The Virginia Creeper Trail..Very Nice Day Trip

It's amazing how you can live someplace for so long and still not see the sights your area has to offer.  That is how it was for me for a rail trail called the Virginia Creeper Trail in southwestern Va. that runs from Abingdon to Whitetop.  It is a 34.3 mile trail which has a halfway point in Damascus Va.  The trail is an old railway trail that used to be used by Virginia-Carolina Railway.  The current Virginia Creeper Trail was completed in 1984 for many to enjoy it.

Damascus is where Mike and I, with a couple we know, rented bikes for the trail.  The town of Damascus is full of bike rental shops.  We went into a shop, picked out our bikes and they were loaded onto a trailer.  Then we all got into a van and we were driven with our bikes "up" to Whitetop Station.  That is where we started our trip down.  The trail s all down hill and anyone can ride it.  They even rent three wheel bikes for people who feel more comfortable on those.

The trip that day was only half the trail, 17 miles.  We road through the woods on a combination of hard gravel and wooden bridges.  It is truly a beautiful ride and a great thing to do on a hot summer day.  It is nice and cool in the woods.

Here is Mike on one of the bridges.

Some of the views along the way.

Another one of the many bridges.

Bridges and water views.

There are a couple of stops on the trail itself.  About 3 miles in there is an old depot that you can check out.  It has some authentic things from the times, some snacks and souvenirs.  There is also a place you can eat about halfway down the trail.  You can stop as much as you want to enjoy the views or even have a picnic like we did.

Here is Mike and I taking a break.

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Some more pictures along the way.

Once we got to the bottom we were back in the town of Damsacus.  We all stopped at an ice cream shop where they gave "huge" scoops of really good ice cream.  I didn't even need dinner after that.



It was a wonderful trail and bike ride.  I can't wait to do it again on a hot summer day.  Here are a link if you are ever in the area:)
VA Creeper Trail


Take a look around to see what your area offers.  Get out there and try something new.  You never know what you might find:)