Beginning January 1, 2010, anyone bicycling or riding horses on trails in any of Virginia’s 19 State Forests is required to have a valid State Forest Use Permit.  The permit is required for persons aged 16 years or older where these activities are allowed. 

Permits are not required on State Forest roads that are open to motor vehicles.

Anyone caught without a valid Forest Use Permit may be ticketed and convicted of a misdemeanor.

Forest Use Permits (currently $16)  may be purchased wherever hunting and fishing permits are sold, or through the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Virginia State Parks do not require this permit. 

According to State Forests Manager Gary Heiser, the Forests with the greatest bike use are Conway and Matthews in the Galax area. Other Forests get little or moderate use by bicyclists.

“Cumberland State Forest, 17,000 acres, has a 16 mile multi-use trail, and Appomattox Buckingham State Forest, 20,000 acres, have a lot of potential for mountain biking, but are somewhat remote from population centers and there has been only sporadic bike use,” says Heiser.

It is these lightly-used Forests that we’re most concerned about, as word about the new permit might not get out to local cyclists.

The Department of Forestry website has a map of Virginia State Forests. Click on the location of each Forest to get more information about it, including general location and driving directions. If you’re riding your bike off-road in the vicinity of these State Forests, you should figure out where the boundaries are so you don’t get caught out without a permit.

Governor Tim Kaine cuts the ribbon to open the Richmond phase of the Virginia Capital Trail

A crowd of over 150 people gathered in Richmond today for the official opening of the riverfront section of the Virginia Capital Trail.  Governor Tim Kaine, Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer and other local dignitaries  cut the ribbon, officially marking the  to opening of the trail section.

“Whoever came up with the idea is an absolute genius,” said Mayor Jones, “To connect the two capitals and put them together as a place that people could ride and walk to is absolutely amazing.  I predict people will come from all over America…  (to ride the trail).”

Governor Kaine spoke of the benefits of the trail as, “A great asset for the region and Virginia,” as well as the health benefits citizens gain when they exercise and lead healthier lifestyles.

Kaine announced that the Capital Trail had been a priority during his administration and used the ceremony as an opportunity to announce that the trail is fully funded. 

Completion of the trail is expected in 2014.

A number of Virginia’s bike and pedestrian paths will now be completed thanks to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 -  the “Stimulus” package.

The Virginia Department of Transportation’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) acted swiftly to approve and submit a number of these planned bikeway projects to the federal government for approval.

Without this assistance from the ARRA, a number of these projects might not have otherwise been funded.

Completing these projects will provide jobs and promote economic development in communites along the trails.

Among the bike and pedestrian projects approved by the CTB are:

Virginia Capital Trail  - ARRA Funds = $8,183,835

The Virginia Capital Trail (VCT) will provide a pedestrian/bicycle facility along Route 5 (a designated Virginia Byway) from Virginia’s colonial capital at Williamsburg to the present capital in Richmond. The trail will be 54 miles long and connect the Jamestown to Richmond.

The VCT is a designated National Recreational Trail and part of both the TransAmerica Bike Route (76) and the East Coast Greenway. The   is the last of the 8 segments to be funded which will complete the trail.

For more details: Virginia Capital Trail Foundation

Tobacco Heritage Trail – ARRA Funds = $6,000,000

The Tobacco Heritage trail is a 160 mile system of long distance multi-use typically following abandoned rail corridors through the five Southside Virginia counties of Mecklenburg, Brunswick, Halifax, Lunenburg, and Charlotte.

For more details: http://www.tobaccoheritagetrail.org/

Roanoke River Greenway – ARRA Funds = $2,000,000

The Roanoke River Greenway is a 31 mile bicycle/pedestrian trail connecting the entire

Roanoke Valley, linking the Cities of Roanoke and Salem, Roanoke County, and the Town of Vinton, Montgomery and Franklin  Counties. The greenway will provide linkage to neighborhoods, industrial facilities, business complexes, fifteen parks, three schools, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

For more details: http://www.greenways.org/docs/RoanokeRiverGreenwayStatusMap.pdf

High Bridge Trail ARRA Funds = $2,000,000

This  34.3 mile multi-use trail being constructed on abandoned Norfolk-Southern railway from The Town of  Pamplin to the Town of Burkeville.

The last train to use the line was in October, 2004 and in December, 2006, Norfolk Southern donated this rail line  to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

The park’s centerpiece is the impressive High Bridge, which is more than 2,400 feet long and 160 feet above the Appomattox River. The bridge was built in 1853 as part of the South Side Railroad.   The bridge played a strategic role in the Route of Robert E. Lee’s retreat in 1865. High Bridge Reconstruction

For more details: High Bridge Trail State Park

Dismal Swamp Canal Trail ARRA Funds = $1,300,000

The   existing 8.5 mile Dismal Swamp Canal Trail is an adaptive reuse of the former U.S. 17 alignment.  A proposed northern extension will connect this popular bicycle, walking and equestrian path with residential areas in Chesapeake.    Chesapeake plans to extend the trail south to connect with North Carolina’s existing 4.5 mile section of the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, which connects to the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center and the village of South Mills, NC.  The Dismal Swamp Canal Trail is also part of the East Coast Greenway network.

For more details:  http://www.chesapeake.va.us/services/depart/park-rec/dismal_swamp_trail.shtml

The Valley Pike (Old Route 11) Project – ARRA Funds = $850,000

This trail will connect the Fisher’s Hill battlefield with the Town of Strasburg and the Cedar Creek-Belle Grove National Park.  The completed trail will establish a non-motorized greenway for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians, interpreting the historic Valley Pike and surrounding battlefields.  The total length of the proposed trail system is approximately 10 – 12 miles.

In addition to the historic significance of the battlefields, the Valley Pike was a major migration corridor for German, Scotch and Scots-Irish immigrants to America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

For more details:  : http://www.shenandoahatwar.org/

Rails with trails along the Crescent Corridor

Support continues to grow for the Virginia Bicycling Federation’s rails with trails efforts.  The VBF and 31 other organizations are calling for the inclusion of bike and pedestrian facilities on future rail upgrade, enhancement and improvement projects throughout Virginia and the United States.

Six more organizations representing wide-ranging interests have signed on to support the VBF’s Rails With Trails Resolution presented to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine on May 1.

Among the groups adding their support are the Virginia Association for Parks, the Float Fishermen of Virginia, Winchester Wheelman and Virginia Odysseys.  Other organization  include the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation from Charlottesville, as well as the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, a powerful force for bike advocacy in our nation’s capital.

Local officials are also beginning to back the effort as well.   On May 18, the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors voted to endorse the resolution.

The Virginia Bicycling Federation is also working with other statewide advocacy organizations  to include bike and pedestrian facilities  in their local rail corridors and projects across the nation.

With renewed interest in US freight and passenger rail, large sums of state and federal monies are being spent to enhance and upgrade rail and freight corridors throughout the US.

Besides freight corridor projects, such as the I-81, “Crescent Corridor” and “Heartland Corridor” running from Chicago to Portsmouth, VA, there are currently ten major high-speed passenger rail corridors proposed for improvement along the east coast, according to the Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s, Director, Charles M.  “Chip” Badger.  In a presentation to the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board on June 17, Mr. Badger stated that over $8 Billion in federal capitol grants have been proposed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve rail passenger services.  These funds will be available until September 30, 2012.  $1B will then be allocated each year for five years to supplement these projects.

The VBF feels that some of these tax dollars should be used to include multi-modal, bike and pedestrian paths as projects as these corridors are upgraded.

According to Steve Pittard, CFO of the Virginina Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia will spend $110.8 M on rail projects in fiscal year 2010.  In the budget, $48.2M will be spent on the I-95 rail corridor, $13.7 M on the I-81 corridor and $27.3 M on passenger rail.

Over the next six years, the Commonwealth of Virginia is currently slated to spend $217 M in tax dollars on freight and passenger improvement projects.

Including rails with trails in these capital expenditures would provide the broadest, most environmentally friendly access of citizens to these long overdue projects.

Supporters of the resolution include:

Yesterday we announced a preview ride of a new section of the High Bridge Trail, which will open to the public June 6. Here’s another report from that ride, by Ric Losey.

DATELINE: May23, 2009, High Bridge Trail State Park, Farmville, Va.
by Ric Losey

Bicycle tire tracks and signs of use on the new High Bridge Trail State Park at last! No doubt that was the sentiment of park Director Eric Hougland as he stood aside a newly opened portion of the western end of the trail that runs out past Farmville and makes a bee-line for Prospect watching members of RABA (Richmond Area Bicycling Association) roll back into the trail head after the public’s first official use of the new section.

One could only imagine the thoughts passing through Mr. Houglands mind as he finally bears witness to the hard work his department has put into this project. Citizens on the trail for the first time, must have been like watching a son or daughter during a recital. And there is no doubt that his pride is well deserved, the trail is an instant success and a thing of beauty from start to finish. Mr. Hougland’s department has created a world-class marvel that will become a tourist destination.

Southside Virginia has become the proud recipient of the country’s newest rail trail park, and in it’s wake… a rebirth of the entire region once word gets round of what the park has to offer. Traditionally in other areas where rail way corridors have been converted for use as rails-to-trails parks a spark of economic growth was immediate and lasting. Everything from major hotels and services to your basic mom and pop type of bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and outfitters ranging from bike shops to hiking gear. Naturally, with the arrival of tourism comes the arrival of commerce.

The Reality of It

As with all public projects of this magnitude, there has been some dissent. Adjoining land owners have mixed feelings about their back yards being converted into a tourist region. Many of them have enjoyed an isolated stretch of what is the single most beautiful region of Southside Virginia since forever, and were hoping that the rail corridor would revert back to local land owners upon it’s abandonment in 2004. The canyons that the rail corridor created are an environment all their own, each with it’s own diverse wildlife and scenery. These hidden valleys are no longer the domain of a few people, and are now laid bear for the whole world to see, so naturally some are against it. The early stages of the project saw issues with local homeowners’ dogs on the trail and access way disputes. You could imagine looking out your door into what was once no-mans land and seeing whole families strolling along.

Statistics reveal that this is a common reaction in communities where these linear parks are built, but history has shown invariably that once it sets in a potential gold mine comes with these parks, feelings change. After all, the good of the many always out-weighs the good of the few. It is this sentiment that we must remember when we assume our responsibilities as users of the trail. Remember to respect real property boundaries and posted land, in so doing we will avoid upsetting adjacent landowners and avoid these issues. And above all, adopt the same approach that other regions who have become recipients of state parks have: DO NO HARM! Leave no trace of your ever having been there.

The First Look

On Saturday, May 23rd a group of area cyclists and the RABA cycling club was invited by Mr. Hougland to come and be among the first to explore the newly opened regions west of Farmville starting at mile marker 151 at the Third St. bridge and ending at mile post 160.9 at Prospect. The group massed at the Tuggle Rd trail head in anticipation of an exciting journey into “the outback”. So named because for the last 120 years this area was an exclusive rail corridor owned and operated by Norfolk Southern rail way. As such, only railroad employees and authorized personnel had access, unless you were actually riding on a train you couldn’t even see it because the surrounding tree growth completely covers it on both sides.

The amazing thing is that now it is open for the public to enjoy. It is like a cross-section of the land opened up for us to explore. Mighty oak trees stand alongside the old rail bed in their vigil, guarding the wonder of this area and keeping it’s beauty hidden, but no longer! Examples of the isolation of this zone are everywhere… telegraph poles erected in the 1900′s still bear antique ceramic insulators. The original cement mile markers built by Norfolk Southern are in pristine condition and are considered the official trail markers. Each one of them are a historic landmark in their own right and a wonder to behold. To either sides of the trail are remnants of the old rail way signal system — signs and devices used by the engineers to determine their status along the rail system. In other places these treasures have been carted off to adorn private collections… but they have been spared that fate here. And you can be sure that here they shall remain!

Now the No Trespassing signs are coming down! Bear in mind that until now, the trail essentially was a grown over and restricted stretch of land that nature had completely taken back. Because of this the wildlife that we witnessed along the way was breath taking at times. A gray fox darted across the trail in front of us as we headed into the darker regions that pass beneath the Rte 15 overpass. Deer were everywhere, and an incredibly vast array of birds were singing to us from the trees…hey, what are you people doing here? It was almost surreal!

The trail bed is a delightful and forgiving mixture of crushed limestone and sand. The nature of a rail corridor limits inclines to a 6% grade, hardly noticeable. And as mentioned before, keep an eye out for relics of the old rail road, they are everywhere.

What About the Future?

Park director Hougland explained that the gem of the trail, High Bridge itself has been reconfigured into a separate project complete with it’s own funding. This was only recently made possible when a federal grant aimed at developing the economy of the area made an estimated $2 million available. This frees up other funds in the parks budget making better facilities and increased parking availability a reality. His estimation of a time frame for completion of the bridge is 18 months. The missing mid-section that ties Farmville, the outback and the completed 4 mile section in use since August of 2008 is near completion and is scheduled for a grand opening this June, 6th in recognition of National Trails Day, at which time an estimated 30 miles of trail will become a reality.

One of the purposes of this journey was to determine if the park is more suited as a wilderness adventure, or a family park. We have determined that the park is both! The sections that run through Farmville and near the High Bridge are filled with stores, picnic tables, and facilities. Making them more then friendly for any family outing. And the parts west, what we are calling the outback, is better then anything in the state with respect to endurance and mileage. Tackling those miles west of Farmville should appear on your list of things to do if you consider yourself an athlete, or are in any way tuned to physical fitness.

Negotiations with the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) are currently underway aimed at attracting a National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP) post based at High Bridge Trail. We have been in contact with Will Sanford – IMBA RLC, and he is gracious enough to serve as a sort of advisor for members of the High Bridge Trail Club. He has put the club in contact with Chris Scott, the Virginia IMBA state rep and member of the IMBA Regional Leadership Council. The NMBP will utilize HBTC members to establish patrols made up of highly skilled First Responders, bike mechanics and land management representatives that assist users of the trail. A local patrol is considered vital for the safety and comfort of the public.

Recommendations for properly outfitting your bicycle include the following:

• Helmets required!
• Any mountain, or hybrid bike. Training wheels and scooters are not recommended.
• Any road bike with 700c wheels fitted with 32mm or greater tread.

It is also vital that users of the trail recognize that no water is available at any of the trail heads or along the way. However several stores and service stations dot the landscape in the areas of the trail close to towns and where there are intersections. And porta-pots are available at four trail heads: Osborne Rd, River Rd, Prospect and Tuggle Rd.

At this time we would like to thank club chairman Bud Vye of the Richmond Area Bicycling Association and the RABA contingent for coming out and joining us on our excursion and generally taking an interest in the trail. We look forward to RABA making our park a vital portion of their regularly scheduled events.

Please see yesterday’s article for more information about the High Bridge Trail, including links.

A small RABA contingent took advantage of the invitation of the Park Superintendent to have a sneak preview of the trail on Saturday, prior to its dedication which is scheduled for Saturday morning, June 6th at 9:00 a.m., with Governor Kaine cutting the ribbon and leading the first ride on the trail.

We were all pleasantly surprised at how nice the trail is, and how nice the finely crushed stone surface is to ride on. A hybrid bike probably the ideal equipment for this surface, although I rode a road bike with 1 1/4″ tires and it handled the trail very well, so a mountain bike is not absolutely necessary.

The 10 mile segment of converted Norfolk Southern rail line that we rode on, west of Farmville, was very flat, through wooded terrain. Port a Potties are strategically spotted, but no water is available along the way so be sure to bring your own if you go out there. Please note that the High Trestle will NOT be open to riding as that is still being worked on, and probably will not be open for approx. 18 months. additional segments are ready to open, although I’m not clear as to what the exact mileage is of the entire segment being opened on 6/6. I believe it is approx. 20 miles, so that if you ride out and back from where you start to both ends, you will have ridden approx. 40 miles.

Get June 6th on your calendar, and await further details, including specific directions, in a message from Ric Losey, who is doing a fine job of providing liaison between the cycling community and the Park Administration, if you are interested in attending the dedication, and riding on the first official ride on this trail. To place the area of the trail, it is about 7 miles west of Farmville on Rt. 460 where it intersects with Tuggle Rd. From my house on the north side of Richmond, it was about 70 miles and took about 90 minutes.

More Information:

• High Bridge Trail State Park
• High Bridge Trail Progress
• High Bridge Trail State Park To Host National Trails Day Celebration
• High Bridge Trail Features 2400 Foot Long Bridge

The South Hill Enterprise reports that the Tobacco Heritage Trail is to receive $6 million in funding through the American Recovery Act, otherwise known as The Stimulus. This is great news for trail enthusiasts, and for economic development in Virginia’s Southside. More about this trail at these links:

• The official Tobacco Heritage Trail website
• Tobacco Heritage Trail – Roanoke River Rails-to-Trails
• Virginia Tourism Corp. – Bicycling in Virginia – Tobacco Heritage Trail

Help determine the future of popular trails like the IMBA Epic Southern Traverse during the George Washington National Forest forest plan update. The process, which is restarting after a year-long lull, features five public meetings, July 14 through July 28, to identify management needs for the forest. Mountain bikers packed the house last year and we need you to attend these meetings and voice support for more and better singletrack.

George Washington singletrack faces real threats, including trail-to-road conversions to support mineral leasing and closures due to budget cuts or management changes. But we have a lot to gain: miles of new loop trails, protected access for bicycles, a larger trails budget and improved trail restoration after fires.

This forest plan will guide management actions for 15-20 years, making it imperative that mountain bikers are at the table when important decisions are made. Let’s make sure we are as closely involved in speaking for better singletrack as we were last spring.

Being an effective participant is easy and doesn’t require a lot of time. An IMBA representative will be present at each public meeting to share talking points and explain the forest planning process. All you need to do it show up.

Join the Pre-Meeting Rides

IMBA advocates will be leading group rides at 1pm before each public meeting. All are invited to join as we sample some of the more than 1,000 miles of trail open to bicycles in the George Washington National Forest. Email Chris Scott for meeting locations and other details.

Public Meeting Schedule (also available online)

Monday, July 14 (7-9pm)
Peter Muhlenberg Middle School
1251 Susan Ave, Woodstock, VA 22664

Tuesday, July 15 (7-9pm)
Rockbridge County High School
143 Greenhouse Rd, Lexington, VA 24450

Wednesday, July 16 (7-9pm)
East Hardy Middle School
238 Cougar Dr, Baker, WV 26801

Friday, July 18 (7-9pm)
Augusta County Goverment Center
18 Government Center Ln, Verona, VA 24482

Monday, July 28 (7-9pm)
Hot Springs Presbyterian Church
7433 Sam Snead Hwy, Hot Springs, VA, 24445