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Family enjoying a ride on a Rail Explorers’ pedal-assist railbike
RAIL EXPLORERS
A Different Kind of
RAIL TRIP
Climb into the seat of a railbike and hit the tracks on a pedaling tour of America’s abandoned rails. The scenery makes it worth the effort.
By Katie McElveen
First-time visitors to the old train depot in Blue Ridge, Georgia, are in for a bit of a surprise: In addition to shiny Blue Ridge Scenic Railway locomotives, the tracks are occupied by a fleet of purpose-built, four-wheeled, open-air vehicles outfitted with seats and—pedals. These railbikes are one of the newest, most intriguing ways to explore some of America’s most stunning landscapes.
Starting in the mid-1800s, handcarts and other human-powered vehicles were a common sight along most railroad tracks as they ferried supplies, mechanics and equipment between towns and trains. Before long, recreational riders utilizing an outrigger system that allowed standard bicycles to stay balanced atop one of the rails had taken to the tracks as well. It must have been a fairly popular activity—a 1908 Sears catalog sold conversion kits for $5.45.
Railbike tours are held on tracks that are either unused or fully controlled by the tour company.
But where early railbikers had to contend with trains—they rode on active tracks—and the limits of their pedal power, today, railbiking is both safe and easy. For starters, railbike tours are held on tracks that are either unused or fully controlled by the tour company. Since railbikes are built to follow the tracks, riders don’t have to steer. Additional ease comes from equipping the bikes with hill-flattening electric motors, known as e-assist, similar to those found on traditional e-bikes. Not all companies, however, have e-assist on their railbike fleet.
“When we first started our company, I wondered if anyone was going to want to do this,” says Mary Joy Lu, CEO of Rail Explorers USA, which opened in 2015 and was the first company in the United States to offer commercial railbiking. “Our first tours were 12 miles long, which sounds intimidating, but our bikes have electric assist motors. First-timers love it!”
Though the sport is still growing, railbike tours currently are available across the nation, from Georgia to Colorado and beyond. The ones noted below welcome you to give railbiking a go.
Andrews Valley Rail Tours video
ANDREWS, NORTH CAROLINA
Andrews Valley Rail Tours
Open from May through October, Andrews Valley Rail Tours takes railbikers on an 8.5-mile cruise through woods, past meadows and over streams to the Valley River Tunnel, an abandoned railroad tunnel carved through the region’s ancient bedrock and completed in 1894. Not only are all railbikes equipped with e-assist motors, but passengers with limited mobility can experience the trip aboard a nine-passenger motorized cart.
Guests leisurely pedaling their motor-assisted rail bikes through North Georgia
BLUE RIDGE SCENIC RAILWAY
BLUE RIDGE, GEORGIA
Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
Railbike rides with Blue Ridge Scenic Railway begin in downtown Blue Ridge, a pretty mountain town filled with art galleries, shops, craft breweries and recreation outfitters. After leaving the 1906 depot, the tracks wind past pine-scented woods, where, every spring, blooming azaleas and dogwoods transform the scene into a fairyland; streams, vineyards and other serene sights dot the 11-mile roundtrip excursion. If you’re lucky, you might glimpse deer, rabbits and other wildlife that populate the region when the rides operate from March 1 until Nov. 25.
ERIE, COLORADO
Colorado Railbike Adventures
Just 15 miles outside of Boulder, Erie, Colorado, grew up around the coal industry; in 1871, tracks were laid to transport coal from Erie to Denver; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and beyond. Unused by trains since 2002, those original rail lines are now used for railbiking. Colorado Railbike Adventures’ Boulder Valley Mine trip is 4.2 miles long and crosses a wooden trestle as it makes its way to Old Town Erie and back. The company has a limited number of bikes with special pedal-free seats for small children and operates from mid-May through late December.
Having fun on the Nickel Plate Express
HAMILTON COUNTY TOURISM
NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA
Nickel Plate Express
Nickel Plate Express runs its tours starting the first week of April through the first week of November. It outfits its railbikes with low-slung seats, cupholders and baskets, perfectly sized for a small lunch bag-size cooler—all those little amenities come together to make pedaling a breeze. The 7-mile-long Forest Park Rail Adventure journey takes riders through lovely farmland and shady woods; the White River Family Cruise departs the recently renovated Hobbs Station for a short trip into downtown Noblesville for ice cream or shopping before returning to the depot. Nickle Plate also offers twilight tours with s’mores!
RAIL EXPLORERS BOONE IOWA VIDEO
BOONE, IOWA
Rail Explorers USA
It’s all about drama in Boone, Iowa, aboard Rail Explorers USA’s REX Propulsion System pedal-assist railbikes. Both of the tours, one that is 12.5 miles roundtrip on the Scenic Valley Trail and another that is 11.5 miles on the same trail to Eddy’s Cove, traverse the Bass Point High Bridge, a roughly 750-foot-long trestle bridge that soars 156 feet above Bass Point Creek. Both journeys also cross the Des Moines River on a bridge that is about the same length but not nearly as high. Rail Explorers also conducts sunset, fireside and lantern-lighted tours.
Revolution Rail video
SOUTH FORK, COLORADO
Revolution Rail
Revolution Rail, or Rev Rail as it’s sometimes called, offers a number of ways to explore southwestern Colorado’s dramatic high country, where bald eagles soar over the Rio Grande River, prairie dogs scamper about the plains and bighorn sheep balance on jagged mountain faces. Two daytime tours—one longer, one shorter—follow the Rio Grande as it curves through the landscape. A full-moon tour bathes the same scene in an otherworldly glow. Rev Rail, operating from mid-May through the third week of October, also offers a Pedals to Paddles tour: Instead of pedaling back to the depot, participants hop aboard an innertube for a refreshing, two-hour float back.
Good times on a railbike in Traverse City, Michigan
WHEELS ON RAILS LLC
TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN
Wheels on Rails
Macie Hefron launched Wheels on Rails as a way to meld her two passions, trains and cycling. “I saw a railbike on Facebook and knew I had to try it,” she says. “I loved it so much that I decided to start a railbike company of my own.” Today, Wheels on Rails operates both two- and four-seat railbikes on a stretch of railroad that goes so far into the woods that guests often spot bears during the 3-mile, one-hour roundtrip ride. “During the spring, we often see cubs, which is super exciting,” says Hefron. The company’s season runs late May to mid-October.
Seaboard Airline Railway area in Sarasota, Florida
ADOBE STOCK
Rails-to-Trails
Not all states offer railbiking, but many communities have access to the tens of thousands of miles of rail trails—multi-use trails built on old railroad beds—that crisscross America. Here are a few to experience.
Florida: The 23.2-mile Legacy Trail near Sarasota is on the line of the Seaboard Airline Railway, which began operating in 1911. From 1960 until 1992, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus used it.
South Carolina: Located in Beaufort, the 10-mile-long Spanish Moss Trail meanders through oak allees, over salt marshes and across placid creeks.
Illinois: The 45-mile-long Tunnel Hill State Trail begins—or ends—about 30 miles from the convergence of Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. It follows the route of the Civil War-era Cairo and Vincennes Railroad.
Paved trail in Paul Bunyan State Trail, Minnesota
Minnesota: At 115 miles long, the Paul Bunyan State Trail isn’t just Minnesota’s longest rail-to-trail—extending from Crow Wing State Park to Lake Bemidji State Park, it’s the longest contiguous paved trail in the country.
North Dakota: The Northern Cass Pass isn’t just fun to say—the flat, 6-mile track through the prairie was once part of the Great Northern Pacific Railroad.
Wisconsin: The Elroy-Sparta State Trail passes through three rock tunnels and five small towns along its 32.5-mile route.
Ready for a rail adventure? Connect with a knowledgeable AAA Travel Agent today at AAA.com/TravelExpert.
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