Virginia Creeper

Now a multiple use trail, the Creeper was once a Native American Footpath, pioneer route, and mountain railroad!

The Virginia Creeper is a multiple-use National Recreation Trail connecting Abingdon, VA, with the Virginia/North Carolina state line approximatelly one mile east of Whitetop Station, VA. Hikers, Cyclists, and Equestrians will find its 33.4 miles pass through some of the most rugged and picturesque country in the Eastern United States! No motorized traffic allowed.

To access the trail, head to Abingdon in the southwest corner of Virginia, just off Interstate 81. From there, the trail heads southeast to Whitetop Station, where you can be picked up near Highway 58 if you have arranged transportation.

The Trail began as a Native American footpath. Later, it was used by European pioneers including Daniel Boone. By 1907 W.B. Mingea had constructed the Virginia-Carolina Railroad from Abingdon to Damascus. In 1905 the line was extended by the Hassinger Lumber Co. to Konnarock and Elkland, NC. In its day, the line hauled lumber, iron ore, supplies and passengers. It got its nickname, Virginia Creeper, from the early steam locomotives as they struggled slowly up steep grades.

With 100 trestles and bridges, sharp curves, and steep grades, the Virginia Creeper was the quintessential mountain railroad. Train crews faced wash-outs, rock slides, and other hazards, but it was economics that sounded the line's death whistle. Having failed to turn a profit since the Great Depression, the Creeper ran its last train on March 31, 1977.

Less than a century after the railroads arrived, the Virginia Creeper became once again a quiet trail. The circle was complete.

Between Abingdon and Damascus, the trail right-of-way belongs to the two towns. Please note that although the public legally has the right to use the trail, most of the actual land between Abingdon and the iron bridge east of Damascus is privately owned. There has been some conflict in the past, but landowner/trail user relations are now good and improving. You can do your part by staying on the trail, closing gates, respecting property owners and livestock, and being courteous to landowners and other trail users.

The 15.9 miles of trail between the iron bridge (Mile 17.5) to the State line are part of the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area in the Jefferson National Forest. Except for a short stretch through Taylor's Valley, the public owns both the right-of-way and the actual property.

This part of the trail runs through rugged country and is widely lauded as one of the most beautiful trails on the continent.

For more information, please contact:

Mount Rogers
National Recreation Area
Route 1, Box 303
Marion, VA 24354

Trail Log

(The mileage figures shown below for each feature is the distance from the Abingdon trailhead; the figures in parentheses show the distances counting backward from the State line.)

Abingdon Trailhead
Mile 0.0 (33.4) Limited parking. The locomotive on display was the last steam engine on the Creeper.

Highway 677
Mile 2.9 (30.5) Limited parking.

Dry Branch Trestle
Mile 3.7 (29.7)

South Holston Trestle
Mile 7.2 (26.2) Very scenic trestle over the conjunction of the south and middle forks of the Holston River at the head of South Holston Lake. This is the lowest point on the trail-1900 feet.

Alvarado
Mile 8.5 (24.9) Limited parking.

Damascus
Mile 15.5 (17.9) The red caboose is a seasonal USDA Forest Service information station. Parking. Restrooms are in town park.

Iron Bridge
Mile 17.5 (15.9) Enter Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.

Straight Branch
Mile 19.5 (13.9) Parking lot.

Taylor's Valley
Mile 21.0(12.4) Parking. Snacks.

Konnarock Junction
Mile 24.0 (9.4) Parking. Excellent access to special regulation fishing streams (single hook artificial lures only).

High Trestle
Mile 25.0 (8.4) 550 feet long and about 100 feet tall.

Green Cove Station
Mile 29.3 (4.1) Seasonal USDA Forest Service information station. Portable toilets. Parking.

Whitetop Station
Mile 32.3 (1.1) Highest point on trail. Parking.

Virginia-North Carolina border
Mile 33.4 (0.0) Beyond here, both the right-of-way and the old railroad grade itself is private property. It is not a trail.