By
Linda and Bill
in
9/19/2011 9:26:24 AM
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My husband and I take our bikes wherever we travel. We try to ride any Rail Trails we find along the way. This summer we made two Rail Trail trips. The first was to the Creeper Trail in Abingdon, VA. We'd ridden this trail before, and we absolutely love it. This was our favorite ride until we took our second bike trip this summer to the New River Trail. If possible, the New River Trail is even more breathtakingly beautiful than the Creeper Trail, and has become our new favorite.
We rented a cabin in Ivanhoe, VA. It was very nice, clean and was nestled right between the New River and the New River Trail. It couldn't have been more convenient. The first day we rode from Ivanhoe to Pulaski. This was a great, flat ride. We stopped and explored Foster Falls State Park along the way. This park has primitive camping facilities,kayaking, fishing, stables, bike rentals, etc. If you're into primitive camping, you couldn't find a more beautiful spot to do it than Foster Falls. Riding on from Foster Falls to the Pulaski end of the trail were some beautiful scenic views of a wider, boating and jet skiing section of the New River. Everyone living in this area was definitely enjoying their river paradise.
On our second day, we rode from Galax to Fries Junction, then from Fries Junction to the town of Fries. From Galax to Fries Junction the trail follows Chestnut Creek. The scenery is gorgeous here. There are numerous beautiful water falls and rock formations along this leg of the trail. When you get to Fries Junction you make a U-turn and continue the ride to the town of Fries. From Fries Junction to the town of Fries the trail follows the New River. Whoever said this section of the trail wasn't scenic must have missed the U-turn, because the New River is incredibly beautiful along this leg of the ride. Really...you don't make much progress because you're stopping every few feet to take pictures. Once we reached Fries, we ate lunch at "Big Daddy's". The people were so friendly. The owner of the restaurant even came outside to take our picture in front of "Big Daddy's" for us.
If you're limited by time, or don't want to ride the entire trail, we suggest the Galax to Fries ride. You couldn't possibly see anything more beautiful than this anywhere. We're going to be going back this fall to see it when the leaves have turned. We can't wait to do this ride again.
By
Linda and Bill
in
5/4/2011 4:39:13 PM
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We've ridden this beautiful trail before and have plans to go back this summer. Unfortunately a tornado touched down on the trail close to the Abingdon end recently and totally demolished the LONG, beautiful trestle bridge and damaged another one. Currently (May, 2011) the first 10 miles of this trail are closed to riders until repairs can be done. It's going to take a long while. I suggest calling one of the bike shops in Damascus to get updates. In the meantime, start in Damascus and cover the other 24 miles, then come back to ride the whole 34 miles when the bridge is repaired. You'll be glad you did. It's gorgeous..........all 34 miles!
By
Linda and Bill
in
4/15/2011 8:44:26 AM
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We were heading to Emerald Isle, NC from Virginia and decided to stop in Durham to check out the American Tobacco Trail along the way. It’s easy to find this trail. Set your GPS to the Durham Bulls Stadium, 508 Blackwell St., Durham, NC. Turn left on Blackwell St. to the bottom of the hill. Parking is behind the large while satellite dishes. The trail begins in front of the satellite dishes. The trail is 6.5 miles long, well marked and beautifully maintained, but there are 17 road crossings in the 6.5 miles. The trail runs through the suburbs of the city of Durham. You ride past some nice housing developments, but there’s nothing scenic on this route. The people of Durham are fortunate to have a nice trail in their back yard, but if you’re exploring the country checking out scenic rail trails as we are, this one was nothing exceptional.
By
Linda and Bill
in
4/14/2011 4:42:14 PM
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Riverwalk Trail, Danville, VA
Directions to the trail are excellent. Once you get to the parking lot in front of the Danville Community Center, you cross a trestle bridge to the other side of the river and take your bike down a ramp to the river. If you turn right at the foot of the bridge, the trail goes through an industrial area which isn’t the most scenic, but even considering this, the river is still gorgeous. That direction only goes about a mile anyway. But…if you come off the bridge and go left, you’ll experience one of the most scenic rail trails around. I’ve ridden quite a few, and this one is near the top of my list. The first portion of this leg of the trail follows the river, and the city of Danville has put a lot of effort into making it beautiful and enjoyable. There are numerous benches, picnic tables, and pull off areas to enjoy the flowing river, the trees, green grass and geese. About 3 miles along the river you come to a park with a public boat landing. To get a more strenuous ride, cross the parking lot to your right near the picnic pavilion and start up the hill. From this point, the trail inclines about 2 or 3 more miles, but it’s worth the effort. This leg of the trail is just as beautiful as the river ride. Toward the end of this leg of the ride, you’ll cross one road at the intersection of Slayton and Stinson Steets. The trail only goes a short distance past this point. (This is as of April, 2011. I understand they plan to extend the trail in the future). Turn around and ride back down the mountain. It’s fast and fun, and then you can enjoy the river again as you head back to your car. I highly recommend this ride. I try to find a rail trail anytime I’m traveling, and I’m certainly glad I tried this one.
By
Linda and Bill
in
3/10/2011 8:46:44 AM
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Based on previous reviews, we made the trip to SC from VA to ride this trail. We're really glad we did. We started our ride in the town of Travelers Rest. There is a nice Hampton Inn in Travelers Rest. The trail starts just across the street from the North Greenville Medical Campus, at 807 N. Main St., Travelers Rest, SC. There is a parking area for the trail beside the cemetery. Pay no attention to the mile markers. This is a 15 mile ride one way, but the markers start at 24 and go up???? I assume the trail will be longer some day. If you need bike supplies, there is a very nice bike/kayak shop shortly after you start the ride. From the bike shop, you cross the street to connect to the trail. There are quite a few road crossings on this trail, but only a few major ones. You also pass quite a few industrial sites which are not very scenic, but they don't deter from the "overall" beauty of this trail. The trail is paved to perfection; a very smooth surface, and a very flat ride.
Once you get to Greenville, you'll be amazed at the beauty of the downtown area. River Place is full of shops, artists and restaurants. We had lunch at "The Lazy Goat" and loved it. Both the view and the food were incredible. There is a beautiful Hampton Inn right in this area too. If we'd known ahead of time, we would have stayed there, because downtown Greenville would be a beautiful place to stay and play. The Reedy River runs right through River Place, and the waterfalls at Falls Park is breathtakingly beautiful. This whole area is one big "park" where locals sit to eat their lunch or feed the ducks. It's beautifully maintained with swings, benches, flowers, etc. Once you reach this destination, you won't want to leave, but, crossing to the other side of the falls the trail continues on for a few miles through Cleveland Park and terminates on Faris St. Cleveland Park is nice too, but if you're pressed for time, just stay in Falls Park and spend the day enjoying the atmosphere. It's wonderful. Enjoy!