Blue Ridge Hills & Hollows
Chesapeake Bay
The Blue Ridge Hills & Hollows Bikepacking Route is a 300-mile mixed surface cycling experience that connects visitors to the history, landscapes, and communities of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Looping around Shenandoah National Park, the route links eight memorials created by the Blue Ridge Heritage Project that commemorate the families displaced during the park's establishment in the 1930s. As part of the Chesapeake Gateways Network, the route combines outdoor recreation with place-based interpretation, inviting cyclists to explore the headwaters of streams that flow into the Shenandoah, Potomac, Rappahannock, and James River watersheds before reaching the Chesapeake Bay. Traveling by bicycle encourages visitors to experience the landscape at a slower pace while passing through rural communities, agricultural valleys, forested hills, and scenic mountain roads. Interpretive materials, digital resources, and memorial sites share stories of Indigenous peoples, early settlement, mountain communities, and the lasting effects of park creation on local families. Along the route, visitors gain a deeper understanding of how geography, waterways, and cultural traditions have shaped the region over time. Clear navigation resources and trip planning information help cyclists travel safely while connecting with local communities and services throughout the route. By combining recreation, history, and stewardship, the Blue Ridge Hills & Hollows Bikepacking Route encourages visitors to discover how the Blue Ridge Mountains and their headwaters are an important part of the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed. Visitors are encouraged to learn more through their website .
