311 Loop

Pick up Route 311 in Salem at Exit 141 off Interstate 81. Note: You will begin at the Battlefield Trail, a 1.7 mile cinder-surface walking and bicycling trail. Take Route 311 North to 42 West, which begins in the Town of New Castle in Craig County. The route features miles of great riding. New Castle is a quaint small town that is headquarters of the Blue Ridge Soaring Society, a club for glider pilots. Take Route 42 to U.S. 460. Take 460 East through Blacksburg (home of Virginia Tech). There are a number of eateries in Blacksburg and neighboring Christiansburg. Continue on 460 through the small towns of Elliston and Shawsville. You'll also pass Dixie Caverns, natural limestone caverns featuring the Magic Mirror Room, where the magnificent stalactites are reflected by a mineral pool below. This tour has it all. A little bit of country, a little farmland, a liberal dash of national forest and more. It will take the better part of a day, but it's well worth the trip.