Top Blue Ridge Mountain Biking Trails
Enjoy Hundreds of miles of backcountry trails
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley has emerged as one of the best places for Blue Ridge mountain biking on the East Coast. From our Blue Ridge Parkway Cabins and vacation rentals you’ll have your choice of single track, ATV trails, and gravel that will suit any level of biker. There are hundreds of miles of backcountry trails in the George Washington National Forest to explore without even having to load your bikes into a car.
Sherando Lake Recreation Area’s 64 miles of trail can be most easily reached from Love Ridge along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Bike south on the parkway two miles to the first access just past milepost 18 at White Rock Gap. The White Rock trail can be ridden in either direction and mainly follows Back Creek down to your prize at the bottom–Sherando Lake, called the Jewel of the Blue Ridge for good reason. While you tear it up on the trails, family or friends who aren’t into biking will be perfectly content to pass the day at the lake, picnicking, swimming, fishing or exploring the playground and kid friendly trails.
Most riders will want to continue climbing on the Parkway past White Rock Gap to the Slacks Trail to get a bit more downhill. The Slacks has it all–a gnarly rock garden and flowy single track. You can choose to get off the Blue Ridge Parkway at mid-station at the Slacks Parking lot (between milepost 21 and 22), or continue to the Top of Bald Mountain to get the full effect (milepost 24).
For the full descent of Bald Mountain, climb past the Slacks Parking area to the Bald Mountain Jeep Trail. The whole ride from Love Ridge is 20 miles with most of the 2300 feet in elevation gain along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many people opt to organize a shuttle to avoid having to climb back from Sherando after enjoying a dip in the lake.
From the top of Bald Mountain, riders have a lot of options. Although the Slacks descent is most popular, advanced riders might want to try their hand at the Torry Ridge Trail. Torry Ridge is a technical and very rocky 7 mile descent, but you’ll be rewarded with great views. If the weather has been dry, the Bald Mountain Jeep Trail can be a great beginner or gravel bike option for an out and back, but wet weather brings a series of deep puddles.
Speaking of gravel biking, there are several loops easily accessed from Love Ridge including rides along the North Tyeand Piney Rivers. These challenging rides with a ton of climbing are best done on gravel bikes. For those who are looking for more flat terrain, Love Ridge is only 20 minutes from the Virginia Blue Ridge Trail. The crushed gravel trail is 7 miles long along the Piney River is mostly level and fun for the whole family with plenty of spots to picnic and splash around.
