Virginia Page 5

Virginia Capital Trail bridge over Parrish Hill Creek | Photo courtesy VDOT | CC by 2.0

New Virginia Capital Trail to Boost Economic Development, Community Health

Posted 10/05/15 by Elizabeth Striano in Building Trails | Tagged with Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Transportation and Health, Virginia

Despite the fact that Hurricane Joaquin was developing off the coast last week—the official opening of the Virginia Capital Trail on Oct. 2, 2015, was greeted by 300 enthusiastic supporters at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond.

Trail users crossing the trestle at the Fries Junction | Photo by Tom Bilcze, courtesy Traillink.com

Virginia's New River Trail State Park

Posted 07/13/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Virginia

Nestled in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands, the New River Trail State Park offers 57 miles of green. With most of the trail running under a lush canopy of trees, and the presence of two invitingly dark tunnels, the low-grade, crushed-stone trail provides a pleasant summer ride. Its proximity to the New River, which is actually one of the world’s oldest rivers (geologically, speaking), also offers prime opportunities to cool off with canoe, kayak and tubing trips, or a simple dip in the water.

Photo by Jason Barnette - Southeastern Traveler/Courtesy Abingdon Convention and Visitors Bureau

Appalachian Engine: The Virginia Creeper Trail Keeps Bringing Visitors Back

Posted 05/15/15 by Maureen Hannan in America's Trails | Tagged with Featured Magazine Articles, Trail Destinations, Virginia

Southwest Virginia’s 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail (VCT) is timeless. It’s a place, they’ve discovered, where cell phones serve no purpose and where horses share the path. A place where the loudest sound you’ll hear for miles is the thud-thud of your bike tires across the planks of towering wooden trestles.

RTC's 2015 West Virginia Rail-Trail Sojourn | Photo courtesy Cleo Fogal

100 Riders, 3 Days, 7 Trails (and Sheep!): RTC's 2015 West Virginia Sojourn

Posted 05/04/15 by Tom Sexton in Building Trails | Tagged with Biking, Demand for Trails, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Trail Communities, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia, Why Use Trails?

On April 24, 2015, approximately 100 people came together for RTC’s 2015 West Virginia Rail-Trail Sojourn. This 122-mile, three-day bike ride through four counties and seven rail-trails promised beautiful landscapes, warm communities and lots of adventure—and we weren't disappointed! Here are a few highlights from this incredible event.

Locks and dams—like this one along the Monongahela River—make for some awesome sightseeing along the Mon River Trails | Photo by Jeff Wimer

Top 10 Attractions on the Mon River Trails (Sojourner's Guide)

Posted 03/09/15 by Laura Stark in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with IHTC, Trail Destinations, West Virginia

RTC is pleased to present you with this top 10 list of great attractions (in no particular order) that you will find along the spectacular Mon River Trails system. But don’t take our word for it; this April 24-26, check out the trails firsthand on our first-ever West Virginia Rail-Trail Sojourn; registration is now open!

Photo by Steve Shaluta, courtesy Mon River Trails Conservancy

West Virginia's Mon River Trails

Posted 02/11/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, IHTC, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful

“Wild and Wonderful” is West Virginia’s slogan, but the same could be said of the Mon River Trail system in the north-central part of the state. The beauty of the trail network spiraling out of Morgantown is that you have access to four trails—and four unique experiences—all in one interconnected system spanning nearly 50 miles.

Photos © Katie Harris

Trail Towns Roll Out the Red Carpet: “Impressions" of a Greenway Sojourner

Posted 07/10/14 by Katie Harris in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Maryland, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, West Virginia

My absolute favorite part of RTC’s 2014 Greenway Sojourn (June 22-27) was talking to many of my fellow 300 riders about their experiences as we made our way from just outside Wierton, W.V., to Cumberland, Md. Every evening, I would strike up a conversation with someone about the day’s ride; some exhausted after, say, their first 50-mile day, others eager to share their list of wildlife sightings, and all excited for what would come next.

Ohiopyle Bike and Pedestrian Bridge | Photo by Katie Harris

Tales from the Trail: RTC's 2014 Greenway Sojourn

Posted 07/02/14 by Katie Harris in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Maryland, Pennsylvania, Sojourn Series, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, West Virginia

Here's a great wrap-up of the 12th Annual Greenway Sojourn by RTC's Katie Harris! Katie talks about the impact of the trip on her, her fellow riders and the communities through which they had the pleasure of passing through during their six days together.

Trestle on Virginia Creeper Trail | Photo by Anthony Le, courtesy RTC

Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail

Posted 05/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Overcoming Opposition, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Virginia

Bicycling 68 miles in a day would be an accomplishment for most people. But doing it nearly every day is a testament to endurance and willpower. At 81 years of age, it seems an impossibility. Meet Lawrence the Legend. On any day of the week, you're likely to see Lawrence Dye, a slender man with big glasses, pedaling along the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail on a bike that he says has been "a great friend."