On Monday, August 22, 2022, I drove the 300 miles from Midlothian to Abingdon where I met up with my Morgantown cousin, David Brown. We spent the night in a Super 8 and the next morning took a $27 (each) shuttle ride from Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop to Whitetop station on the top of the second highest peak in Virginia (nearby Mount Rogers is the tallest). Well worth the money as it descends 1,600′ in the 17 miles from Whitetop to Damascus. The trail is mostly flat from Damascus to Abingdon.

The Virginia Creeper Trail is a rail-trail, that is, the original rail line, built in the 1880s to haul lumber and ore, was decommissioned in 1977, the tracks removed, and a cinder path opened in 1987 for hikers, walkers, bikers, and horses. It is called the Virginia Creeper with a double meaning. The steam train was called the Virginia Creeper because it could be heard creeping up the steep grade. It is also named after the native Virginia Creeper vine that grows in the area.

In 2014, the rails-to-trails conservancy designated this as a “Hall of Fame” trail, and it certainly has a reputation as one of the premier rail-trails in America, the destination of 180,000 visitors yearly from around the world. The scenery is spectacular as the trail parallels the Laurel River.

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On Wednesday, we drove to Foster Falls to camp at the Millrace campground for two nights in the New River State Park, the longest and narrowest state park in Virginia following the New River from Galax to Pulaski. Of note, the “New” River is the second oldest river in the world, go figure.

We set up our own shuttles and pedaled 27 miles from Galax to Foster Falls on Thursday and 11 miles from Foster Falls to Alisonia on Friday before driving home.

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What was my favorite? The descent from Whitetop to Damascus should have been the best — spectacular mountain river and a free ride down — but the trail was rough and dangerous for the speeds we were able to descend. I rode the brakes most of the way and watched the trail not the scenery.

My favorite was the first portion of the New River Trail starting at Galax. Beautiful and quiet.