Things to do / Travel Guide
The whole of the southern Appalachian Mountains region is crisscrossed by bike trails, from West Virginia's mountainous landscape to North Carolina and Tennessee's. And you can't go wrong on Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, provided you've got lights on your bike for the tunnels. The mountain roads and trails are some of the most challenging in the U.S., and for all the roads' switchbacks and the trails' steep grades, they make for a real awesome bike trip.
West Virginia Biking
West Virginia is all mountains, and eastern West Virginia is Allegheny territory. Biking is best in the Potomac Highlands area. This area is full of knobs, like Chestnut Knob and Bald Knob - one of the best trails in the whole state travels down Spruce Knob, which happens to be the mightiest of all the Alleghenies.
Spruce Knob is actually the name of Spruce Mountain's summit, located close to the Panhandle. It's the Huckleberry Trail you take down the mountain. You, of course, referring to the expert mountain biker, as this trail is rocky and extremely technical. First you ride the ridge for a while, then you angle down the mountain in a wide-open meadow. At Seneca Creek, enough at the bottom of the trail, you bike through forests filled with spruce trees and peopled by beavers living in their ponds. The whole ride is about 18 miles. You can rent a bike in Franklin and in Cass, both close to Spruce Knob.
The whole area of the Monongahela National Forest is prime country for downhill singletrack. Other trails in the vicinity to test your mettle include:
- Plantation Trail, at 25 miles
- Elk Mountain Trail, at 14 miles
- Sharp's Knob Loop, at 7.5 miles
- Props Run, at 20 miles
These trails are well-marked, but moderately difficult – all good rides for the experienced mountain cyclist. Rentals are available in Franklin, Davis, and Cass, among other places, and the trails originate near Davis.
Snowshoe Mountain has been West Virginia's premier skiing resort for more than 30 years, and only relatively recently has mountain biking been added to the roster (in the warmer seasons). There are rentals here aplenty. These mountain biking trails are the ultimate in the man-made department. These trails start when you get off the converted ski lift. You have the option of cross-country biking, free-ride biking, and downhill biking. The latter is perhaps the rawest, most exhilarating ride you'll ever have in the state.
For road biking, head to Hillsboro, for a good West Virginia route past rolling farmland. The two roads you traverse are U.S. Highway 219, and West Virginia State Road 55. The farmland in the area is hardened, accommodating itself to the West Virginia landscape by hugging steep hollows and rocky knolls. U.S. Highway 219 gets a good amount of traffic, while the smaller roads off State Road 55 barely get any traffic at all. Depending on how far you go on the country roads, this can be an up-to-30-mile ride.
If you like rail trails, where trains used to run but the tracks are no longer present, there's a 77-mile one along the Greenbrier River that you'll love. The trail floor varies from gravel to slightly rough, so despite the relative flatness, you'll still need your mountain bike. You go through two tunnels, over 35 bridges, and past a number of small towns. Above you are the ubiquitous Allegheny Mountains.
Shenandoah Valley Biking
The place to be for western Virginia biking is the Shenandoah Valley. People come to the area for gentle farm biking plus rocky mountain biking. The clear winners for biking are along the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Segments along these winding routes provide you with panoramic mountain scenery. Relay with a car to pick you up and drop you off at different locations.
The up-down type of ride can be affected along the Skyline Drive by riding from gap to gap, i.e. Thornton Gap near Sperryville, Swift Run Gap near Grottoes, and/or Rockfish Gap just south of Shenandoah Valley National Park.
Bike rentals are available in Roanoke, Harrisonburg, and Luray, among other places.
Blue Ridge Parkway Biking
A good amount of rides are in store along the Blue Ridge Parkway - all road biking, of course. Remember that for the duration of the Parkway, you have to ride single file and well to the right. Bicycle lights are required for the tunnels, which can be long and dark along the Parkway.
The main draw to riding the Blue Ridge Parkway is its isolation from civilization. Peak season does, however, bring lots of cars for some stretches, so it might be slightly better to go slightly off peak season, like in September. You can go for days and not see a town, and there are plenty of panoramas where you can see 50-60 miles in the distance. In these parts, the nighttime sky is as you've never seen it. With the elevation changes and the road traffic, rides like these are meant for experienced cyclists only.
You can rent a bike in Roanoke and Galax, Virginia, in Boone, Asheville, or in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Great Smoky Mountains Biking
Biking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is limited to road biking; however as these roads are often gravel or unimproved, you'll need your mountain bike anyway. The best road to ride on is the Parson Branch Road, which leads out of Cades Cove. Cades Cove is the name of a major settlement in the Smokies, which was abandoned during the building of the park. It's a lush valley, and you can see the remains of the preserved homesteads, as well as the abundant wildlife. Bear in mind that as one of the only roads in the park, this gets a lot of traffic during peak season. Early morning riding is the best.
Another route is the Cades Cove Loop, which is 11 miles long. In addition to the steep grades in several places, there are two places where you must get off your bike and walk. A pointer: From mid-May to the end of September, every Wednesday and Saturday morning, Cades Cove roads are closed to traffic but still open to bikes. Take advantage of these car-free times for a more relaxed ride.
Rent a bike in Asheville, North Carolina, or in Cades Cove near the campgrounds.
Biking in Cherokee National Forest
Aside from within the park itself, you can ride in Cherokee National Forest, which runs to the north and to the south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. This is excellent mountain biking territory, and you can find a number of routes to suite your needs. There are long and short routes, as well as routes for beginners and for experts.
South of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is where most of the trails are, split up between Tanasi Mountain, Chilhowee Mountain, Cherohala Skyway, and the Tellico Ranger District. A number of trails branch off from the site of the Ocoee Whitewater Center, in southeastern Tennessee.
There are four mountain bike trails in Tsali Recreation Center, running just south of Lake Fontana. They're hard-packed singletrack, and well-used so you can go relatively fast with little worry about roots and boulders. It gets pretty crowded at the height of summer, but even so, with 40 miles of trails, you'll be able to find secluded areas.
For bike rentals, go to Asheville, Hendersonville, or Boone.
A company called Cherokee Adventures, which specializes in outdoor adventures, will take you to the summit of Rich Mountain, for an extraordinary downhill mountain biking experience. The trail is downhill most of the way, with a gentle grade, so it's considered suitable for beginners.
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