Virginia Creeper Trail Portion Closed by Storm

Trails don't come much prettier than the Virginia Creeper, boys and girls.

A good-sized section of one of my favorite places to ride a bicycle, the Virginia Creeper Trail near Damascas (which is near Abingdon, if you can't place it), has been temporarily closed because of storm damage. Closed is a three-mile section between Whitetop Station (made famous in a photo by Winston Link) and Green Cove Station. It is one of the prettiest--and steepest--sections of the trail.

The entire trail, going to Abingdon from the top of White Top, is 34 miles long and the first half is downhill (hence my adoration). It is an old railroad bed and at the bottom of the first half of the run, in Damascas, one can stop at a small ice cream shop and reward himself for a half well ridden.

A culvert collapsed in a storm, causing the closing damage, according to the Associated Press. No word on when it will re-open, but 200,000 people a year ride the trail, says the Forest Service.