Southern Bikes & Hikes

Visiting trails, National Forests, state parks, and historic small towns in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia on our annual ALDHA Gathering trip.

Bicycles at AT junction Virginia Creeper

As regular workshop presenters at the annual ALDHA Gathering, we were thrilled to discover that it would be happening in Abington, Virginia, home of the Virginia Creeper Trail and close to Damascus, a popular Appalachian Trail town.

This was the southernmost that the Gathering has been since Sandra joined ALDHA more than twenty years ago, so it was an good excuse to spend some time outdoors while we drove up and back from Florida.

Given the availability of the Virginia Creeper Trail and the perfect timing to enjoy fall color on it, we decided to bring our bikes and look for additional places to ride along our route.

Of course, we can't go to a hiking conference without getting a little hiking in, too, so we stopped at a couple of footpaths too. We are fortunate to have friends to visit along the way, so our lodging was mainly at the conference.

Itinerary

Greenwood, South Carolina

Downtown McCormick
Cambridge Gateway Trail
DINING: O'Charley's Restaurant

Travelers Rest, South Carolina

Swamp Rabbit Trail
Gateway Park
Trailblazer Park
Furman University
SHOPPING: Sunrift Adventures
DINING: Farmhouse Tacos

Pickens, South Carolina

The Doodle Trail
DINING: The GateHouse Restaurant

Easley, South Carolina

The Doodle Trail
Fine Arts Center Plaza
SHOPPING: That's Karma, Poor Richard's Booksellers
DINING: Merrill's Pizza, Joe's Easley Ice Cream Parlor

Erwin, Tennessee

Erwin Linear Trail (it has since been washed away by Hurricane Helene)
DINING: Toby's

Damascus, Virginia

Backbone Rock, Cherokee National Forest
Virginia Creeper Trail
DINING: Creeper Trail Cafe
SHOPPING: Sundog Outfitter, Mt. Rogers Outfitters, Trails ArT Ware