Explore the best rated trails in Pulaski, VA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Emily B. Taylor Greenway and Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail. With more than 11 trails covering 100 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.
Lick Run Greenway begins in downtown Roanoke and heads north just over 4 miles to end between Huff Lane Park and Valley View Mall. Along the way, the paved pathway traverses two parks: Washington Park...
The Roanoke River Greenway will one day span 25 miles between Roanoke and Salem along its namesake waterway. Currently, much of the paved pathway is already in place and runs through a wide variety of...
Southern Virginia's New River Trail is one of America's premier rail-trails and has been designated as an official National Recreation Trail by the US Department of the Interior. It is also a state...
In the early 1900s, a train line nicknamed “the Huckleberry” was built to transport coal and provide mail and passenger service to Blacksburg. The line was also used by the Corps cadets at Virginia...
Stretching from Veteran’s Park to Worth St, in western Mt. Airy, is the Emily B. Taylor Greenway. The trail has been a hit with residents since the its construction in 2001, and remains arguably one...
This connector trail links Mount Airy’s two most popular trails, elevating the experience on each by providing an uninterrupted 6-mile walk or ride along the three greenways. The v-shaped trail, which...
The Mill Mountain Greenway provides residents and visitors to Roanoke with a nice connection from the city's downtown to Mill Mountain Park. Within the park, you can explore numerous hiking trails,...
The Ararat River Greenway is a pleasant, hard surface trail in Mt. Airy, NC. The trail gets its name from the Ararat River, and was part of an initiative to restore the waterway with the twin goals of...
The Greenway Trail is a one-mile path of finely crushed limestone that is located just outside of New Castle. The trail runs mostly on Craigs Creek Road (VA-615), but starts at a kiosk mimicing a...
Southern Virginia's New River Trail is one of America's premier rail-trails and has been designated as an official National Recreation Trail by the US Department of the Interior. It is also a state...
Lick Run Greenway begins in downtown Roanoke and heads north just over 4 miles to end between Huff Lane Park and Valley View Mall. Along the way, the paved pathway traverses two parks: Washington Park...
The Mill Mountain Greenway provides residents and visitors to Roanoke with a nice connection from the city's downtown to Mill Mountain Park. Within the park, you can explore numerous hiking trails,...
In the early 1900s, a train line nicknamed “the Huckleberry” was built to transport coal and provide mail and passenger service to Blacksburg. The line was also used by the Corps cadets at Virginia...
The Potts Valley Rail Trail is built upon an abandoned corridor of the Norfolk and Western Branch rail line. Called the Potts Valley Branch, it operated between 1909 and 1932 and was built to haul...
The Roanoke River Greenway will one day span 25 miles between Roanoke and Salem along its namesake waterway. Currently, much of the paved pathway is already in place and runs through a wide variety of...
Stretching from Veteran’s Park to Worth St, in western Mt. Airy, is the Emily B. Taylor Greenway. The trail has been a hit with residents since the its construction in 2001, and remains arguably one...
The Greenway Trail is a one-mile path of finely crushed limestone that is located just outside of New Castle. The trail runs mostly on Craigs Creek Road (VA-615), but starts at a kiosk mimicing a...
This connector trail links Mount Airy’s two most popular trails, elevating the experience on each by providing an uninterrupted 6-mile walk or ride along the three greenways. The v-shaped trail, which...
Opened in 1999, the Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail in Salem (just outside of Roanoke) is associated with Southern Virginia's impressive Civil War history. The northern trailhead at Hanging Rock was...
The Ararat River Greenway is a pleasant, hard surface trail in Mt. Airy, NC. The trail gets its name from the Ararat River, and was part of an initiative to restore the waterway with the twin goals of...
The Potts Valley Rail Trail is built upon an abandoned corridor of the Norfolk and Western Branch rail line. Called the Potts Valley Branch, it operated between 1909 and 1932 and was built to haul...
Lick Run Greenway begins in downtown Roanoke and heads north just over 4 miles to end between Huff Lane Park and Valley View Mall. Along the way, the paved pathway traverses two parks: Washington Park...
The Ararat River Greenway is a pleasant, hard surface trail in Mt. Airy, NC. The trail gets its name from the Ararat River, and was part of an initiative to restore the waterway with the twin goals of...
Southern Virginia's New River Trail is one of America's premier rail-trails and has been designated as an official National Recreation Trail by the US Department of the Interior. It is also a state...
The Greenway Trail is a one-mile path of finely crushed limestone that is located just outside of New Castle. The trail runs mostly on Craigs Creek Road (VA-615), but starts at a kiosk mimicing a...
Stretching from Veteran’s Park to Worth St, in western Mt. Airy, is the Emily B. Taylor Greenway. The trail has been a hit with residents since the its construction in 2001, and remains arguably one...
The Roanoke River Greenway will one day span 25 miles between Roanoke and Salem along its namesake waterway. Currently, much of the paved pathway is already in place and runs through a wide variety of...
The Mill Mountain Greenway provides residents and visitors to Roanoke with a nice connection from the city's downtown to Mill Mountain Park. Within the park, you can explore numerous hiking trails,...
This connector trail links Mount Airy’s two most popular trails, elevating the experience on each by providing an uninterrupted 6-mile walk or ride along the three greenways. The v-shaped trail, which...
Opened in 1999, the Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail in Salem (just outside of Roanoke) is associated with Southern Virginia's impressive Civil War history. The northern trailhead at Hanging Rock was...
In the early 1900s, a train line nicknamed “the Huckleberry” was built to transport coal and provide mail and passenger service to Blacksburg. The line was also used by the Corps cadets at Virginia...
My husband and I rode the New River Trail in two days / segments. We started both days at the New River Trail State Park - Foster Falls, as it is essentially the mid-point of the trail. On day 1, we rode from Foster Falls north to Pulaski. This was an easy ride with views of the river for most of the trip. We crossed several bridges and trestles on this trip including a large one near Hiwassee. Soon after crossing under I-81, we came to the split for the Dora Trail. If taking the Dora, be aware there is a somewhat steep grade with a few washout channels in it, so watch your speed. We arrived at Heritage Park in Pulaski right on time for a picnic lunch. The ride back was also pleasant and we encountered several trail users, bicycles and walkers. On day 2, we again began at Foster Falls and rode to the Galax / Fries junction. Since we had done our sightseeing in Galax earlier on our trip, we rode to and through the tunnel on the way to Galax, then turned around and continued on the Fries (pronounced 'freeze') trail spur. The trail ends in a very nice little park with a small café. We ate here with a group of other bicyclists and exchanged stories and trail recommendations. The park is right on the New River and has a beautiful view of waterfalls.
The southern half of the New River Trail is much more scenic than the northern half, in my opinion. The New River is possibly the most scenic river we have ridden to date, especially near Buck Dam and Buck Reservoir. We rode past several historical markers like the rock crusher at Ivanhoe, and a large concrete wall structure we determined to be the lead mine. We also encountered several horses on the southern half of the trail – a first for us on our biking adventures (we have our own horses at home, so dodging the ‘horse piles’ was nothing new). There is trail access to the historic Shot Tower as well, roughly 2 miles from Foster Falls (with tower tours on select dates). The entire trail was very well maintained, and we encountered maintenance crews in several places. For reference, we ride Trek bikes (his is a Merlin mountain bike and mine is a Verve2 hybrid). It was a nine-hour drive for us to get to this trail, but the mountain views and scenery were well worth it to this ‘flatlander’. We highly recommend this trail.
Two and a half day bike packing round trip from Pulaski to Galax (via Fries) and back to Pulaski (May 17-19).
Friday afternoon - Loaded up the bikes at the start of the Dora Trail in Pulaski. After a quick visit to the Pulaski Bike shop headed down the Dora Trail 1 1/2 miles to the junction with the New River Trail and off we went. Dora Trail was a bit of a mess. Lots of candy stretches, not much fun on loaded up bikes. Once we got on the New River Trail though it was smooth sailing.
We stopped at Draper for a late lunch at the Mercantile (recommended), then finished our 24 mile day at the Millrace Campground at Foster Falls. Great facility, we had a site right on the river. There's a camp store and a park store for little things, but there's nothing else in the immediate area, so if you overnight, bring your own food for camp. You can buy firewood there.
Saturday - Packed up and hit the trail early for a 40 mile day to Galax via Fries. The section from Foster Falls to Fries was my favorite of the trip. Very scenic and relaxing. Stopped for lunch at the Café in Fries. While the trail was worth the miles in its own right, lunch at the café was icing on the cake. Hearty helping sizes hit the spot, friendly staff and a great view of the river. Then back down the Fries spur trail to the main trail and on to Galax. At the junction, the main trail actually leaves the New River and follows Chestnut Creek into Galax. While we had been riding "uphill" most of the way so far, it had been a very gentle uphill until Fries Junction. The rest of the way into Galax was a noticeable uphill, not hard, but definitely going uphill. The state park campground was full that night so we camped at the Old Cranks RV park in Galax. The good - nice relatively clean bath house with hot showers, and within walking distance of downtown Galax (hello Creek Bottom Brewery). The bad - that was the only amenity. No trees, no fire pits, no tables (I mean come on, a picnic table is kind of a given for a campground, but not here).
Sunday - A quick bite and we were off for 52 miles back to Pulaski. Pretty much downhill until the very end. The Dora Trail conditions were much more aggravating at the end of 50+ miles, but it was a short aggravation at least, and was partially offset by a great late lunch at Al's On First in Pulaski.
Overall a great trip. The New River Trail was in fantastic shape. Way more scenic bridges and trestles than I expected. Great scenery throughout, especially between Foster Falls and Fries. Other than Pulaski, Draper, Fries and Galax, there are no towns along the way, and be sure to check the hours for the Mercantile and Fries Café if you plan to stop at either to make sure they'll be open. There are plenty of sheltered tables (some with chemical toilets nearby) along the route.
Overall a worthwhile and very enjoyable trail. It worked out well as a bike packing route and would be just as nice doing sections as day rides. Might skip the Dora Trail next time though.
I had a very bad (like, emergency room kind of bad) crash on this greenway near washington park. they have allowed roots to push up the asphalt in a section that is shaded and has poor visibility; none of the damaged area is marked. the city of roanoke should be ashamed of the lack of maintenance. it's a hazard and I would avoid any trail maintained by the city.
We drove down from SE PA. Unfortunately it was raining so we only managed 24 miles out and back from the Austinville parking area. When we returned we were super dirty and our bikes were too. Luckily there was access to water to rinse all the gravel from us and our bikes. The next day we parked in Galax and rode to the split at Fries . The bridge and tunnels were awesome. The trail is in fabulous condition and I would highly recommend this trail very scenic and lots of wildlife.
I accidentally found this on a run from my hotel. I was running through a very hilly neighborhood and literally ran into it. It is a good surface. As I was running northwest, I ran toward the battle site and it was very pleasant. As they develop the trail system, it will improve. The parking lot at the town end is great but there is no map of the trail and no information on the trail or how to donate. It is a lost opportunity to generate support. Many of us like to donate to these kinds of efforts. I am giving a 3 as it is a short trail and I am usually cycling.
I got on the bike at the Galax, VA Trailhead at 7 a.m.. You have to pay for parking which is uncommon for the trails I have ridden to date. At that time of day, I only saw one other cyclist in my first hour on the trail. While I would have loved to ride the entire length of the trail, I did not have 100+ miles in my legs and I still had a 5 hour drive to Dad's in Washington, PA. So I rode out 25 miles and turned around for a 50 mile ride.
Like the Great Allegheny Passage, I cannot say enough great things about this trail. The gravel surface was well maintained and I had no issues with my gravel bike riding the trail. Note that it is also used by horses and there were some piles to avoid, particularly on the bridges. They were infrequent, but noticeable. But it is a multiuse trail so no deductions for that in my mind. This trail is rural. Galax was a small town and there are few towns along the way. When riding gravel I use a camelbak instead of water bottles as bottles get dirty from the dust kicking up from the tires and dirt makes the drinks a touch less refreshing. My camelbak was near empty after my 50 miles. You will see a water bottle on the bike in the photos. Again since this trail is so remote, I use it as a first aid kit with basic first aid items, sun tan lotion, and a swiss army knife. On very long rides I use the second bottle to carry gels, bars, and other things to eat.
The scenery is breathtaking. The trestles were beautiful, the bridges amazing, and the tunnel closest to Galax was incredible. The view of the dam on the New River was also pretty cool. I encountered plenty of wild life. I saw many deer. The last one certainly startled me as I did not see it in the woods and it jumped out on the trail only about 10 yards in front of me and ran down the trail for about a quarter mile. I did let out a little scream as I was not expecting it and could not close the gap to draft. Also saw some wild turkeys, lots of little critters, and some cows relaxing in the New River having a drink.
I will return to ride more of this trail. Maybe next year when I go to Dad's for Father's Day, I will stay at the other end of the trail and do an out and back from the other side. But I would rather go back and ride the entire trail over two days completing it twice.
Excellent ride, great scenery, and enough "must see" items like the tunnels and bridges make this a 10 gear ride on my rating scale. (assuming a 10 gear cassette).
Touring bike ride from Galax to Foster falls, and back the next day. Nice and easy ride. Beautiful scenery, lots of views over a creek or the river. The campground at Foster falls is awesome. There is a convenience store and a subway 5 miles away from there.
well maintained trail. easy to find. nice scenery
June 6, 2018-
Parked at the west trailhead. There is room for about 6 cars about 50 yards from the hard surface road. My dog and I hiked about three miles to where the trail descended into a hollow where there once was a railroad trestle. We then turned around and came back due to lack of time.
This part of the trail is nearly flat and level. Rhododendrons in full bloom. Several springs where dog drank and cooled his feet. Took about 2-1/2 hours for a leisurely 6 mile round trip. Trail is wide and clear with little brush or limbs. I suggest long pants or long socks as there were just a few briers and nettles. Also a mud hole where you will likely get your shoes wet.
We encountered few gnats and mosquitoes, but it was windy and cool.
At about the three mile point going east, the trail depends steeply into about a 600 foot deep ravine, but it looked like the trail was well worn and had switchbacks.
Suggest setting up a shuttle with a vehicle at the far end (about 4 miles) so you don’t have to double back.
Or you could walk back on the hard surface road, not much traffic during the week.
One of the nicest and easiest trails in this area. Has some interesting history told by a placard on the east side of the gorge.
Your grandma could hike this trail with ease.
Great paved trail following the river around Mount Airy the real hometown of Andy Griiffin and the basis for Mayberry in his show. Plenty of parking at the trailheads.
This trail is fabulous. The view of the New River is beautiful. Gorgeous blooming flowers line the trails. It’s downhill, just a little, as you follow the riverbed. There are amazing rock formations and a tunnel. Take plenty of water and snacks. There are no restaurants along the way and exactly one convenience store. We saw butterflies, chipmunks, peacocks, and a snake.
Get Your 2018 RTC TrailNation Jersey!
Download the TrailLink mobile app and take TrailLink with you!
Donate and Get a FREE 2018 RTC Guidebook!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
