Destination: Harrisonburg
It has been a while since I hopped in my car with the bike(s) on the back and headed to a new destination. After finishing work on Mountain Biking Virginia and traveling to virtually every corner of the Old Dominion it just felt good to stick close to home and ride the local trails near me. At the time I was also starting to get heavily involved in planning and then building the trails at Locust Shade Park, so the incentive to stray away from home was low.
But, now that I’ve been riding nearby for so long, and that there’s a pause in building new stuff at Locust Shade, I’ve been itching to get out to some of my favorite regional destinations - make a weekend out of it and get some quality miles on some great regional trails. There are also a handful of new places popping up I want to check out along the way.
With the riding season starting to really kick into gear I figured I’d share five of my favorite destinations within a 2-3 hour drive of the DC Metro area over the course of the next few weeks.
if you are new to the sport, or if you’ve been like me for the past few seasons and sticking close by, here’s a chance to sample some really great trails. So, on that note - here’s the first destination I think you should check out:
Harrisonburg, VA
Harrisonburg - aka “Rocktown" is probably one of the best riding destinations close to the DC Area. If you have not sampled some of the trails in and around this “Virginia Main Street Community” you owe yourself the favor. Like many regional destinations, Harrisonburg went through a major change early in the early 21st Century when the city began several “streetscaping” projects to improve infrastructure. It was a around the same time that the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) was formed by the merging of two long standing bicycle groups, the Shenandoah Bicycle Club and the Shenandoah Mountain Bike Club. Since its inception, the SVBC has worked extremely hard to develop positive and constructive relationships with the city, the National Forest Service, and Massanutten Resort that resulted in Harrisonburg being named a Bicycle Friendly Community and a Bronze Level IMBA Ride Center. The early accolades have not stopped the SVBC and the group continues to work to improve cycling infrastructure in and around the city.
Where to Ride: There are hundreds of miles of amazing trails in the GWNF and the Stokesville Campground area to satisfy the most demanding riders. I would hit these three routes over a weekend of Camping at the Stokesville Campground.
Western Slopes - while not directly accessible from the Stokesville Campground, the “Nutt” is worth a visit. You can make a day out of it or, if you drive early into town, do a solid loop and then go check in at the campground and mull around their perimeter trail system. Bear in mind that you need either a season or day pass to access the Western Slope trails, easily obtainable from the SVBC. The resort also offers shuttle services if you just want to let gravity do the work.
The view of the valley and Harrisonburg from Leighton’s Overlook along the Western Slopes trail system is worth the climb.
Dowells Draft and Magic Moss - this is quite possibly my favorite loop in and around the Stokesville area. The route I detailed starts from Braley Pond, but it can be easily adjusted to start and end from the Campground by riding up Lookout and then back down Lookout Mountain. Tacking the Lookout Mountain descent to this loop would make for an epic day on the saddle. You can “easily” get to Lookout from the camp ground by climbing up Shaffer Hollow Trail.
Most rides in the Stokesville area will involve some “gravel” riding; the Magic Moss/Dowells loop is no different. Heading out of Braley Pond for a brisk 3.5 mile climb to the trailhead, where “magic” awaits. On that note, beyond MTB routes, there are lots of gravel loops available in the area. Check out Bike the Valley for more info.
One of the most intimidating, but actually “easy” to ride, rock features along Tower Trail on the way to the Tillman descent.
Festival, Narrowback and Tillman - another gem of a loop that can also be accessed from the Stokesville Campground, albeit, you’ll be on a nice and long gravel road climb until you get to the trailhead. The route I detail starts from the Wolf Ridge Parking Trailhead lot. This route hits three classic Stokesville trails and will have you grinning for more.
Beyond the three routes mentioned above there are a lot more trails to pick from in the area, including the Lookout Mountain Loop loop, the Hanky Mountain loop, the Redish Knob descent (can be done as a loop or shuttle) among others.
All of these are documented in detail in my book, Mountain Biking Virginia.
There are also a ton of Gravel and road riding opportunities in the Harrisonburg and the Stokesville area. for more information on those check out Bike The Valley, they have several routes for riders of varied abilities. Several of these routes also start from the Stolesville Campground.
What do you think?
What’s your favorite Harrisonburg/Stokesville loop and trail? Let us know in the comments below!
