Bikepacking Stokesville: Gateway to Shenandoah

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compose Logan Watts
time Sep 5, 2017
comment 4

We joked that “Stokesville” wasn’t a real place… maybe more of a feeling. But after riding there, it has really stuck with me as truly inspiring destination. It was great to throw distance goals and GPS maps out the window in return for spending back-to-back days pointing at maps, focused on finding fun riding with our bikepacking rigs setup like trail bikes.” – Vince Colvin, CHUMBA USA

Stokesville is actually a town… a crossroads, really. It sits at the edge of the Shenandoah Valley at the base of the Ridge and Valley region of Appalachia in western Virginia. It’s also at the heart of a popular mountain bike destination and IMBA Ride Center near Harrisonburg, VA. Known the gateway to the Shenandoah Mountains, Stokesville offers access to hundreds of miles of singletrack found in the George Washington Jefferson National Forest. The big feature that stand out in western Virginia are its long ridges. As such, riding there usually means long, steep climbs and big descents. The trails around Harrisonburg and Stokesville are also known to get a little rowdy at times with granite rock gardens, plenty of stream crossings, and loads of rocky ridgeline singletrack. There are plenty of options for jeep road climbs and connectors too. In a nutshell the vast singletrack network amongst a swath of National Forest land makes the area prime for concocting great two or three day, 50-70 mile bikepacking routes. And much more for those looking to stay longer…

The Route

Vince and Hunter set out to do a 2-3 day loop trip with the goal to link some of the East’s best technical descents, rock gardens and water spots. There is so much great riding in Stokesville to take in and the layout of the area allows you to create a 60+ mi route planned on the saddle. It’s also worth noting that you can use the Stokesville Lodge and campground as a basecamp for such an adventure (just near where this route starts). In case you’re interested, here’s the map of their route. This particular loop features some 1,500’+ singletrack climbs, several long descents, and a generally low hike-a-bike to riding ratio:

More Routes in The Area

Between the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest and the endless ridge lines of the Shenandoah Mountains, there are plenty of options for bikepacking of all types in western Virginia. Here are a couple more we have mapped in the area:

The Virginia Mountain Bike Trail

An epic, diverse, and wits-crushing bikepacking route that follows the endless ridges of the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains along a continuous, 473 mile off-road route from Strasburg to Damascus. The VMBT writhes its way through isolated farming communities, remote wilderness, panoramic crags, and historic rail grade trails…

Slate Springs Overnighter

The Shenandoah Mountains just west of Harrisonburg, VA harbors some of the finest dirt roads on the east coast. This bikepacking overnighter route cuts through its heart and can be expanded to a weekend ride or more…