Author Topic: civil war routes on virginia??  (Read 6064 times)

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Offline Bigtallfatbloke

civil war routes on virginia??
« on: August 26, 2012, 10:42:12 am »
Hi...I find myself two weeks ahead of schedule after my transam ride..so I thought I would do a mini tour of the civilwar battlefields in Virginia. Are there any good route maps around?
Thankyou. :)
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live"

Offline Pat Lamb

Re: civil war routes on virginia??
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2012, 11:36:48 am »
There are a number of maps available (see http://www.civilwartraveler.com/EAST/VA/index.html for examples).  You can probably get hard copies at most visitor centers once you get near Lexington on your way east.  The problem with these is that they assume you'll be driving a car, so they show you U.S. 11 and I-81; most of these aren't very bicycle-friendly.  You might try to hit up bicycle shops as you go, and ask them if they have some good routes toward the next town you want to hit.

Also, from Skyline Drive (in Shenandoah NP) there are some great overlooks with maps of Jackson's campaigns.  Skyline starts at the north end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, where the TransAm turns east.

Offline BrianW

Re: civil war routes on virginia??
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2012, 03:25:29 pm »
Depending where in Virginia you are looking, there are lots of possibilities. In the Shenandoah Valley, for example, there are tons of Civil War battlefields and related sites. You could pretty much just follow Rt. 11 north/south to hit some of them (it parallels I-81), like New Market, for example. Even without the history, it's a pretty area. Just got back from there yesterday for a Labor Day camping trip to Shenandoah Nat Park.

Then, up near Strasburg, swing east toward DC and take in the sites closer to DC like Bull Run, Manassas, etc.

If you can go a bit farther afield, the C&O canal route offers access to some "big" Civil War sites, like Antietam and Harper's Ferry.

Offline hirundo

Re: civil war routes on virginia??
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2012, 11:54:51 am »
Try the DC Randonneurs web site.  They just ran their (9/8/12) Civil War brevet and the cue sheet and ride description are posted.  I never travel anywhere by bike without checking out the randonneuring sites or those of any local club.  Great resources.