Veterans Highway Scott County, Virginia

Ft. Blackmore to Midway

The Veterans Highway (Rt. 72) is the main road between Gate City and Ft. Blackmore and beyond.

Pros: Although it is only a two and sometimes three lane road there are lane wide shoulders that make it a safe place to run. There is a public parking area located in Ft. Blackmore just before the road narrows and becomes unsafe making that a great place to start but there are other wide spots and accesses located along the way. This makes running and walking here a customizable thing where you can chose between very challenging and moderately rolling. The scenery is awesome all along the way and there is the actual memorial located road side with a tank and markers honoring those who gave

their life for our country. A bonus is the waves and honks of encouragement from passerbys as you go up steeper sections.

Cons: Did I mention the steeper sections? I freely admit that I am fairly new to running but this is the second most challenging road I have attempted. Starting at Ft. Blackmore means a 2 mile 9 ½ % climb before you get a break. If you continue on there is a 10 % downhill and then back up you go. The Garmin shows a 10.4 mile round trip from Ft. BM to Midway Road has a 1,767 feet of climb and decent!