Virginia Creeper Overnight

July 4, 2021 to July 5, 2021

For those that don't know, the Virginia Creeper is a rail trail whose route last ran in 1977 and was converted for bicycle, hiking, walking travel. It's about 33 miles in length from Abingdon, VA to Whitetop, VA; drops about 2000' traveling west; and was our overnight getaway on the Fourth of July. If you'd prefer to watch the video, here it is. Otherwise, read on about our adventure...

Following a 5.5 hour drive to the trailhead at the top of the mountain, our route took us through some dirt roads on up the mountain. This route in and of itself was an adventure. We arrived at the Whitetop parking lot around 12:15, which gave us the entire afternoon to travel ~35 miles to our hotel in Abingdon.

Getting onto the trail at Whitetop. You can see a lot of cyclists ready to cruise downhill to Damascus

The parking lot at Whitetop has about 20 spaces but when we arrived only about 50% were being used. Reason is, most people hire bikes in Damascus and take a shuttle to the top, and then ride the 17-mile, ~2000' descent into Damascus. This mix leads to some riders going overly-cautious slow to others flying down and around. And it was packed, fueled by the constant inbound flow of 15-passenger vans towing rented bikes.

About .5 mile from the top of the trail, there's a side trail (about 100' "hike") to this view. Well worth it!

The first 5 miles or so follow the rail route (obviously, it's a rail trail) through the gorge adjacent to the stream. The route provides an even descent as it passes 47 bridges over water and valleys.

The trail shortcuts across a field winding down the mountain

The quick descent levels out around Damascus, and it's pretty-much double track and wide crushed limestone for the 17 miles from Damascus to Abingdon. This section, at least for us) had far fewer people on the trail and was more serene. Rather than passing through gorges and streams, it's mostly through farmland.

From Damascus to Abingdon, the trestle passes over the confluence of the South and Middle forks of the Holston river

One of my favorite parts of the trail - the trestle passing the railroad (now the trail) right-of-way over rolling farmland

Thoughts

The trail is more like two trails, split by Damascus. The Abingdon to Damascus section goes through rolling farmland and contains more wider doubletrack and crushed limestone. It's also has fewer people on this section of the trail. The section from Damascus to Whitetop goes through the mountains, the trail can be rougher in some areas, and climbs about 2000' in 17 miles.
There are many more riders on the Damascus/Whitetop portion. You'll find varying levels of rider skill on that ride, so be aware. Not at all saying you shouldn't do the ride, but expect people to fly past you barely in control of their speed, to riders coming downhill overtaking slower riders and veering into your path. Keep your wits about you and you'll be fine.
Abingdon is a lovely town - get there before 5:00pm if you want to take advantage of their services.
We had a fantastic stay at the Fairfield in Abingdon. A 2-mile ride from the trailhead.

Today's ride: 72 miles (116 km)
Total: 72 miles (116 km)

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