I finally found some time to drive up to Virginia and ride the Creeper Trail. The drive from Durham, NC took about 4 hours (including a short stop for lunch) so we (wife and I) arrived early enough in the afternoon to wander around Damascus and Abingdon, two charming towns. Since we had a lot of afternoon left on our arrival day, we decided to ride a bit from the Abingdon terminus to get a feel for the trail. After an interesting chat with the guy at the welcome center, we rode down to a bit past the Watauga Rd parking area and back, passing through mostly farm land with some forested areas. It was great to stretch the old legs a bit after sitting in the car for so long.

Our plan was to take a shuttle from Damascus to the Whitetop terminus the following day and ride back to Damascus, where I would continue the ride toward Abingdon where my wife would meet me with the car. The half hour shuttle ride followed some rather serpentine roads. I'd advise anyone prone to motion sickness to get to the shuttle early to avoid a back seat in the long passenger vans they use. Although I am not prone to that affliction, I still was glad to arrive at Whitetop and start the ride.

The ride from Whitetop to Damascus is almost all downhill with very few flat runs. I can't remember a single uphill section. The grade was slight but persistent and we found ourselves coasting quite a bit. The surface was generally very good; however we encountered (sometimes by surprise) a lot of large rocks that floated up to the surface as well as a few humps and dips. This meant that we rode a bit cautiously averaging somewhere between 10-12 mph. The trail was wide enough to ride two abreast in most places, though when it passed through private land it would narrow down considerably. All other riders that we encountered were friendly and courteous so there were absolutely no issues with passing or being overtaken. Most of the downhill followed the beautiful Whitetop Laurel Creek, which is reputed to be one of the great wild trout fishing streams. There were quite a few folks out wetting their lines.

I have to say that, although it was nice to be assisted by gravity, I got quite bored after a while with so much coasting. After we loaded up my wife's bike in Damascus and I started my ride toward Abingdon, I was able to finally do some pedalling. From Damascus to Alvarado Station is slightly downhill, following the Holston River. From Alvarado north it is generally uphill but the grades aren't bad.

All in all, this was a great ride. The scenery was mostly forested with some areas of farm land. The closeness of the Appalachian Trail was nice as we encountered a lot of folks on that trek. I recommend it to any and all who will be traveling through this area. Also, keep in mind that the New River Trail starts in Galax, just east of the Creeper trail. The NRT is a bit longer, but has some fantastic scenery. Ride the Creeper then do the New River.