Celebrate Bike Month in Wilkes County

Celebrate Bike Month in Wilkes County

May is National Bike Month, a promotion organized by the League of American Bicyclists to showcase the many benefits of biking and encourage others to give it a try. Wilkesboro is a perfect destination to celebrate biking in the month of May and year round.

“There’s a little something for everyone in Wilkes County,” says Tim Murphy, an avid biker who has mapped out about 400 miles of routes within the area himself. “From the Brushy Mountains where you can get in some hills, to country roads through scenic farmland, it’s a great place to get away from the traffic of a bigger city and enjoy a long ride through beautiful country.”

In addition to the scenery, the weather is also a great draw for bicyclists in this area. Mild winters make cycling enjoyable even in the colder months. And during the really hot, humid days of summer it’s only a short drive to take your bike up to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a ride, where it’s always a little cooler thanks to the higher elevations.

Destinations Abound

After almost 40 years of biking in Wilkes County and throughout the southeast, Tim has become pretty adept at creating bike routes to fit any occasion, whether you’re looking for a good workout, a fun day with friends, or a family-friendly experience. Here are a few of his suggestions.

Shiloh General Store. Meet up with your friends at Cub Creek Park in Wilkesboro and bike to the Amish store in Hamptonville for a nice lunch. If you’re lucky there will still be homemade doughnuts left from the morning rush. This route is about 50 miles round trip.

Perry Lowe Orchards. Another good destination from Cub Creek Park. Take a trip out there in the fall and enjoy fresh apples. About 25 miles round trip.

Rendezvous Moutain. A gravel route open to bikes and walkers makes for a great ride. “There’s about a three to four mile stretch that’s completely wooded, and then you pop out with a great view to the east, you can see Pilot Mountain on a clear day,” Tim says.

Yadkin River Greenway. A nice, family-friendly ride along the Yadkin River.

Find Your Best Route

There are a few ways to find a great bike route in Wilkes County. The Wilkes County Government and the High Country Council of Governments teamed up with cyclists in Wilkes County to develop a map of suggested routes. These 15 routes have Bike Route signs with arrows pointing in the direction of travel. Click here to access these maps online.

You can also log onto Strava or Ride with GPS to view routes created by other bikers. Tim himself has about 400 miles of routes mapped out and made public on Ride with GPS.

Whether you celebrate Bike Month by forgoing the car and biking to work or planning a weekend outing to a Wilkes County destination, make sure to take time to get on a bike this month.