The Shadow
RICHMOND (VR) — Celebrate Bike Month by taking a ride to see iconic landmarks and destinations in commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary.
With its Blue Ridge Mountains and scenic rivers, Virginia’s natural beauty makes for enjoyable bike rides. Beyond its picturesque scenery, the commonwealth is home to numerous museums and historic sites that tell the story of the important role Virginia played in securing American Independence.
As part of the country’s 250th anniversary this year, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, in collaboration with several historic organizations, created a Virginia 250 Passport that people can use to identify history institutions and, at some locations, get discounts.
Get stamps on your passport this Bike Month by incorporating a stop at a historic site along a bike path. The following are some bike and pedestrian paths that require limited excursions onto roads without bike lanes shared with vehicles to reach museums and other historic destinations.
VIRGINIA CAPITAL TRAIL
The 52-mile Virginia Capital Trail linking Richmond and the Jamestown Settlement in James City County represents more than 400 years of history, following the path of the people, places, and events that helped shape America. Bicyclists can visit Jamestown Settlement, a living-history museum that tells the story of America’s first permanent English colony. They can venture a short distance off the trail to St. John’s Church in Richmond, where Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech that ignited the spark of the war for independence.
MOUNT VERNON TRAIL
The Potomac River will be your companion on this 18-mile trail to George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon, which lies at the very southern tip of his namesake city in Fairfax County. The Mount Vernon Trail offers numerous vantage points to see monuments in the nation’s capital, takes bicyclists through the cobblestone streets of Old Town Alexandria, and features numerous attractions work visiting.
HIGH BRIDGE TRAIL
At 32 miles, the High Bridge Trail takes people over the High Bridge, which is more than 2,400 feet long and 125 feet above the Appomattox River, from which visitors will experience an expansive view of land where Union and Confederate soldiers fought during the Civil War. Just off the trail, the Robert Russa Moton Museum offers a reflection on the continued fight for the country’s founding ideals with Barbara Johns’s and the Moton students’ walkout that contributed to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision.
HUCKLEBERRY TRAIL
The Huckleberry Trail is a 15-mile paved trail that serves as the spine for a 60-mile paved and natural surface trail system connecting the Blacksburg and Christiansburg communities and connecting trail users to the National Forest trail system. On the northern end of the trail, bicyclists can visit Historic Smithfield, a residence built in the mid-1770s that showcases the complex history of Colonial America, westward expansion, African slavery, and conflicts between indigenous people and European settlers. At the southern end of the trail, bicyclists can locate the Montgomery Museum of Art and History.
WASHINGTON AND OLD DOMINION TRAIL
The Washington and Old Dominion Trail is a paved bike corridor on a former railbed that stretches 45 miles from the bustling City of Alexandria to the wide-open spaces of Purcellville. From the trail’s endpoint in Alexandria, bicyclists can use a variety of other bike lanes or shared-use paths to access museums such as the Alexandria Black History Museum and Gadsby’s Tavern Museum.
STAY SAFE, SHARE THE ROAD
With the warmer weather, more bicyclists will be sharing the roads. VDOT wants people to celebrate cycling this Bike Month and keep in mind the shared responsibility to create a safe environment for everyone who uses Virginia’s roadways.
VDOT’s bicyclists and pedestrians webpage has reminders for drivers and bicyclists to make sure everyone stays safe. The agency’s new Virginia Statewide Active Transportation Map Service provides information on where to bike in Virginia including featured places to bike information, shared use paths, bike lanes and U.S. Bike Routes.
