Mid-Atlantic Rail-Trails
Rail-trails are bicycle routes build on the remains of abandoned railroad tracks. They offer cyclists a dedicated corridor free of car and truck traffic. Some routes go very long distances, and a few offer camping. Below are are five routes that have camping either on the route, or reasonably nearby.
31-mile park near Farmville, VA. See this video. It has one of the highest and longest rail-trail bridges in the country. This trail is near Sandy River Reservoir if fishing is an interest. There is no camping at this park, however. This trail is also near Twin Lakes State Park, which has camping. Camping is limited to small group sites, however.
78-mile trail in West VA, near I-64. See trail map. The Greenbrier River Trail traverses some of the most remote areas in the state and lies adjacent to the Monongahela National Forest, Seneca State Forest and Watoga State Park for most of its length, lending to very little development and a true “wild and wonderful” experience. Several state parks and forests along the Greenbrier River Trail provide overnight accommodations. These locations include Greenbrier State Forest, Watoga State Park, Seneca State Forest and Cass Scenic Railroad.
The North Bend Rail Trail is a multi-use recreational trail operated by the West Virginia State Park system. Formerly a main line of the CSX system, the trail is part of the 5,500-mile coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail. Stretching 72 miles from I-77 near Parkersburg in Wood County to Wolf Summit in Harrison County, this scenic trail passes through 10 tunnels and crosses 35 bridges. Easily accessible from Interstates 77 and 79, the trail nearly parallels U.S. Route 50. Here is the trail map.
The Virginia Creeper Trail is a 34.3-mile rail-to-recreation trail starting in Abingdon, Va., traveling through Damascus, Va. and ending just past Whitetop Station at the Virginia-North Carolina border. Notably, this trail is near Mount Rogers, the highest point in the Virginia (summit elevation of 5,729 feet).
New River Trail is a 57-mile linear park that follows an abandoned railroad right-of-way. The park parallels the scenic and historic New River for 39 miles and passes through four counties and the city of Galax. New River Trail State Park has four primitive campgrounds: Cliffview, Millrace, Baker Island and Double Shoals. There's no vehicular access to the campsites and no showers or bathhouses.