Virginia Creeper Trail: Virtual TrailGuide Wanted

July 21, 2011 8:17 PM

Virginia Creeper Trail: Hints and Hacks!

To break up a long drive from Richmond to Nashville, I want to spend a day biking the Virginia Creeper Trail! I've researched it online and read about shuttles and restaurants along the way, but it's difficult to pinpoint how far and few between they are.

I will be cycling alone and would love to attempt to do the whole trail, but I would be okay with only seeing some of it if I can't make the whole thing. I'm 27 and an intermediate cyclist in decent shape. I've heard how busy it gets, and I am planning to ride it on a weekday.

Can you suggest a specific route if I am planning to do the whole trail, but that also lets me see the best scenery and have the best ride if I can only do, say, 2/3 of it? Any specific restaurants that I must try? How far apart are shuttle pickups?

Any great hotels or B&Bs nearby that don't break the bank that you can recommend?

I'll most likely be riding on Thursday, August 4th.

Thanks so much, guys!

posted by shortyJBot to sports, hobbies, & recreation (4 answers total)

Fill a fanny pack with trail mix. Sorry, it's been too long since I was a scout to give anything more specific than that.
posted by oceanjesse at 7:09 PM on July 22, 2011

Oh, but I do remember moat of it as being downhill.
posted by oceanjesse at 7:10 PM on July 22, 2011

Thanks, oceanjesse! I am planning to do the whole thing there and back, but at nearly 70 miles round trip, it's comforting to know that there are shuttles available! I was planning on bringing lots of water and snacks, and an extra tube and a pump. Maybe the trail isn't as well known as I thought, so I'll do some deeper googling.
posted by shortyJBot at 8:24 AM on July 23, 2011

I ended up riding from Damascus to Abingdon and back, about 16 miles each way. There were bathrooms and a drink machine at the Damascus trailhead, and about 8 miles midway toward Abingdon, there was a store with food, drinks, and ice cream and bathrooms. Abingdon also had a cafe just a few hundred feet past the trail end.

Other than that, there weren't bathrooms or opportunities to buy food or drinks that were obvious to me as a rider on the trail.

The trail was fairly flat on this end (western end). I felt very safe on the trail and it wasn't overly busy on a Thursday during the day in mid-summer. I'd love to try it again or to finish the other half, which is hillier!
posted by shortyJBot at 9:35 PM on August 8, 2011