We biked the section of the trail between Rice and River Road, which crosses the High Bridge. The weather was pleasant, which made the ride pleasant as well. Some notes for others.

1. Like most former railroad trails, this one is relatively flat and straight. This is nice for younger kids, but gets a little monotonous for adults and older children. By comparison with an 11-mile ride we took in the fall on the New River Trail, this one was flatter and sunnier, and generally easier for the younger children.

2. Our 6-year-old and 8-year-old daughters handled the 9-mile roundtrip ride just fine. Neither need training wheels on their bikes any more, and the little one was a bit tired by the end of the trip, but not exhausted.

3. There is not much overhanging vegetation, which means that much of the trail will be in full sun during the summer. If you're planning a day trip in the summer, bring lots of water and sunscreen. Our ride from Rice, over and past the bridge, to River Road, and back took us about 2 hours 15 minutes with frequent stops for the 6-year-old to rest and drink water. It was very pleasant on a sunny 65-degree day.

4. The bridge is wonderful. The modification for foot/bike/horse traffic is great, and the kids really enjoyed riding their bikes on the old railroad bridge. The benches on the bridge are beautiful, and the whole project is nicely done.

5. If you're looking for the closest access and shortest round-trip, go to the River Road entrance. The parking lot there was crowded, but it was only about 1 mile from there to the bridge. A hike or walk from River Road would be pleasant.

6. If you can handle a little longer ride, the Rice entrance was deserted and is only about 3 miles from the bridge. I would not hike from the Rice entrance (long, flat, somewhat monotonous), but I'll bet that it would make a nice circuit for a 6-mile run.

My 3-star rating compares this with the New River Trail State Park, which is a very pleasant trail ride. Because of the lack of shade in much of the trail and the somewhat monotonous scenery, this is only an average trail. It is a pleasant place to ride bikes with younger kids on a nice day and is certainly worth the trip if that is your situation.

The High Bridge, located about 4 miles east of Farmville, was opened in April 2012. It's nearly a half mile long and is about 125 feet above the Appomattox River and its surrounding floodplain. It has a wooden decking constructed on top of the steel trestle, with several observation areas along the way for taking in the scenery without obstructing other cyclists.

I pedaled from Farmville down to the bridge and beyond to the trailhead near Burkeville and back. As another reviewer noted, most of the trail is lined by trees on both sides, so it's not particularly scenic other than the general greenery. But the bridge more than makes up for that! There are restrooms every few miles but bring plenty of water as there's none on the trail.

First... It's very, very nice that this is being done. Thanks to all involved. However, my title about says it all. I did this a couple of weeks ago starting in Farmville. Rode up to Prospect and back then had lunch in Farmville. Took the trail to the maintenance entrance to the High Bridge and back.

The whole way is just trees. Not really much to view except a few fields. If your looking for solitude only then this is it but I'll wait until the bridge is open to go back.