It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been over 12 years since I last mountain biked the trails at Tsali. As I’ve started ramping up my bike mileage, a visit back to Tsali has been on this summer’s “to do” list. From everything I’ve read and heard, it’s still ranked as one of the top 10 mountain biking locations in North America. All I can say is that in the 12 years since my last visit, it’s only gotten better.

It’s still composed of 4 main loops (about 40 miles) that alternate between mountain bikes and horses depending on the day of the week.  Although I did see a few hoof marks and a couple of horse trailers, I get the impression that there’s much more biking these days.  The biggest change since my last visit is the road to the campground is now paved and a bike washing station has been added at the trailhead. The trails are still in great shape and the facilities at the Forest Service campground are excellent.  The trails are technical enough to entertain experienced riders but still accessible for beginners.  As the saying goes, it’s “fun for the whole family.” The campground usually fills up by Friday night, so arrive early if possible.

It’s such a treat to be at a campground where almost all the campers are active.  With 42 sites, there’s probably an average of 2 to 3 mountain bikes per site.  And with Fontana Lake and the Nantahala Gorge only minutes away, 1 out of 3 sites probably has a kayak or canoe as well.

Next up on this summer’s “to do” list for mountain biking: the Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake.

Taking advantage of the lower temperatures, I headed over to the Eastern Shore and celebrated July 4th with a long bike ride. Knowing that a swim and a shower were going to be a welcomed conclusion to the ride, I parked at Kiptopeke State Park. Located on the Chesapeake Bay, Kiptopeke is a great park with camping, swimming, nice facilities, and plenty of parking. It’s also the site of the concrete Liberty Ships that were sunk in 1948 as a breakwater for the former Cape Charles ferry terminal.

Thinking that more traffic would be heading south early in the day, I decided to begin the ride on Route 13 and head up to Exmore. Although I’d driven this road numerous times, I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice wide and smooth shoulder all the way to Exmore. It was almost like having a designated bike lane. After wandering around Exmore and taking a little side-trip down to Willis Wharf, I topped off my water bottles and began heading south on Route 600 (Seaside Road). This road parallels Route 13 running through quiet farmland with little traffic and no commercial facilities whatsoever–so make sure your water bottles are full.

The wide shoulder on Route 13 combined with the quiet solitude of Seaside Road makes for a nice cycling loop.  Continuing further north to Accomac, it would be quite easy to put together a 90 to 100 mile ride.  And if you need a bit of motivation near the end of the ride, there’s a classic Crab Cake Sandwich waiting for you at Sting Ray’s just a couple of miles north of the park!