Ask around about biking in Ashe County and you'll hear the same two names inside of a minute: the old railroad bed between Todd and Fleetwood, and the newer single-track out at Lansing Creeper Trail Park. One gets described as a classic. The other gets described, more and more, as the future.
Ride both this August and you'll find the future isn't ready yet. A trail check-in logged in March noted downed trees, washouts, and mudslides covering sections of the Lansing Park Trail entirely, with more walking than riding on the upper stretch. That leaves Railroad Grade Road, the ten-mile stretch of pavement linking Todd and Fleetwood along the South Fork of the New River, as the one route locals can actually count on right now. It's just not quite the quiet postcard ride it used to be, and a few things about it have changed enough that even longtime riders should know before they go.
The Ride Everybody Already Knows
Railroad Grade Road follows an old rail corridor for its entire length, which is why it stays close to flat the whole way. One way from the Todd side to the Fleetwood side runs about ten miles, so an out-and-back trip covers close to twenty. Access points sit at either end: in Todd, riders park near the Todd General Store, a building recognized as one of the nation's oldest continuously operated general stores, and look for the red caboose near the church to find the trailhead. In Fleetwood, the lot next to the post office works, where a mural on the side of the building sketches out the area's recreation options for anyone pulling up cold.
The road runs narrow enough in places that there's no center stripe, and it stays open to car traffic the entire way. That's been true for years, but it means the ride rewards a specific kind of attention: watch for vehicles on the blind curves, expect to share the lane, and don't assume the posted 35 mph speed limit means cars will actually slow down for you. Riders who've done the corridor multiple times describe it as generally respectful sharing, with the occasional car passing faster than the road really allows. It's not a closed trail. It behaves like a quiet country road that happens to be flat and scenic, because that's what it is.
The wildlife along the river is a real part of the draw and not exaggerated in the marketing copy. Riders regularly report a great blue heron working the shallows, beavers in the slower stretches, and wild turkeys, donkeys, and grazing cattle in the pastures the road cuts through. None of that requires luck so much as an unhurried pace, which the flat grade makes easy to keep.
What's Changed Since You Last Rode It
Here's the detail that separates this year's version of the ride from the one people remember. For a long stretch, riders doing the full Todd-to-Fleetwood run could count on a restaurant along the path for a halfway break. That restaurant has closed. Anyone repeating the route on old advice, or following an older writeup that still lists it as a stop, needs to know to bring their own water and food this time. There's no replacement store or gas station between the two ends.
That makes the Todd side worth stocking up before you start rather than during the ride. Todd Mercantile, a bakery stop right in town, and the general store both sit at the trailhead, which is the more reliable moment to grab something than hoping for options mid-route. For rentals, RiverGirl Fishing Co. still operates out of the historic Todd train depot, founded by fisheries biologist Kelly McCoy, and is running its 2026 season now with bikes, kayaks, canoes, and tubes available for anyone who doesn't want to haul their own gear up the mountain.
The Two Routes, Side by Side
| Railroad Grade Road (Todd to Fleetwood) | Lansing Park Trail (Lansing Creeper Trail Park) | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Paved former rail bed | Single-track mountain bike trail |
| Distance | About 10 miles one way, 20 round trip | Roughly 4 miles |
| Grade | Flat, minimal elevation change | Intermediate, with steep and technical sections |
| Shared with vehicles | Yes, narrow road with no center stripe | No |
| Current condition (as of this spring) | Open and rideable | Sections washed out, some impassable by bike |
| Rentals nearby | RiverGirl Fishing Co., in Todd's historic train depot | None on-site |
The Newer Trail Isn't Ready Yet
Lansing Park Trail gets promoted as a newly developed addition to the county's riding options, and it is a real trail with real potential, built for intermediate riders looking for something more technical than a flat road ride. But a check-in logged this spring described downed trees, washouts, and mudslides covering the trail entirely near the top, with far more walking than riding and a rider calling the upper section unsafe. That's not a permanent verdict on the trail. Conditions on single-track change with maintenance schedules and weather, and a labor-intensive volunteer trail like this one can improve fast once crews get back to it. It does mean anyone planning a ride this month should treat Lansing as a maybe, not a given, and check current conditions before driving out expecting a clean loop.
The Corridor Has Its Own Calendar
Railroad Grade Road isn't only a bike route. It's the backbone of a handful of things that happen on a schedule every year, which is part of why locals treat it as more than a scenic stretch of pavement. The New River Marathon, along with its 10k, 5k, and fun run, uses Todd's stretch of the corridor each May, drawing runners and spectators to a course that follows the same flat grade cyclists ride the rest of the year. Every July 4th, Todd hosts its Liberty Parade, with community members marching through town in costume, a tradition that predates most of the recreational attention the area gets now. And Walter & Annie Cook Memorial Park, the town park in Todd, runs a Summer Music Series on its stage through the warmer months, giving riders a reason to end a ride in town rather than driving straight back out.
None of this shows up on a tourism board's trail map. It's the kind of detail that surfaces only if you've actually spent a season in Todd rather than passed through it once.
Riding It This Week
If you're planning to ride Railroad Grade Road in the next few weeks, a few things are worth building into your plan. Start early if you can. August afternoons bring heavier car traffic from day-trippers heading to the river for tubing, and mornings tend to be quieter on the road itself. Bring more water than you think you need, since the halfway restaurant that used to solve that problem is gone. And if you're set on trying Lansing Park Trail instead, call ahead or check recent trail reports before you drive out, since spring damage in some sections hadn't been cleared as of the most recent check-in.
The corridor between Todd and Fleetwood has carried logging trains, then rail, then a road, and now a steady stream of cyclists who've figured out it's still the flattest ten miles in a county that doesn't have many flat ten miles to spare. That's worth knowing whether you've lived here for years or you're still getting oriented to which roads actually deliver on their reputation.
If you're weighing a move to this stretch of Ashe County, or thinking about what a property near a corridor like this is actually worth, Chris Barr has spent his career working these roads and knows which details matter once you're living here, not just visiting. Schedule a free consultation and home valuation to talk through what's next.
