The Eastern Seaboard is a busy place. Finding solitude can be a challenge when you’re RVing among the 117 million residents who live in Atlantic Coast states. But getting away from crowds isn’t totally impossible. A number of great East Coast RV trails near RV parks can be your setting for a perfect rural or urban retreat into nature.
Three Great East Coast Trails Near RV Parks for Easy Access
Whether you have one weekend, one week or longer for your RV getaway, you’ll love the convenience of not having to drive to famous multi-use trails right outside your doorstep. The East Coast has many great trails near RV parks, and here are three with the most well-known scenery and amenities.
MAINE: The Eastern Trail in Sacco
Sunrise on the Eastern Trail near Portland. Image: Corey Templeton, Flickr.
Tourists flock to the coastal town of Sacco, Maine, for the town’s beaches and amusement parks. But many also visit this historic community because of its proximity to the Eastern Trail.
The 28.9-mile-long multi-use path connects Portland to Kennebunk along old The Eastern Railroad Line, the first connecting Boston to Portland until it was decommissioned in 1945. Walk, run or bike along the flat coastal route that traverses through country roads, tidal wetlands and on urban neighborhood streets.
Most of the Eastern Trail is off-road but two small sections are on well-marked city streets. Fundraising campaigns are underway to take the entire trail off-road.
The closest RV campground near an Eastern Trail entrance is the Sacco / Old Orchard Beach KOA. This busy RV park is spacious, level, pet-friendly and less than a half mile away from the actual trailhead.
VIRGINIA: Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail
A bridge crosses a river along the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 34-mile bicycling, jogging, and walking trail along an old railroad line from Abingdon through Damascus to White Top Mountain, in Abingdon, VA. Copyright 2012 Jason Barnette
Don’t let the scary name fool you. The Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail is considered by many to be the best off-road multi-use trail in the East Coast.
Named after the native plant with poisonous fruit that proliferates along the route, it was built atop the Virginia-Carolina Railway. This early 1900s wonder moved lumber, iron ore and passengers though mountains, meadows and rolling terrain between Abington and Damascus.
Today, over 200,000 people enjoy human and horse-powered transportation along the path and its 47 breathtaking trestles. You’ll also find four visitor centers, numerous bathroom facilities and plenty of pit stop road houses and restaurants between trailheads. The Virginia Creeper is a must for active RVers traveling from Virginia to North Carolina.
Book your Virginia Creeper RV park stay at Laurel Creek RV Park in Damascus to enjoy the option of a mostly flat, meadow-filled westbound or eastbound journey along much of the trail. Most people stay in Damascus, then catch a ride with local shuttles that give Creepers a lift to the trail’s eastern terminus at Whitetop, North Carolina. The return trip from the 3,700-foot altitude mountain is a fast, easy descent back to Damascus.
FLORIDA: Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail
The Pinellas Trail meanders along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Photography provided courtesy of Pinellas County Marketing and Communications Dept.
Experience the best multi-use trail on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail between St. Pete’s and Tarpon Springs. For nearly 50 miles this urban oasis attracts over 70,000 fans each year. You’ll find them riding, running, skating and walking from quirky beach town to busy cities scattered along the Gulf Coast.
The trail was built in memory of a child who died while biking city streets. Today it keeps riders safe by connecting lush, shady parks, scenic tidelands, waterways and neighborhoods. The former rail line often intersects with traffic but a number of under and overpasses keep you out of the chaos in the busiest places.
If you’re wintering on Florida’s Gulf Coast, book a stay at the Dunedin RV Resort & the Blue Moon Inn. The shade-covered snowbird resort houses a mix of locals and seasonal visitors. They come to enjoy the town’s proximity to fun attractions like Honeymoon Island State Park, golf courses and dog parks. Dunedin also has an adorable downtown shopping and dining district.
Find More Great East Coast RV Trails Near RV Parks
These well-known multi-use paths aren’t too hard to find if you use TrailLink.org to map trails near your destination. Once you do, turn to CampgroundReviews.com for the most current reviews about RV parks near trails that will kick off your human-powered journey.
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