Virginia Creeper Trail (Abingdon Trailhead)

The railroad right-of-way here dates to the 1880s — iron ore speculation pushing south through the mountains, company after company going broke trying to make it pay. What they left behind became the Virginia Creeper Trail, 35 miles of former rail bed running from Abingdon through Damascus and up to Whitetop, near the North Carolina line. Hurricane Helene hit hard in 2024, washing out seventeen miles and destroying eighteen trestles. The western section from Abingdon to Damascus remains open — the damage is part of the story now, not a reason to stay home.