Our road trips have always included frequent pit stops. We like to stop at parks and playgrounds or take hikes, anything that gives us a chance to move around and breathe fresh air. When I heard about the Virginia Creeper Trail in Abingdon, Virginia, I knew it had to be a pit stop on our trip to Tennessee.
The trailhead is easy to access, it was close enough to the interstate, and, perhaps most importantly, it was open!
The Virginia Creeper Trail
A dedicated parking lot across the street made access to the Virginia Creeper Trail simple. The trailhead has a welcome center with a smiling locomotive! It is staffed, so you can purchase t-shirts or stop to check the map here.
That’s right; the entire trail is 35 miles long!
Clearly we didn’t hike it all.
With little guys, most of our hikes are actually exploration sessions; the time is spent inspecting rocks, catching falling leaves, climbing banks, and cartwheeling. (Regardless of my reminders to leave parks as we find them, I always find a handful of acorns in someone’s pocket when I do the laundry.)
Can you imagine a prettier time of year to visit? We thought we may miss the peak season of fall color because we’d had an early chill this year. It still happened right on time!
The oldest oak on the trail is located near the Abingdon trailhead. It is estimated to be around 150 years old. The science isn’t exact, but this white oak has a 19′ diameter! My arms only fit about a third of the way around it… and my arms are long!
There’s a public restroom at the trailhead and benches line the entrance.
We had a chance to stop there, take a breather, and soak in the view near Wye Park, named for its historical use as a three-point-turn for locomotives.
The Virginia Creeper Trail is considered a multi-purpose trail, but I couldn’t help but notice that there were many, many cyclists. After asking around, I discovered that the trail is quite popular with them due to its beauty and length.
Cycling on the Virginia Creeper Trail
The Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop caught my eye when exploring Abingdon. It’s quite close to the trailhead and is one of many bike shops that offers a shuttle service to Damascus for cyclists. Damascus is only about halfway down the trail, so I made a mental note to return and take full advantage of it when our kids are old enough to handle the journey.
