Find the top rated trails in Elizabethton, 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 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 Catawba River Greenway meanders, along with its river namesake, through the historic town of Morganton, North Carolina. The trail encompasses wooded areas, open meadows and the quaint commercial...
The paved, 3.62-mile Point Lookout Trail follows the Old NC 10/Highway 70 route through the Royal Gorge, once known at the Central Highway, through the Pisgah National Forest. The trail ascends more...
The multi-use Yadkin River Trail accommodates pedestrians, bicyclists and joggers in the beautiful Happy Valley area of Caldwell County. The 2-mile trail is paved and includes a walking loop near 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...
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 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 City of Lenoir Greenway is a system of several loops and endpoints meandering through an urban landscape of parks and open areas, recreation centers, the library and wooded tracts. For more...
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...
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The Peavine Trail runs for 1.5 miles from State Street in downtown Marion, North Carolina to just south of the First Christian Church on Rutherford Road. Construction of the crushed gravel and grass...
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 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 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...
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 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...
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 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 City of Lenoir Greenway is a system of several loops and endpoints meandering through an urban landscape of parks and open areas, recreation centers, the library and wooded tracts. For more...
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 multi-use Yadkin River Trail accommodates pedestrians, bicyclists and joggers in the beautiful Happy Valley area of Caldwell County. The 2-mile trail is paved and includes a walking loop near the...
The Catawba River Greenway meanders, along with its river namesake, through the historic town of Morganton, North Carolina. The trail encompasses wooded areas, open meadows and the quaint commercial...
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 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 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 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 Peavine Trail runs for 1.5 miles from State Street in downtown Marion, North Carolina to just south of the First Christian Church on Rutherford Road. Construction of the crushed gravel and grass...
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 paved, 3.62-mile Point Lookout Trail follows the Old NC 10/Highway 70 route through the Royal Gorge, once known at the Central Highway, through the Pisgah National Forest. The trail ascends more...
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 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...
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 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 City of Lenoir Greenway is a system of several loops and endpoints meandering through an urban landscape of parks and open areas, recreation centers, the library and wooded tracts. For more...
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 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 paved, 3.62-mile Point Lookout Trail follows the Old NC 10/Highway 70 route through the Royal Gorge, once known at the Central Highway, through the Pisgah National Forest. The trail ascends more...
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 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 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 Peavine Trail runs for 1.5 miles from State Street in downtown Marion, North Carolina to just south of the First Christian Church on Rutherford Road. Construction of the crushed gravel and grass...
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 Catawba River Greenway meanders, along with its river namesake, through the historic town of Morganton, North Carolina. The trail encompasses wooded areas, open meadows and the quaint commercial...
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 multi-use Yadkin River Trail accommodates pedestrians, bicyclists and joggers in the beautiful Happy Valley area of Caldwell County. The 2-mile trail is paved and includes a walking loop near the...
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...
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!
Wide, smooth crushed gravel surface on level trail on old railroad bed. Great for brisk walking! Please do not pave this trail. We have many other paved trails in Marion, but no other resilient surface for 77 year old legs. Cudos to McDowell Trails Association and the City of Marion.
We started at Judge's and walked to Friend's (both restaurants on the trail).very easy to walk but, you feel completely immersed in Nature!
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.
I've taken my dog here for the last two days (parked on the Ridgecrest side) and it was a good time. It's an easy paved path, the climb isn't so bad (gradual and steady) with great views. Will be a great regular walk with the dog to wear her out and work on my legs.
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