Explore the best rated trails in West Jefferson, NC, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Tweetsie Trail and Boone Greenway Trail . With more than 20 trails covering 176 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Hands down our favorite trail. We’ve hiked the entire trail (not all at once) and biked it end to end, and no section ever disappoints—no matter the season.
An added bonus is the park’s occasional van tours. Options include routes from Cliffview to Foster Falls and from Foster Falls to Pulaski. These guided tours offer wonderful insight into the area’s history and the former rail line.
Be sure to check the park’s website for tour details.
I am also a local. To the tourist that think this is meant to be a trail—it’s a ROAD. people live here and are driving to and from work. we are constantly made late by people riding bikes and leisurely walking while refusing to let cars by and being hateful because they are out of towners who believe this to be a biking trail. i’m sorry but it’s just not, this road is dangerous enough as a vehicle coming up on another vehicle. that becomes disaster when there’s people standing in blind curves taking pictures and gawking when people are trying to go make a living and not be made late by out of touch tourists.
Started at Johnson City trailhead. Trail descends toward Elizabethton resulting a climb back to Johnson City. The trail surface is crushed stone which is not smooth like hard-packed stone dust, so is a rough ride for road bikes.
We rode from Damascus to the end of the trail in Abingdon. The weather was sunny and mild, temps were in the high 60’s. Trail conditions were excellent. Traffic on the Creeper was brisk, even on Friday during the school year. This ride completed our previous ride from Damascus to White Top back in 2022. Maybe someday we will be able to ride the east end, a lot of work needs to be done to put the trail back together following Hurricane Helene. Be sure to visit the local stores in Damascus: Damascus Outfitters, Damascus Brewery, Appalachian Heritage Distillery, the Damascus Diner, Damascus Pizza, etc.
We rode the trail from Elizabethton starting in the late morning heading west. Road crossings in Elizabethton were a bit challenging, besides the fact that there are quite a few in a short distance, they come at sharp angles. Have your flashers on and watch the traffic carefully. The remainder of the trail to Johnson City was very nice. I look forward to riding the trail again in the future.
Great ride! Challenge was avoiding the walnuts that fall this time of year! We saw several deer. 2 bounced down the trail right in front of us! The weather was beautiful and the trail was fabulous!
This is a very nice trail- the part you can ride as of 9-25-25. The bridge at the 3.5 mile mark is locked off so that is all we could ride from Glade Springs That was quite disappointing. The trail is almost all grass- it was nicely mowed. It had rained for two days prior to our riding so was a little muddy in places but did not detract from the ride. Highly recommend this trail!
We rode the full length of this trail and really enjoyed it. There is lots of shade through the woods. Signage was great and the views were wonderful. We got off our bikes and spent some time on the suspension bridge, so cool! The path is mostly crushed stone but there is a short stretch next to a hilly road where the rock used was rather large and we decided to just ride the road instead. Overall, a great ride!
For my birthday today we biked from Galax to Fries. It was my first real trailhead ride and I loved it. Beautiful scenery to enjoy while on the trail. So many real breath taking views to enjoy during your ride.
Did the Mendota to Benhams leg today 13 miles Traveled from Natural Tunnel State Park, and the ride over in the country was great all by itself. Beautiful countryside. The shade and scenery running alongside the creek was absolutely amazing! The signs were informative along the way and those stone benches!! Now that’s a lasting legacy! This route had us going uphill slightly to Benham’s and the ride down was just a coast! Loved it…..I put it up there with the Creeper trail for beauty. You can see all the work that’s been put into it along the way with the erosion controls and borders. Well done VA!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
