Explore the best rated trails in Front Royal, VA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Great American Rail-Trail, Mid-Atlantic and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park . With more than 35 trails covering 4562 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.
I enjoyed the ride. A lot to see and do since trail goes through part of Luray. Good parking areas and friendly people along trail.
We were just passing through the area and wanted to do a quick bike ride. Began at the Big Pool trailhead (MM0). Cycled about 8.5 miles before turning around. This section of the trail was nicely paved and shaded. As others mentioned, the one drawback was at about MM2, the trail parallels the freeway and it is quite noisy. However, we were aware of this when we started. If I was passing through the area again, I would try another section of the trail.
We went on a Sunday at the end of May. The weather was perfect and the trail was impeccable. We didn’t go the entire way- we went 15 miles up and then turned around so we didn’t see the tunnel. The honeysuckle was in bloom and the entire trail smelled heavenly. We stopped for lunch at Buddy Lou’s - it’s right on the trail and we highly recommend it. We sat outside on the balcony for lunch and could watch the other cyclists and runners on the trail while we ate in the sunshine. The trail is pretty shaded in many spots so even in warm weather you’d have a comfortable ride. I was surprised, considering the perfect weather and what a great trail it is that it wasn’t busier. This is 10 out of 10 for a great trail experience.
This is one of the nicest trails out there. Lots of elevations changes and a nice brewery ( caboose brewery) along the way. I did the upper end a few weeks before and the lower end later. Lots of rest stops and bathrooms. Nice towns until you get to the dc area and it all looks the same.
Highly recommend this beautiful and well kept trail. Beautiful to ride along the trees and over the 2 epic ohiopyle bridges.
I did an up and back 35 miles. Great paved trail and. It many people at this end. Looking forward to riding the rest. I hate dc traffic
The Washington & Old Dominion is the best trail hands down. It is also one of the busiest trails that hosts running clubs, cycling clubs, nature walkers, neighborhood walkers, walking and biking commuters and is at its busiest before 7 am in extreme heat.
What makes this 44 mile trail so unique is the amenities that sit along side of it making it the best trail to plan an activity on with family and friends. Just pick a city that you want to visit and you can find convenience stores adjacent to the trail within walking distance as well as myriad of restaurants for all ages, ice cream parlors, grooming services, bike shops and over the past few years breweries have been added to the scenery right on the trail.
The location is prime to the cities of Northern Virginia with access to getting into Washington DC to see the monuments and Hains Point. Nothing beats the W&OD Trail!
This is probably the most I could handle on a bike ride. We rode the GAP and C&O back to back like many do in 8 days. It was great fun but the C&O is noticeably rougher, fewer port-a-Johns and very scarce potable water sources. On our 7th day from Williamsport to Brunswick we ran out of water midway and rode the remaining 25 miles without water. Fortunately the shade offered by the beautiful canopy of trees made it bearable. We made sure to load up on extra water on our final day. The mix of loose sand that caught us by surprise & the larger stones on the trail made for a more challenging ride than expected. On the one rainy day we had from Cumberland to Little Orleans, some of the puddles we encountered offered a new sense of “oh dear” as we didn’t know how deep the hole we were riding thru when there was no room to go around the puddle.
Biked from Hancock to Little Orleans and return on August 30, 2025. Distance: 34.5 miles. Stopped for lunch at Bill's Place in Little Orleans and got good food and friendly service. The paved portion of the trail is in excellent condition -- thanks to the Maryland Park Service for recently repaving the trail. The only negative is the 3-mile detour on the C & O Canal towpath around the abandoned Indigo tunnel. The towpath detour is unpaved and has a rougher surface than the trail. The nearly one-mile long tunnel was closed in 2010 to protect a handful of bats allegedly living inside. The tunnel is an engineering marvel that should be seen and experienced by humans. Opening it to trail users would help the economically depressed Western Maryland area. For example, the equally-long Blue Ridge Tunnel in Afton, Virginia, draws about 50,000 visitors annually since it was reopened in 2020.
there are some really old bridges that go over the C&O. the highlight is the paw paw tunnel. better to walk through it. once you hit little orleans, i suggest going on the western maryland trail. it is fully paved and nice.
hancock is a great town
I just finished a two-day solo tour (Cumberland to Williamsport, Williamsport to DC) and had an incredible experience despite the rain and the tough going over a few stretches. I hear a lot of criticism about the C & O, particularly when compared to the GAP (which I have also done). I appreciate the contrast and hope that the C&O retains its historic character as a more rugged towpath (not a rail trail). That said, the conditions on the east side of Paw Paw and from White’s Ferry to DC were challenging (again, I like the changing surfaces). Highlights: wilderness character, Paw Paw Tunnel, sycamores between Harper’s Ferry and Antietam, Great Falls, Monocacy, Point of Rocks station and the towns.
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