Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia Outdoor Adventures Podcast is your local guide to hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure, right here in Virginia. Lets Go!
Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
Massanutten: Your Backyard Mountain Resort for Mountain Biking, Trails, and Shenandoah Valley Adventures with Morgan Mowbry and Charles Sexton (Ep 83, Pt 1)
We’re heading to Massanutten - “your backyard mountain resort” and one of the best places in Virginia to dive into mountain biking. For Morgan Mowbry and Charles Sexton, it’s more than a destination, it’s home turf for adventure. As dedicated trail builders and volunteers, they’ve helped shape the riding experience on Massanutten’s Western Slope, where passion for both riding and community come together on the trails.
We explore how Massanutten Resort works collaboratively with the local community to create access to an incredible network of trails for every skill level - from smooth beginner and family- friendly trails to technical, expert-level singletrack. Morgan and Charles break down what makes Massanutten an ideal place to get started in mountain biking, including group rides and events for locals and visitors alike. Beyond the trails, Massanutten offers a full lineup of four-season activities, from skiing and snow tubing to waterparks, ziplining, hiking, and more, making it a true all-around adventure destination. And with Shenandoah National Park and the George Washington National Forest just minutes away, there are endless opportunities to expand your adventure.
We also dive into everything waiting nearby in downtown Harrisonburg, including local outfitters who can help you gear up, small businesses shaped by the region’s outdoor culture, and the restaurants Morgan and Charles recommend for refueling after a day on the bike. It’s a celebration of mountain biking, community collaboration, and the vibrant outdoor scene that makes the Shenandoah Valley a hub for riders and adventurers of all levels. Let’s Go!
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Episode 21: Mountain Biking with Thomas Jenkins
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From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia outdoor adventures Podcast is your local guide for hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure right here in Virginia. I'm your host, Jessica Bowser, we're heading to massanutton, your backyard Mountain Resort, and one of the best places in Virginia to dive into mountain biking for Morgan Mowbray and Charles Sexton, it's more than a destination. It's home turf for adventure as dedicated trail builders and volunteers, they've helped shape the riding experience on massanutten's western slope, where a passion for both riding and community come together on the trails, we explore how Massanutten resort works collaboratively with the local community to create access to an incredible network of trails for every skill level, from smooth, beginner and family friendly trails to technical expert level. Single track Morgan and Charles break down. What makes massanutton an ideal place to get started in mountain biking, including group rides and events for locals and visitors alike. Beyond the trails, Massanutten offers a full lineup of four season activities, from skiing and snow tubing to water parks, zip lining hiking and more, making it a true all around adventure destination. And with Shenandoah National Park and the George Washington National Forest just minutes away, there are endless opportunities to expand your adventure. We also dive into everything waiting nearby in downtown Harrisonburg, including local outfitters who can help you gear up, small businesses shaped by the region's outdoor culture and the restaurants Morgan and Charles recommend for refueling after a day on the bike. It's a celebration of mountain biking community collaboration and the vibrant outdoor scene that makes the Shenandoah Valley a hub for riders and adventurers of all levels. Let's go, Morgan and Charles, welcome to Virginia outdoor adventures.
Unknown:Thanks for having us. Jessica, good to see you. Thanks for having us.
Jessica Bowser:What do you love about Virginia's outdoors? I
Unknown:like that there's a lot of variety, and what you can experience the four seasons, basically, is what I'm referring to. If you don't like winter, then we have spring, summer and fall. There's just a lot of variety for people to enjoy, things outside, then around the country. And we get the four seasons. We get a beautiful fall, like right now, in case people out in the mountains that know it. We have a beach in Virginia, and for the folks at the beach, we have mountains. So we're a coastal state, and depending on what you're into in any particular season, there's just a lot to do here. It's a beautiful state.
Jessica Bowser:What makes massanutton resort your backyard Mountain Resort?
Unknown:I live five minutes away. That makes it my backyard. Technically, you know, accessibility is the key, right? So there's a lot of folks that just don't live close to somewhere. They can be outdoors all the time, and we get to experience that here regularly, throughout the week, throughout those seasons. And it just makes it really nice to be able to go over there and experience whatever's happening with the community multiple times a week. And I would say the community here kind of brings in that outdoor aspect, community aspect, where it makes it feel like home, and that's really important for my family, at least. Yeah, I would add to that, it's also literally in my backyard. We can all see it from see the mountain, from our house pretty much. And while there are other resorts kind of nearby that are great as well, massanutton is, you know, my go to place for the things I enjoy, because I can go there and ski or mountain bike in the morning and then come back in the afternoon and still have the rest of the day to do what I want. So it just makes it easy to get outside.
Jessica Bowser:You both are located in the Shenandoah Valley, so I'm wondering, how does your location near Harrisonburg and the valley shape the outdoor experiences that it offers?
Unknown:Yeah, I'm about 20 minutes from Harrisonburg, but I'm also 1520 minutes from Blue Ridge Parkway and the Shenandoah National Park. There's also George Washington National Forest, which is a little further from me, but I'm pretty much surrounded in all directions with access to trails for hiking or biking, which I know a lot of people can't say the same. So I'm very fortunate. Yeah, you know, we moved up here about three years ago with our family, and people ask, you know, how did you end up near Massanutten, and it's one of those things, if you put a.on technically, the end of the ridge where Massanutten sits, and draw a circle in about an hour from any direction. From that point, it just encompasses almost a lifetime of things to get into, whether that's fly fishing or. Rafting or kayaking, mountain biking. We've got the National Park on one side and the national forest on the other, which is one of the largest expanses of, you know, untouched land on the East Coast. There's just so much to get into, and Massanutten sit right smack in the middle of all of that. So for our family, we just strategically picked the spot in between Harrisonburg and the mountain so that we can go either direction pretty quickly, and it's just worked out really well for us for a convenience factor.
Jessica Bowser:Both of you are mountain bikers, and I want to thank you for taking me to Massanutten and taking me out on the trails. We had such an awesome time that day, and I got to learn about not just your passion for mountain biking, but your passion for the trails and the whole mountain biking community. What first drew you to mountain biking at Massanutten?
Unknown:Specifically, my first experience at Massanutten was actually the bike park. There's still a lot of people in Virginia that don't know that Massanutten has an active gravity lifts, Lift service, phenomenal bike park that's been growing for years. It's really great. And that was my first experience, and that actually led me to pulling my wife through Massanutten one day to show her around a little bit. And one of the reasons we ended up here. But the beauty is that, you know, for mountain biking, specifically, just here locally on the mountain we also have the western slope side, which is a whole nother, 3540 miles of trail at this point. So the mountain bike experience here is what I came for. I didn't know that the community was this large and that I would make as many friends as we have. That's been an added bonus. For sure, the bike park was originally what pulled me in. So it's a great spot. Yeah, I would add to what Charles said about the community aspect, I think that's what originally drew me to mountain biking in that area. I didn't learn or start mountain biking at Mass nothing, even though I grew up going to Massanutten, as far as I can remember, but the western slope group rides the women's Monday night ride through Shenandoah Valley, bike coalition and Massanutten is what originally drew me to want to pursue mountain biking even further on a regular basis. And then, you know, once I found out that some of those women in the men who bike on the western slope also do a lot of bike park riding. I'm like, hey, I want to, you know, check that out as well. I had a little bit of experience, but not too much. And so that kind of grew into going there on a daily basis and then racing. And it just keeps growing, like Charles said, so there's always new things to experience.
Jessica Bowser:I love the community feel of it. Mountain biking general just has like, an awesome community group everywhere we go throughout the state. And I think the first time that I was introduced to it was probably when our friend Thomas Jenkins took me mountain biking for my first time. I did an episode with him. I want to say it was like Season Two. It was episode 21 he introduced me to the whole community, and I remember him saying that sometimes you guys joke that you spend less time mountain biking and more time hanging out in the parking lot, eating and drinking together.
Unknown:Yeah, it's funny. I feel bad for you, because Thomas probably tried to kill you at NASA, nothing, a little bit, just a little bit. Yeah, that that's the Thomas way, and we love that about him. He's been building trail over here since the beginning, so he's kind of a legend. So that's pretty amazing that you got to spend time with Thomas. And yeah, the community aspect, there's a new person at Mass and nothing. Shout Out Bob Henson, that's come on as an operations manager on that side of the mountain, who's really been trying to get involved in the community. He's a mountain biker, and he's going to work on the ski side as well, but he's been hanging out with us in the parking lots and doing trail work and showing up. And I think he's amazed at the community, and I'm trying to explain to him right now that the folks that are hanging out in the parking lots on the western slope side of the mountain, those are the same people that you see in the lift line come winter at 845 waiting for first chair. And so the mountain is just that size, where you don't have to make plans, you don't need a text thread or a whatsapp you just show up and you're going to find a friend, whether that's in the mountain bike parking lot or whether that's first chair on a Friday or Saturday morning before the crowd said, but to get good snow, and you just show up and there's like 10 or 15 of your best friends standing in a lift line. So I think he was kind of just really stoked to hear that, because you make friends on one side of the mountain, and then we just kind of operate all together throughout the years, locals, and that's a really great vibe for us.
Jessica Bowser:Yeah, it's so fantastic because it's what gets people coming back, right? And I think that for a lot of sports, and it's not just mountain biking, but like rock climbing and caving, like all of these activities, have communities that surround them, and when you first get into it. The people you meet that gets you coming back. And Morgan, we were talking about this when we were driving around in your car together, about how you became friends with people, and that's what gets you coming back. And it's the Monday night rides for the women's group and getting to know people, and knowing that people are going to be there when you get there, that's what gets people into it. And it's that sense of community that makes you want to keep coming back and getting better and better at the sports.
Unknown:I don't think in my short amount of life lived so far, I've ever had this many friends surrounding something that I'm passionate about in of course, you can find groups of friends doing other things outside or in your local community, but I think it's the fact that mountain bikers are typically very passionate about what they do, and they want to find other people that enjoy that same thing. So even beyond mountain biking, we hang out, you know, go to dinner or go to a show. So it's just something very special that I'm glad to be a part of,
Jessica Bowser:and I sensed it when I was on the trail and in the parking lots before we even got on the trails. I also sensed it inside Shenandoah bicycle company, which is the bike shop that Thomas Jenkins owns. So like you feel it's in those places and also all around town. And I think I'm going to drop a link to that episode for anybody who wants to hear going all the way back to season two, I'll put that in the show notes. So if anyone wants to listen to Thomas's episode, they can, in addition to what we just mentioned, I feel like the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition is also a big part of the community, right?
Unknown:Yeah, the coalition, you know, has its long standing roots. And mountain biking, again, back to Thomas Jenkins, the legend, and some of the folks long before myself, they started looking out for the partnership with Massanutten for the western slopes. And they're also big stewards of trail and access in the National Forest, which is extremely important for everyone in the whole state or east coast, to be honest about it, and they've expanded into, I would say, the valley, top to bottom, within the Shenandoah Valley for projects like rail trails, Sunset Park down in Waynesboro, a lot of different trail projects, seven Bend State Park, various projects all over the valley that they're now involved in. But there has been a specific partnership with the Bicycle Coalition and Massanutten that's extremely unique, really, nationally, to have a nonprofit partner with a corporate entity like Great Eastern that owns Massanutten, where they allow us access to the Land to maintain and build trail really, without red flag, and we get to be the stewards of that land as a partnership. And that's really a unique setup that a lot of people that come and visit here don't understand. You know, when they buy a trail pass that goes donation to the trail team or to the land, they don't understand where it's all going but that partnership is extremely unique. It's been growing, and so that's really awesome that we have the coalition here. I think one of the best things we just finished our annual Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition camp out in stokesville, that happens once a year, and it is the most amazing event. It's three days out in stokesville, and I think we had almost 400 people. I think 100 of those were kids, and we all just hunker down in the campground and do community food. And we had a bluegrass jam one night and group rides. And it's like summer camp for adults. You know, is like, the best way I can describe it, all your friends are there. We're all camping and having a good time. And so there's a lot that's orchestrated by those folks. And you can be as big of a part of it when you're in the community as you want. There's volunteer opportunities and engagement, or you can just stand down and enjoy it all. But it's a great opportunity for everybody here. I would agree I was actually able to bring my daughter to the camp out he was talking about, and we got her on her little Strider bike, which was really awesome to see. And it just warmed my mom heart, because she was doing something that I love, and she was surrounded by all these people of all ages riding their bikes, which was really cool. Charles was also mentioning part of the western slopes that, you know, mass nothing allows us to be a part of. And I think it's also great that Charles and I are a part of the coalition's trail Planning Committee for the western slope. So, like he mentioned, you can get involved as much as you want. And when I heard there was an opening for that, I was like, Yes, I want to do that. And so being a part of that. And then, you know, you can also do the dig days and volunteer helping build some of those trails. So there's literally so many avenues that you can go down to volunteer or and be a part of, or just. Enjoy it and decide later if you want to, you know, do more.
Jessica Bowser:So there's a lot of options. Morgan, how old is your daughter? Now? She's three. We're in the terrible threes, and you had her on a bike already. You're starting her young, huh? Well, she
Unknown:actually got one last Christmas, and she liked it. It's like, you know, she kind of does the balance with the feet, but she's not quite sure what to do after that. So we're working on it. But she's like, when do I get pads, elbow pads and knee pads? I don't know.
Jessica Bowser:Do they make them for kids that little? I'll bet they do. I don't know.
Unknown:I haven't even looked, but it's really, it's really neat to see her do that.
Jessica Bowser:The holidays are nearly here, and I've got the perfect gifts for the adventurers in your life, or maybe for yourself. Check out my exclusive holiday merch collection featuring cozy hoodies, insulated mugs, warm beanies and custom gear you won't find anywhere else. Whether you're curling up with your favorite episode or showing off your fandom on the go, the merch store has something special just for you. Your purchase will support the podcast, enabling me to produce more adventure packed episodes. Shop now by clicking on Virginia outdoor adventures merch store in the show notes of your listening app. Hurry. Orders must be placed by December 10 for holiday delivery. I love that you two are so actively engaged with Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition. I don't know about you, but I know when I volunteer, I feel like it makes the outdoor space that you're using so much more meaningful, like when you are putting your own blood, sweat and tears into building trail and maintaining trail and making it accessible to the community. You take a sense of pride in it that I think other people are lacking. Like, I see people show up in parks and trails all the time just to use it, and that's great. Like, there's nothing wrong with it, but you don't see them really taking ownership of it.
Unknown:Yeah, you definitely get to learn more about the trails and their impact and how they were made, and where those decisions were coming from, and why that decision was made to, you know, make the trail slope this way, or find more rocks to make a rock garden here. So it's definitely been something that I'm glad I I started, I started riding there at the western slope, because they have so many trails. And then once I got involved in the trail building process, you just learn so much. And blood, sweat and tears, like you mentioned, definitely are part of that. I don't think there's many sports that you can you know, add all of that building and volunteerism into what's something that you're passionate about. Yeah, I think the trail building aspect for me this year has just been extremely important. It's really ramped up. For me, it is kind of a sacrifice each week for me I work, travel for work a little bit, and to come home and want to ride a bike, and then to spend an evening where I could be riding my bike. Building trail is always a little bit hard to do, but this area has a legacy of legendary trail building from Thomas and Sam Skidmore and Lindsay and her family over at bluestone when I moved here. And that's kind of the difference between Morgan and I guess we should point out if she's grown up here whole life, and I've got friends in the parking lot that have grown up here and been advocates and builders of these trails since they were in middle school. There's a gentleman that we ride with on Monday night, Dan geyser. His family owned a horse farm on the nose of massanutton, and they've been riding bikes on the western slopes since he was in middle school, riding a BMX bike back there, which is insane. And so when I showed up new to town. I just don't want to be the guy that just goes in and rides trail. I want to know how they did it. I'm interested in, like, the modernization of trail planning and and where we take this place the next 10 to 20 years. And so I feel like it's kind of to your point being a steward of the opportunity and being grateful for what we have like, putting in the time and effort on the trail is extremely important to me. I kind of fill my bucket doing that. So I don't expect everybody, you know, and I'm also my kids at college. So some people are balancing the kids sports act right now, at my age, three, teenagers at home, and don't have the time, I have the time to volunteer. So that's that's where I've been putting my time. And I love when we ride past a rock or a corner or a tree that you trim, or a trail that you know it could be maintenance or it could be a build factor, and you can ride by it for the next five or 10 years, and you can remember that experience, and like, who you were standing with that night, having fun building that trail, and that's something that I'm just trying to, like, grow myself into and having a ball with. Honestly, again, I don't have to own that property. I don't have to be a millionaire to have you know that acreage on. The western side of Massanutten, I get to go play with it for free. Like that's an amazing thing for me, and the bigger that we build that asset for Massanutten, the likelihood of it standing the test of time increases, and I want that to be available for the community and for the next generation of kids that are out there riding Strider bikes. So that's my kind of why as to why I'm spending a lot of time doing this.
Jessica Bowser:Let's dive into the trails that are actually available to folks. I know people are listening, because they are probably at this point after hearing you just itching to get on the trails. So what kind of trail options are available for riders of different skill levels,
Unknown:all skill levels, there's beginner, intermediate, expert, and I think, you know, it does vary depending on where you're riding. I think that kind of changes a little, but I would say that, you know, the western slope and even the bike park are both great places if you're a beginner and you just want to try mountain biking. And then if you, you know, get to riding more and realize I want a little more challenge, then those options are out there too, and I'm still working up to some of those trails that Charles probably does every week. There's so many trail that you can't possibly, you know, do all of it in in even a week. Morgan kind of hit the nail on the head. I think that's the beautiful thing. We do have something for everybody. I would say we're on the the more to get a little bit further in the vocabulary, we're a little bit more on the technical side of riding in Virginia. They don't call Harrisonburg Rocktown for nothing. And we dig in a lot of rock. So people, people travel from all over to come experience our upper trails that are just rock. A lot of them, you know, we have a trail called puzzler. It's a puzzle of fitted rock. And then at the bottom we've got flow trail and green trail. And we are on a head wall at Massanutten. So our lower trails in the parking lot are going to be your easiest get the family started, new riders, and then as you go up the mountain, it's kind of a different experience. And from top to bottom, it's kind of a beautiful thing. So a little bit of everything, our trail plan that we're working on for the future, you know, our biggest request was for flowy trail and jump trail, of course, all the things that need the most maintenance. That's kind of that modernization aspect, but we do have a lot of rock to play with, so I think you'll see things kind of branch out here into that more beginner friendly territory as well. Massanutten is extremely interested in that as they pull guests from the other side of the mountain for E bike experiences and guided experiences to be able to manage that. We're looking at things like adaptive trails. Those things are really important to communities these days, but we see people travel in Jessica from all over to ride. Here we were in the parking lot just last night, and there's a couple from Quebec. And it's pretty often that people as they're making their East Coast pilgrimage down into either Brevard or somewhere further south, then massanutton becomes one of those stops, which is kind of a really cool thing. It always
Jessica Bowser:amazes me when I hear people say that they have international guests or guests from all over the country coming to their little place in Virginia. I think it just goes to show the assets that we have here and how amazing they are, and that we shouldn't take them for granted. But when we were together riding on the western slope, and I should point out, Charles, your wife was with us, which was awesome. So it was the four of us, we had a blast. We were riding a section of trail that was relatively flat and easy, and you were riding next to me saying that it's these types of trails that actually attract the most people. It's the family friendly trails, the beginner friendly trails, most people are looking for that. And I think there's maybe a misconception that mountain bikers are always looking for really difficult trails, challenging technical trails. And while there is a community for that, also a lot of people just want to go out and be able to experience it, even if they don't have the skills for those more technical trails.
Unknown:Data speaks for itself. I'm kind of a data nerd, and through this planning process, we now have things like strawber and trail forks that can give us heat maps into the planning discussion trail forks is even more amazing because it shows us the direction of the flow on the mountain as well. I think the Coalition did over 1100 surveys for the plan. So we have the data from surveys, and we also have the actual ride data from runners and various communities that are using these trails. And yes, sometimes more advanced riders who love the technical stuff can be the noisy, loud ones, you know, like, Don't dumb down the trails. Like, that's really a phrase that's thrown around online all over and I don't think we're into dumbing things down at Massanutten, but. In order to grow the community of both riders and volunteers and just the general usage of a trail system, you have to have ways for people to enter that space comfortably, and that's extremely important. And that could be a five year old kid and his family or somebody visiting the resort that's never mountain bike before, and they go grab a couple rental bikes. You know, we're trying not to have people kill themselves on their first experience, because then they they met you. Everybody knows what it's like to do something new that you suck at and and it's fearful, and a lot of people don't want to fall and so building out those experiences are really important for us moving forward, as well as building, you know, black diamond level technical trail. It's a wide ask, but we're working on it. I don't think there's many organizations like the shinda Valley bike coalition that actually are asking their community, what, what else do you want on this mountain? Like, what should we build next? I think that's a really cool thing to be proud of, for them, and for a community member like myself, and then to be a part of it and go build it like In what world is is that happening anywhere else? And maybe it is, but I'm just extremely fortunate to be a part of that, and like Charles mentioned, get more people that have never mountain biked or that want to learn more out there too.
Jessica Bowser:Do you have any favorite trails on the western slope you'd like to recommend to listeners, either for new beginners or people who are a little more experienced?
Unknown:My favorite trails vary, especially with the variety of experience you need. So if I'm looking for an easy day with some flow, I really like happy hour. What's the one right beside happy hour? Charles talking about red, white and blue, or quarantine. Quarantine? Yeah, Quarantine is really great. You can start from the middle down, if you want a lot of flow, or you can bike to the top of the mountain pretty much, and get a lot of expert riding in where some of it I walk, because I'm not there yet, and then get into the flow. So those trails are pretty good beginner trails for the variety that we have. The short answer is my my first question to folks is like, what do you like to ride? Is it, you know, are you looking for like, bike park flow, or do you want to ride like the dumbest rock on the mountain? And then, usually, based on their response, you can send someone who's visiting in a direction that will fit their choice. But no, I think Quarantine is really our flagship. The heat map says that Quarantine is the hottest trail on the western slopes right now, and that speaks to that flowy rocket alt line modern build. Sam Skidmore, shout out, Sam again, who's one of our local builders born and raised in this area, who's doing big things these days, built that trail for us, and it's pretty phenomenal all the way top to bottom. And there's a couple of other flagships. Most people come here, and puzzler is probably the most infamous trail. There's not a lot of trail anywhere on the East Coast that was built like this one. It's just all rock and and it's, it's placed rock. So you just, you go, just the fact that they got up on the nose of the mountain and built that trail blows my mind, and it's really cool. So quarantine puzzler, those are probably the ones if you visit that you shouldn't miss.
Jessica Bowser:What's the name of the trail? That is, it starts near the Overlook where you can drive to the top of the mountain, and people like to go up there because the views are fantastic. But there's also a trail head right there, and there's huge red signs that say, like danger and or warning or something. It basically telling you that you better be a very, very experienced rider for it. What's the name of that one?
Unknown:So that that is the upper, upper entrance of quarantine. So that's the beauty of that trail, is you can enter that trail in three different spots, and as you get down the mountain, it's more flow. We're going to build a hub up there eventually that'll guide people as to like this is not a hiking trail, like you could really injure a mountain biker if you're standing over here in the way. That's why we really red flag the top of that thing. Yeah, there's a lot of exposure on that top section of trail. And so you know, to be on that as a mountain biker and then engage a hiker just is not a great experience for either person, probably. So that's like, the one spot on the mountain that that happens.
Jessica Bowser:Yeah, I just brought that up because it shares a trailhead with a hiking trail, and we'll get to hiking later. So it's a good thing that you marked it, because, like you said, you don't want people going down the wrong trail. But you know, it says no hikers all over the place. And I took a few steps onto the trail because it takes a. Sharp Turn close to the trailhead, and I just wanted to, like, see what it looks like. Because I don't think I've ever been on a really technical, difficult mountain biking trail before, and I was just curious to see what it looked like. And so I took a few steps down the trail just to get a look. And oh my goodness. I mean, if you are a serious mountain biker, that is the place to go. And all I kept thinking was, like, Thomas probably built this trail because, like, I could see him just flying down that thing. But for somebody like me it would, it would be a death wish.
Unknown:It can be Yes, that one. What do users
Jessica Bowser:need to know about access and trail pass information?
Unknown:So on the western slope side of things, you can get either a day pass, or you can get an annual trail pass. So the day passes are available for same day access, and you can purchase it online, or you can scan the QR code in the parking lot and get it just know, there's little service on the western slope, so you're probably better off getting it before you're out there. And then there's the annual pass. And the cool thing about getting the annual pass is you can volunteer your time and get it, or you can just pay for it. So there's a few options out there. The pass fee is going directly to the western slope funding, which is really a flat budget of just covering maintenance and insurance liability, those types of things. And so you really just consider that a donation to Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition. It's not like anybody's making money off of it. It's just there for us to be able to ride the trails, and that actually flows pretty well into that relationship with Massanutten. So I think this is the unique piece about Massanutten that is really unclear, because they have a website, and sbbc has a website. But if you buy an annual bike park pass at Massanutten, which is about 300 bucks early bird season, and I actually can give a code later on in my socials for 15% off. Shout out Massanutten for that. Morgan has a code too. I should say for 300 bucks, you get a bike park pass. You get unlimited shuttles on the western slopes, which they run on Fridays and Saturdays most of the year on the western slope side. And that also covers that Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition annual fee or donation. So for 300 bucks, you get all of that, and I believe you get two buddy passes to Bryce. It's a ridiculous value. And I know I'm a sales guy at heart, but I'm also pretty passionate about growing the mountain. There's no other mountain in Virginia that has that amount of asset for for 300 bucks to throw at people for mountain biking. So I would encourage everybody to get Season Passes. That's just if you're going to be over here and riding, that's the way to do it. Otherwise, obviously, all those things are available on a daily schedule, so but shuttles, bike park, western slopes all included. That's the way to do it.
Jessica Bowser:And what about visitors who don't actually own their own mountain bikes? Are there options to rent?
Unknown:Yeah, they actually. Massanutton has a really great shop down at the bike park with a full rental fleet. They've got E bikes, trail bikes, downhill bikes, they do tours on the western slope you can sign up for they've got instructors on that side. So really just depends on your level and what you want to get. But they do have bikes. It's really cool. They definitely are the only Park in Virginia that will allow you to rent a bike and take it over the mountain to the western slope side. So you can, like, hit bike park for half a day on a Saturday, transfer to the top and go ride the western slope for three poles, and you're absolutely blown up by the end of the day. And you do that with one rental. So that's pretty amazing.
Jessica Bowser:Also, that wraps up the first half of our conversation with Morgan and Charles in part two next week, we're stepping beyond the mountain bike trails on the western slope to explore even more of what makes massanutton and the Shenandoah Valley such an incredible outdoor destination. We'll talk about additional recreation options at the resort year round ways to get outside and some of Morgan and Charles favorite spots in downtown Harrisonburg, where local Outfitters, small businesses and great dining round out the perfect adventure. Virginia Outdoor Adventures is inspired by and supported by listeners like you, which is why your messages and feedback means so much to me. You can text me directly by clicking on Send Jessica a text message in your show notes, I answer questions, respond to comments and share your feedback on the show. Never miss a new episode. Sign up for my email newsletter and receive my listener resource guide with the top podcast episodes of Virginia. Outdoor bucket list and exclusive brand discounts for my listeners, click on newsletter. Sign up in your show notes or visit Virginia outdoor adventures.com thanks for listening until next time. Adventure on you.
