In late October of 1998 my brother Scot and I took a vacation trip to Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia, in part to view the colorful fall foliage in the mountains. During the trip, we and former CCC member Ashby Spratley (who now resides in Knoxville, TN) took a ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail. This is a 34 mile long rails-to-trails conversion of the old Virginia-North Carolina Railroad located in far western Virginia, near the northeaastern corner of Tennessee.
As you can see from the accompanying photos, there was considerable color in the trees along the trail, however, according to locals, it was nowhere near the peak level it should have been at this time of year due to the very dry weather of summer and early fall this year. Dry weather causes most of the trees to change colors much later than they normally would, and the leaves of many trees turn brown and fall off without displaying their usual brilliant red, yellow and orange colors. We also found this to be true in other areas we visited such as the GreatSmoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Virginia Creeper Trail varies in elevation from 2,040 ft at the trailhead in Abingdon, VA, down to a low point of 1,750 ft at South Holston Lake (mile 8), back up to 1,930 ft at Damascus, VA (mile 16), and then on up to a maximum of 3,576 ft at Whitetop Station on Whitetop Mountain (mile 32 -- two miles from the trail end at the North Carolina state line). From Abingdon to Damascus the average grade is only 1.3%. From Damascus to Whitetop Station the grade averages 2.5%, but varies from 0% to 6% . The Creeper is a very popular multi-use National Recreational Trail. While on the trail we encountered not only many other cyclists, but a number of hikers and people on horseback as well.
Like many cycling visitors on the Creeper, we engaged the services of one of several commercial shuttle services located in Abingdon and Damascus. For $12 each they carried us and our bikes from the trailhead in Abingdon to Whitetop Station, the highest point on the trail. We then leisurely pedaled and coasted the 32 miles back to the trailhead -- mostly coasting for the first 24 miles, mostly pedaling for the last eight!
Between Abingdon and Damascus, the trail right of way belongs to the two towns. Although the public legally has the right to use the trail, most of the actual land is privately owned. Because of this we often had to pass through gates across the trail which separate farms and keep cattle and horses from wandering. From Iron Bridge, just east of Damascus, to the state line, the trail passes through the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in the Jefferson National Forest. Green Cove Station, near mile 31, is the only remaining original railroad structure still standing along the old railroad right-of-way. It is now a museum operated by the National Park Service.
The Virginia-North Carolina Railroad was known colloquially as the Virginia Creeper due to the slow progress of steam locomotives up it's fairly steep (by railroad standards) grades, which range up to 6 percent. Like most mountain railroads, the Creeper closely follows river and creek beds as they wind between and around the mountains and hillls. The rail bed was cut into the valley walls, ranging from a few feet to a hundred feet or more above the stream's surface. Since the creeks twist and turn much more than a railroad can, the trail criss-crosses the streams dozens of times on trestles varying from a few feet to over 500 feet in length. The original railroad, which extended several miles into North Carolina, had 100 trestles and bridges. There are about 50 trestles on the Virginia Creeper Trail today, which have been improved with wooden decking and railings for safe crossing by cylists, pedestrians and equestrians.
In addition to all the wooden trestles on the Virginia Creeper trail, there is also one steel superstructure bridge across Laurel Creek near Damascus, VA, the halfway point of the trail. This was just one of the many tranquil, picturesque and inspiring views along the trail.
I would highly recommend the Virginia Creeper Trail to any cyclists who are planning a trip anywhere near the western end of Virginia. For those who are really ambitious, you can forget the shuttle service and do it as an out-and-back metric century challenge! Scot, Ashby and I enjoyed this adventure immensely and plan to return for another ride down the Creeper as soon as we can.
Dave's personal website, Laid Back in the Big Easy, contains information on pursuing his favorite hobbies -- bicycling, ham radio, and amateur astronomy -- in New Orleans, Louisiana, known as both the Crescent City and the Big Easy.
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