Popular Local Routes

While it's impossible to list them all, here are a variety of routes in the area.  Click through for a map.

(For reference, an “easy” sort-of-hilly ride around here is around 50 ft/mi of climbing. A fairly hilly ride is about 75 ft/mi. A very hilly ride like Mountains of Misery is 100 ft/mi.)

Jon Dubovsky’s Favorites

• Paint Bank (53 mi @ 39 ft/mi): a beautiful country road ride that winds through farmland, some forest, and has a nice lunch stop in the middle. Optional longer version 63 mi @ 42 ft/mi; optional climbing version 68 mi @ 51 ft/mi.

• Craig Creek Out And Back (up to 41 mi @ 44 ft/mi): as flat a ride as one can get near Blacksburg. Follows a lovely creek and you can turn around whenever you want. Slightly downhill on the way out.

• Burkes Garden Century (103 mi @ 47 ft/mi) / Burkes Garden Metric (63 mi @ 62 ft/mi): as flat a century as one can get around here. Gorgeous rolling countryside, a proper climb into (and one out of) the Garden, and a fantastic lunch stop at Maddie’s.

  • Also consider the Tour de Wolf Creek route (53 mi @ 52 ft/mi) that starts on the century course but turns up East River Mountain for a tough 5 mi continuous climb.

• Cburg Mud Pike to Dublin, Ruebush (46 mi @ 59 ft/mi): a good workhorse route that’s easy to get to, has a good amount of pretty roads, and covers a lot of ground. A few punchy climbs and the climb up Fire Tower is no joke.

  • Also consider the route out Thornspring and Black Hollow (62 mi @ 60 ft/mi) which adds a lot of lovely farm country.

• Cburg to Rogers, Riner, Tyler (24 mi @ 67 ft/mi): a pretty loop that’s easy to get to and has varied terrain. Franklin St / Pilot Rd can be busy but you’re going downhill for almost all of it.

• Old Brush Mountain to 311 loop (51 mi @ 66 ft/mi): both long, steady climbs and pleasantly flat creek following. Has one downhill stretch on the high-traffic US-460.

Larger NRV Area

• Cycling In the New River Valley - "In the late 90s’, a handful of local cyclists teamed up to create the original Cycling in the New River Valley Guidebook. Although the original document was completed nearly 20 years ago it’s still used on a regular basis today. In 2015, the New River Valley Bicycle Association partnered with the New River Valley Regional Commission to update the guide. This website provides the most current route descriptions, turn-by-turn instructions, and overhead maps for more than 30 road rides, 58 optional/alternate routes, and nearly a dozen off-road rides.

Other Groups

• Blue Ridge Bicycle Club - Roanoke, VA

• Virginia Tech Cycling Team - Virginia Tech's organization

• VeloRiot - Southwest Virginia Womens' Racing Team, host to rides both fast and slow

Route Planning Tools

• Ride With GPS: a free website and phone app that lets you plan, save, and share (if you wish) routes. Shows elevation profiles and can be used for directions on your phone. The paid subscription option lets you print nice cue sheets and use turn-by-turn phone directions outside cell network coverage.