Place: Angler's RidgeWhere: Danville, VA
When: February, 2017
Heated bathrooms, a bike wash, well marked trails, friendly locals, and a rest center/welcome center for overnight sleeping just a short drive away made this the perfect place for a weekend of riding.
Traveling to Angler's Ridge in Danville, VA was a last minute decision, but a decision we were happy to have made. All week long we were planning on getting away for the weekend; just not sure where to go. Temperatures in eastern PA were on the cold side; so we wanted to go south. But an ice storm was rolling into the mid-Atlantic, which would mean we had to find somewhere beneath the storm and also take a big chance of hitting bad driving conditions heading there. After getting home from work on Friday we checked the weather, checked singletracks.com, and headed out the door for Virginia.We rode Angler's Ridge both Saturday and Sunday; riding every trail (some in both directions) along with the Riverwalk Greenway that cuts through the park. The trail system has approximately 35 miles of single track all built and maintained by SVMBA (Southern Virginia Mountain Bike Association), an IMBA chapter. The parking lot is essentially in the center with the trails set-up as loops out of the lot. There
are two main loops; one going left and the other going right. Interspersed into these main loops are little loops and ways to cut back or bail out back to the parking lot quickly. The loops are all color coded; i.e. red, blue, orange and the trails have individual names such as Little Pisgah, Corkscrew, and Crooked stick. Trail markings showing the loop color and the trail name are numerous and easy to follow. The trails themselves could be classified as flowy; short and steep ups and down, bermed switchbacks, and lots of pumpy areas. There are some rooty sections and a few rocky areas. Man-made features like teeter-totters, skinnies, and rock gardens, are scattered about making for fun places to play. There is also a pump track and jump line section. Creeks are numerous which was perfect for Clifford, lots of places to stop for a drink and cool off.
The Greenway is a paved walking and biking trail that stretches from the city of Danville to the Danville Airport. It passes directly through the parking lot of the trail system. We rode this also as a way to get in some extra miles and to see the area a bit more. I don't know mileage but doing an out and back on the Greenway added about and hour to our ride time. All along this trail there were picnic benches, signs about the local environment and history of the area, and scenic views of the Dan River.
Both during and after the ride we met many of the local riders, including some of SVMBA volunteers . Everyone was super friendly and helpful; taking time to talk and give us some insight and directions about the trails. The bike wash and bike tool station was a perfect way to make sure we had clean and well-working bikes for the next day. And the heated bathrooms...ohhh...nothing better that being able to change and clean-off after a ride in a warm spacious bathroom.As for somewhere to catch some sleep, the North Carolina welcome center just on the other side of 29 was great. Quite, nice picnic tables to cook and eat at, and clean bathrooms. Parking the Nankvan there was perfect.
This was a great place to ride. Sure, we had to traverse many of the trails twice, but we were able to put in a long ride (35-40 miles) both days. Cliff was able to get in substantial trail time. The bathrooms and bike wash were an added bonus. And nothing better than having inviting and friendly people to make you feel welcomed to ride their local trails. We will definitely be back and recommend this place to others.
-Jess and Joël