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The Virginia Creeper Trail

A 34 mile public access, shared-use trail connecting Abingdon, Virginia with the North Carolina border. Damascus, Virginia is at the halfway point between Abingdon and Whitetop Station, Virginia.

The Virginia Creeper Trail began as a Native American footpath. Later, the European pioneers, as well as early explorer Daniel Boone, used the trail. Shortly after 1900, W.B. Mingea constructed the Virginia-Carolina Railroad from Abingdon to Damascus. In 1905, the Hassinger Lumber Company extended the line to Konnarock and Elkland, North Carolina. In its day, the line hauled lumber, iron ore, supplies and passengers. its nickname, Virginia Creeper, came from the early steam locomotives that struggled slowly up the railroad's steep grades. The Virginia Creeper engine and tender are now on display (see photo above) at the Abingdon trailhead. Virginia Creeper is also the name of a vine that grows prolifically in this area.

With 100 trestles and bridges, sharp curves, and steep grades, the Virginia Creeper was the typical 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 railroad arrived, the Virginia Creeper once again became a quiet trail. Through the work of volunteers and with help from local and federal governments, the Creeper became a National Recreation Trail.

The Virginia Creeper Trail traverses through some of the most rugged and picturesque scenery in the Eastern United States and is widely lauded as one of the most beautiful trails on the continent.

Text from: A Guide to the Virginia Creeper Trail. 
Abingdon Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Photos of the Virginia Creeper Trail

Virginia Creeper Trail

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