This was the 4th day in a 5-day trip we took with Trek Travel- an award-winning cycling vacation company which has fabulous bike trips on five continents.
Details on the entire 5-day Shenandoah Gravel Bike Tour can be found on their website, and you can find a few more pics and videos from the trip on the saved highlight stories of our Insta account.
For info on ALL of their gravel-specific trips, click here.
If you are interested in booking a trip with them, use our promo code GBAGRAVEL for $200 off your Trek Travel trip.
The 23 miles of climbing to the peak of iconic Reddish Knob from Stokesville campground will challenge and delight experienced gravel riders with its steepness, technical components and beautiful scenery. You will start with some punchy paved "warm-up" miles, followed by a true gravel adventure, climbing over 14 miles through the George Washington National Forest, including several miles of quite chunky forest service roads. For most of the way, you are under a canopy of the old growth forests which include Sugar Maple, Northern Red Oak, Yellow Birch, Beech and Eastern Hemlock. In the Fall you will have a bed of colorful leaves that cruch under your wheels!
At 4,398 feet (1,340 m), the summit of Reddish Knob stands above most other peaks in Virginia and the eastern Allegheny Mountains. The last half mile is paved and is covered in fun chalk graffiti that makes you feel like you are on an iconic Tour de France climb. The view at the top of the Shenandoah Mountain provides a magnificent panoramic view of both Virginia and West Virginia, and in the autumn months, the mountain's trees are painted in beautiful fall colors.
In contrast to the slow bumpy climb, the long paved descent (miles 25-32) on your way back towards Stokesville is smooth, flowing and exhilaratingly fast!. Weeee!!!!
Throughout the whole ride, car traffic was extremely low making the already enjoyable route peaceful and quiet.
The very first pitch of the chunky gravel (approximately mile 15.5) is the most intimidating. It is quite steep and loose for about a quarter mile. (The forest service laid new gravel earlier in the 2024 season and where car's tire tracks have pushed the biggest rock to the middle and sides, you can usually find a less loose line to take.) It does mellow out from there, but it might be a hike-a-bike moment for those that are less experienced on that type of terrain. (We were on 45 mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M Tubeless Tires pumped to about 28 psi.)
It seems like the whole way back from the summit should be downhill, but you still have a bit more climbing to do on the final miles of gravel returning to Stokesville and the campground. Miles 32-38 have a small amount of elevation gain, and while the surface is not chunky here, there are many potholes hiding in the shadows to watch out for. (The potholes are totally avoidable as long as you stay alert and pick your lines wisely!)
Do this ride if you want a challenging gravel adventure cycling up the highest bikeable point in Virginia thorough the old growth trees of George Washington National Forest. Do it in the Fall for a particularly colorful and beautiful experience!
We started and finished this route from the Stokesville Campground/Park. There is parking, a picnic pavillion and bathrooms available, but it does require a $10 day-pass fee. (Check that dates are available and obtain your pass by sending $10 via paypal to stokesville.campground@gmail.com, or use the direct link: PayPal.Me/stokesville.)
There are no food services in the campground, so plan to bring your own picnic with you for afterward, or you can visit the Stokesville Market & Supply which is just outside the park on N. River Road. Otherwise, plan to drive 35 min back to the next major town of Harrisonburg where there are many restaurants, coffee shops and bars to choose from.
We didn't see much in the way of wildlife, but keep your eyes open- the black bear is relatively common, as is white-tailed deer, bobcat, bald eagles and weasels.
Plan this ride for Spring or Fall when temperatures are cooler and milder, or plan to start very early to avoid the mid-day heat. Make sure to take adequate water and nutrition with you as there is nowhere to refuel on route.
Trek Travel provided us with great gravel-specific bikes- the Checkpoint SLR 7. This bike was perfect for this mixed-terrain route because it is the lightest gravel bike in their lineup and is designed to take on the gnarliest of gravel terrain, plus it's super-fast off-pavement. It’s built with a light carbon frame, generous 45mm tire clearance, has Shimano GRX 2X 11-speed Di2 components, internal frame storage, and Shimano hydraulic disc brakes for predictable and safe stopping. The 45mm tires were a dream for rolling right over all the chunky stuff!
Laura & Rose
Laura Karpinski and Rose Barcklow are the creators of Gravel Bike Adventures. Click on the About page to learn more about them.
