New River Bike Trail--trip planning help (Roanoke, Galax: price, transport, car)

[arbyunc]

We're planning to bike part of the New River trail next weekend. Can anyone give me the scoop on the best section, where to park, etc. We're coming from NC up I-77, so the Fries/Galax end would be more convenient. We want to keep it under 30 miles or so total. Should we plan and "out and back" trip, or is it convenient to drop off a vehicle at the end point (we'll have two vehicles)? Where should we start/stop for the best scenery/experience?

Appreciate any responses!

[roanoker 4]

Bike Roanoke

New River ride-along - Roanoke.com

These links may be helpful!

[arbyunc]

Thanks roanoker. I also found this link, which includes a list of all of the access points: New River Trail State Park

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by arbyunc

We're planning to bike part of the New River trail next weekend. Can anyone give me the scoop on the best section, where to park, etc. We're coming from NC up I-77, so the Fries/Galax end would be more convenient. We want to keep it under 30 miles or so total. Should we plan and "out and back" trip, or is it convenient to drop off a vehicle at the end point (we'll have two vehicles)? Where should we start/stop for the best scenery/experience?

Appreciate any responses!

We found it more convenient to sign up at the park and let them transport us and the bikes we rented to Galax to begin the trail. Then we ended up the day right back at our car in the park

Just as an aside...have you done the Virginia Creeper Trail yet? I found it SO MUCH more scenic and enjoyable than New River.

[arbyunc]

Hi lovesmountains! Thanks for the tip...I'll contact the park folks to inquire about a shuttle dropoff. That would make things a lot easier for us. From what I've read, it seems like the best stretch for scenery is the Fries spur, and we'd like to ride to the shot tower. Do you know if the park shuttle (or perhaps another outfitter) would accommodate this? Would you suggest a different route?

Yes, I've done the Creeper Trail several times. It's a great ride, for sure. We just wanted to try the New River Trail because we haven't done it before.

Thanks for the help!

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by arbyunc

Hi lovesmountains! Thanks for the tip...I'll contact the park folks to inquire about a shuttle dropoff. That would make things a lot easier for us. From what I've read, it seems like the best stretch for scenery is the Fries spur, and we'd like to ride to the shot tower. Do you know if the park shuttle (or perhaps another outfitter) would accommodate this? Would you suggest a different route?

Yes, I've done the Creeper Trail several times. It's a great ride, for sure. We just wanted to try the New River Trail because we haven't done it before.

Thanks for the help!

Galax to the shot tower (and just beyond to the park) is the ride we did. I would say the Fries spur was one of the best parts for sure. They transported us right to the beginning of the trail in Galax, even going thru the Wendy's drive thru for us before we hit the trail

[arbyunc]

Update:

We biked the trail this past Sunday. I called the park office about a shuttle, but they wanted $25 per person. With 8 people, it would cost us $200! Although they will take you to any access point you want, that's a steep price to pay with a large group. So we just parked at the Foster Falls park facility and rode west towards Fries. We rode about 11 miles out and then turned around and came back the same way.

It's a nice, well-maintained trail, hard packed gravel and double-wide in most places. It's also shaded about 80% of the time, so the hot sun is not a problem. There's very little slope--in fact it's hard to tell whether you're going uphill or downhill--so you can easily go whichever direction you want and not worry about having to pedal back uphill. Great views of the river!

We plan to go back soon to do the upper sections near Fries and Galax.