VA Hikes

Mendota Trail

I had never heard of “Rails to Trails” until I moved to Tennessee. Rails to Trails or Rail-Trails are paths created from abandoned railways which are cleared of their tracks and converted to multiuse paths. They are generally flat or gently sloping, making it accessible to people of all ages and abilities. The Mendota trail is 12.5 miles located between Bristol, VA and Mendota, VA. There are 3 trailheads and parking areas so it’s easy to walk small sections. The trail is open from dawn to dusk. Please be courteous of those who have homes along the trail and stay on the path. For more information, check out their website: https://mendotatrail.org/

Getting There

Bristol Trailhead: 1788 Island Rd. Bristol, VA

  • From I-81:
    • Take exit 1 in Virginia toward Bristol
    • Keep right at the fork and merge onto US-421 (Gate City Highway)
    • After 0.2 miles, turn left onto Island Rd.
    • The trailhead will be on the left after about 2.3 miles, it is a recently completed, paved lot.
    • The Mendota Trail in this section contains 0.4 mi of paved, ADA accessible trails before changing to natural surface.

Benhams Trailhead: 7720 Rich Valley Rd. Bristol, VA

  • From I-81:
    • Take exit 1 in Virginia toward Bristol
    • Keep left at the fork to US-58 E
    • Turn left at the stop sign onto US-421
    • After 1.6 miles, turn right onto Reedy Creek Rd.
    • Drive another 2.5 miles and make a sharp left turn onto Campground Rd.
    • After 1.9 miles, turn right onto Rich Valley Rd.
    • The parking area is on the right after another mile. It’s a gravel lot with plenty of parking, please park at an angle.
    • The Mendota Trail continues north (left if turned away from the road) for a short distance, and south (right) for about 5.5 miles.

Mendota Trailhead: 2421 Mendota Rd. Mendota, VA

  • From I-26:
    • Drive north on I-26 until it ends and changes to US-23
    • In Weber City, turn right onto US-421. The light right past the Food City.
    • After 0.3 miles, turn left to stay on US-421
    • In 4.9 miles, turn left onto State Route 709 in Hiltons, VA
    • After 0.1 miles, turn right onto State Route 614
    • In about ten miles, the trailhead is on the right and the Mendota Store is on the left. Stop in for some goodies to fuel you on your trip. There is a beautiful Mendota Trail sign at this end of the tail!

The Hike

Bristol Trailhead

  • Paved trail approaching first trestle on Bristol section of Mendota Trail
  • Mendota Trail passing along road for a short distance
  • View of open field along the Mendota Trail at approximately 2 miles
  • Gravel trail passing through forest with the 2 mile marker showing and a bench on the left

Most of this section follows alongside roads. So while it may not be the most remote feeling section, it makes for it with easy access. Being very close to I-81 and downtown Bristol makes it an attractive stop. The trailhead does have bathroom facilities. As stated above, the first 0.4 mile is ADA paved, until you reach the first trestle, when it switches to gravel. So far, we’ve only explored about 2.25 miles from this trailhead. This section is all gradual uphill, with about 350′ gain during the first 3 miles. Technically the 2.7 mile mark is the highest spot on the trail.

Benhams Trailhead

Rolling Hills on the Mendota Trail near the Benhams trailhead
Rolling hills near the Benham Trailhead

We hiked south on the Mendota Trail for about 2.5 miles toward Bristol (south from Benham Trailhead). The first part of the trail follows the road before turning to the left and leading through rolling hills and pasture land. The trail eventually leads into the woods. The trail is incredibly well marked at road crossings, so be sure to pay attention to signs and stay off private property. In the two miles (one way) we walked, we crossed over one trestle, there is another close to the parking lot if you walk north. There is also a free little library at the parking lot! The cover photo with the fall colors is from this section, heading south.

Stay tuned for more details on trail going north from Benham’s Trailhead!

Mendota Trailhead

Mendota Trail trailhead sign
Gravel path through forest close to the Mendota trailhead
Gravel path approaching trestle
View of the North Fork Holston River with small swinging bridge in front
Trestle over Abrams Creek
View of Abrams Creek, looking upstream towards the trestle

This part of the trail most notably parallels and crosses water for at least the first 2 miles. The first water sighting will be shortly on your right, which is the North Fork Holston River. Once you cross the river and admire the view, (roughly one mile from the trailhead) by choosing your path of the wide trestle or the skinny swinging bridge, you will then cross Abrams Creek on two more trestles, following for the Creek for quite awhile. You can access the Creek at one of these two Abrams Creek trestles.

Stay tuned for more details once we are able to explore further on this section!

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