Dan Casey

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Virginia 629 in Bath County (the portion that's north of Virginia 39) is the prettiest, most traffic-free road I've ridden on in a long time. It rolls gently through the rural countryside and meanders through woods, large meadows and small churches. Highly recommended!

"It's pretty country here," Gerald Wood said as he surveyed the landscape from the porch of an old log cabin on Virginia 42 just south of Millboro Springs. "But if you come, bring money, because there's none up here — no jobs."

This shot of the Cowpasture River was taken from a bridge along Virginia 42. The river, which starts in Highland County and eventually flows into the James River, is one of the most pristine in Virginia. With that, the Bath County native laid out a conundrum about his home turf, which is about 90 minutes north of Roanoke. A larger percentage of the county is national forest than any other in Virginia. In it lies Douthat State Park, a mountainous, Depression-era enclave that's one of the crown jewels of Virginia's park system. Bath is also home to the famed Homestead Resort, a golf and spa mecca where the wealthy come for recreation, pampering and gourmet meals. It has Hot Springs, Warm Springs, Healing Springs — towns named after steamy, geothermal waters that rise out of bedrock fissures. All of these attractions lure people, who leave enough money for the locals to survive. But few of the 5,000-odd year-rounders live high on the hog.

Jim "Skydog" Palmieri rides along Virginia 42, which is the longest leg of this ride. This is also the busiest road on the ride, but it's by no means too busy to bike on. It's just that there's hardly any traffic at all on the other roads. There is one place they can retreat to, however, that's far away from the rolling golf courses, the quaint, tourist-luring villages, the bed and breakfasts, top-notch restaurants and other money pits: the Cowpasture River, which may very well be the most pristine body of water in the state.That was what brought Jim "Skydog" Palmieri and me up there one Saturday this summer. I had heard and read about the gentle, gurgling unpolluted Cowpasture, the trout it has spawned and the grandkids who have waded in its cool blue-green waters when visiting their grandparents' modest cottages.So we mapped out a 50-mile loop that follows the clear and crooked waterway river a good stretch before rambling into other gorgeous countryside. The bonus: we managed to avoid any big mountains. What a day! What a ride! It doesn't get much better than this.

The River

The Cowpasture begins in northeastern Highland County and meanders toward the southwest for about 75 miles before it merges with the Jackson River to form the James River. It's one of three "pasture" rivers in Virginia — the others are the Calfpasture and the Bullpasture. The history books say they had their names by 1727, but little is known about who named them or why. But there's a great story about it in the October 1936 edition of the Potomac Appalachian Club newsletter: "It is said that the Indians once had stolen a herd of settlers' cattle and were driving them westward into the mountains. The calves naturally tired first; they were left behind at the river that is now the Calfpasture. The cows were driven on farther, but they, too, had to be abandoned, the valley in which they were left became the valley of the Cowpasture. The bulls, being somewhat hardier, were still able to continue westward; they finally were left at the river which we know as the Bullpasture. Our learned historian, Miss Stephenson, has been unable to verify the ancestry of this story. She has found references to the Cowpasture River, by that name, dating back to 1727, a name that old naturally becomes very difficult to trace. If the story is untrue, it represents a high quality of inventiveness on someone's part."

Dan Casey | The Roanoke Times

Virginia 629 in Bath County (the portion that's north of Virginia 39) is the prettiest, most traffic-free road I've ridden on in a long time. It rolls gently through the rural countryside and meanders through woods, large meadows and small churches.

Related

Map

• Map of the Douthat route

The Cowpasture River runs gently alongside Virginia 42 through eastern Bath County and is dotted here and there with cottages and homes. The two-lane, yellow-striped road crosses it in a few locations between the interstate and Virginia 39, which is 17 miles to the north. But it's not the only treat on this ride.One of the best parts are two country roads, Virginia 678 and 629, that together add about 9 miles to this ride. Biking doesn't get any better than this. Sparsely populated and with hardly any traffic, they will take you through shady glades, sunny meadows sprinkled with wildflowers, and the odd country church here and there. In the time we spent on these roads, I don't think more than one car passed us.

The route

Palmieri and I decided to start the ride in Douthat, which is also a great place for mountain biking. Fee parking and water is available there, and there are gift shops, a restaurant, and a great beach along its 70-acre lake. After parking at the ranger station, we hopped on the bikes and headed south out of the park for about 4 miles on Virginia 629 (the way we'd driven in).

Follow it until you cross under Interstate 64, then make a left on Furnace Branch Road. Follow Furnace Branch for about 2 miles until you come to Virginia 42 and take a left (heading north). Stay on 42 for 17 miles until you come to Virginia 39 at Millboro Springs.Take a left on 39. You'll go about a half-mile before you make your first right, on Virginia 678. Follow it for about 6 miles, until you come to the intersection with Virginia 629. Make a left and follow 629 back to Virginia 39. Make another left, follow 39 for a mile, and make a right back onto 629. You follow this about 16 miles back to into Douthat State Park and your car.

Notes

Gerald Wood lives along Virginia 42, which has the most traffic of any road on this ride. This cabin used to be a general store operated by Wood's ancestors. "It's pretty country here," he said of the Alleghany Highlands, "but if you come, bring money, because there's none up here -- no jobs." There's exactly one store along this road, at the intersection of Virginia 42 and Virginia 39 — which comes about 23 miles into the ride. So bring a couple water bottles and a few bucks to refill them and get a snack. Parking in Douthat State Park is $3 at the ranger station, which is on the right along 629 after you enter the park. There's a gift shop that has bathrooms here — perfect for an after-ride change of clothes.We found a couple of dogs along 678 and 629, and the one along 678 chased us a good distance. It didn't bite, though — this time.Although there are no mountains on this route, there are plenty of short-distance hills. Many of these come on the home stretch along 629 heading back into Douthat. Save some of you energy for this.Hungry after the ride? Victor's, an Italian restaurant in Clifton Forge, serves all kinds of good sandwiches, subs, pasta, etc., along with bottled beer. The food is good, the prices are reasonable, and there's street parking. I recommend it.

Getting there

Douthat State Park is about a 75-minute ride from Roanoke. From the city, head north on Interstate 81. Take exit 150, to U.S. 220 north. Proceed on 220 to Clifton Forge. Near the end of 220, bear right on 629 toward Interstate 64, then go straight under the highway for 4 miles into the park.Although Douthat is an easy day trip from Roanoke, it's possible to make this a weekend or longer. The park sports three deluxe campgrounds, log cabins for rent at affordable rates (though you need to make reservations well in advance) and many picnic pavilions.Kids love the sandy beach, large playground and flat interpretive hiking trail. In the summer there's a restaurant and a snack bar at the beach. For information on rates and reservations, call (800) 933-PARK. The park office can be reached at (540) 862-8100.