Wilderness Road Trail:
Virginia
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Description:
History runs deep along the Wilderness Road Trail, which roughly follows a path carved by Daniel Boone in April 1775. The path later became a route on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad before finally being converted to a rail-trail that stretches from a national historic park to a state park.
At the western trailhead in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, the Wilderness Road Trail connects to the 1.6-mile Boone Trail, which connects to a larger trail system that continues through the Cumberland Gap.
Just beyond the trailhead in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, you might catch a glimpse of majestic buffalo grazing in a privately owned, fenced area. The first 2 miles run right next to the four-lane US Hwy. 58. Although this sounds unpleasant, you are separated from the motorized vehicles and there is something majestic about riding through forsythia toward forest and farmland. After this stretch, the trail backs into a quiet and much more scenic area behind a veil of trees, although the path still parallels Hwy. 58 until the trail's terminus just west of Ewing.
Once it retreats from the road, the trail meanders through nearly 7 miles of picturesque farmland, complete with bright white fences and grazing cows. The route is dotted with quaint homes, barns, and silos, and the impressive Cumberland Mountain serves as a backdrop to this idyllic landscape.
Wilderness Road State Park hosts reenactments and living history events throughout the year. The Joseph Martin House, located in the park and next to the trail, offers restrooms, a gift shop, and local history exhibits.
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Parking & Trail Access:
To reach the westernmost trailhead in Cumberland Gap, head west from Abingdon on US Hwy. 58. Continue past the Heart of Appalachia Gazebo trailhead and paved parking lot on your right, which is about 4 miles west of Wilderness Road State Park. Continue west on Hwy. 58, and after another 2 miles, reach the trail's start point, where you'll find limited roadside parking. If you're coming from the west on Hwy. 58, the trailhead is about 1 mile east of the intersection of Hwy. 58 and US Hwy. 25.
The easternmost trailhead is also right off of Hwy. 58, at a paved parking lot about 3 miles west of Ewing. If you're heading west on Hwy. 58 from Abingdon, you'll see a sign stating that Cumberland Gap is 10 miles away. The parking area is on the north side of Hwy. 58.
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Reviews: [1 trail ratings]
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Our first Rails to Trails bike ride/geocaching.
By athawominee in September, 2010
We rode our bikes on the multi-use trail a few weeks ago. I would have to say that we loved it and will be back when the weather gets cooler, still the ride was in the shade for most of the 8.3 miles that we rode. The trail is hard pack crusher mix gravel, and is soft in some places but no problem for a Mtn. bike or my beach cruiser with wide tires. It does get steeper and more difficult past Gibson Station about 4.5 miles from WRSP going to Cumberland Gap Park, which is as far as you can ride a bike. More geocaches are to be placed along the trail soon. Really a great trail for hiking or biking. Looks to be used mostly by horse riders, but we had the whole place to ourselves on a Sunday.
Rode the trail today
By missy1462 in June, 2009
I'm pretty sure this was the most boring trail we have ever been on. My husband made the comment that after riding the Virginia Creeper Trail, it's hard to find another one that measures up. That being said, about 6 miles into this ride, the trail becomes rutted and like riding in wet sand. It was rough, rough riding that was not expected for a trail. It was so rutted out that we finally rode down and rode on the highway shoulder which was a much better ride, even on a mountain bike. After getting out of the rutted sand, we biked back onto the trail and continued back to the car. About 3-4 miles from the end, I was just taking my time doing some easy peddling, when out of the clear blue a Beagle Dog came barreling down off a bank after me, intent on having my ankle for lunch. Unbelievably I was able to outrun him until he gave up and went home. The ride from our home to the park was beyond sweet so it ended up being worth the trip specifically for the scenery. We would never make the trip back for the ride.
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