The New River Bike Trail, 57 Miles in Southwest Virginia

The New River is one of the most pristine rivers in Virginia. The river pretty much offers any type of outdoor recreation that you could be looking for. You can hike, kayak, raft, or even go boating on portions of it. Another great way to enjoy this river is on a bike. The New River Bike Trail parallels the river for 57 miles along an old railway trail that is now a gravel path. It’s a beautiful way to enjoy views of the river and the surrounding Southwest Virginia landscape. We recently took a trip down to that part of Virginia to check out the trail for ourselves. We also spent a day trout fishing at the Clinch Mountain fee fishing are while we were there. You can read our write up for Clinch Mountain trout fishing HERE.

How Old is the New River?

The ironically named New River is often described as the second oldest river in the world, with the Nile being the oldest. Scientists for the most part agree that the river is extremely old. As for the second oldest in the world? There’s still an unsettled debate as to the exact ranking of oldest rivers in the world. Other rivers in the running include the French Broad River in North Carolina and the Finke River in Australia. The rough consensus estimate between geologists is that the river is 265 to 325 million years old.

One thing that geologists are sure about is that the New River is older than the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains themselves are believed to be the oldest mountain range in the entire world. This means that the New River is older than every mountain range on earth. It’s one of the few rivers in North America that flows south to north. Evidence of the New River’s age can be seen from the way it flows along the crest of the Appalachians, instead of down the side and into a valley. This indicates that the river rose up with the mountains when they were created by a tectonic plate collision.

What is the Bike Trail Route?

The bike trail begins in Pulaski and then travels 57 miles to where it ends in Galax. Biking the entire length of the trail will take you through 4 different counties; Grayson, Carroll, Wythe, and Pulaski. There is an additional fork of the trail that follows the New River down to Fries (pronounced Freeze). This trail fork converges with the main trail around mile marker 40. If you do the trail more than once I’d recommend checking out the fork down to Fries. The main trail that heads towards Galax follows Chestnut creek. This is a beautiful stream with several sections of cascades. There’s also a train tunnel bored through the mountainside that you’ll ride through on this portion of the trail. There are many different access points spread throughout the length of the trail so you can pick specific sections that you want to ride.

Trail Guide

The Park Service does a great job breaking down every section of the New River trail in their brochure guide that they provide. Here is a picture of the trail guide map.

The park service also places reliable mile markers at 1 mile intervals along the trail. There are numerous different access points along the trail so that you don’t have to ride the whole thing in one day. These access points are great because it allows you to pick what sections of the trail you want to ride on a given day.

How much does the New River Bike Trail Cost?

The daily entrance fee to the state park is $7 per passenger vehicle. Alternatively, you can purchase an annual state park pass that gets you into every state park for $75 a year. This is a pretty good deal if you’re a frequent park visitor. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) lists all of the associated state park fees on their website HERE.

Rails to Trails Programs

Rails to trails is the popular term that is used to describe old railroad routes that have been converted into bike trails. Converted railroad tracks make great bike trails for several reasons. It’s typically easy to acquire the land in one chunk, the land is relatively flat, and the routes usually parallel rivers or other interest points. An added bonus is that the bridges have all already been built!

Highlights of the Bike Trail

There are some really cool sights spread throughout the length of the trail. The biggest highlight of the trail is probably being next to the New River. Just cruising along the riverbank is a great way to spend a summer afternoon.

Bridges

The New River Trail has three major bridges and over 30 bridges total. Many of these bridges are fascinating historic train trestle bridges. The first major bridge is the Hiwassee Bridge. This bridge is a 951 foot long trestle bridge that spans the full width of the New River. You’ll find the Hiwassee bridge around mile marker 10 on the trail. You’ll reach the next significant bridge at mile post 31. This is the 670 foot long Ivanhoe bridge. Make sure you hop off the bike here for some sweeping views of the New River and surrounding wilderness. The last major bridge is the Fries Junction, located around mile post 40. The Fries Junction bridge is the longest bridge on the trail (1089 feet).

Tunnels

The trail makes use of two tunnels that once allowed freight train cars to pass through the mountain bedrock. One is 135′ long and the second is just under 200′. Both of them are long enough to feel like you’ve temporarily entered a cave system. One tunnel is located around mile marker 28 and the second is shortly after Fries Junction (approximately mile marker 41).

The Shot Tower

The shot tower along the New River Bike Trail is actually it’s own state park. The historic structure was built over 200 years ago and was used for making lead ammunition. The concept of making shot through the use of a shot tower is actually really interesting. Lead was melted in a furnace and then dropped 150 feet from the top of the tower. The molten lead would flow through a sieve and then naturally form a spherical droplet as it fell from the top. These droplets would cool as they fell until they landed in a pool of water 150′ below the top of the tower. The shot tower design allowed people to form their shot with a simple process of gravity and water. The tower is immediately adjacent to the trail. So you can park your bikes and take a quick break to climb to the top.

Camping along the New River Trail

There are three different areas where you can camp along the New River Trail. The three campgrounds are Cliffview, Millrace, and Double Shoals. All three campgrounds are primitive with no direct vehicle access. There are also no showers provided at any of them.

Millrace campground is located at the Foster Falls park area. You can’t drive your vehicle directly to the campsite here, but it’s only a short walk from the parking lot and definitely not in the backcountry or anything. There are 21 primitive campsites that come with a picnic table and a fire ring. The campground area is adjacent to the New River, so bring a fishing pole with you.

Cliffview campground is located along Chestnut Creek. It’s the closest campground to the end of the trail in Galax. The campground is right alongside the trail around mile marker 48. Cliffview has 10 primitive tent sites. The parking lot for the campground is a short walk across a footbridge from the tent sites. So it’s technically not drive up camping.

Double Shoals Campground is the third campground along the New River Trail. It’s a bit of a stretch to call it a campground because there are only two primitive sites located here. The sites are near mile marker 40 of the bike trail. Double Shoals is also part of the New River Canoe Trail. The two sites are on a first come, first served basis so make sure you get there early. There is a self pay system located on site. The closest trail access point is from Fries.

Spending a night next the trail is a great way to take your time enjoying everything the trail and river have to offer. Go to the official state park website HERE for campsite maps and reservations.

What to do in Galax, Virginia

Galax is a picturesque town typical of southwestern Virginia. We got lunch at a BBQ place in downtown when we did the trail. It was a good break after the 26 miles we had ridden that morning. The 26 mile ride back seems a little less daunting after a pulled pork sandwich and some iced tea. You can also catch a great bluegrass concert on Friday nights at the Rex Theater in downtown.

What to do in Pulaski, Virginia

The New River trail begins in Pulaski. Before you start your ride, there are a few things you can see in Pulaski. The Pulaski train depot has an old rail car that’s interesting to check out. There is also a bike shop near here in case you need any last minute tuneups or spare parts before you hit the trail. If you’re looking for a little bit of a more adrenaline inducing ride, there are mountain bike trails on Draper mountain. You can also catch a Pulaski Yankees minor league baseball game during the season.

History Behind the New River Trail

The New River Bike trail was originally a railroad route as we’ve said all through this article. The railroad was constructed in the late 1800’s by the Norfolk & Western Railway Company. The track had been planned to run down into North Carolina, but it never made it past Galax. The freight cars primarily carried iron ore up to the main rail line that passed through Pulaski. Norfolk & Western became Norfolk Southern through several mergers throughout the century. Traffic on the route steadily declined throughout the 1900’s and the last train ran in 1985. The railway corridor was donated to the state of Virginia in 1986.

Fishing the New River

The New River is one of the BEST musky fishing rivers in the state of Virginia. Check out our Musky Fishing in Virginia guide and our Best Musky Fishing Lures posts before you go. The river is also chock full of trophy-sized smallmouth bass. People come from all over the state to fish the New River for smallmouth. If you’re an avid fishermen it’s worth finding a good way to strap your rod to your bike before you hit the trail.

What to Know Before you Go

Make sure you pack a lot of water, especially in the hot summer months. There is a limited amount of potable water along the trail. The trail guide map shows where all of the potable water access points are. Another important consideration is to bring snacks for the ride. Having a snack to provide an energy boost can come in handy if you’re feeling worn out on the trail.