Biking Adventures on Virginia’s Creeper Trail
The Creeper Trail is a 34-mile long bike ride in Virginia near the North Carolina and Tennessee borders. While it sounds intimidating this is very doable family activity. This is a guide to our ride on the first section of the Creeper Trail from Whitetop Mountain to Damascus.
The Creeper Trail bike trail follows along an old railroad track. It is divided into two main sections of 17-miles each. The first section is downhill from Whitetop to Damascus, VA. The second leg goes from Damascus to Abingdon, VA near the Tennessee border.
There are maps and full details at the official website.
The first section is the most popular because a large portion of it is downhill. The second section is mostly flat, but there is some slight uphill as you head toward Abingdon. The total elevation drop between Whitetop and Damascus is 1,600 feet.
Damascus is a small town whose main industry seems to be bicycle rentals. There are many places to choose from and prices seem pretty similar. We picked the Creeper Trail Bike Rental shop. For $27 you get a bike rental (including helmet) and a shuttle ride to the top of Whitetop Mountain.
Most people doing the Creeper Trail starts at the top of Whitetop Mountain. The trail goes downhill from here to the small town of Damascus 17 miles away. Riders can continue the final 17-miles to Abingdon.
Like the majority, we decided to only do the 17-mile section from Whitetop to Damascus. This is a very simple procedure. You rent bikes in Damascus and a shuttle takes you to the top of the mountain. Bike the trail down back to Damascus.
Of course, you can also bike the trail uphill, or do the full length to Abingdon. We picked the easy route for our first trip.
Whitetop Mountain is right on the Virginia/North Carolina border. The trail is along the old railroad track and you start right by the original Whitetop station.
The train was called the “Virginia Creeper” because it slowly climbed up the mountain. The train took lumber from the top of the mountain to the lumber mills in Damascus.
The Virginia Creeper ran from the late 1800s to 1977. At one time it was the highest elevation passenger train east of the Mississippi. Through the efforts of a dentist in Abingdon, the railroad line was converted to the current trail, opening in 1987.
You can read all this information and much more along signs posted along the trail. The trail is very family-friendly and is a great chance to learn about nature and get wonderful mountain views.
Most of the trail is hard-packed dirt and limestone. It is wide and extremely well-marked. There are many wooden trestle bridges that you will cross.
There are also multiple stops, including restrooms along the way. This includes the Green Cove Station and Visitor Center about a quarter of the way down.
Closer to the bottom of the hill you will come to Creek Junction. Here the trail starts running along a creek. It also intersects with the Appalachian Trail. From here the trail starts to flatten and runs along the creek to Damascus.
One interesting site we saw along the way was “The Little Cabin on the Trail.” This actually inspired a popular children’s book that is highly rated on Amazon.
About 2/3 of the way to Damascus you will come to Taylors Valley. This is home to the Creeper Trail Café, one of the only places to eat on this portion of the Creeper Trail. We did not eat at the café but have heard they are known for their “World Famous Chocolate Cake.”
Along the creek you will see plenty of people fishing. There is also a very cool beaver dam. The information sign actually claims that by 1911 beavers were considered extinct in Virginia.
The final portion into Damascus is flat. As you come into town, there are plenty of signs directing you back to the bike rental shop.
After the bike ride we were hungry for lunch and tiny Damascus has several paces to choose from. We picked the Damascus Diner. It was a classic small-town diner and we were not disappointed.
We did the Creeper Trail as part of our April 2019 cross-country trip. This is a definite highlight. After many hours of driving it gave us some needed exercise but was not overwhelming.
The Creeper Trail is great for children as long as they have solid biking skills. You can do the downhill portion at your own pace and it is really not that steep.
