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Appalachian TrailBeaverdam Creek Trail
The Virginia Creeper Trail runs 33 miles across Washington and Grayson counties in the far southwest corner of Virginia, from Abingdon through Damascus to Whitetop Station near the North Carolina line. The lower half rolls through farmland, crosses the South Holston arm at Alvarado, and follows a rail-grade line into Damascus. Above Damascus the trail enters Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and climbs the Whitetop Laurel Creek gorge on a steady grade, crossing dozens of wooden trestles under cove hardwoods and rhododendron. Most riders shuttle to Whitetop Station and coast down. The crushed gravel surface suits any bike. The upper 17 miles are closed for rebuilding after Hurricane Helene until March 31, 2027.
Virginia Creeper Trail
Your comfort. Prognosticated.
-Cory
Plan your visit to this trail. Get the best windows for a comfortable outing.
Enjoy the Virginia Creeper Trail!
The last Norfolk and Western train crept down from Whitetop on March 31, 1977. The route it followed was old long before rails. It was a Native American footpath through the Whitetop Laurel gorge that Daniel Boone and other pioneers later used. In the late 1880s speculators organized the Abingdon Coal and Iron Railroad to haul iron ore out of the mountains, and the ore never paid. In February 1900 the reorganized Virginia-Carolina Railroad ran its first train from Abingdon to Damascus. Timber was the real cargo. Red spruce cut from virgin stands on Mount Rogers rolled down the grade on flatcars, and by 1914 the line carried passengers along with the lumber. The Norfolk and Western bought out freight agent Wilton E. Mingea and by 1919 owned the whole line as its Abingdon Branch. The Hassinger lumber town near Azen closed in 1928. The last passenger train ran in 1962, and the N&W petitioned to abandon the line in 1974. In early 1978 the Forest Service bought the right of way from Damascus to Green Cove. In 1982 Abingdon and Damascus purchased the 13 miles between them. The trail was dedicated a National Recreation Trail in June 1987, and by midsummer 1989 the full route from Abingdon to Whitetop Station was open. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy inducted it into its Hall of Fame in 2014. In September 2024 Hurricane Helene destroyed 17 miles between Damascus and Whitetop, and a full rebuild is under way with reopening set for March 31, 2027.
