Our 10 favorite cycling destinations, and the 411 from local wheels on the ground about where to ride, repair your gear and recharge after you tackle the trails.
We’ve got mountains. We’ve got flatlands. We’ve got miles of former train tracks reimagined in singletrack and doubletrack asphalt wending their way through coal hollers and urban enclaves alike. So it’s no wonder Virginia is home to some of the best and most varied cycling in the country.
More than 800 miles of the U.S. Bicycle Route System are contained within our borders, making Virginia the state with the most bike miles in the system. And we are the only—that’s right, the only—state containing stretches of both Route 1 and Route 76, the country’s first two official U.S. Bicycle Routes.
“Bike tourism is really growing around the world,” says Beth Weisbrod, executive director of the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation, which oversees the 55-mile-long trail between Richmond and Williamsburg. According to a 2015 report from the Washington, D.C.-based Outdoor Foundation, biking is the third most popular outdoor activity following running.
Richmond may the state capital, but over in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth, the small community of Damascus, population 814, has already achieved biking fame. Known as “Trail Town USA,” Damascus is home to—count them—seven major trails.
“Damascus is a great illustration of the true potential of these types of trails,” for economic impact says Weisbrod. “The trails really define the town.”
Now get out there and get your ride on, Virginia! The trails await.
Click below to see all the destinations:
