Our family spent a great day biking seventeen miles of the Virginia Creeper Trail. We began our day at Blue Blaze Bike Rentals in Damascus, VA where we rented two bikes (a mountain bike for Patrick and a tag-along for Car Guy. Curly Girl and I brought bikes with us.) After loading up all the gear, Blue Blaze shuttled us to the top of the trail at Whitetop Station.
Once we were situated on our bikes, we began the descent from Whitetop to Damascus. Along the way, the trail averages a four percent drop over seventeen miles so it made for a very relaxing ride.
The Creeper Trail used to be a railroad route and now traverses a number of bridges as it winds along and across a rocky river.
Even though the trail dips gently through forest most of the way, it also ventures through meadows and by Christmas tree farms.
The Virginia Creeper Trail also offers several rest stops such as the Green Cove Station, a former railroad station, and the Creeper Trail Cafe, a popular lunch spot in Taylor's Valley.
On our journey, we saw many other bikers, a few people riding horseback, and one or two hikers who ventured off the Appalachian Trail, which intersects the Creeper Trail at several points.
The entire Virginia Creeper Trail spans 34 miles from Whitetop Station to Abingdon. We just biked the top half from Whitetop Station to Damascus, but would like to bike the entire trail at the later date. To do so, I would need to train a bit to accustom myself to biking longer distances, though. I am currently suffering from a case of sore tushie and think that I would be in major pain if I tried to bike more than seventeen miles at a time.
After an enjoyable day of family mountain biking, we made it back to Damascus to return the bikes before driving home.
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