A sharp, punchy little banger of a ride starting at the decaying Inn at Afton, swooping immediately down a rowdy section of gravel, up a jeep road to the top of Bald Mountain, down in my opinion the best gravel descent in the area and back up Campbell’s Mountain Road.

Starting just off interstate 64, the fun is easy to get to. Plenty of parking thanks to the ruins of Afton Mountain, you may even be able to pedal up to the Italian Renaissance Revival villa Swannanoa before flying down the beautiful, rowdy Howardsville Turnpike.

The gnarly jeep road climb up to the top of Bald Mountain will pose some challenges for those who prefer to ride cyclocross style bikes with a shallow spread of gears. This particular climb can be tough on a mountain bike, so larger tires and easy gears are your friend. Fear not, you can hike a bike through the steep sections and still make it an enjoyable affair,

There is a tiny spring at the top of Bald Mountain right on the path, so filter your water there or wait until you descend to the bottom of the North Fork River. There are no other provisions on this route. Pack a lunch!

If you time this route right, you’ll finish up on the Blue Ridge Parkways and be rewarded with some of the best sunset vibes in the state of Virginia.

Thanks to Charlie Snyder/Carlos Grande for taking us on this route. Make sure to stop by Blue Stone Bike & Run whenever you’re in Harrisonburg.

40mm minimum.

60mi

6,900ft climbing