Monster Trail

480 miles of extreme mountain biking.

courtesy of smt

     There is a fresh grey line on the official state bicycling map, “Bicycling in Virginia,” and it traces a new route of 480 miles of off-road biking. Beginning in Strasburg, Shenandoah County, in the northwest, the route winds its way through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and beyond, all the way down to Damascus, Washington County, in the southwest.

     The Virginia Mountain Bike Trail is the work of 43-year-old Chris Scott, co-owner of Harrisonburg’s Shenandoah Mountain Touring. Scott pioneered the path in the fall of 2011, by pedaling it himself on a 14-day journey. “It consists of over 50 trails that already have individual names,” explains Scott, who’s been working on establishing the VMBT for over 10 years. Scott found ways to link all the trails into one monster route of singletrack, or trail that is wide enough for one bike.

     Scott is working with the Forest Service to provide accommodation in huts along the trail, but for now riders have to camp. “It’s definitely hard work,” says Scott of the VMBT, which climbs a combined 65,000 feet from start to finish, “and there’s a lot of challenge to the technical terrain. But it’s all about that thrill you get from going deep into the wilderness to get to remote places with your bicycle.” MountainTouring.com


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Daryl Grove
Daryl Grove is a past contributor to Virginia Living.
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