The Sweet Springs Turnpike Trailhead is located on one of the most Historical Landmarks in the United States - The Sweet Springs Resort Park, formally known as "Old Sweet".
DISCOVER THE RICH HISTORY OF SWEET SPRINGS -
* Warm water healing pool
*some of the purest drinking water in the world
*The famous guests
*Anne Royall
*Slave & American Indian history
*And so much more
Trail Map & Trail System
Below
SITE still under construction
Some of the guests that stayed at the Sweet Springs Resort Park throughout the history was: 8 of the first 10 Presidents; James & Dolly Madison; Millard Fillmore; Martin Van Buren; Franklin Pierce; Patrick Henry; Robert E. Lee; The Marquis de Lafayette; Jerome Bonaparte (Napoleon’s Brother); and more.
Some of these famous people used the Sweet Springs Turnpike for traveling to "Old Sweet"
COMING SOON:
Bicycle Trails
Mountain Biking
Horseback Riding
Special ADA Trailhead Recreation Area
Trails
Sweet Springs Trail System
Sweet Springs Turnpike Trail
Beginner Grade, Multipurpose, Bidirectional
The Fincastle-Sweet Springs Turnpike was designed and completed by world renown French civil engineer Claudius Crozet in the mid 1800s. It was the most well-graded stagecoach turnpike in what was then VA and still is in magnificent condition, never exceeding 5% (degrees).
Today, the portion traversing the Northeast side of Peter's mountain is a user-friendly, multipurpose, progressive and scenic nature trail. From open pastures to dense forest, it’s just over a mile long one way, boasting magnificent views of Sweet Springs Valley and the Andrew S. Rowan Memorial Farm, and beautiful seasonal foliage with a wide variety of tree species, raptors and wildlife. It is a beginner grade hiking and biking trail and is also open to electric mountain bikes and adaptive mountain bikes.
Graveyard Trail
Beginner Grade, Multipurpose, Bidirectional
A short detour from the Sweet Springs Turnpike that goes by an unmarked graveyard used when the Sweet Springs Hotel was used as a sanitarium in the mid 1900s.
Three Sisters
Beginner-Intermediate Grade, Multipurpose, Bidirectional
Three Sisters is named for it's landmark boulders perfectly perched in line from the last Ice Age, the sister cottages of the Old Sweet Springs Resort, and the Native American gardening method that is adopted to this day. This trail is a pleasant scenic climb to meet the Turnpike trail as well as a fast fun descent.
Expansion Plan
Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert Trails Optimized for Mountain Biking and Hiking.
We are constantly working to improve our offerings and expand our recreational opportunities in the park. With miles of hikeable, bikeable, and xc skiable terrain already open to explore, hundreds of acres of diverse, beautiful, traversable terrain is currently being surveyed and developed for future use. We plan to have a plethora of hiking and gravity mountain biking trails open to the public in the next 3 to 5 years, as well as a brand new portion of the Allegheny Trail, expanding up and over Peters Mountain, WV. Our goal is to offer leisurely and challenging terrain for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts, athletes, and adaptive athletes.