matttheknife

I'm going on vacation to Virginia Beach this spring and I was wondering if anyone knows of good places to ride down there. I'm not looking for all-day epics, just some trails to hit for a morning or afternoon. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

victim

I went this summer, brought my bike and found sucktastic riding. I did however love the area and will go back this year again but if nobody chimes with some ideas the bike will be sadly left at home. You must have some nice riding by you? I used to do a lot of snowmobiling in your neck of the woods. Beautiful area!

matttheknife

Thanks for the heads up on that. I'm traveling with the wife and kids, so bringing the bike would be a p.i.a. (yet worth it if there was some half-way decent riding to be had), so I think I'll leave it home.

Yes, we have a lot of great riding up in my neck of the woods, though the season has sadly ended. The good news is that I just came back from dropping the skis off for a fresh tune! Headed to Okemo Thursday afternoon...

commo_soulja

Hey, I grew up in VB and I'll tell you the mountain bike riding sucks in the city. You'll have to travel north up I-64 to Newport News/Williamsburg on the penninsula. Not really feasible if you're staying in VB as the drive during commute times suck. If you've got a road bike bring that instead and ride the back roads down towards the VA/NC border. Nice riding past farms on quiet backroads. Or just ride up and down the oceanfront boardwalk on the bike paths.

Applehead57

I'd just recommend staying on the bike paths. Long enough to tire you out, but sadly flat, so just go fast. The side roads didn't always have room for a cyclist, so that can be a little scary.

m015094

Yeah, mountain biking in the Virginia Beach area sucks, but like others said, if you can make it up to Newport News or Williamsburg there are OK trails. Try:

Lake Maury

The trailhead is on the corner of Warwick Blvd and Gatewood Rd.

Also, York River State Park has some pretty good trails, but is even farther away - over an hour drive.

m015094

Here are some reviews of Lake Maury:

https://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/lake-maury.html

https://gpstrailsource.com/Maps.aspx?MapID=21

telebianchi

First Landing State Park on the north end of VA Beach has a couple miles of trail that were fun for a short spin on a cyclocross bike (although most of the trails in the park are hiking-only) but a mountain bike would be overkill. See the first and last photos in my signature. As already mentioned, there is decent road riding in the area.

victim

That's where I stayed. Tent camped on the dunes of the beach. Such a sweet spot. My 5" trail bike was a joke. I ended up just running on the beach, and I despise jogging. I'm real close to "pulling the trigger" on a Puglsley and I would bring that down there in a heartbeat.

matttheknife

Thanks again for all the info everyone! Not to get off-topic, but if you get a Pugsley, let us know how it works out. I saw some on a really muddy group ride last month and it looked like they marched right through all the nasty stuff.