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Virginia Creeper Trail - Damascus to Whitetop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Easy/Intermediate Easy/Intermediate
 4.6 (23)
  1. Areas
  2. VA
  3. …Southwestern Virginia
  4. Damascus
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“Picturesque cruising in southwest Virginia. ”

Alex Waterworth
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Map Key

18.2

Miles

29.3

KM

0%

Singletrack

3,617' 1,102 m

High

1,929' 588 m

Low

2,039' 621 m

Up

403' 123 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (1°)

14%

Max Grade (8°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

Family Friendly Doubletrack with an average 5% grade. The trail is smooth but there are a lot of areas with small, sharp rocks that will end your ride abruptly if you are not careful.

Overview

The Virginia Creeper Trail is the retired corridor of the Virginia - Carolina Railroad. This 17-mile section of the trail runs from Damascus, VA to Whitetop Station.

The trail is a steady climb the entire way, gaining 1600 feet in elevation. However, the grade is gentle and never exceeds 5%. The trail is smooth, mostly crushed gravel the entire way, and features numerous fantastic mountain views, small waterfalls, and trestle crossings.

Damascus also has several shuttle and bike rental outfits if you want to shuttle up and coast the whole way down, or vice versa.

Need to Know

The Creeper is a popular destination, especially for families, and the path can get pretty crowded in the summer. Despite the minor grade and smooth surface, the full 16-mile climb is probably a bit much for most beginners. Most of the riders take the easy way - shuttle up to Whitetop and just cruise back down.

The trail is open year round, but Damascus gets awfully quiet in the winter, so call ahead to enquire about rentals or shuttles. The trail crosses private property in many areas, so please be respectful to land owners and stay on the trail.

Description

Damascus City Park is a great place to start from. The trail is a gentle but nonstop climb all the way to Whitetop, never exceeding 5% grade.

The trail is wide enough to easily ride side by side. Take a shuttle for a one way trip. It's 17 miles one way or a 34 mile out-and-back - climbing the whole way up (1600ft), coasting the whole way back.

The trail is visually spectacular - it follows the creek for several miles up the gorge through fir forests and rhodo thickets. There are huge stone cliffs, waterfalls, high trestle crossings and mountain views aplenty.

There are vault toilets and parking areas at two stops along the way. The trail crosses private property in several areas, and there are even a few small cafes catering specifically to trail goers along the way.

History & Background

This long distance trail is part of the Jefferson National Forest and is managed by the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area field office.

The trail was finished in 1920, and was then closed in 1977 due to severe flooding damage along several stretches of the route.

Contacts

Land Manager: Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

Shared By:

Alex Waterworth with improvements by Brandon P
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 23 votes

#1

in Damascus

#681

Overall
  4.6 from 23 votes
5 Star
65%
4 Star
30%
3 Star
4%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Damascus

#14

in Virginia

#681

Overall
31 Views Last Month
8,454 Since Nov 18, 2016
Easy/Intermediate Easy/Intermediate
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Photos

Beautiful rural vista.
Jul 8, 2021 near Chilhowie, VA
Trestle in the sun.
Nov 18, 2016 near Chilhowie, VA
Approach to one of the many bridges in this section.
Jul 8, 2021 near Chilhowie, VA
Farms and fields approaching Whitetop.
Nov 18, 2016 near Chilhowie, VA
Cruising down the gorge.
Nov 18, 2016 near Chilhowie, VA
Virginia Creeper Trail in the fall.
Dec 6, 2016 near Chilhowie, VA

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

Bad / Closed 55 days ago
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Check-Ins

Aug 18, 2022
Brandon P
36mi
Jul 17, 2022
David Moldenhauer
Oct 23, 2021
Drew Baker
Beautiful fall colors. Only a few muddy patches. Otherwise, trail is in great condition. — 3h 35m
Jul 28, 2021
Bradley Wright
Jul 3, 2021
jill h
70 degrees and no humidity! 18.2mi
Mar 7, 2021
Lost Justpastnowhere
Nov 13, 2020
Zane W
Went from Whitetop all the way to Abingdon. 34mi — 4h 15m
Oct 23, 2020
Bryan Farley
2020 GT 2020 Nishiki First ride on new bikes. Shuttle from Abingdon to Whitetopthen road a mile to trailhead and back before riding down. Took time… 22.2mi — 3h 30m

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