27 / 32
46
No. of state
historical
markers along
the trail
WINTER 2017 RAILS TO TRAILS
25
ALL PHOTOS: SCOTT STARK
Virginia
400 Years of History on the Virginia Capital Trail
BY SCOTT STARK
though there are no dedicated trails
linking it to the VCT.
Two miles of riding from the
trailhead will take you to where you’ll
spend the next 50: alongside Virginia
State Route 5, a designated scenic
byway. “It’s a true bike trail,” says Gil
Grey, a VCT trail ambassador I meet
over lunch. “It’s not just a painted
lane; it has its own route, its own
bridges. It’s world-class.”
Grey is absolutely right in this
regard: While for the majority of its
length, the trail is no more than 15
feet away from Route 5, it feels much
more removed. Every intersecting
road is well marked for trail traffic,
and on the occasions when the trail
transitions from one side of the high-
way to the other, the crossings have
good sightlines and clear markings.
Indeed, the VCT is easily the best-
signed trail I’ve ever encountered.
The story of the Virginia Capital Trail,
or VCT, running from Jamestown
to Richmond, is the story of early
American history itself, from the Eng-
lish colony that started it all through
the war that nearly ripped the nation
asunder 250 years later.
Mile Zero of the VCT (so named
as it links the original and contem-
porary capitals of Virginia) starts
just outside Jamestown, the first
permanent English colony in the
New World. Established by the
Virginia Company of London in
1607, Jamestown was the first of
the globe-spanning conquests that
gave rise to the notion that the sun
never set on the British Empire.
Built along the banks of what the
colonists named the James River,
the colony promised adventure and
untold riches for those brave enough
to make the trek.
While the location of the ac-
tual colony is to this day an active
archaeological dig site, the James-
town Settlement, just a mile away,
is a mocked-up re-creation of life
400 years ago, showcasing the lives
of both the English and the native
Powhatan. Visitors can explore a
Powhatan village, board the trio of re-
created ships that brought the origi-
nal colonists over and stroll through
the walled defensive fortifications of
Fort James.
Throughout the site, knowledge-
able costumed cultural interpreters
are on hand to engage with visitors.
A warning to history buffs planning
on tackling both Jamestown and the
trail: You just might want to set aside
the better part of a day for James-
town alone. Also of note: Colonial
Williamsburg—itself worthy of a day’s
exploration—is a mere 8 miles away,
PHOTO: The
Virginia Capital
Trail captures
400 years of
history along
its route from
Jamestown to
Richmond.
D E S T I N AT I O N