Bikers Always Yield the Trail to all Other Users
From the Damascus Town Park (See Map)
| Elevation Profile of the Iron Mountain Trail from Damascus to Skulls Gap - a new feature! |
| The Virginia Creeper Trail - A beautiful 34 mile Rail Trail. It's famous ya know. |
| Mock Holler Loop - A Lung Buster! |
| Taylor's Valley Loop - A nice first "Off the Creeper Trail" ride. (Some climbing) |
| Killer Loop - A 25 mile ride that has it all! This is a combination of Mock Holler and Taylor's Valley Loops. |
| Government Road Ride - A 17 mile loop. Dirt road with great views, paved country roads and the Creeper Trail. A very pleasant ride in the country. |
From FR 90 / Beartree Campground Area (See Map)
| Beartree Area/ Hurricane Area Epic Ride - Part of the 1999 Damascus Fat Tire Festival. Long and hard but oh, so sweet! |
| Highlands Challenge Loop (Beartree Bushwacker Route) New elevation profile! - Lorie Finley only does half of this ride in the first edition of "Mountain Biking The Appalachians". What a whimp! Now read the rest of the story. |
| Iron Mountain to Damascus- A classic ride. One of my favorites for some long killer downhill. Catch the shuttle up to FR 90, ride down and end up at Cowboy's for some deviled eggs and Chocolate Yahoo! Now you're livin' right! |
| Iron / Lum - Ride the spine of Iron Mt. and see the sights. Lum Trail is really fun! |
| Chestnut Ridge Downhill - The most awesome downhill in the NRA. One of our secrets that we will share. Beware of involuntary sphincter contractions! |
| Beartree Gap - We recently cleared the last mile of this trail. Check out the pond and the stream on this trail. Very scenic. |
| Shaw Gap - Ride this one right from the Beartree Campground. Also a great night ride. Shaw Gap is also the main trail intersection east of FR 90 and a reference point for many other trails. |
| Forest Road 90 and Forest Road 615 - Good wet-weather alternatives and nice casual dirt road rides. |
| Wright Hollow / Buzzard Den Loop - Add this one on to the race course (Highlands Challenge Loop) and you will have extended that ride by about 5 miles. This is a very technical trail with lots of BIG rocks and some great climbing. Can also be ridden Buzzard Den to Wright Hollow. We need to do some trail work on this one! Want to help? |
The Hurricane Gap Area (East of Skulls Gap)
| Old 84 Loop - This ride follows the Iron Mountain Trail past the Cherry Tree Shelter, then hits FS 84 for a fast descent down to the Old 84 trailhead. Follow Old 84, a grassy double track, as it rolls along the mountainside. This is a nicely shaded trail that make for an ideal summer ride. When the leaves are off the trees, expect some dazzling views into the valley below and of the opposite ridgeline. Crank back up FS 84 and turn left on FS 828. You will end the ride with a nice descent back to the parking area. You can also ride this from the Skulls Gap Picnic Area. |
| Skulls Gap/ Iron Mountain Loop - Park at the Skulls Gap Picnic Area and ride the newly restored Iron Mountain Trail near the new road, Rt. 600. An awesome must-do ride that can be ridden in any direction. |
| Barton Gap Loop - Park near the Hurricane Campground and ride this casual loop. A really fun moderate/can-do-beginner ride. I always see some wildlife on this ride, so keep your eyes open! |
| Jerry’s Creek to Rowland Falls Trail - At the start of Jerry’s Creek Trail you will descend 1000 feet in the first mile on some very technical, narrow, rocky, off camber singletrack that hugs the side of the mountain. Ride smart because one false move and its over the side and down the hill, so concentrate on your line here. I added this one to my book. Very technical and strenuous. Rowland Falls is beautiful! |
| Beartree Epic Ride - This is an all day ride that takes in some of the best trails and sights in the MRNRA. |
| Trail to Trail Road Tour - This route circles the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area (MRNRA) staring from the western gateway of the MRNRA in Damascus VA., to the eastern end of the MRNRA in Fries Va. It's about 150 miles long and makes a nice 2 night tour |
| Shady Valley Road Loop - A most enjoyable road ride through some more of this areas unique and beautiful countryside. An easy, non-technical ride that I suggest everybody experience. Great for beginners, families and laid back days when you just want to cruise. Ride it from Damascus and it becomes a real workout! |
Other Great Tours
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Clinch
Valley Bioreserve Eco-Tour Tour Dates for 2002: June 21-24, September 20-23. Ability Level: Moderate Total Walking Mileage: 17 miles, Hiking and Canoeing Contact: (540) 676-2209 or (888) 595-2453 |
CHECK OUT THE KEY TO THE TRAIL BLAZES
Comments or Questions? Send me an Email at 
trails@naxs.com
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