THE VIRGINIA
CREEPER TRAIL
The VCT is a shared use trail. Bikers yield to horses
and walkers. That means get off your bike when approaching a horse, give a friendly
warning to hikers and horses as you come up behind them and never get on a trestle with a
horse. They are bigger and always win! Click to see a photo of the Creeper Trail!
| The trail goes from Abingdon to
Damascus and on up to Whitetop Station. The trail is approximately 34 miles long, with
Damascus being the middle point. The VCT is open to bicycles, horses and foot travel. If
you are biking, I would suggest you split the ride up into two days of "out and
back" rides. |
The most challenging ride on the VCT would be to start in Damascus riding up to
Whitetop Station. This is a 17-mile ride one way with an elevation gain of 1646 feet with
the highest point being at 3576 feet. This makes for a good pace which will allow you to
enjoy the beautiful scenery and wild flowers along the trail. You need to take your own
water and snacks with you as the availability of these items is limited, although water is
available at the Green Cove Station water fountain most of the year. The decent down from
Whitetop Station to Damascus is much more relaxing and easy. A nice reward after climbing
the mountain!
The next day you may want to start in Abingdon and ride to Damascus and back. Damascus
has some small restaurants along the trail that you can have
a nice lunch at, then head back to Abingdon. This is also a very scenic ride with the
large trestle over the head waters of South Holston Lake being one of my favorite spots to
stop and enjoy the view. This is a 15-mile ride one-way, with the grade being much more
gradual. The more challenging part of the ride being from the large trestle over the S.
Holston Lake headwaters back to Abingdon (however, nothing like going up the mountain!)
Another popular option is to take a shuttle service up to Whitetop from Abingdon or
Damascus and ride down the mountain. The best bike and shuttle business is Adventure
Damascus. They are a full service bike shop, run a shuttle to area singletrack and Creeper
Trail, and offer hot showers and locker rentals. Their bikes are all front suspension and
they give you bottled water. Call them toll free at 888-595-BIKE to make reservations or
visit the Adventure Damascus web site or e
mail them at advdam@naxs.com for more information and
specifics.
Damascus has several nice, affordable lodging options including Creeper Trail Cottages
, Creeper Trail
Hostel and family
run B&B's. Abingdon has many lodging facilities from the
beautiful Martha Washington Inn to budget chain hotels. Camping
is allowed in the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area as there are many primitive camping
areas there as well. Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters number is
1-800-628-7202 or 5407835196 or e mail them at
USFS@NETVA.com or for Beartree and Grindstone campground reservations call the National Forest Service Reservation Center at 1-800-280-2267.
I hope you have a great time on the Creeper Trail! Come on by Adventure Damascus
Bicycles and say hello when you're in the area!
Happy Trails!
Tom Horsch
aka "Bikeguy"
For an Information Packet on the Creeper Trail and surrounding attractions:
Abingdon Convention and Visitors Bureau toll free phone number, 8004353440 , Fax
540-676-3076, EMail: ACVB@naxs.com or call
Adventure Damascus toll free at 888-595-BIKE !
