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Newly paved with asphalt and you can smell the new wood on the
bridges. Easy ride with long sloping hills, small towns and friendly people. Could use a rest room and more benches. To find a nice motel we drove back to Asheville NC. one of my favorite towns. I will ride this trail again !
Lattie Dockery
I had high expectations for the Virginia Creeper Trail as I heard many great things about the trail. I feel the Creeper is an average trail that did not live up to my expecations but still worth my trip from Philadelphia.
I started at White Top Depot and rode to the terminus at Abingdon. I rode on Labor Day and started early to avoid the crowds I had read about. The section to Damascus is almost all down hill which I did not enjoy, I felt that I wasn't doing any work for my mileage. The path isn't in the best shape so I needed to always pay attention to my speed and the path ahead and couldn't take in the scenery as much as I would've liked to. Damascus is a cyclist town as there are multiple bike shops and places to eat and is a perfect half way point to rest.
The second half of the Creeper from Damascus to Abingdon offered a much better ride to me as I had to actually pedal and work a bit which I enjoyed. The trail seemed to be in better condition and I was able to take in the scenery more. The cattle gates do require you to stop but I didn't mind as it was a nice change of pace from the constant downhill from White Top to Damascus.
The scenry is beautiful and changes from farmland to breathtaking views from some of the larger trestles. There are bathrooms at each trail head but there is no cell service until you get close to Abingdon so plan accordingly. I was able to get ahead of the crowds if I didn't I don't think my ride would've been as enjoyable. The section from White Top to Damascus is narrow and I could see issues with unskilled riders. If you are looking for an easy 17 mile ride I would highly recommend the ride from White Top to Damascus, as an avid rail trail rider I found the Creeper to be average.
My wife and I travel the country to ride rails to trails.
This trails has it all , scenery, friendly people and a nice wide
trail great for hybrid bikes. Elizabethton has a cover bridge and
a small town fill. Johnson City is the place to stay and downtown
is up and coming with restaurant and breweries. The trail even has a BBQ
restaurant on the trail. The trail could use restrooms is stead of
porta johns. Other then that you will enjoy the ride ! Lattie Dockery
Beautiful scenery. Wonderful condition. Not at all crowded (albeit at noon on a Monday in the middle of August). Very flat - which is great if that’s what your looking for. Definitely recommend for a quick but pleasant ride.
The trail sites are spectacular. We parked at Damascus our first day and biked up the mountain. We were warned by two locals that I spoke to that the trail would be of heavy use of people coming down the mountain. The ride up is not that hard. If you are in fair shape the slope is not bad. The trail itself is more dirt and rock than crushed stone. The bridges that you cross all have 1-2 inch edges that make it difficult to get on the bridge. About 5 miles up we began to meet bikers in groups of 10-12 or more. Twice I had to yell lookout. These weekend bikers do not know the rules of the trail. 2-3 wide and not moving over. These groups are bused to the top so they can coast down. We easily met over 200 bikers. We will bike this part again but not on a weekend. The next day we parked 4 miles south of Abingdon. This part of the trail is in better condition with crush stone. We rode to Abingdon first and there is an old locomotive to see. Again the scenery is nice to look at. You will also cross over a lake between mile marker 7-8. The bad part of this trail, 6 times you have to open gates to ride this trail. I talked to a local and asked why. I was told this is private property and the farmer is trying to keep his cattle out. From what I read this is not private property but owned by Abingdon. Overall this is a beautiful trail. Well worth our trip from Pittsburgh. RDD
The entire 12 mile trail is now paved! The path is wide and level. The only annoyances are the road crossings but they are well marked. One exception is a crossing in Spindale that is very busy and perhaps needs a new design. Other than that, very nice! I love the shaded sections!
I have a somewhat different viewpoint from "The Better Half" review. I found the ride up from Damascus to Whitetop to be pretty strenuous, taking me nearly five hours to go the 18 miles (not 16). This includes numerous breaks, including the nearly life-saving one at Green Cove, which is about 3 or 4 miles from Whitetop. The ride down took only about an hour and 45 minutes, not including the break for a delicious burger at the Creeper Trail Cafe. After riding uphill for hours, the ride down was a blessed relief, though it can indeed be quite bumpy. Also could be quite dangerous. I'm sure there are some epic wipeouts. On my way up a large group of people were gathered around a teenage girl (who was wearing sandals!) on the ground with an injured leg who had apparently taken a spill. But the ride up is indeed where you can really appreciate the many spectacular views of the white water rivers. So many you may become blase' about them, particularly as you become more and more fatigued, because of course the trail gets steeper the further you go. On the way down, unless you stop, you barely take in the scenery. You're too focused on not having a wreck. I think it gives an indication on how challenging the ride up is that though many, many people were going down - often in large groups - when I went downhill I met not a single person - not ONE - who was going up. Don't be fooled into thinking it's not tough. And oddly, there are very few benches along the way for resting. Between Damascus and Abingdon, there are many benches.
This elevation chart is informative. http://www.vacreepertrail.us/images/elevations.jpg
First half gets 4 stars, second half gets 1.
Starting in Johnson City, the first 4 1/2 or 5 miles are good, with the kind of scenery and environment you want on a trail. But then you come out of the trees and the trail runs besides a very busy highway and you're surrounded by traffic and businesses and I believe it stays that way more or less for the rest of the trail. The second half would be good for locals commuting, but hardly my idea of an enjoyable recreational trail. Go five miles and then turn around.
We wanted to try out this trail since we saw its beginnings in Spindale. Got on the trail near the 1 mile marker because we did not know how to get to the beginning...what intersection, etc. Parked near a church and rode our bikes to about MM 7 in Spindale. Wonderful experience. Love the grade, mostly level, but there are some places with very gradual uphill and down hill areas...but still easy for the two of us, both seniors and more...to handle. This goes right through the town of Spindale alongside the main street, so if you need a rest, pull over and take a break there. We didn't have time to go the entire route...next time!! Both shaded and in full sun at times...great views of the natural landscape north of Spindale. I recommend it highly.
Beautiful quiet trail especially during the week. The northern part near Gilky is more pastural than the southern half. There is no obvious trail head sign on northern trail entrance so you need to consult your GPS ahead of time to find it. There are no portapottys either on the northern part but if you go about a mile on the trail there is ‘johnny blue’ near the trail. Parking for about 20 cars are at the Gilky entrance.
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