Virginia Creeper Trail, Virginia, United States

5vatripper434 5:00 PM Jul 13, 2021

This trail is a Virginia classic
The Virginia Creeper Trail is one of our favorite activities in all of the state. Their peak time is October thanks to the beauty of the Fall foliage but this is a great ride in Spring, Summer, or Fall. Even in the hot days of Summer, much of the trail is shaded so it can still be very enjoyable. You can think of it in two sections. The top section runs from White Top to Damascus and is almost all downhill. You will spend as much time using your brakes as you will pedaling. It's a natural surface trail so you need to be mindful of rocks and ruts but it's a ton of fun to roll downhill through the woods and across beautiful railroad trestles. The top half will spit you off in Damascus which is a funky little trail town. There aren't too many fancy restaurants but plenty of shops to poke around in or casual places to grab some ice cream or just rest your legs. The second half of the trail runs from Damascus to Abingdon. The terrain is definitely much flatter and you will find yourself pedaling most of the time but it's still plenty of fun to ride across more bridges and meadows before arriving in Abingdon. There are many outfitters that will allow you to rent bikes and shuttle to various parts of the trail. We used Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop in Abingdon as that allowed us to shuttle all the way to White Top and then ride straight to the end of the trail in Abingdon, and right to our car which was just a few blocks from the end of the trail. Anyone comfortable on a bike should be able to complete the whole ride but it is about 35 miles and the second half is definitely more work than the first half. We found a lunch break in Damascus a good choice for a body recharge. But it still took us at least 5 hours for the whole trip, without a lot of sightseeing stops. Kids who are comfortable braking should be ok on the top section but the bottom might be a long haul for little legs. And the bathrooms appear to be back open after COVID had shut them down. Be sure to bring water and snack as several of the little shops along the trail appear to not have re-opened but you should be fine with a backpack and resupply in Damascus.

5jackbauerTX 5:00 PM Sep 5, 2020

What a Jewel!!!
Went here on a Sunday morning and it was one of the most fun experiences I have done in years. Me and the family bike all the time and are not new to rails to trails. We live close to a famous one in the South but this one blew it away! We started in Damascus where we rented bikes. We rented from shuttle shack and would highly recommend, but I will review them in another post. They drove us up to the top of white top and dropped us off at the station. It was 55 degrees but the sky was blue! 17 miles mostly down hill with very few peddling. I felt bad towards the end but my kids could never do it without the downhill. The surface is crushed gravel and cedar and not so rough. I would recommend layers of clothing and a mountain gear bike with shocks. You bottom and arms will thank you. Be sure and spend some time skipping stones in the creek. Take in the scenery. Some of the most beautiful country!!