Find the top rated hike trails in War, whether you're looking for an easy short hike trail or a long hike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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.
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!
Rode this trail to the end and back today on our pedal assist e-bikes. I can’t say enough about how great it is. Well marked and maintained parking. Well maintained trail too — the USFS has come in and cleared the trail of trees from Helene so it is rideable. But the best part is how absolutely gorgeous this gorge is. Towering limestone cliffs! Waterfalls! A designated Scenic River that I want to come back and swim in! It truly rivals the Virginia Creeper Trail (upper part before Helene) and is easy on an e-bike. Uncrowded too. I think we saw a total of 18 people all day today and two of them worked for the USFS. Highly recommend! before Helene ¿¿
I took my gravel bike on this trail and won’t do it again. There’s large stones and branches. I had to carry my bike over several downed trees and several big wash outs. A beautiful ride next to the creek for sure. A great place to hike I’d say. Please don’t think of this as a rail to trail flat ride, it is not.
Easy to get to just south of Whitesville, WV; cross Clear Fork at Vest Road for nice parking at the trailhead. Raleigh County did a good job; the bed looks to have larger aggregate underneath a smooth but already hard-packed crushed stone the whole way. Very gentle slope the complete way.
Sights to see are many bridges, farms, tall hills besides the trail, and I even disturbed a flock of wild turkeys, that, yes, contrary to WKRP, they can fly (but very slowly). The waterfall was dry, due to our drought, but should be good again after the snows.
The Virginia Creeper Trail is CLOSED from Drowning Ford to Whitetop. No one is permitted on that section of the trail without the express written permission from the US Forest Service. In addition, NO clean ups are permitted on this section of the trail at this time. The most valuable action you can take at this time is to stay off the trail so essential resources are not otherwise diverted. We understand and appreciate your curiosity and interest but this is not the time. When we reach the restoration phase, we will reach out. Thank you for your support…it will take our entire trail community to rebuild and restore - but we will do so!! The lower section of the trail, from Abingdon to Drowning Ford (only) is open. Please repost…thank you!
This trail does not disappoint. The ride down from Whitetop Mountain was fun with beautiful vista after beautiful vista. I STRONGLY recommend riding this trail twice.
The first time, just ride it and take it all in. Enjoy the beauty of the environment and the trail. Get into the zone and just ride non-stop.
Then do it a second time but, this time, stop to take pictures, grab a coffee or a cider at one of the cafes that pop up along the trail, and then stop to take more pictures.
The is a fun trail but you need to be careful going on and off the bridges. Not rode bike friendly. Well worth the Hall of Fame statue.
Beautiful scenery, great hangout spots along the river, mostly downhill.
Rode an out and back from Damascus to ABD Trailhead. Trail was in great shape except for a large oak tree blocking the entire trail at approx the 6.75 mile point from ABD. A challenging social path has formed on the river side of the trail. The smart move is to just turn around and ride back the way you came. We weren’t that wise today so we bushwhacked around the tree and did our out and back. The trail surface was in great shape and obvious trail maintenance is keeping the “Creeper Trail” at its “creepy” best. At least the stretch we rode today.
I am training for the Virginia Creeper Marathon https://www.creepermarathon.org/ on 4/7/24 and love this section of the trail. It is through woods and farmland, along a river, and over more than a dozen trestles. There are good parking and restroom facilities along this route. Looking forward to the marathon!
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