Biking the Virginia Creeper Trail

We love to brag about all the beautiful sights and wonderful things to do here in East Tennessee, and I’ve talked about some of the hikes and sites here on the blog. But, this weekend, we found out that our friends in Virginia have a little something to offer as well! We took the family and drove a couple of hours to bike the Virginia Creeper Trail and we had a blast.

The entire trail is 34 miles stretching from Whitetop down to Abingdon, However, the most popular and easier portion of the trail is the 17-mile stretch from Whitetop to Damascus. I was a little leery that the kids (and myself) might not be able to handle a 17-mile ride through the mountains, but my older kids had done it before, and others convinced us that it was easy. And it seriously is! It is literally all on a slight down-hill slope, making it a leisurely scenic ride like nothing I’ve seen before!

There are several places to rent bikes in the town of Damascus, all of which will provide you with a shuttle with your bike to the beginning of the trail. That way you can easily bike down the trail back into town to your waiting car!

We rented from JC’s Outdoors, which was a great place I highly recommend. They had whatever bikes we needed, including a tag-along for Lola to attach to my husband’s bike. (And the best part is that this is the first bike rental company you’ll come to at the end of the trail when you arrive back into town.) There’s also a small hometown cafe in the same building so you can get a burger before or after your ride. Click here to visit their site and get more info!

The trail itself is just gorgeous, with several bridges, beautiful field scenes, and so many perfect places to stop and enjoy the view. Much of the trail runs along a stream with waterfalls, rocks and places to explore.

There are even a few small ice cream stands and places to stop for a snack or drink along the way.

Restrooms are scarce and the ones you do see are kinda scary, so keep that in mind.

And we did see a snake on the trail as well, but I was in too much of a hurry to get away from it to get a pic. So, just keep your eyespeeled for that, too.

We totally loved the trail and we plan do it again someday! I highly recommend it for you and your family if you’re in that area. How many of you have already done this and what tips do you haveto share?