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Harrisonburg, VA vs. Asheville, NC

7K views 32 replies 18 participants last post by  park baker 
#1 ·
I visited Asheville a while back and fell in love with the place. At the same time, I kept thinking, gee, this reminds me a lot of Charlottesville, Virginia, where my parents live, but Asheville has just done a much better job of exploiting its raw potential and developing a robust biking scene. Then I learned that Harrisonburg, Va is emerging as a hot spot, and has been designated as an IMBA "ride center."

Which (finally) brings me to my question: Is Harrisonburg the real deal? How does it measure up to Asheville/Pisgah? From what I can tell online, it looks like the Shenendoah Valley Bicycle Coalition is working to develop trails around Harrisonburg, but there aren't as many established trail networks as the Asheville area. If it turns out that Harrisonburg is or soon will be a real biking epicenter, I'd take a long hard look at moving back home to the area when the time is right.

Thanks for you input.
 
#8 ·
I just looked up some of the WV trail reviews on here and folks were a little down on some of the rides because they were so raw and poorly maintained.
"Poorly maintained" is probably just smooth trail riders not being used to tough and hardcore miles. But don't get me wrong, Pisgah is great. I'm just defending some of the best riding on the east coast.
 
#6 ·
The burg is one of the best bicycling communities you will find anywhere. Just a few short miles to the West are hundreds of miles of first class singletrack. Go ride Dowels Draft, Braley Pond and Wolf Ridge and you will quickly see what all the talk is about. This is home ground for the Shenandoah Mountain 100.

Just a couple of miles to the East is Massanutten Mountain and all the goodness it provides. A NORBA XC race (Hoo Ha) is held there.

In town at Hillandale Park are the Rocktown trails.

With one of the best bike shops around, the influx of youth from JMU.....it's the real deal IMO.

-mtnpat

PS: There is a reason World and National Champions call Harrisonburg home.....just saying.
 
#9 ·
I've lived in Charlottesville, ridden extensively in Harrisonburg, and have spent a fair amount of time down in Asheville as well. Harrisonburg is the real deal, but in a less 'Blue Ridge Outdoors' magazine sort of way. It doesn't get all the glossy publicity, but the riding is on the same level. The trailheads and trail networks may be a bit harder to find, and they don't see near the amount of traffic as Bent Creek, Fish Hatchery, Mills Creek, etc., but they more than deliver on top notch backcountry riding.

I'd move back to Charlottesville in a heartbeat if the opportunity was there. The riding options are down right endless. Great local spots right in and outside of town, Sherando Lake/Big Levels 45 minutes away, Richmond spots 1hr. away, Harrisonburg 1 1/4hr. away, Lynchburg (Liberty Mtn.) 1 1/2hrs. out, Carvin's Cover 2hrs. out, Asheville 6hr drive.

Like was said above - do some of the 'must rides' in the GWNF outside Harrisonburg - Dowell's Draft, Ramsey's Draft, Chestnut Ridge, Wolf Ridge, Narrowback, ST, stand atop Reddish Knob and you'll be hooked!
 
#13 ·
Wow, guys, pretty convincing stuff. Obviously, at the very least, I need to plan a trip to see the folks and carve out some riding days.
"Harrisonburg is the real deal, but in a less 'Blue Ridge Outdoors' magazine sort of way. It doesn't get all the glossy publicity, but the riding is on the same level."
That's kind of what I was getting at, and what I was hoping to hear. Asheville seems to go out of its way, at the city level and through official tourism channels, to tout its outdoorsy creds. I haven't seen the same kind of stuff come out of C'ville or H'burg, but that doesn't mean it's not there.
My only concern is that I work long hours, so I really prize close-to-town riding. Looks like Massanutten is close enough for weekdays, and the other rides are good for the weekends.
 
#14 ·
If in doubt, just show up to one of the Stokesville festivals, like the one coming up October 5th weekend. SVBC has its stuff together for sure.

If Charlottesville is in play, while we lost Panorama in 2005, four other venues have come up or are currently coming up, in it's place. Public ones are Preddy Creek and Byrom are both currently open for use and under development with many more potential miles. Preddy (570 acres) only has about 150' of topo, Byrom (620 acres) has 1,600 bottom to top. Private ones are Forest Lakes (10 miles out the backdoor of 1,300 houses) and Teventrails.

Biscuit Run State Park (1,200 acres) just south of I-64 will happen in a couple years once it's adequately funded and will be connected to the RTF, providing an epic ride without leaving town. Charlottesville truly has more opportunity to build trail than we can handle in the next 10 years.

CAMBC needs to take a page or two from SVBC and figure out how to navigate the RTP grant program. SVBC has done a great job leveraging its volunteer labor pool to contract professional builders to really knock out the miles. If anyone wants to write and administer grants (for the love of it), contact me.
 
#15 ·
Fattirewilly,
Thanks for the intel. Didn't know about Forest Lakes -- that's funny because when I was a teenager and we moved there, we lived in Forest Lakes. I know there are paved paths but I didn't know there were trails back there.
I also didn't know about Patricia Byron Park. My folks live out in the country northwest of Earlysville, so Byrom is particularly close to them. Glad to hear things are being developed and there is a lot more good stuff to come.
Is there a video anywhere online of Byrom? Couldn't find one on Youtube. Would love to see the trails.
 
#16 ·
Folks are out near Teven Trails. Forest Lake trails were built 2006-2009. Byrom only has about 3 miles at the moment, it's being built. Byrom has been a bit of a tough sell to get volunteers out to, many can get to Sherando before Byrom time wise. Bryom has tons of potential though.

I know there's a video of Preddy Creek on YouTube
 
#17 ·
I'm heading down and staying at mass utter man on we'd of this week. We have three days. Can you all recommend the best three day epic trails we need to hit. Well drive to trailheads. All day epic types of rides are good! We have maps and gps garmin but this thread inspired me to post one more time before heading down!
 
#18 ·
Step 1: go to SBC bike shop in Harrisonburg. Get maps and info

If you choose to skip step 1, Ride bike up road all the way to top or to "the Overlook" from inside Massanutten. when at top, turn right. Or, go through gate, down 20 yards and then left. Hours of great riding to be found on the backside of Massanutten.
 
#24 ·
i can't comment on asheville since i've never been, but i live in h'burg and just started riding again last year after about 10 years off. the riding's incredible and getting better all the time thanks to the SVBC. the new reroutes up on narrowback and lookout are insanely good; i rode them both yesterday. and there's new trail at massanutten being cut all the time. this place is a blast.
 
#25 ·
Harrisonburg is the best kept secret in mountain biking. It's actually no secret at all, you just don't see the photos in glossy ad rags you find on news stands. I think it says something that some of the heavy hitting Ashevillans make semi regular trips to the burg. Just come visit and ride the stuff
 
#28 ·
Hey guys,

My friends and I make a trip to Asheville every Spring (end of April, beginning of May). The trails there are usually in great shape that time of year.

We are looking for a change of venue and the prospect of Harrisonburg / GWNF /Douthat has us pretty excited.

What are the trail conditions like during that time of year? Asheville is far enough south that the Winter doesn't seem to destroy the trails like it does here in Ohio.

Would it be safe to plan our trip there?

Thanks!!!
 
#30 ·
I too just got back in to mountain biking after a solid 10 year hiatus. Currently living back in C'ville, went to school @ JMU (H'burg), and not missing DC/NoVa. I've done Massanutten and Reddish Knob--both awesome. Looking forward to getting out and meeting more riders for sure.

And I do miss those shorts with letters plastered all over the arse :)
 
#31 ·
I'd have to agree with "washedup" and would like to add that its not just Harrisonburg that has excellent mountain biking, you can pretty much find it up and down the I-81 (H'burg to B'burg) and rest of the state for that matter. We are fortunate to have many active MTB organizations that are working their tails off building and maintaining the trails.

Dave
GpsTrailSource.com
 
#33 ·
depends

I grew up in VA and learned to really ride in Harrisonburg, but I've been living in Brevard, NC for about eight years now.

It's a toss up really. I think there's more diverse riding in the AVL area, and Asheville itself has more going on than Harrisonburg in terms of jobs, nightlife and culture...but there's a trade.

The riding in Harrisonburg is raw. Rocky, hard to ride, and hard to get to. If you ride to ride, to learn new moves, push yourself outside the confines of the "podium," then Harrisonburg may be for you. That said, you won't find much "easy" riding there, and the locals, while all cool people...are a tight knit crew. There's one real shop, and everyone knows and likes each other. The riders there also run the forest. They get permits to do re-routes, trail work, and hold events much easier than in AVL. With such a tight knit crew of hardcore riders that built that scene, they just have more going on in that regard.

AVL on the other hand, is a much bigger town with about 13 bike shops in the area. I forget how many there are. That said, there is a lot of clickiness. There are plenty of strong riders....but most everyone is always "training" for some dorky race that involves tons of fire roads, or they're "downhillers" who just skid everywhere. Most people do not spend time trying to ride the hard lines, or push what is rideable because that doesn't help your race results. To put it in a different perspective, AVL and the surrounding area is home to more "scenesters." Get it?

AVL also has a unique problem, Pisgah is a temperate rainforest with hundreds of miles of ecologically sensitive areas. There are a few people in the volunteer organizations who are intent on turning everything into machine cut sidewalks under the guise of "sustainability." That term gets thrown around a lot...and as a result some of best trails in the AVL area are illegal, or have been turned in to sidewalks. These IMBA standards, I believe, will result in a sanitized *****ville where everyone rides hardtail 29ers.

I might sound like I hate WNC, but I still live here. There's more riding within a closer drive than Harrisonburg. The riding in WV is amazing really, but from the Burg it's a while in the car. From the Burg you're in the car no matter where you want to go. In Brevard, I can ride the bike path into Pisgah, and that's pretty amazing. Same thing in AVL, you can be in Bent Creek from town in a 30 min ride from your front door, and from there you can ride all day in and out of Pisgah. In any direction, there is tons of riding from AVL. In the winter (in the unlikely event that it snows) we drop just down the hill and go ride in Upstate SC where there is also a decent amount of riding.

If you're a foodie or a music nerd then AVL is a better bet. Tons of locally owned restaurants, with more and more offering farm to table menus and locally grown/raised options. The scene in AVL is pretty cool, theres more money coming through that town than Harrisonburg. The music scene attracts a pretty diverse line up for a white person mountain town, and ATL and Charlotte are not that far away if you're looking for more progressive music.

Honestly, give it ten years, and Harrisonburg will be another Asheville.
 
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