Find the top rated trails in Bristol, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Laurel Creek Trail takes travelers into the Cherokee National Forest in Johnson County. There is no shortage of scenery in this wildlife rich-haven, where rushing waters slice through serene...
The Kingsport Greenbelt runs 8 miles along the Holston River and Reedy Creek through the city of Kingsport. It is touted as both a historic and fitness trail, passing by Civil War sites, historic...
The Bull Creek Pedestrian and Bike Trail, which will one day run 3 miles, lies in the coal-mining country of western Virginia. Following the route of a former Norfolk Southern coal train, the first...
The Benham Rail Trail—also known as the Benham Walking Trail and Coal Miners Walking Trail—runs east to west across the small town of Benham on a former railroad corridor. The line, which was...
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The Wes Davis Greenway follows a portion of abandoned rail line that once ran from Bluff City, TN, to Mendota, VA. The greenway crosses Beaver Creek at two points. This linear park features the...
The Erwin Linear Trail (a.k.a. the Erwin Greenway) parallels I-26 along North Indian Creek and Nolichucky waterways for 4 miles. The trail is paved and mostly flat, coursing through the Cherokee...
As of September 2015, the Tweetsie Trail in eastern Tennessee is now completed. The rail-trail follows the former ET&WNC (“Tweetsie”) Railroad right-of-way for 9.5 miles. It begins at Alabama Street...
The Railroad Grade Road is a 10-mile road built on an old railroad grade that was once part of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad (Virginia Creeper). This part of the Virginia Creeper line was abandoned...
The South Fork New River Greenway offers a winding, paved pathway through the town of Boone, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Brookshire Park is at the northern end of the trail...
The Guest River Gorge Trail meanders along 300-million-year-old sandstone cliffs that plunge 400 feet to the pristine waters below. The deep gorge was created as the Guest River, now designated as a...
The Wes Davis Greenway follows a portion of abandoned rail line that once ran from Bluff City, TN, to Mendota, VA. The greenway crosses Beaver Creek at two points. This linear park features the...
The Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail offers scenic wonders from dense forests, open fields and lush waterways to railroad relics and delightful small towns. Cyclists and equestrians love the...
The Railroad Grade Road is a 10-mile road built on an old railroad grade that was once part of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad (Virginia Creeper). This part of the Virginia Creeper line was abandoned...
The Laurel Creek Trail takes travelers into the Cherokee National Forest in Johnson County. There is no shortage of scenery in this wildlife rich-haven, where rushing waters slice through serene...
The Guest River Gorge Trail meanders along 300-million-year-old sandstone cliffs that plunge 400 feet to the pristine waters below. The deep gorge was created as the Guest River, now designated as a...
The Kingsport Greenbelt runs 8 miles along the Holston River and Reedy Creek through the city of Kingsport. It is touted as both a historic and fitness trail, passing by Civil War sites, historic...
The South Fork New River Greenway offers a winding, paved pathway through the town of Boone, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Brookshire Park is at the northern end of the trail...
As of September 2015, the Tweetsie Trail in eastern Tennessee is now completed. The rail-trail follows the former ET&WNC (“Tweetsie”) Railroad right-of-way for 9.5 miles. It begins at Alabama Street...
If you're looking for an easy trip, the Little Stony National Recreation Trail in Jefferson National Forest is the perfect alternative to the nearby Devils Fork Loop Trail. Devils Fork Loop is...
The Erwin Linear Trail (a.k.a. the Erwin Greenway) parallels I-26 along North Indian Creek and Nolichucky waterways for 4 miles. The trail is paved and mostly flat, coursing through the Cherokee...
Cautionary Note: This trail is extremely challenging, with as many as 18 stream crossings (at the height of the winter thaw), a 1,200-foot elevation change and many opportunities to lose the trail....
The Benham Rail Trail—also known as the Benham Walking Trail and Coal Miners Walking Trail—runs east to west across the small town of Benham on a former railroad corridor. The line, which was...
Virginia's Salt Trail runs for more than 8 miles between the small community of Saltville and the larger borough of Glade Spring. The trail is popular with equestrians and can get muddy and eroded in...
The Bull Creek Pedestrian and Bike Trail, which will one day run 3 miles, lies in the coal-mining country of western Virginia. Following the route of a former Norfolk Southern coal train, the first...
The short, relatively easy Phillips Creek Loop (also known as the Pine Mountain Trail) begins in a pleasant recreation area that is open May 15 to September 15 and provides paid parking, swimming,...
Virginia's Salt Trail runs for more than 8 miles between the small community of Saltville and the larger borough of Glade Spring. The trail is popular with equestrians and can get muddy and eroded in...
The South Fork New River Greenway offers a winding, paved pathway through the town of Boone, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Brookshire Park is at the northern end of the trail...
The Railroad Grade Road is a 10-mile road built on an old railroad grade that was once part of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad (Virginia Creeper). This part of the Virginia Creeper line was abandoned...
The Laurel Creek Trail takes travelers into the Cherokee National Forest in Johnson County. There is no shortage of scenery in this wildlife rich-haven, where rushing waters slice through serene...
As of September 2015, the Tweetsie Trail in eastern Tennessee is now completed. The rail-trail follows the former ET&WNC (“Tweetsie”) Railroad right-of-way for 9.5 miles. It begins at Alabama Street...
The Bull Creek Pedestrian and Bike Trail, which will one day run 3 miles, lies in the coal-mining country of western Virginia. Following the route of a former Norfolk Southern coal train, the first...
The Benham Rail Trail—also known as the Benham Walking Trail and Coal Miners Walking Trail—runs east to west across the small town of Benham on a former railroad corridor. The line, which was...
The Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail offers scenic wonders from dense forests, open fields and lush waterways to railroad relics and delightful small towns. Cyclists and equestrians love the...
Cautionary Note: This trail is extremely challenging, with as many as 18 stream crossings (at the height of the winter thaw), a 1,200-foot elevation change and many opportunities to lose the trail....
If you're looking for an easy trip, the Little Stony National Recreation Trail in Jefferson National Forest is the perfect alternative to the nearby Devils Fork Loop Trail. Devils Fork Loop is...
The Erwin Linear Trail (a.k.a. the Erwin Greenway) parallels I-26 along North Indian Creek and Nolichucky waterways for 4 miles. The trail is paved and mostly flat, coursing through the Cherokee...
The Wes Davis Greenway follows a portion of abandoned rail line that once ran from Bluff City, TN, to Mendota, VA. The greenway crosses Beaver Creek at two points. This linear park features the...
The Guest River Gorge Trail meanders along 300-million-year-old sandstone cliffs that plunge 400 feet to the pristine waters below. The deep gorge was created as the Guest River, now designated as a...
The short, relatively easy Phillips Creek Loop (also known as the Pine Mountain Trail) begins in a pleasant recreation area that is open May 15 to September 15 and provides paid parking, swimming,...
The Kingsport Greenbelt runs 8 miles along the Holston River and Reedy Creek through the city of Kingsport. It is touted as both a historic and fitness trail, passing by Civil War sites, historic...
I love rails-to-trails and this one is a beauty. I run instead of bike so i did 7 miles that took you by creeks, mountains, and ponds. Awesome morning.
Rode the Creeper on two warm days last November. The scenery is gorgeous--one of the prettiest rail trails anywhere. Abingdon and Damascus are very nice. I have ridden all sorts of trails from the Katy to the GAP/C&O and this is a pretty as they come.
Do not miss this trail, even if you have to travel from Alaska to get to Virginia.
We, my friend and I who hails from Pennsylvania, and who was on a quest to visit all the Virginia waterfalls and swimming holes he could find, arrived at the DFLT around 11:30 on August 13, 2016, prepared for the hike and ready to climb! Took us about an hour or so to hike up the trail to the Devil's Bathtub. The trail was rocky and uneven, but dry at that point of the day. As we wound our way upwards all of a sudden there was a huge change in the air temp. Outside the forest the temp was around 90 degrees; the temp decreased by at least 15 degrees I would say. Very pleasant, actually! We passed many, many hikers on the way down as we traveled up; and vice-versa on our trip down around 3:00. The Bathtub's water was not just cold...it was down right chilling...but so worth the trip and the cold chills from our dip in the icy water! I ran into a lady who recognized me from high school, which was pretty sweet considering that school is at least 3 hours away! You just never know! There were several swimming holes along the trail, but the most beautiful was the Devil's Bathtub! Mother Nature's gift to us all! It began to rain a little and the trail became a little slippery on the descent, so be prepared for that. The only downside was the garbage that littered the trail. Anticipating that we would need to, we took a trash bag that we got from a gentleman at a nearby store and picked up all that we could get to on the way down, and I suggest that anyone making the trip do the same as it appears we have to pick up after those who don't care about the environment surrounding this beautiful gift from God!
Who would not like 18 miles of downhill? Early this fall, my non-bike riding family (NBRF) headed to the VCT. We stayed the weekend and rented our bikes in Abingdon, VA. I would recommend reserving your lodging and bikes as soon as you decide to ride. Arriving at the bike rental 30 mins. early we took the 50-minute shuttle to the top of Whitetop Mtn. The TH can become crowded even on an off-day so we waited until the “herd” left and took the spur, opposite direction of the trail, to the North Carolina state line. The first part of the 1 mile spur looked overgrown but it cleared out quickly and was totally worth the effort and is picture worthy at the NC sign. To me, the trail had a “back-country” feel to it with stops at vistas, multiple creek crossings, AT intersections and running creeks in the hollows for the entire length. We decided to lunch at the Creeper Trail Café, all I can say is that it’s located in beautiful Taylor Valley. If we do the trail again, I would take lunch and stop, eat & play along creekside. My NBRF was doing their best to get to the last shuttle pick-up so they would not have to ride the second half that they missed Damacus entirely. Having been to the town previously on the AT, I would recommend taking the time to explore the uniqueness of this community.
The 17 miles after Damacus to Abingdon, to me, was the better half of the trail. The trail meandered through a lot of private land, grateful to all the landowners, via working farms and through grazing cattle. I thought that I got off the trail when I hit the first gate but they operate on a weighted hinge. You will be riding along the beautiful South Fork of the Holston River until you encounter both the lengthy South Fork lake trestle and the magnificent curved trestle (best I’ve ever crossed) at the confluence of the middle & south forks. The remainder of the ride is slightly uphill through pastoral and residential settings. After 5 hours of glorious riding, I arrived at Engine #433 in Abingdon to a couple of cold Yee-Haws!
My wife and I (in our 60s) rode the trail this summer. The reviews were spot on. We started in Johnson City since we were heading north on I-81. The end of the dedicated trail goes along a fairly busy highway and one does need to watch for vehicles pulling in and out. The part from JC to Elizabethton is mostly down-hill (but not so much we had to get off our bikes), in the woods, and has some stops/interpretive sites. Trail surface is fine packed gravel/dirt, no worries for hybrids. 4 stars for the busy part in Elizabethton.
My husband and I rode this trail from Damascus to White Top and back in early September. Beautiful trail!! It was a fairly easy ride since we were stopping often to take pics on our way up. The first 3 of the last 3.5 miles were more difficult as the hill grade increased somewhat. It levels back out for the last 1/2 mile. We've ridden part of the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota and I found the Creeper to be an easier ride.
The only disappointment was no wildlife sitings. None. Not even a squirrel. Not many people on the trail as we started early but met a group coming down as we reached the top. Someday, I'd love to ride this trail in the fall when the leaves are changing color.
9-5-2016. The road into the Phillips Creek area needs to be repaved badly.There was trash along the ditch lines and around the shore of the lake area. After arriving at the trail parking area, the first field area needed mowing and one picnic shelter looked like it was ready to fall in at any moment. After crossing the very old footbridge at the trail head, I immediately had to battle very tall weeds. As I proceeded through the smaller field area, there were piles and piles of cut brush that lined both sides of the very weedy trail. By the time I made it to the actual forest area, I was to disgusted to go on after encountering a large yellow jacket nest in the middle of the trail. The weeds were so high it made it difficult to get around it. I followed the creek in order to miss the nest after turning around, but that just led me into thicker brush and weeds trying to get back on the so called trail. It is a dismal trail head but it does seem to get a little better after you actually enter the forest. Trail maintenance is not a priority here. Stay away.
I'm normally a road cyclist, but rode this beautiful trail on a Surley touring bike. It worked, but a mountain bike with suspension would be better as the trail is gravel/dirt with a some small rain gullies here and there. Closer to Abingdon, the trail is basically two ruts through the grass, but easy to navigate. I highly recommend taking the shuttle from the bike shop at the Abingdon trailhead up to Whitetop. You won't even have to peddle for the first 1/3 of the ride down.
I started at the top of the mountain in fog and dense woods (chilly even in August) and biked down into bucolic farm land dotted with red barns, farm houses, corn fields and cows. This is a beautiful trail and I hope to do it again some fall when the leaves are in full color.
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