Life Outside Spring 2019 - 27

MORE TWO-WHEELING TERRITORY

COURTESY OF BRUNCH AT THE MERC

New River Trail State Park-long, linear
New River Trail State Park-winds along its
namesake river for 57 miles, a relaxing pedal,
paddle or ramble. After leaving Pulaski's Dora
Junction near I-81, its northern access point,
the trail passes over 30 bridges and through
two tunnels.
The northern stretch of this crushed stone
double-track is Pulaski County at its best. Coasting the long trestles toward Claytor Lake, travelers glimpse sapphire lake through stretches
of meadow and woods before crossing 951-foot
Hiwassee Trestle over the New River. The old
mining town of Allisonia, all dolled up in gingerbread and Queen Anne architecture, offers
a restored depot for overnight lodging. Other
remnants of the line's past along the trail include
stone iron furnaces, mileposts, and trestles.
The town of Pulaski manages a spur trail
that connects the park to a downtown renovated train depot housing the Pulaski Bike Shop
(540-922-9119), which rents bikes. Bikes can
also be rented in Draper at Thee Draper Village
(formerly Draper Mercantile) (540-994-5659).
Cyclists, hikers, and paddlers following the
trail can arrange shuttles at several locations
along the river through the Foster Falls Bike
and Boat Livery (276-699-1034).
Work on an extension of the New River
Trail north to Randolph Park in Dublin will
begin later this year.
Draper Mountain Mountain Bike
Trails, Pulaski. Bearing names such as
"Widowmaker," "TNT," and "Draper Drop,"
these punishing mountain bike trails zizag up
Pulaski's Draper Mountain from the Draper

Mountain Overlook. A lot of climbing and
rocks figure prominently in seven miles of
intermediate to advanced mountain bike trails
created by a dedicated group of cyclists on
town land. But the view is great. Cyclists can
access the trail at two points: the town's Valley
Road and Draper Mountain's north overlook.
Printed directions and parking are available
at Pulaski Bikes in the old depot at 20 Washington Street, Pulaski.
TransVirginia Bike Route. Virginia's longest gravel bike path (well 60 percent gravel
anyway) runs smack through Pulaski County
on its 550-mile route between Arlington and
Damascus. A combination of unpaid roads,
double track, and rail trails, the route traverses
Cloyd's Mountain, the New River Trail, and
some of the prettiest places in Virginia's backcountry. The TransVirginia is poised to become
an iconic East Coast bikepacking adventure,
filling a niche between road touring and technically demanding mountain single-track biking. For a detailed map, see transVirginia.org.
Trans America Bicycle Trail (US Bicycle Route 76). The cross-country cycling
route passes through Radford and 23 miles
of Pulaski County in its 4,228-mile course
between Yorktown and Oregon. The Virginia section features more elevation gain than
any other state, and perhaps to compensate
for this, cyclists like to linger over pimento
cheese sandwiches or strawberry-banana
pancakes at Thee Draper Village. Riders
follow a rough approximation of the path
of the old Wilderness Trail blazed by Daniel
Boone.

Places to Grab
a Meal and a
Brew
Al's On First, 540-509-5133,
alsonfirst.com; 68 First St NW,
Pulaski. Southern homestyle
meals in a gracefully converted
warehouse.
Brunch at the Merc, 540- 9805659, brunchatthemerc.com;
3054 Greenbriar Rd, Draper.
Serves made-from-scratch
breakfast and lunch all day.
The River Company
Restaurant & Brewery, 540633-3940, therivercompany.
com; 6633 Viscoe Road,
Radford. Eatery serves steaks &
house-label brews in rusticchic digs.
Sal's Italian Restaurant
& Pizzeria, 540-639-9669,
salsradford.com; 709 W. Main
St., Radford. Mainstay for pizza
and classic Italian entrees.

BRUNCH AT THEE
DRAPER VILLAGE
It's a Sunday treat whether
you arrive from Draper or from
along the New River Trail.

LifeOutsideMag.com // Spring 2019

http://www.alsonfirst.com http://www.brunchatthemerc.com http://http:// http://therivercompany.com http://www.transVirginia.org http://www.salsradford.com http://www.LifeOutsideMag.com

Life Outside Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Life Outside Spring 2019