Cycling the Allegheny Mountains Loop

May 9 - 16, 2009

Adventure Cycling (AC) introduced a new route, the Allegheny Mountains Loop, in 2007.  This mountainous route starts and ends in Blacksburg, VA and goes NNE, often crossing back and forth between VA and WV.  The route consists of several loops, allowing for various length tours.  I have planned an 8-day, 443-mile trip that will cover almost all of the loops and cut-offs.  Visit Adventure Cycling's website and check out their description of the Allegheny Mountains Loop as well.  Here are a few notes about the route:

• The route includes two unpaved Rails-To-Trails:  The West Fork Trail 312 (22 miles) and the Greenbrier River Trail (77 miles).  Although these trails are unpaved, they are typically well maintained, have very slight grades (1% or less), and should be the flattest part of the trip.  The remainder of the Allegheny Mountains Loop is 88% paved.  Using wider tires on a bike is probably a wise decision.  I have cycled part of the Greenbrier trial before and found it easy to ride on my touring bike.
• Other parts of the route varies between hilly valleys to very steep ridges.  AC says to "expect grades of 6-10%, with a few climbs/descents increasing to as much as 18%."  Wow!   A triple chainring is probably mandatory.  The lowest gear on my touring bike is 24-34 (or about 19.5 gear inches).
• A remarkable website created by Joe Bousquet contains great descriptions, photos, and maps from his 2007 trip on the Allegheny Mountains Loop.   I was tempted to follow his 8-day route, but he used a number of the USFS campsites along the route, most of which have no hot showers and sometimes no water.  I opted to find places to stay with hot showers each night, especially since it will be chilly in May.  Joe's trip was in July when cleaning up at a sink with cold water was a bit more tolerable.  Joe also only had a double chainring and tells of pushing his bike up steep grades on many occasions.
• Average temperatures near Blacksburg in early May range from lows in the low 40's to highs around 70.  Average temperatures in Glady, the northernmost part of the trip, range from lows in the upper 30's to highs in the upper 60's.  So bringing warm clothes is important.
• I have created detailed cue sheets for each day of the trip.  Email me if you would like a copy of the cue sheets.  Since they closely follow much of Adventure Cycling's Allegheny Mountain Loop route, I am reluctant to put them on line. 
• This should be a great trip and I would anticipate maybe 6-12 cyclists will join me.  I have had the pleasure of cycling the Blue Ridge Parkway with several of them and our past trips have been filled with lots of laughs and the enjoyment of spectacular scenery. If you are interested in joining me on the trip, send an email to me at blueridgecyclist@cox.net   I can't wait to get started!

Parking in Blacksburg:  If you plan to drive to Blacksburg and would like to leave a car there during the trip, you can leave it in long term parking at the Blacksburg Airport for $15.00 per month. No reservation is required. I will be staying at the Days Inn Blacksburg, 3503 Holiday Lane, Blacksburg, VA 24060. The Blacksburg Airport is 1.6 miles from the hotel.

Starting Location: I will be visiting Blacksburg in mid-April and will scout out a good place to meet for breakfast (probably something near the hotel and airport listed above). I will get back to everyone by email.

Training Rides: As I live in an extremely flat area, I try to make it to the mountains a couple of times before the trip for training. Let me know if you are interested in joining me for any of the rides listed below:

April 4-5: Skyline Drive. Cycle on Saturday from Rockfish Gap (MP105) to Big Meadows Campground (MP51), camp for the night, and return on Sunday. Fully loaded. About 56 miles per day.

April 18-19: Cycle from Blackburg, VA to Moncove Lake State Park (69 miles) on Saturday and back (62 miles) on Sunday. Note that this follows Day 1 and Day 8 of the 8-day trip planned for May. Fully loaded.

Links: 

Adventure Cycling's Allegheny Mountains Loop - I strongly recommend that you buy the maps for the trip.   They include directions, services, maps, elevation profiles, and more.
Greenbrier River Rails-to-Trails - You can request a nice map of the trail at this web site.  77 miles in length.  From Cass, WV to Caldwell, WV. 
West Fork Trail - 22 miles in length.  From Glady, WV to Durbin, WV.

Green Bank Radio Astronomy Observatory - Incredibly huge telescopes!  Must visit!  Only open on Wed - Sun from 10am - 5pm.  Tours at 11am, 1pm, 3pm.   Nice brochure.

Moncove Lake State Park Campground - Stay here at the end of Day 1 and at the end of Day 7

Boler Mountain Campground - stay here at the end of Day 2

East Fork Campground - stay her at the end of Day 3

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park - visit here at the end of Day 4

Cass Scenic Railroad Company House - stay here at the end of Day 4 (a bargain at $95 for 10 people)

Watoga State Park - stay here at the end of Day 5
Mountain Lake Hotel - stop here for lunch ($$) on Day 7? (famous for the filming of "Dirty Dancing")

Joe Bousquet's website on his July 2007 trip on the Allegheny Mountains Loop (very well done)

Green Banks Radio Observatory - home of the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope in addition to many other huge telescopes.	The Greenbrier River Trail (Rails-to-Trails) is 77 miles in length and includes 35 bridges and two tunnels.	Droop Mountain Tunnel on the Greenbrier River Trail (MP 30.9)
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park	Mountain Lake Hotel - famous for the filming of the movie "Dirty Dancing".  A bit pricey for touring!	East Fork Campground in Durbin, WV with campsites along the Greenbrier River.

Author:  Paul Gordy
Email:  blueridgecyclist@cox.net

Last updated: March 10, 2009