HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA Mountain Biking

Harrisonburg might be better known as a small college town, however this is also the home to one of the country’s best mountain biking trails. It is a town where mountain biking booms beyond imagination with most of the community involved in trail maintenance. It is a town wit progressive trail building and even received an accolade by the International Mountain Biking Association.

Around George Washington National Forest and town you have a diverse amount of trails that span over 500 miles. New riders love starting at Hillandale Park with its green loops and work their way towards the intermediate trails before attempting the advanced trails with its challenging routes.

The back country trails are technical and rugged and a huge challenge for the adventurous riders as well as the latest trail for most advanced riders, the Table Rock where you balance is put to the test with rock navigations, high speed off-chamber parts and narrow rock lines. Beginners and kids love the latest Tillman West trail that is easy in all directions.

As with all the large mountain biking towns you will find that most of them offer festivals and here it is no different either. The legendary Shenandoah 100 race is held in Harrisonburg as well as the annual Shenandoah Mountain Bike festival on the Stokesville Camping grounds. This is where a national mountain biking champion lives and also part of the Topeak Ergon Racing Team as elite mountain biker, it is Jeremiah Bishop and he has only love for Harrisonburg. He is the host of the yearly Alpine Loop Gran Fondo, which is the state’s most challenging race.

He shares his favourite trails which offers the best of both worlds according to his personal experience which is Lookout Mountain, which is both technical and fast and promises that every time you ride it, it is different. He suggest riders to stay at the Village Inn and if luxury is their choice then the historical Joshua Wilton House is perfect.