Explore the best rated trails in Forest, VA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway Trail and Murray Run Greenway . With more than 19 trails covering 133 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Did the ride on 23 Jul. As part of trip planning I called Allegheny Outdoors to determine trail status. They are located at the eastern end parking lot. Being told the trail was open all the way I loaded up and left for the trail head. Rode the trail east to west and back. Beautiful views of the river with tree covered mountains on the other side no real vistas this is close up nature at it’s best. Great facilities on each end with additional parking along the way. Surface was ok. I thought the ground stone was a little deep in places. Probably because it’s a newer trail and recent rains required patching in places. I think I’ll return in late fall/early winter when view of the river will be better and temps more palatable for this ole man. Highly recommended ride.
I love that you are along a river a lot of the time and cross a river multiple times. The trail is mostly shaded. Tons of interesting birds sing in the spring. The bathroom at Rose’s Mill is a plus. They tell you not to drink the water but after I did by mistake I suffered no ill effects. I encounter people on any day of the week, but definitely on the weekends. I highly recommend this trail.
10 mile asphalt trail with few root-cracks and little shade (I'm beginning to suspect the two are related). No road crossings except for the well-marked, half-mile detour through a quit neighborhood for major bridge construction. There is no longer a gap between Bridge St. and Salem (despite the Traillink narrative and map), asphalt extending to Cook Dr. That access has a porta-potty.
Quiet, flat, maintained, mostly shaded, along the Piney river with benches and the occasional picnic table. Port-a-potty at the Piney River trailhead, running water bathroom at the Roses Mill trailhead .
Rode this trail every day for a week during a stay in 2022. It's quite level with only a few curves. Not terribly crowded. Much of it goes through residential areas, although it does narrow a bit as it skirts downtown and the local hospital. It was great for wildlife; we saw deer on almost every ride. Scenery is not dramatic, but certainly pleasant, making for a good experience.
We rode 20 miles (10 miles each direction), starting at the Bennington St parking lot. Note that there are no facilities right at that lovely parking area, but there is restroom at Golden Park, just to the east. It was an enjoyable ride! I’d do it again! All along the Roanoke River. Multiple river crossings, usually with a 90 degree turn at each end of the bridge. We went by several City parks, and stopped at an ice cream and burger place on the east end of Wasena Park for ice cream on the way back. There is a well marked detour around Wasena Park for construction. There are several places along the trail where other trails intersect. The signage was great to keep us on track. The only place we got confused was just past Black Dog Salvage (we were heading west) and after crossing the river on Memorial Ave, it took us a minute, and a slight detour, to realize that the trail goes left at Wasena Ave, and loops around to go under Memorial Ave. The signs are there, but not quite big enough to get our attention at the right moment. We turned around at Tidy Services. TrailLink shows the trail ending at Bridge Street. We rode over 3 more miles on paved and marked trail.
It's a 4 mainly because of the creosote / diesel odors as we went around the rail yard. The trail itself is super. all paved. very little root bumps. well maintained.
I hiked this trail today and enjoyed it quite a lot. The trail itself is nice and wide, and fairly flat. There’s good tree canopy over most of the route and beautiful views of the rivers and fields. There are benches and picnic tables scattered along the trail as well. Plenty of parking at the Piney River trailhead. Will definitely hike this one again.
I hiked this trail today and enjoyed it quite a lot. The trail itself is nice and wide, and fairly flat. There’s good tree canopy over most of the route and beautiful views of the rivers and fields. There are benches and picnic tables scattered along the trail as well. Plenty of parking at the Piney River trailhead. Will definitely hike this one again.
Good for walks, runs, and bike rides. Pretty sunny, with a few shaded sections. Usually not crowded!
Not too strenuous but still a fun place to get outside and connect with nature!
We love the Jackson River Trail and ride it several times a year - yesterday was the first for this year. The trail extension was delayed by a terrible mudslide, but has now been beautifully completed two+ miles north into Bath County. I wish Bath County would complete the trail all the way into Hot Springs! It would rival the Creeper Trail for sure. This trail is the best maintained trail we've ridden. There had been inches of rain the day before but there were no puddles, no debris - the trail was completely clear. The Parks and Recreation guys of Covington keep it nicely mowed and the restrooms are amazingly clean. We highly recommend this rail trail. And if you want a great place to eat afterward, try Trani's Grille! Great food!
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