Bergton, VA Biking

The Bergton Biking Loop

(9.1 miles, 600 ft total ascent, all paved, mostly flat, all ascent in one or two hills)

The Bergton Loop is a quiet, paved, rural 9-mile loop around Bergton and Criders in Northern Rockingham County. This route has some nice long flat areas and a couple of hills through “The Ridges.” You are often riding beside a river and at the base of mountains. There are many farms including some poultry, beef, and sheep. There’s a very low volume of traffic on this road, but bike riders are still uncommon and there are no shoulders on the road, so be careful and aware of cars approaching from the back.

You can extend the route by going another paved mile up Bennetts Run (adding 2 miles round trip) or venturing off the loop by going past the Criders Post Office and stay on Criders Road for another mile or two and running up German River Road for about a mile (maybe adding a total of around another 5 paved miles round trip).

I have always ridden the loop counterclockwise taking the hills short and fast, but almost every other rider I have seen does it clockwise with a slower, more gradual ascent through the Ridges section.

This circuit was the site for the Bergton Bikeathon for twenty years, so it is easy enough for casual and family riders. The most casual riders may have to walk up some hilly parts, but they are brief and not overwhelming. I recall running into a solo rider many years ago who told me he was training for the Olympic Trials. I supposed it was possible at the time since the loop includes flat areas for sprinting practice and hills for climbing practice.

Cautions

When planning this trip, I’d advise you to avoid a couple of areas on your bike. Route 259 which run through Broadway, VA through Bergton through West Virginia is not a great biking road. It would be a great biking road except for the traffic. It has a relatively high volume of fast-moving traffic for the area, and there are a lot of trucks. By trucks, I mean tractor-trailers, semis, semi-trailers, big rigs, eighteen-wheelers, or semi-tractor-trailers. There are a lot of them, and drivers are not used to seeing bikes on this road. I would consider it a dangerous road to bike. I have seen people do it, but it is very rare, and I wouldn’t recommend it. There was a major bike tour that came through the area in 2023, and they used Rt. 259 for 10-15 miles, but their support vans had many road signs put up that indicated there were bikers on the roads ahead. A bike tour also gives some safety in the large number of bikers, but as an individual or small group, I would strongly recommend not biking on Rt. 259.

I would also urge caution on a short section of Bergton Road which the locals call the “Mountain Road.” The Mountain Road starts just after the new Rivers Edge Campground and ends a little before Blue Hole Road. The Mountain Road skirts the edge of mountain with a sheer drop of maybe 100 feet? There is a low barrier along the road, but it feels like it wouldn’t be hard for a biker to topple over it easily. The road is twisty with a lot of turns and again drivers are not used to seeing bikes on this section of road. It’s also common for there to be rocks on the road. They fall frequently especially after changes in weather, and they could pose a significant threat to a bike rider riding through this area. If you do choose to ride through this section, pay close attention to traffic and rocks. The whole thing is about a mile long I would guess.

Another caution would be high grass along the shoulders of the road and edges of hayfields. This obstructs the view of vehicles, especially around turns. Don’t stop in the shade of a tree around a turn. Better to wait to find a spot to get off the road completely.

Best Route Idea

My suggestion is to drive to a location on the Bergton Loop and ride from there. There are several places along the loop to safely park your vehicle. Your best option would be the Bergton Recreation Center (former Bergton Elementary School). You can park anywhere along the driveway in front of the school or in the lot to the left and back of the school. Its common to see cars parked there for one event or another. Other good options would be just off the loop across from the Criders Post Office, or in the Lutheran Church lot, or in the small Caplingers UMC lot. (All these sites are located on the map.) The Lutheran Church has Sunday morning services and Caplingers Church has Sunday evening services, so please be aware of that and do not inconvenience churchgoers if you do decide to park in their lot.

Elevation Profile (Not Really)

Sorry to confuse you. If you are familiar with biking elevation profiles, this is not one. It’s elevation vs. time. This is from a leisurely ride averaging 10 mph moving time. It gives a rough guide to the elevation, but all of the flat spots are where we stopped and looked around or got a drink or saw something interesting or wondered if the river was swimmable at this point or stopped to rest at the top of a hill. So don’t think that the flat spots on the graph are actually flat spots on the road. Basically, the left side is starting at Bennetts Run and going clockwise around the Bergton Loop. The low point would be the site of the old Bergton Store (intersection of 820 and 826) and then slowly gaining altitude until we reached the “Ridges” section where there is one big hill and a smaller one. The hill is hard for me. Total ascent was measured at 588 ft on my Garmin watch. It feels like it is all on one or two hills. The big hill does not quite measure up to a Category 4 Tour de France hill (250-500 ft).

Wildlife and Other Animals

There are many deer in Bergton, and you may see them as you traverse the loop. They are most common in the evening hours, so be especially cautious at that time. If one deer crosses the road – stop and allow for others to follow. My cousin hit a deer on his bike, so I know it is possible. He had no idea what happened, but my brother was riding with him and witnessed the accident.

Cows will occasionally break free of their fencing. If you see someone trying to get in a cow, please stop and act as a visual deterrent. Do not approach the animals, and if they are running toward you and are close, please back off.

There also may be a loose dog or two along the loop. There is a leash law in Rockingham County Sec. 4-2. – Running at large on highways: It shall be unlawful for any person to permit any animal or fowl owned by him or under his control to run at large upon any road or highway or the right-of-way thereof within the county. The most likely spots for this would be just beyond the Bergton Rec Center (travelling clockwise) and near the end of the Ridges (also travelling clockwise). I have never heard of dogs biting anyone along the route, but they might have a fierce bark. Keep on biking.

Supplies

There isn’t any place to get something to eat or drink along the Bergton Loop. There used to be a couple of options, but the Bergton Grocery burned down and Miller Turner’s Store in Criders closed years ago. Your closest option for gas, food, drink and a bathroom now is Capon Run General Store located at 18941 Brocks Gap Rd in Bergton. You can get hot food and a cold drink, but I don’t recall them having any bike-related items. Make sure you bring your own spare tubes, patch kit, etc.

Cell Service

The only cell service in the area is T-Mobile (formerly Sprint). I cannot guarantee that you will have cell service at all points along the loop. If you run into trouble or have an accident, you can dial 911 with any phone/service provider.

Best Bike

This route is 100% paved, so you could use a road bike or gravel bike. E-bikes would be excellent on this route. A mountain bike would be fine, and you could use one on some of the dirt roads. (See the note at the end of this page on trails in the George Washington National Forest.) You could bike MOST OF this loop with a child trailer, but it would be difficult in “the ridges” section. You may have to get off and push a while – depending on your ability, the weight of the child/trailer, and whether or not you have an E-bike. Remember helmets are always a good idea. And make sure you have enough water. I would not encourage you to drink from any of the rivers or streams.

If You Get Into Trouble

Bergton folks are friendly folks. If you run into trouble, do not be afraid to stop at nearby homes. Just explain what the problem is, tell them that you will stay outside and ask them to call for help. If you run into mechanical problems and cannot ride your bike, they may know someone with a pickup who could give you a ride. There are lots of friendly folks with pickups. Again, the only cell service in the area is T-Mobile, and again I cannot guarantee that you will have cell service at all points along the loop. If you have an accident, you can dial 911 with any phone/service provider. Bergton does have a local fire and rescue group, so someone could be on the scene fairly quickly.

Other Rides/Trails

There are a lot of public dirt/gravel roads in the Bergton area. Overly Hollow is a good flat one (for a while) off of the Bergton loop. Bennetts Run is pretty flat for a couple of miles until it hits the Shenandoah Mountain. (For an extra challenge, ride to the top of the Shenandoah Mountain. It’s about 3,000 ft. Bergton is about 1,400, so you have some nice climbing over several miles (making this a category 2/3 climb on elevation gain alone – plus it’s on dirt/gravel). You may see several black bears – mother and cubs. I have seen them several times over the years, usually in the evening, I guess – and in the comfort of a vehicle. I know some people have climbed this section of road up Bennetts Run. Not sure if there is a KOM on Strava.) There are some gravel roads through Criders too. You can take several roads over the mountain into West Virginia. Bergton is also surrounded by the George Washington National Forest, and there are trails through it. The National Geographic Trails Illustrated Series map number 792 details all of the mountain bike trails in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. You can also find mountain bike trails online on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest website. The “Map Information” link above each of the maps gives a description for the various trail and road systems.

Questions / Comments

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