In 1986, Norfolk Southern donated the abandoned railbed to the State of Virginia for the purpose of creating a State Park. The 57 mile trail is one of the gems of the state park system. It hugs the bank of the river for 39 miles. The trail crosses the river 3 times on trestles like the one above near Fries Junction.
My ride today, began in Galax. The first 15 miles are along Chestnut Creek. The same creek runs by several still operating furniture mills in Galax before the state park trail begins. Obviously, the railroad would have passes by all the mills.
After arriving at Fries Junction where Chestnut Creek flows into the New River, I turned left The 5.5 mile spur connects Fries to the main line. About halfway to Fries, this falling down farm can be seen on the left, riverside.
Just beyond here is a low water bridge road crossing of the river. It is my normal turning around spot. The trail into Fries is not as scenic as it passes many backyards and is near a road.
Despite the sky threatening rain all morning, there are many folks on the trail. I saw 3 campsites occupied at Cliffview as I rode by. They all seemed to be sitting at their picnic tables waiting for it to rain. After riding, the sky cleared and temperatures were very cool for summer. It did not rain until Sunday morning.
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