Dan Casey

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David Reed leaned hard into his mountain bike as he pedaled up a rise. He hit a fat root in the narrow, shady path, then stopped abruptly and swore. Yikes! His chain had snapped. And there we were, deep in the woods without a chain tool.

Lesson No. 33: Carry one with you. Otherwise, you may end up pushing your bike out. That's what David did.

It could have been worse. We were at Franklin County Recreation Park, a large, expansive stretch of land deep in rolling hills of Franklin County off Sontag Road. All trails here lead back to one another (or, at least, they seem to), so David's walk wasn't too far.

When he gets his chain fixed, however, we'll be back. Franklin County Recreation Park seems to have it all.

There are no mountains to speak of in the rural county, which is best known as the moonshine capital of the United States. But Franklin overflows with rolling hills, grassy meadows, piney woods and steep hollows, which serve as perfect hiding places for the illegal whiskey manufacturers.

Each type of typography is well-represented on the park's 110 acres. Its bike trails range from wide double-track swaths through fields of flowers to steep, bumpy and treacherous single-track, some of the most challenging mountain biking in these parts. It's no wonder that organizers of the Virginia Mountain Bike Championship chose it a few years back for as a site for the Rebel Ramble, one of a series of North American Off Road Bicycle Association-sanctioned races. The Commonwealth Games' mountain bike races were also held here. (We didn't find any stills, but we did run across an historic log tobacco barn perched along one of the trails.)

Recreation Park's single-track trails tend to be extremely technical and hazard filled; its double-tracks, while easier, can be deeply rutted. For than reason I can't recommend it to the novice mountain biker or for family rides. But if you've already got plenty of off-road miles under your belt, this is a place you'll feel challenged.

More than one steep climb forced us to dismount and walk -- before David's chain broke, that is. On one particularly steep ascent, I found myself pedaling furiously and slowing, slowing, slowing, then stopping dead on a protruding root. My bike kicked up and threw me off backwards down the trail. Ouch!

Another good thing about Franklin Recreation Park is the other things it has to offer: baseball diamonds and soccer fields, a 5-acre pond (Woody Lake) that is stocked with hungry bass; basketball courts; an amphitheater; and playgrounds for children. There's even a picnic pavilion that's bigger than any I've seen anywhere in Western Virginia. It looks like about 40 yards long and 15 yards wide, with a roof that's two and a half stories tall.

What this all means is that if the whole family can't manage the trails, they can all go to the park and be reasonably occupied while Dad (or Mom) takes off on a bike ride.

I don't have a map to show you of the bike trails, which total 5 miles in length. They are a maze of crisscrossing paths that is beyond the ken of this ex-Boy Scout. The best thing for you to do is find them and figure out which ones you like. Many are blazed with orange markers nailed to trees. The Franklin County Department of Parks and Recreation says it should have a map ready for distribution in October (1998). You'll be able to pick them up in the parks office just inside the gate.

Dan Casey | The Roanoke Times

David Reed contemplates the water and dirt of Franklin County Recreation Park.

Related

Map

• Map of Franklin County Recreational Park

Even without a map, finding the trails in the park is easy: As you enter the park, bear right down the park road and turn right on the first dirt road you find. Park your car, unload your bike, and go around the red gate near the parking circle. You're on your way. Jerry Robertson, a parks department worker, said the trail heads will be signed in the fall of 1998.

Getting there

Franklin County Recreation Park is along Va. 619 about 25 miles south of Roanoke. Take U.S. 220 south from Roanoke. Go 3.5 miles past the turnoff for Rocky Mount (Virginia 40). County Road 619, also known as Sontag Road, is a left turn next to a Citgo gas station/Minute Market. On the right side of 220 across from the turnoff is Spinning Wheel Antiques. Follow 619 2 to 3 miles. You'll see the park on your right.

For more information, call the Franklin County Parks and Recreation Department at (540) 483-9293.