Riding across a pasture near Damascus, Ga., on the Virginia Creeper Trail.
photo by Howard Rowe
Some of the prettiest scenery in southern Virginia is along the 34 mile-long Virginia Creeper Trail. And the upper part, running through rugged National Forest and across deep ravines, is all downhill!
The Creeper runs from Abingdon, Va., to the North Carolina line near Whitetop Mountain, and it’s a mecca for bikers. The quaint town of Damacus at the mid-way point has shifted its focus to catering to the hordes of bicyclists who arrive – mainly on the weekends.
You'll see all sorts of bikes along the trail - ranging from the most sophisticated mountain bikes to tandems and exceedingly low-slung versions.
And you will meet all ages, and many family groups out for a pleasant excursion.
Word of the Virginia Creeper Trail – built along an old abandoned railroad track - has spread so that it has become the most popular trail in Virginia. Each year the trail is visited by more than 25,000 bicycles, hikers, horseback riders, fisherman, bird-watchers, railroad buffs, and people just out for a Sunday stroll. The trail “offers a convenient and scenic getaway from the stresses of modern life,” its publicists say.
The trail is maintained by The Virginia Creeper Trail Club, a private non-profit corporation whose purpose is to maintain, promote and preserve the Virginia Creeper Trail corridor and to help develop and conduct public education programs regarding its scenic and natural qualities.
And, there’s an effort to extend the trail. The North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund has announced a grant of up to $636,000 to acquire 14 miles of the former Virginia-Carolina Railroad right-of-way and additional land to provide riparian protection for Big Horse Creek between the Virginia state line near White Top Station, VA, and Lansing, NC.
The project provides for extending the Virginia Creeper Rail Trail into Ashe County, NC, and creating a southern trailhead at Lansing, thus making the popular trail more accessible from the Carolinas. The state-funded grant was made to Ashe County, which has agreed to accept the corridor management role. The county is receiving administrative and technical assistance from Region D Council of Governments and North Carolina Rail-Trails, a statewide nonprofit organization which has been promoting the project for a number of years.
But the project first requires acquisition negotiations with more than 80 property owners and it is expected to take several years to complete. The trail extension also has been placed on the New River basin American Heritage Rivers Program projects list.
Officials said, “The Creeper, already considered the Southeast's premier rail-trail, stands to become a national recreation destination. “
The 45 miles of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad in Ashe County reverted to abutting properties when rail service ended from Todd to West Jefferson in the mid 1930s and from West Jefferson to Abingdon, VA, in the late 1970s. Ashe county has acquisition of the entire 45 miles of railbed in its long-range plan.
At Damacus there’s a lovely park for a picnic before venturing on the lower section of the Creeper. On the bottom part, you’ll pass many more high trestles, including one where the Holston River flows beneath. The trail winds across many beautiful farms and pastureland.
As you approach Abingdon, it gets steeper.
Perhaps the best plan for the cyclist favoring the downhill approach is to go from the top to Damascus, then get transport to Abingdon and head back on bike for the Damacus home base.
You can cover the 34 miles of the Virginia Creeper Trail in about six hours - or quite a bit less for the experienced, hardy cyclist .
Damacus is about four hours from Chattanooga by way of Knoxville and Bristol.
One of the high trestles on the Virginia Creeper Trail.
photo by Howard Rowe