Bike Tours
A cycling holiday is what you make it and is a fantastic way to explore new destinations, meet new people, make new friends, and experience new cultures, foods, and drinks. There are many great places to cycle in Virginia. From the ocean to the mountains, city cycling to rural biking, gravel roads and mountain bike trails, historic towns and cities to award-winning wineries and breweries. Whatever your preferred cycling terrain and your level of expertise on a bike, Virginia has something to offer you. Your bicycle touring experience can range from single-day trips to extended travels spanning weeks or months. Whether you are looking for a guided or self-guided bikepacking, gravel, mountain, or road biking vacation, you’ll find it here.
TOUR COMPANIES
Discover the very best Virginia has to offer with the help of a knowledgeable cycling tour company. Take advantage of a local, regional or a national company, and come experience Virginia’s landscape from the ocean to the mountains, visit historical cities and towns, breweries and wineries, and take in the southern charm that makes Virginia one of the best places to ride. Virginia is Ranked 7th in the nation for being a “Bicycle Friendly State” and number one (#1) in the southern region out of 13 states by the League of American Bicyclists.
Virginia’s tour companies offer many riding options, not just on set dates, but throughout the riding season including guided and self-guided tours. While regional or national bike tour bike companies offer great experiences on specific dates. So, whether you’re interested in a unique personal experience, group ride, family outing, or corporate team-building event, come to Virginia and “Find Your Ride.”
VIRGINIA TOUR COMPANIES
Blue Ridge Bicycle Tours provides tours of the Virginia’s Blue Ridge and of the City of Charlottesville.
Burg E-Bike Tours offers E-bike tours of Skyline Drive and a scenic ride along the country roads of Shenandoah County stopping at three Virginia wineries along the way.
Lost Trail MTB offers guided mountain bike services in Roanoke and Blacksburg area to both new and seasoned riders.
Magical Mystery Bike Tours travels to several destinations throughout Virginia. The company provides tours from the ocean to the mountains of Virginia, and provides road and gravel experiences. Bicycle tours are all-inclusive, all you have to do is pack your bike and get ready for an adventure.
Roanoke Mountain Adventures offers individual, group and custom ride experiences on mountain and gravel bikes in the Roanoke region. They also have both bicycle and E-bike rentals.
Shenandoah Mountain Touring offers individual or groups of all levels and abilities full, multi-day and specialty tours including mountain, road and gravel biking.
Take Aim Cycling provides mountain biking instruction, guided tours and shuttling services in the Shenandoah Valley region.
LOCAL GUIDED TOURS
Richmond/Williamsburg Region
Basket & Bike provides tours throughout Richmond, the Capital Trail, James Town Island, as well host custom and corporate team building tours.
Kul Wheels provides E-bike tours, both one-way and round trip, along the Virginia Capital Trail with stops at eateries, plantations and a winery. They also provide hourly rentals for your use.
RVA On Wheels offers E-Bike tours and rentals of Richmond, VA. Your ride includes a leisurely tour of Downtown, with references to unsung heroes of the city’s historic sites, the origins of the region, amusing trivia, street art, and an appreciation of nature.
Williamsburg on Wheels an E-bike tour around historic landmarks in Williamsburg, Jamestown, and surrounding areas! As you glide along scenic routes, you’ll come across some of the city’s most popular attractions, parks, and restaurants. They also provide flexible E-bike rentals to get around.
Stafford County, VA
FXBG E-Bike Tour provides E-bike tours of Stafford County and travel along the Belmont and Ferry Farm Trails which include the Rappahannock River, Chatham Manor, Belmont Plantation, Town of Falmouth, Ferry Farm and several not so known sites.
SELF-GUIDED TOURS & ROUTES
For a complete list of Trails in Virginia, visit the Resource page.
Arlington County self-guided history tour is a 26-mile self-guided tour with 13 stops along Arlington County’s bikeway, a low stress route.
Beans Bikes & Blooms (Arlington County) website has a 12-mile self-guided tour and rental information. This is a safe 11.5-mile route taking you on trails and past several D.C. attractions.
Bike the Valley – Shenandoah Valley’s Ride Guide is a website that encourages bicycling in the Central Shenandoah Valley, and includes road, trails, gravel and MTB routes and maps covering the counties of Augusta, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge, and Rockingham; the cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro; and the eleven towns that lie between.
Biking in Roanoke – this site provides information on places to ride in and near the City of Roanoke; road & mountain biking, urban trails and links to guided trips, tours and other experiences.
Biking Shenandoah County – this is an excellent site for road and mountain biking information in Shenandoah County and includes GPS route information. Shenandoah County has an abundance of cycling and outstanding scenery.
Blue Ridge Parkway Self-Guided Bike Tour – The tour our includes options for 7- or 8-day trips; on those options some days will have longer riding. Complete list of dining and accommodations, and over 100 things to do and things to see.
Map My Ride, Virginia Cycling Routes – Map My Ride has a number of cycling routes listed for many of Virginia’s localities. Download the GPS routes for your use.
Road Tested Bike Tours options abound throughout Virginia with your Road-Tested Bike Tour. You can plan your tour for any day of the year and for any number of days. Side trips off the beaten path can easily be incorporated as can rest days.
Roanoke, VA, the bike routes on this page, which was created in partnership with RIDE Solutions, have been organized by subject and include arts & culture, history, scenic views, food & drink, scavenger hunts, and nature and the environment.
Shenandoah County biking page has a complete list of Ride with GPS routes for road and mountain bike enthusiasts.
Virginia Beach Cycling and Bike Trails– there are over 200 miles of bikeways and trails. Plus, there are 23 miles of unpaved paths in 2 state parks and a federal wildlife refuge.
BIKEPACKING ROUTES
Bikepacking in Virginia will allow you to experience the Appalachian Mountains, and beautiful forests, visit historic towns, and off-the-beaten-path locations you would have missed. Virginia has some incredible bikepacking routes ranging from an overnighter to several days. If you have a passion for outdoor adventure and favor riding predominately off pavement, on gravel roads, and occasionally a little singletrack, then you are invited to “Choose Your Adventure.“ Just remember to respect your surroundings – “Leave No Trace,” and enjoy the outdoors responsibly.
Special thanks to those who took the time to develop these routes, and willingness to share their knowledge so others can enjoy the experience. Big shout-out to Virginia’s David Landis who put together the majority of the bikepacking and gravel routes and resources listed here. Please consider supporting his efforts to continue to provide regular updates to the routes as well as develop new places to ride.
Valley View Stokesville – 1 day, 49.2 miles, 100% unpaved; this is a looped route, beginning and ending in Harrisonburg, VA. Need to park in the parking deck downtown and ask permission to leave the car overnight, they will let bikepackers if you ask. Route includes camping and places to resupply.
Slate Springs Overnighter – 1 day, 52 miles, 75% unpaved; this is a looped route through the George Washington National Forest just west of Harrisonburg, VA.
Grayson County Traverse – 2 days, 72-mile mixed-surface gravel bike route that connects the Virginia Creeper Trail and New River Trail over well-maintained and remote roads featuring a variety of challenging climbs. The route follows optimal west-east gravel corridors just south of the Grayson Highlands area, in the foothills of Virginia’s highest peaks, crisscrossing the creeks that carry water from the high mountains down to the New River. This overlooked gem of Virginia presents some of the best gravel cycling in the state, mostly unridden and undiscovered.
Cyclist Guide to Bikepacking Skyline Drive – 2 days, 210 miles, 100% paved; the ride begins in Front Royal, Virginia and ends in Afton, Virginia and then you turn around and head back to Front Royal. The Southern Terminus is also the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unlike the parkway, the National Park Service charges an entrance fee: $30 gets you unlimited access to the park for 7 days. The riding isn’t overly difficult. Most sections top out at a reasonable 6-7 percent grade. You may be climbing for a while, but nothing is “fall-over steep.”
Sky Meadow Overnighter – 2 days, 84 miles, 67% unpaved; this route takes you to Sky Meadows State Park in the foothills of the Blue Ridge in Delaplane, Virginia.
Harrisonburg-Little Dry River Loop – 2 days, 121.2 miles, 24% unpaved; This is a loop route starting Harrisonburg, VA and back and is a great overnight or big day ride. Best when water is low on Rough Run (max 7 stream crossings).
Harrisonburg/Fort Valley/Wolf Gap – 2-3 days, 130.7 miles, 42% unpaved; This is a loop route starting in Harrisonburg, VA with nice rolling hills without any crazy climbs. These are beautiful gravel roads which traverse around the edges of the Shenandoah Valley.
Grayson Gravel Circuit – 2 to 3 days, 143.4 miles, 47% unpaved; is a looped route starting at the Virginia Creeper Trail Whitetop Station Visitors Center parking lot. This mixed-surface gravel bike route that connects the Virginia Creeper Trail and New River Trail over well-maintained and remote roads featuring a variety of challenging climbs.
Grayson Gravel Long Haul – 2-3 days, 150.8 miles, 72% unpaved; this is a northward route starting in Abingdon, VA, and ending in Pulaski, VA, and runs on the Virginia Creeper Trail, Grayson Gravel Traverse, and the New River Trail.
Blue Ridge Wrangler – 3-4 days, 158 miles, 76% unpaved; this is a circumnavigation of the Glendwood-Pedlar Ranger District, in the eastern reaches of George Washington National Forest.
America’s Gravel/Loudon Loop – 3–4 days, 193.6 miles, 58% unpaved; Only 20% of the entire route is on paved roads shared with cars. Explore centuries-old dirt roads, canalways and rail corridors west of Washington DC along the Potomac River and into northern Virginia which date back more than 250 years. This four-day journey leaves the nation’s capital along the famous Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) canal towpath to enter Loudoun County. You’ll return to DC on the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) paved rail trail to finish the loop back at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall.
DC/Harrisonburg 215 – 3-4 days, 213.3 miles, 54% unpaved; starting in DC and ending in Harrisonburg, VA. The ride progresses from flatter rail trails leaving the capital to cross the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah River, following the western edge of the Shenandoah Valley along the George Washington National Forest to Harrisonburg, VA.
Rockstar Gravel – 4-5 days, 255.4 miles, 48% unpaved; this is a classic ride heading south from Harrisonburg, VA to Roanoke, VA. You can overnight at Braley Pond, Douthat State Park and Eagle Rock.
Hotchkiss South Valley Ultra Endurance – 4-5 days, 262.3 miles, 31% unpaved; this looped route starts and ends in Buena Vista, VA. This is a challenging route with over 25,000 feet of climbing and an average grade of 12.9%.
Blacksburg Bikepacking Bonanza – 4-5 days, 274.4 miles, 65% unpaved, 5% is bikepath. The remaining paved roads are mostly quiet back roads. This is a loop route begins and returns Blacksburg, VA, home to Virginia Tech.
The Sods Circuit – 4-5 days, 287.8 miles, 45% unpaved; This loop route starts and ends in Harrisonburg, VA. Items in this list include lodging (hotel, hostel, cabin, campground, primitive campsite), food (restaurant, country store, supermarket, gas station/ convenience store) and water (public taps, springs or natural water source requiring treatment). Picnic and rest areas are also noted, as well as some points of interest.
Blue Ridge Hills & Hollows – 4-6 days, is a gravel bikepacking loop connects eight county memorials via a 300-mile mixed-surface cycling route around Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. The multi-day route connects to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, and can be approached from numerous starting points for camping and hotel-based itineraries.
Breakdown Bikepacking Route – 4-7 days, 35% unpaved; This route explores the vastness of the Pine Mountain region starting at Breaks Interstate Park, Breaks, VA home to the Breaks Canyon, which is one of the deepest gorges east of the Mississippi River. Then heading off west towards the sunset and the infamous Wardaddy Loop. Traversing the Grand Canyon of the South, it is a showcase of the best these rugged and historic Appalachian Mountains has to offer. Superb mountain-line scenery tracing the Virginia/Kentucky border and a tradition of pure, hard adventure.
DC/Harrisonburg 400 Loop – 5-7 days, 397.7 miles, 41% unpaved; Starts at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. to Harrisonburg, VA, and loops back to the Lincoln Memorial. Items in this list include lodging (hotel, hostel, cabin, campground, primitive campsite), food (restaurant, country store, supermarket, gas station/convenience store) and water (public taps, springs or natural water source requiring treatment). Picnic and rest areas are also noted, as well as some points of interest.
AML 400 – 6-7 days, 403.3 miles, 29% unpaved; This looped route starts and ends in Blacksburg, VA, and traverses into West Virginia though hills, valleys and several scenic small towns as well as forests and parks including Watoga State Park, Seneca State Forest, and the Monongahela National Forest.
TransVirginia Mountain 565 – 7-9 days, 565.5 miles, 60% unpaved, rail trail and pave; Starts at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and travels south to Damascus, VA. Items in this list include lodging (hotel, hostel, cabin, campground, primitive campsite), food (restaurant, country store, supermarket, gas station/convenience store) and water (public taps, springs or natural water source requiring treatment). Picnic and rest areas are also noted, as well as some points of interest.
TransVirginia Valley 535 – 7-9 days, 536.8 miles, 40% unpaved, rail trail and pave; begins at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and travels south to Damascus, VA. Items in this list include lodging (hotel, hostel, cabin, campground, primitive campsite), food (restaurant, country store, supermarket, gas station/convenience store) and water (public taps, springs or natural water source requiring treatment). Picnic and rest areas are also noted, as well as some points of interest.
VA/WV Gravel Bikepacking Route Collection – a collection maintained by David Landis, and currently includes 17 routes.