Find the top rated birding trails in Staunton, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Let's say I lived nearby. I'd be on that trail often for biking and running. In the summer it was nice and firm, flat and wide. On a hot August Monday I saw nearly no one else except a humongous shaggy white free-range dog that chased me a 1/4 mile. The good news is: He didn't bite either me or my tire.
My brother and I rode the length of greenbrier, out and back, between 9/13 - 9/15 2018. We chose to start in Marlinton due to remoteness of the trail and lack opportunities to replenish supplies. Following this itinerary we would have the opportunity to either begin or end our day here and have access to most anything that we needed. I also had full cell service here on the AT&T network allowing us to check the weather forecast, check messages and check in with family. Heading south from MM 55 toward Caldwell on the first day, we were quickly away from civilization and passed the only trail side convenience store at Seebert (~MM46). The trail was well maintained in this section and easy to ride with our hybrids. I was pulling a Bob trailer with camping gear. The scenery is beautiful including the Droop Mountain tunnel and there are many very nice cabins/summer homes here. There is ample river access for fishing or refreshing with a swim. After hearing from some locals that the water fountain at the 3.1 MM was broken, we decided that our time would be better spent finding a clean water source. We slightly shortened our trip and set up camp at the 9.5 MM camp site. I would advise bringing some method for filtering water if you plan to ride for a length of time. There are few opportunities to fill water bottles. The site here was very nice with a brand new camping shelter. The only downside was lack of water. We had to ride 5 miles round trip to find a spring. Day 2, heading north back toward Marlinton we had the motivation of knowing that we could get some prepared food and cold drinks in Seebert. When in Marlinton, we returned to our vehicles to charge our phones and drove across the bridge to the IGA grocery store for water and food for our last day. We camped at MM 64, this site was similar to the others with fire ring/cooking grate, level crushed limestone tent pad, outhouse, shelter and even had a water pump. Day 3 we began heading north to Cass (16 mi) where we planned to turn around and finish in Marlinton. This section had some muck which made it difficult to maintain a good roll. This was also the only section that had a noticeable grade. After learning this, it may be worth considering starting out in this section as opposed to making the climb on tired legs. The river looked very favorable for fishing here as well and I regret not stoping to make a few casts. The second of two tunnels is on this stretch so be sure to bring a light. Overall, a very well maintained trail, more than sufficient camping facilities and remarkable scenery. I would recommend this ride to anyone who has the desire go off of the grid for a few days. I plan to return and spend some time on the river.
On Sept. of 2018 I rode the entire trial both ways over 5 days, a total of nearly 160 miles. I am confused about the post from pfh24 that said it was the worst trail he had ridden. I found the trail in good condition all the way. Of course, there were some muddy spots as it has rained a lot this year and the week I was there, there is new gravel in places which one would expect on a trail this long, and the grass needed mowing in a few places but the middle of the trail was always fairly short grass and most of the grass on the trail on both sides was fine. There has been a lot of rain so grass grows fast in that situation. I started in Lewisburg and rode up approximately 15 to 20 miles one way, turned around and rode back to my car. I like to ride trails both ways because it is like riding two trails as you see it differently in opposite directions. The trail follows the beautiful and crystal clear river most of the way and you pass pretty farms along the way. It was not near as remote as I expected as there are many homes, mostly weekend and vacation homes along the river in a number of places and there are people living at the trailheads so you do not feel isolated which is good and bad. It was a wonderful week and I plan to do it again next year. The Seebert trailhead is a nice one as you can take the bridge across the river and Watoga State Park is directly across the bridge and they have cabins, swimming pool , trails, tennis, etc. there so it is a nice park. I plan to stay there next time instead of 3 nights in Lewisburg and two in Marlinton. I definitely recommend this trail and will definitely go back again if possible. am a 72 year old male and would recommend the wider tires on a mountain bike versus hybrid or rode narrower tires. There are places where it is more safe for stability to have the wider tires. I stayed at a Holiday Inn in Lewisburg and the Old Clark Inn in Marlinton. The Old Clark is an old small hotel and is clean and breakfast was good. It is old though but I found it fine and the folks were very nice there.
If you live in Cville and want to go for a nice short ride in town, you can't beat this one! Beautiful landscapes, nice hills, fun!
For a person just starting out, this was a great way to get some miles in without killing my knees on hills. Very pretty. VERY FLAT!!
Trail was recently maintained, thank you. Enjoyed the workout in the middle section. Would have been nice to have known that the trail was closed at mile 15 due to construction.
The longest non-road paved section is at Riverview park at 2.1 miles. It is level. Beyond that you will need mountain bike or go on streets.
Rode 26 miles of the trail over the weekend and have to say it was probably the worst trail that I have ridden.
We rode from the northern trailhead in Cass on Saturday, and then headed south from Marlinton on Sunday. There was one location of less than a quarter mile where it seemed to have been maintained - more for hiking than for biking as it was a combination of so much gravel that it was like biking on sand then in the same stretch there were large stones better for keeping a pickup from sinking than for biking.
Much of the trail was a pair of tire grooves spaced about the width of a pickup truck, with weeds growing in between. There was little evidence that trail - the riding surface - had been maintained in a few years. In a couple of areas the trail was barely visible through the freshly mowed lawns. There were areas where the tire tracks were without gravel and which had become mud for a biker to navigate.
And, it's a state park? So, are we to assume that there is an annual maintenance budget??
Maybe the sections of the trail further south are better for biking.
Overview: The trail length has doubled from about 7.2 miles to 13.7 miles making it 27 miles round trip. This provides a biking distance attractive enough to justify the travel destination for many riders.
Access: To the new Natural Well Trailhead, take US 220 North of Covington to just beyond the Nissan Dealership. Look for the brown Lake Moomaw sign prior to a left turn at route 687 Jackson River Road. Careful, you don’t have good sight distance for turning left in front of oncoming traffic on US 220. Following one route number 687 makes the rest of the trip easy though.
Trail beta: This trip we biked only the newly opened 6.5 mi section from Smith Bridge to the northern terminus which has no vehicle access there. The Natural Well Trailhead is half way in between. It has awkward off street parking with only one way in, a picnic table in the sun, and a porta potty, the sole ‘rest room’ currently on the new section. The most scenic section of the new trail is between Natural Well and the northern terminus along Cedar Creek. It is the most remote section and worth the road distance of 12 miles from I-64 to Natural Well and 20 minutes in time. The surface is smooth fine gravel.
Sweet Lunch Spot: On the entire trail it is in the new section about ½ mile north of Natural Well at MP # 11.5 the trail distance from Intervale. The picnic table is in the shade on the river bank within the sound of a river rapid. In the new section, most of the other 10 plus picnic tables have been placed in the open, in the midday summer sun. Stainless steel MP markers are installed including ‘FULL’ markers showing cumulative mileage for those doing a round trip. Will come again.
Davefox October 2017 has an accurate writeup.
We started at the Lexington end and the first part of the trail up to the first cow pasture was great—well maintained and highly trafficked with joggers and walkers. The cows were crowding the first gate, which meant a lot of poop. It was impossible to ride or walk the bikes and successfully navigate all the patties. The section of trail that follows the road is uphill traveling east, then a steep downhill gravel path to the trail. We made it a short way beyond the second cow pasture on the other side of rt. 631 when we encountered a mama bear and two cubs on the side of the trail. We rode close enough to determine it wasn’t cows or dogs, but far enough that we were able to turn around and speed back toward the gates. Appa Turn around and sp
This trail is actually 80 miles. I'm not sure why it says 77, but my family started at mile marker 80 this July. We road down to mile 75 and back. This part of the trail starts at Cass and has a slight downgrade. It's crushed stone, but the trail is kept up nicely. It also follows the river. Our goal is to keep going back and doing it in sections each year.
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