Although the Tobacco Heritage Trail will someday span 160 miles, as of today, 22.7 miles have been completed with approximately 16.5 miles making up the longest continuous stretch. This span from Lawrenceville to La Crosse is the portion of the trail I've ridden as an out and back day trip.
A mix of pavement and sandy gravel, the Tobacco Heritage trail is basically flat and straight... in other words, it's boring! Though there are picnic tables and pit toilets scattered about, there's just not a lot of variation anywhere alone the route. As a result, I guess, it's rarely crowded.
Because I was riding with two male friends, I can't comment much on the safety vibe, other than to say it is pretty isolated. ( We passed 3 or 4 other people during our 33 miles out and back ride.) Parking was easy, but the TICKS ARE INSANE! Please, please check yourself post ride and avoid stepping off the trail if possible. We ended up with five ticks in May (and four of them were on me!) even after staying on the trail most of the time. We also encountered a cottonmouth snake stretched across the trail, endured a kamikaze squirrel collision, and an accidental green snake fatality. So... yeah... be careful: this is a remote southern VA trail complete with bugs, snakes, and wildlife.
Word to the wise: Wear bug spray!!
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