The
last Virginia Creeper train ran in 1977.
Three
agencies own and manage the Virginia Creeper Trail: Damascus
and Abingdon administer the trail from Abingdon to Damascus (mile
0-16); and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area manages the trail
from Damascus up to the NC line (mile 16-34).
There are 2 visitor centers along the trail: one at the old Green Cove Station,
and the rebuilt Whitetop Station. All
are open weekends May-October. Mount Rogers Interpretative Association
has a variety of items for sale at each center.
There are 47 trestles on the trail. The U.S. Forest
Service and Virginia Creeper Trail club volunteers have refurbished
the decking & railings on 23 trestles in the last several years.
Bathrooms are available in Damascus near the caboose, Straight Branch
parking lot, Creek Junction parking lot, Green Cove train station,
Whitetop train station, Alvarado and at the Abingdon parking lot.
Refreshments can be purchased at several places along the trail. Communities
along the trail such as Damascus, Green Cove and Taylors Valley have
businesses that offer refreshments. Bottled water and drinks are for
sale at Green Cove on weekends from May-October. Free water is available
at Whitetop Station during frost-free months.
The only public phone along the trail is in Damascus.
Cell coverage is poor or non-existent.
Over 200,000 people enjoy the trail each year.
The U.S. Forest Service operates a bike patrol along the Creeper from
Damascus to Whitetop Station during the summer.
A fast moving biker or a hiker with a large backpack can easily
spook a horse. Bicyclists and hikers should yield to horseback
riders. When passing a horse, a biker should yell out that they are
“passing left”.
When
the Virginia Creeper ran from Abingdon, Virginia, to West Jefferson,
North Carolina, it was 55 miles long and had 108 bridges and trestles.

Virginia
Creeper vine.
"The fruit of this plant is poisonous to humans
and should not be eaten."