Biking the Virginia Creeper Trail

 

• Date Biked: September 6, 2020 (with one pic from a previous ride)
• Total miles Tracked: 36.58
• Type of Trail: Rail trail, gravel
• Conveniences: pit toilets and picnic tables at most trail heads. Lots of private businesses also support the trail, with bike rental and shuttles and numerous restaurants. 
• Best Features: Breathtaking scenery. Long downhill grade from White Top means even novice bikers can enjoy a long ride. 
• Worst Features: Crowds! 
• Wildlife spotted: Deer
• Vegetation: Mountain laurels, hardwood forests, wildflowers. 
• Associated Website: https://www.vacreepertrail.org/
• Primary Author: James

The day after we rode the New River Trail end to end, we drove an hour west to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 34 mile route that goes from White Top Mountain, through Damascus, and on to Abingdon. The Creeper trail is one of the most popular rail trails in Virginia. There are numerous outfitters in Damascus where visitors can rent bikes and get shuttled to the trail head on White Top Mountain. From there, it's 17 miles of continuous downhill back to Damascus. Even novice bikers can tackle this without working up a sweat. 

Mile after mile, the scenery is delightful. You roll through dense, shaded tunnels of mountain laurels which suddenly open up to reveal rolling hills covered with Christmas tree farms, or grassy fields where cattle graze. Dozens of trestle bridges cross rocky creeks with crystal clear water. Anywhere light makes it through the canopies of trees, you'll find wildflowers, and where the sun can't reach, mushrooms. 

Cheryl and I bike a lot of different rail trails and greenways, and have yet to run into one where private businesses support the local trail so thoroughly. There are at least a half dozen bike outfitters and shuttle services in Damascus, and numerous restaurants catering to riders. Unlike some localities we visit where the locals seem either oblivious or annoyed that there's a rail trail running through their town, Damascus, Abingdon, and Taylor's Valley understand the treasure they have with this trail and go out of their way to be welcoming. 

Which, alas, leads to the paradoxical downside of riding the Creeper. If you go there on a weekend in good weather, it's going to be crowded. And, since the 17 miles of coasting downhill is something even novice riders can handle, you wind up with a trail full of bikers who don't show the best trail etiquette. But, in addition to novice bikers, you also encounter aggressive bikers who have the strength to bike up the mountain, then race back down at lightning speed. We were there over Labor Day weekend and the ride from White Top to Damascus was stressful before we even got out of our car because of the crowds. If you have the option of going during a weekday, you'll probably have a better experience. We've also gone out of season, being all alone on a shuttle up the mountain and starting our ride in 20 degree weather, wearing two sets of gloves, but enjoying the freedom of having the trail to ourselves. 

That said, there are two segments that usually aren't crowded no matter when you ride. The first is the short, one mile ride from White Top to the North Carolina border. Especially if you've ridden up on a shuttle, riding up to the border gives the crowds a chance to disperse. The mile is rough and can be muddy. The signage isn't exactly clear either. After you follow the railbed through the woods, you reach a gravel road. Follow that road until it starts heading uphill into a private driveway. Stick to the right along the creek and you'll find the sign for the border only a few dozen yards away. 

The other segment that isn't as crowded is the entire length from Damascus to Abingdon. This is a modest uphill grade, and a lot of the tourists who come to be shuttled up to White Top stop in Damascus and never explore the rest of the trail. This is their loss, since the scenery through here is just as nice and a little easier to pause and appreciate without worrying that you're turning yourself into an obstacle for other bikers. Also, coming down from White Top, the trail is so steep that often you're so busy looking at the path directly ahead of you that you kind of miss the scenery you're passing through. The more leisurely pace you can adopt on the second half of the ride allows you more time to appreciate your surroundings. This section of the trail also has several gates you have to stop and open, which seems to keep the bikers who are hungry for speed off this part of the trail. 

Since we'd taken up two vehicles, we parked one in Abingdon then drove to White Top to ride the full length in one day, stopping for a leisurely lunch in Damascus. The next time we go, probably next spring, we're planning to tackle the uphill bike climb from Damascus to White Top. We'll report on that, assuming we survive it! For now, we'll close out with more shots of great sights along the trail, though this is only a fraction of the experiences you'll have on this ride. If you haven't tried it out yet, what are you waiting for?