Outdoor Recreation

Approximately 50 miles of the historical Appalachian Trail passes through Giles County, which offers hikers easy access to this nationally acclaimed hiking trail that runs through the County seat of Pearisburg. The trail is positioned along the mountaintops and into the valleys granting visitors a birds eye view of the natural beauty throughout the county. Giles County continues to expand its birding trails and viewing areas.

The magnificent New River glides long and clean through Giles County for 37 beautiful miles. Opportunities abound in the diversity of good wholesome family recreation.

The New River in Giles County is unequaled in its ability to provide a superb family vacation setting along with top quality fishing. The smooth flowing class I shoals & rapids are ideal for beginners in tubing, canoeing, kayaking or rafting. Combine this along with towering cliffs, abundant wildlife sightings; right in the middle of a world class Smallmouth fishery and you will have the best vacation available for the whole family as well as for experienced river paddlers.

Private riverside retreats with lodging and full amenities as well as a number of experienced outfitters can arrange guided or unguided float trips for single, multi day or weekly adventures. Public boat ramps are located throughout the county for your convenience.

Biking

The Mountain Lake Conservancy manages 2,600 acres of mountainous terrain that encompasses a very unique ecosystem due to an average elevation of over 4,000’. More than twenty miles of fern-lined trails on the property are open to the public for biking year-round. These trails are a perfect place for mid-summer riding as the temperatures are typically 10-15 degrees cooler than off mountain trails. From early spring to late fall you can find diehard bikers participating in the annual biking events throughout the county. Mountains of Misery in May and the Dirty Dawg in July bring bikers from up and down the east coast who live for a challenge.

Geocaching

(pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS device can then try to locate the geocache. Giles County is home to many cache sites and young and old alike enjoy this style of treasure hunting. Bring your GPS along with you when you visit and see where the cache sites lead you. It may be a historical site, an awesome view, or simply someplace interesting someone thinks you should know about.