We adopted this ride as a “Backyard” route after years of traveling, pedaling and sleeping on the ground in other states. Route development: Fatbikes and fatbike travelers are not uncommon on these shores, but only a handful of us pull this dash regularly.
At 20 miles in, and 20 miles out, the distance is quite manageable, but all these variables - combined with the general effort required to pilot a loaded fatbike up the beach - earns this route a difficulty rating of 6 in our opinion. Watering holes are scarce, as well (don’t bother bringing your filter… unless it’s just to improve the taste of the Carova Community Park bathroom sink water). Food sources on this route are next to nil so be loaded with grub when you leave civilization. Riding into a withering winter wind on the beach should be avoided but sometimes can’t be and the immediate proximity of the cold, grey Atlantic can be bone-chilling. When the tide is out, the effect is the same. Precipitation firms up the route and makes for easier going. Generally, the more rain that falls prior to your trip, the better. It can be as easy as riding on a bike path at times and impossible at others. Like mud and snow, sand comes in a million variations. And quite often can involve a midnight departure.
For this reason, the decision to pounce on this trip may be made two or three days prior. Low tide (and the hour or two before and after low tide) make beach travel more enjoyable and easy. The most difficult aspect of this ride is the timing. If the wind is blowing from the south, ride the beach north and then use the sandy roads of the forest and town to stay out of the wind on the return (at least, as much as possible). But it’s actually a narrow loop, utilizing the maritime forest to hide from the wind - and the beach to harness it. There the narrow, northbound highway literally spills out onto the beach, and all vehicles capable of not getting stuck in sand up to their bumpers are welcome to continue as far as the gated border fence to the north.Ī perfect version of this fatbike overnighter relies on a combination of low tides, favorable wind, cool temps and blue skies. And although it’s relatively easy to reach from the Virginia Beach area to the north, we attack from south of the border, starting in the touristy destination town of Corolla, North Carolina. The battle between these eastern and western geologies takes place just under your tires as you ride through the sandy roads and trails of this maritime forest.įalse Cape State Park is accessible only on foot, by bicycle or by boat. On it’s west side: Pine trees, brown dirt and a vast, mud-bottom bay separating it from the mainland. On the park’s east side: The Atlantic Ocean, buffered by a battered landscape of scraggly live oak trees and shifting sand. False Cape State park lies on the northern end of this tenuous ground in the southeast corner of Virginia.
Insane forest dash series#
The Outer Banks are a series of remote, narrow barrier islands on the Eastern US coast that extend over two hundred miles from southeastern Virginia down the coast of North Carolina.
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