOWN

Colonial Parkway
Photo Credit: Beth Furgurson

This historic 23-mile drive is beautiful as fall colors appear in early November. It’s a fantastic route for leaf peepers and history lovers alike, as the 17th century comes into view with connected destinations like Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

TIP: Be aware that motorists share the Parkway. Bicycles and pedestrians are not allowed through the Williamsburg tunnel. More Information

MOUNT VERNON TRAIL | ARLINGTON TO MOUNT VERNON

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Photo Credit: Dayo Kosoko for @visitalexva

Winding from George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island, this 18-mile paved multi-use trail connects to four other trails, including the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail. Presidential pedaling indeed.

TIP: Pop into The Chart House in Old Town Alexandria for a diverse menu of lunch options. It’s also a great place from which to people watch.

WASHINGTON & OLD DOMINION TRAIL | ARLINGTON TO PURCELLVILLE

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Photo Credit: Christopher Hunter Photography

At 45 miles long, the paved W&OD Trail is a popular route of transportation for residents commuting on bicycles. From Purcellville in Loudoun County into the Shirlington neighborhood of Arlington, it’s a gem of a rail trail with plenty of Civil War history for those who care to learn a bit more.

TIP: This trail can get pretty busy, so if you are coming on a weekend be prepared to face the crowds.

TOBACCO HERITAGE TRAIL | BROADNAX TO SOUTH HILL

Tobacco Heritage Trail
Photo Credit: Kelly J. Mihalcoe

The Tobacco Heritage Trail is a regional endeavor to create a multi-use trail system for hikers and cyclists. Various segments are already open for your exploration and enjoyment.

TIP: The web map displays trailheads, parking, and towns. Know before you go.

U.S. BICYCLE ROUTE 76 ON THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY | AFTON TO MONTEBELLO

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Photo Credit: Scott K. Brown

Who has the most miles of the U.S. Bicycle Route System? Virginia, of course, with 838 miles. Bike a section of it when you enjoy 25 miles USBR 76 as it shares the road with the Blue Ridge Parkway in Nelson County.

TIP: Hit a triple when you hike part of the Appalachian Trail. It parallels and criss-crosses this same segment of road for about 10 or more miles.

 

Download the Virginia Bicycle Map: Side One | Side Two

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hideyo Kusano

    January 24, 2020 at 7:23 pm

    Is there any trail I can reasonably follow on a bike with 20” tires. They’re mainly for city but it’s just more convenient for keeping in the car

    Reply
    • Patricia Keppel

      January 27, 2020 at 9:32 am

      The Virginia Capital Trail, running from Richmond to Williamsburg, is fully paved and suitable for city bikes!

      Reply
      • Hideyo Kusano

        July 20, 2020 at 12:15 am

        Thank you for the insight!

        Reply
  2. Paul Boggs

    April 5, 2019 at 10:14 am

    I’m planning a 3-day trip with friends. Serious road bikers. Where should we base from?

    Reply
    • Patricia Keppel

      April 9, 2019 at 8:59 am

      Consider staying somewhere like Wintergreen Resort in Nelson County and cycling along the Blue Ridge Parkway! https://www.virginia.org/bikeblueridgeparkway/

      Reply
  3. Sheila

    November 25, 2017 at 6:31 pm

    Does anyone know if the High Bridge Trail is road bike friendly? Or would a mountain bike/hybrid be a better choice for this trail?

    Reply
    • Mark Sausser

      May 17, 2019 at 12:57 pm

      its gravel, Hybrid reccomended

      Reply
    • Virginia

      June 24, 2019 at 3:20 pm

      I’d go with a hybrid. I road it with my mountain bike and found that to be slow-going, but it’s a little too rough for my road bike.

      Reply
  4. Delia Hudgins

    March 26, 2017 at 9:27 am

    I absolutely loved the peace and beauty of the capital Trail between Jamestown and Richmond right in the heart of the colonial district. Well done lots of families and hard-core cyclists getting their miles in sharing the trail.

    Reply
  5. Julio

    November 13, 2016 at 9:51 am

    Love it

    Reply
  6. Sidney

    November 12, 2016 at 9:28 am

    Also, some idea of level of difficulty and whether it’s hilly or flat is very important to me.

    Reply
  7. Vincenzo

    November 6, 2016 at 11:52 am

    An important (and quick/simple) piece of information to include in each trail description is the surface type. You note it in some of them (paved, limestone), but it’s a critical piece of information for most road bikers, whose bikes are not suitable for unpaved trails.

    Reply
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