Trail Review: New London Tech

I try to run once a week at New London Tech Trails in Bedford County.  (Trail Map here)  It's located right off Route 460, between Forest and Goode.  I sometimes can't believe that this wonderful trail system opened just a couple years after we moved from our house in Goode, literally 3 miles away.  Now it takes me 18 minutes to drive there from my house on the other side of Forest.  Oh well!

According to the website, the park has 6.5 miles of trails for hiking, running, and mountain biking.  It's got enough gentle ups and downs to make it a little challenging in places, but overall, it's a nice, easy run.  It's not rocky or terribly rooty.  The orange loop near Simplimatic Automation can be a bit soggy for a while in places after a lot of rain, but other than that, I've never had issues with mud, even after rain.

There are three main loops - Orange, Blue, and Green.  Most of the time, I run the Orange loop, which, according to my Garmin, is about 4.1 miles.  I like how I can add in the shorter loops when it's a long run day, and how I'm never terribly far from my car if I decide to cut it short.  Different sections of these trails now have interesting names that I'd love to know the meaning of (especially "The Feud."  What's up with that?  Did Bedford County Parks & Rec have issues with the neighbors?)

What I also like about these trails is that while I'm running very close to neighborhoods, businesses, and even Route 460 itself, I still feel like I'm in a serene wooded setting.  The other day, I ran my normal course in the reverse direction, and because of that, I noticed this charming little miniature gnome village display that somebody set up.

When I run in the late afternoons after work, there is often a group of mountain bikers at the trail.  It's usually pretty easy to see or hear them coming and step off the trail to let them pass.  They've always been very polite about sharing the trail - thanking me as they go by.

There is a Disc Golf course at New London Tech as well.  There was a tournament going on last weekend when I did a long run.  The trails cross the fairways (is that what they're called?) in several places, but the disc golfers were very accommodating and waved me through as I paused when I came out of the woods.  (There are signs reminding trail users to look out for flying discs!)  It was fun to see them playing their sport as I ran.  I took a few pictures, but I like this one best.

There is a trail race at this park in the summertime, sponsored by the Blue Ridge Trail Runners, called the Twisted Trail 10K.  I ran it for the first time in 2023.  It's well-organized, with great volunteers, and I enjoyed it very much.

If you live in the Bedford or Lynchburg area and enjoy hiking, trail running, or mountain biking, I suggest you give this park a try.  It's become one of my favorites.  Happy Trails, everyone!