Mural on a building in Jefferson, NC depicting the glory days of the "Virginia Creeper". In its day the line hauled lumber, iron ore, supplies, and passengers. It got its nickname, Virginia Creeper, from the early steam locomotives that struggled slowly up the railroad's steep grades. With 100 trestles and bridges, sharp curves, and steep grades, the Virginia Creeper was the quintessential mountain railroad. Train crews faced wash-outs, rock slides, and other hazards, but it was economics that sounded the line's death whistle. Having failed to turn a profit since the Great Depression, the Creeper ran its last train on March 31, 1977. Less than a century after the railroad arrived, the Virginia Creeper once again became a quiet trail. The circle was complete.

The Virginia Creeper Trail stretches 35 miles from Abingdon Virginia thru Damascus Virginia to the NC State Line near Whitetop Virginia. The Virginia Creeper Trail is open to hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The former rail bed passes through the back country of Southwest Virginia. The Virginia Creeper Trail is rich in beauty and regional history.

This is a biking adventure that you and your friends will talk about for a long time.

If you decide to come and bike the Creeper, then you can't find a nicer place to stay than the Fox Hill Inn in nearby Troutdale, VA.