It’s incredibly difficult to rate the trails in the Harrisonburg and Stokesville Campground area since the majority of them are that good. My favorite loop is still the Magic Moss/Dowells ride, but this gem of a ride comes very close to trumping that route. This particular outing hits three of the area’s classic trails, Festival, Narrowback and Tillman West. Two of them, Narrowback and Tillman, have been recently re-worked and improved. The ride can be split into two or three loops if you don’t have the legs for all 21 miles; if you do have the legs, DO IT - you’ll absolutely love them and want to come back for more again soon.
A technical section along tower on the way to the Tillman descent - looks scarier than it is…
Festival, Narrowback & Tillman West
Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Length: 21.2 miles.
Ride Time: 3 - 4 hours hours, depending on skill level
Ride Type: MTB
Difficulty: Level 5 Riding: The reason I give this loop a level 5 rating is because of the distance traveled and climbing involved - the ride also includes some technical riding along Festival and along Tower on the way to Tillman that’s not suitable for beginners or “advanced” beginners. The climbing, both from Tillman road up Dog Graves to Tower and up the Narrowback hike a bike along the Festival return can also do you in, especially if you’re not mentally prepared for them. You’ll definitely be tired when you’re done. Like many of the other loops in the Harrisonburg (Burg) and Stokesville areas, the ride presented here starts with gradual 1.5 mile climb up Tillman Road and then a steep trail climb up Dog Graves - you’ll do this section twice along the course of the ride and finish along the same way but in the reverse direction towards the starting point.
The version I present in my book Mountain biking Virginia (Festival & Tillman route below) is very similar but does not include the new Narrowback descent. I also present just the Short Tillman loop in case you just want to do that section alone. I adjusted the starting points for the “alternate” loops to the Dog Graves trailhead, technically you would also start from the Wolf Ridge Trail parking lot.
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