Cruising with cows on the Chessie Trail

Traversing the Maury River in Lexington lies the easy to walk or ride Chessie Nature Trail.

The seven mile path, formerly the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad bed, is about 45 minutes from Staunton and those who do the entire 14 miles should be rewarded afterwards with a stop at nearby Devils Backbone Brewing Co.

What makes this path rather unique, is that it is shared with private grazing property. Don’t be surprised if you need to slam on the bike breaks to let a friendly bovine cross the path to get to the river. My sister who was biking behind me, let out a scream, after she greeted one cow which then charged towards her. It actually just wanted to get from its pasture to the water on the other side of the path, but it was a bit disconcerting just the same!

There are a number of cow gates to open and close as you make your way to the end of the path. It provides a great excuse to jump off your bike and stretch the legs a bit. In the river, happy shouts could be heard from swimmers near the opposite bank, as they splashed around in the slow-moving waters.

Stopping near the end of the trail near Buena Vista, we sat on a bench to eat our lunch before turning back. We spotted otters in the Maury River, and along the trail, deer took their time along the sides of the path, munching on the abundant greenery. The Maury River is a 30’ish-mile long tributary that is part of the James River watershed. Unlike other Virginia rivers, it’s entirely encompassed in beautiful Rockbridge County, and well worth a visit.