I walked the southern half of this trail (Athens to Elkmont 5.5 miles). Very easy walking, mostly covered by trees, flat, not too far from adjacent country roads. Well maintained trail. At about the 2.5 mile point is a historical marker that explains that you are crossing what was a site of the Sulpher Creek Trestle Civil War battle. Pretty dense woods along the trail so the scenery is limited but it is quiet and I spooked a couple of deer. The general store/gas station in Elkmont was open (Thursday) so I was able to replenish water and food there.

I forgot to mention it in my prior review, but the trail is almost completely covered by the trees. The only portion of the trail that isn't covered is where it crosses the roads, and the last one half mile of the trail at the north end coming into Veto. My wife also told me after I wrote my previous review that the little convenience store wasn't open while we were there. It was a Sunday morning so I'm not sure if it opended up later in the day or not? My advice is to plan ahead and do as we do and take plenty of fluids and snacks with you.

My wife and I rode rode the trail today for the first time with another couple who hadn't been on it in a couple of years. We started our ride near the center of the trail in Elkmont. There's not much there, but there is a small convenience store and a volunteer fire deptartment close by. Luckily for us our friends new that the north end of the trail going towards Veto is mostly a downhill ride while heading north because it may have caused some problems had we saved that climb back into Elkmont until the end of the ride. The climb isn't too bad, but it does have a nearly constant uphill grade. The trail is in pretty good condition and the bridges are nice and in good condition too. The riding surface is still a combination of dirt and gravel, but the biggest obstacle by far is the horse dung along the trail. However, it's not so dense that it's unavoidable. There are plenty of birds along the trail, and we also encountered four horses, a couple of dogs, two snakes, a wild turkey, and at least one insect with some very large teeth who decided to take a bite out of my neck! Please exercise some caution and courtesy when approaching the horses and their riders. Only one dog posed an issue on the north end of the trail, but I think he was more bark than bite. It still wouldn't be a bad idea to carry some dog repellent or pepper spray. The facilities at the trailheads are nice, but be careful of spiders in the restrooms(which are also unlit). While at the Veto trailhead an older gentleman who was driving past stopped and opened the chapel for us, rang the bell, and told us the story of how it was being used for a hay barn and was relocated to it's current location at a price of $1.1 million dollars. A nice addition to our ride for sure. The south end of the trail is much more flat with only slight inclines from time to time. There are also several benches along the south end of the trail built by the Boy Scouts of America. All in all this is a very nice trail and we'll be back time and time again to ride it!