Virginia Creeper Trail

I really enjoyed my ride. Rode my cyclocross with fenders and it was perfect for 68 miles and 17 in the rain!

This is a great place to practice manuels and wheelies. Just a long pretty flat double-track. Also very scenic

Great ride for the entire family. We used JC's outdoors and rode from Abington to Damascus. There were 8 in our group, ages 8 to 40 and everyone had a great time! The shuttle service was on time and the staff at JC's was very friendly. We went in the fall when the leaves were changing and it was absolutely beautiful. We will definitely do this ride again. Pack a lunch and picnic along the trail.

There are 47 trestles in the 34 mile trail. So you are always crossing bridges (or so it seems). The trail runs from Abingdon, VA to Whitetop, VA with Damascus being approximately the halfway point. The longer taller trestles are between Abingdon and Damascus and there are 16 of them. However the scenery is much better from Damascus to Whitetop with another 31 smaller trestles (except for one big one near Whitetop). There is no single track in the entire length of trail. Nonetheless, the ride was well worth our 7 hour drive.

The trail tread is cinder and rides much like crushed limestone. It can be ridden with almost any bike. We had full suspension mountain bikes, but that's just what we own. A hard tail would have probably been more efficient. We saw hybrids on the trail. The trail is not difficult. We rode uphill to Whitetop in 6 inches of snow. Coming back down took more concentration due to the ruts and footprints in the snow washing out the front tire. I'm sure it's easy in the summer when it's dry. The downhill was well worth cranking up it.

Beginner riders should take a shuttle from Damascus to Whitetop then coast back down. For anyone who rides more than once per week with moderate effort should ride the whole trail. We stayed in Damascus, rode to Abingdon and back, stayed the night, and rode to Whitetop and back the next day. Since this was our first ride on this trail, that worked out great because we stopped to take photos so often. It would have made for a very long day if we tried to ride it all (out and back both ways, 68mi) in one day. Now that we have seen it all, we will ride the whole thing in one day the next time. We will probably still stay in Damascus. We found a nice place called Old Mill Inn with clean rooms and a good restaurant. It's real close to the trail and makes for a good "home base" to pick up supplies and eat lunch. It's only a 30 mile round trip to Abingdon and back. Eat lunch at the Old Mill Inn, head on to Whitetop, then return back "home" to Damascus. The return is all downhill. Note: we did not see any sources of water. They were many closed restaurants and bike shops. The only place for water we found in November was Damascus Old Mill Inn and 128 Pecan on Abingdon. I assume there are more during the summer.

Really smooth trail with great sights to see. Fun to ride with family, friends, or even solo. Shuttle services make accessing the trail easy and convenient. On some sections of the trail, you can gain major speed upward of 20 or 30 mph. Humps in the trail and bridges can be used to grab some air.

Great place to take your family. Make sure you pack gloves in colder months top gets pretty cold and stop by the cafe nice resting spot.

Laid back and super chill for the whole family

You do not have to have any mountain biking experience at all to enjoy this trail. Once you get off the shuttle ride to the top you can't get lost, you can't get thrown off and you can see some beautiful scenary and never break a sweat or get out of breath. Take the kids.

I can attest to the fact that wet conditions plus stone cinder equals a very dirty rider. The trails were very easy though, so much so that my 60 year old father could ride with comfort - and he hasn't picked up a bike in 3 years.

It is well taken care of and has an inordinate amount of bridges as the trail crisscrosses a number of streams. The 17 miles from Whitetop to Damascus fly by, and the next 17 to Abingdon are on fairly flat ground. Read about my full experience along with some pictures here:

http://fluidglass.com/2010/12/battling-cold-weather-on-the-creeper* Review edited 12/4/2010

Certainly a beginner trail, nothing remotely technical. But will give you a nice Cardio workout on the 17 mile trip (up). can Basically coast the whole way from White Top. Absolutely gorgeous trail. Crossing massive (for bike trails) bridges, and runs parallel to a river most of the way. If you dont care about stunts or tech rides - don't miss this one.

I agree with the last reviewer, this trail is for beginners. It's not the least bit technical, though the slow climb from Damascus to Abingdon was a good test of my fitness level (I need a little work there)
The scenery is simply gorgeous and there are a few stops along the way if you aren't looking to blast the whole thing out at one go.
So, yes indeed, a beginner trail, great for a beginner like me.

Built for beginers sums it up. i don't even consider it a mountain bike trail

One of the great rail-trails in our country. You can spend all day coasting down the trail taking in the scenery. I went during the fall when the leaves have began to turn and it was gorgeous. The Virginia Creeper is a great place to take a group of kids that are ready to get out of the house. Take your time on the trail, stop for an ice-cream cone, experience the Creeper trail to the fullest.

This is the trail that convinced me to buy a bike and stop using rentals.

Beautiful. I enjoy the White Top - Damascus end of the trail more than the Watauga - Abingdon(thru the golf course/ country club) end. More foot traffic on the Abingdon end, more horse traffic on the White Top end. Be careful of the wet trussels early in the morning if you get the first shuttle out of Damascus.

The Creeper Trail is a very wide and smooth trail. The ride from Damascus to White Tops is about 17 miles up and 17 back. It makes for a good 2.5 to 3 hour ride depending on what kind of shape your in. The ride up gradually goes uphill. The last three miles before reaching White Tops is about a 5-6% grade. From White Tops back down towards Damascus is a rush. Put your bike in top gear, and open it up!