Troop 9 - Virginia Creeper Trail

Itinerary
Virginia Creeper Trail, Virginia
Bike Trip and Campout
Boy Scout Troop 9
29-31 May 2006

Description

>Virginia's finest rail-trail, the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail, occupies the bed of what was once a rugged mountain railroad between Abingdon and the Virginia-North Carolina border about a mile east of Whitetop Community. At the trail's lowest point, where it crosses South Holston Lake on a huge curving trestle, it is 2,000 feet above sea level, but by the time it reaches Whitetop Community it has ascended 1,600 feet, some of it at nearly 7 percent grade.

The bike trip starts at Whitetop station, descends to the town of Damascus, across several trestles, then climbs slightly to the town of Abington Virginia. We are camping two nights at Beartree Reecreation Area in the Jefferson National Forest near the Virginia Creeper and Appalachian Trails. A troop vehicle will meet the bike trip at designated waypoints.

Schedule

Saturday	noon	Depart, Chapel of the Cross
	5 pm.	Set up camp at Beartree
Sunday	9 am - 4 pm	Bike Trip
Sunday	10:00 am	Depart from Beartree
	4:00 pm	Arrive, Chapel of the Cross

Messages and Trip Status

Telephone contact may be tried; call 593-0290 (Mr. Filpus) or 740-4351 (Mr. Hock). Much of the area has poor cell phone coverage.

Personal Equipment

Car Camping Equipment. For bike ride, bike, helmet, water bottle, sunscreen.

Food and Group Equipment

Food and group equipment will be coordinated at the troop meetings. There will be two dinners and two breakfasts in camp. Lunch on the bike trip will be available from the troop vehicle. Lunch on Monday will be fast food on the way home.

Water

Water is available at the campground.

Carry a water bottle on the bike trip. A vehicle with water will be at each waypoint for refills.

Driving Routes

Estimated travel time is five hours.

I-40 West to US-52 North in Winston-Salem
US-52 North to I-74 West
I-74 West to I-77 North
I-77 North to I-81 South at Fort Chiswell
I-81 South to exit 19 at Abingdon onto US 58 East.
US-58 East about 12 miles to Damascus.
US 58 East another 7 miles to the campground entrance on the left.

Virginia Creeper Trail Waypoints

Location		Miles	GPS Coordinates
Whitetop, Virginia	Start	0.0	GPS: 036° 35' 57.68"N, 081° 37' 33.81"W
Tennessee Stateline nearby		1.5	GPS: 036° 36' 40.05"N, 081° 38' 42.20"W
Green Cove Station	Water	2.8	GPS: 036° 37' 9.11"N, 081° 38' 41.22"W
Between the trestles (204 ft. and 564 ft.) at Camp Creek Junction.	Water	6.3	GPS: 036° 38' 47.66"N, 081° 40' 19.64"W
Taylors Valley		10.5	GPS: 036° 37' 27.07"N, 081° 43' 1.24"W
Access trail to the Appalachian Trail		11.0	GPS: 036° 37' 49.29"N, 081° 43' 9.79"W
Straight Branch	Water	12.8
"Iron" Bridge on Mountain Laurel Creek		15.1	GPS: 036° 37' 34.22"N, 081° 45' 20.98"W
Site of the Laureldale Station		15.6	GPS: 036° 37' 26.75"N, 081° 45' 44.86"W
USFS Information Caboose/Parking Lot/Damascus -- nearby is first of many trestles over Mountain Laurel Creek (540 ft.).	Water/ Lunch	17.4	GPS: 036° 38' 6.49"N, 081° 47' 31.42"W
Drowning Ford/U. S. Highway 58		20.6	GPS: 036° 39' 0.71"N, 081° 50' 41.05"W
Site of the Delmar Station is nearby		22.1	GPS: 036° 38' 32.98"N, 081° 51' 23.96"W
Gimlet Branch		22.3	GPS: 036° 38' 38.58"N, 081° 51' 35.79"W
Intersection of Virginia Secondary Rd # 710 and # 711 and the Virginia Creeper Trail		23.9	GPS: 036° 38' 38.58"N, 081° 51' 53.24"W
Alvarado	Water	24.1	GPS: 036° 38' 59.87"N, 081° 53' 12.27"W
South Holston Lake Trestle (529 ft.)		25.3	GPS: 036° 39' 16.05"N, 081° 54' 12.60"W
Curved Trestle (550 ft.)		27.0	GPS: 036° 40' 1.81"N, 081° 55' 2.86"W
The River Knobs with the Middle Fork of the Holston River below.		27.8	GPS: 036° 40' 42.35"N, 081° 55' 5.06"W
Virginia Secondary Rd. # 677 with site of Watauga Station nearby.	Water	29.4	GPS: 036° 40' 39.49"N, 081° 56' 1.13"W
Great Knobs		31.1	GPS: 036° 41' 26.99"N, 081° 56' 23.17"W
Abingdon	Water	33.4	GPS: 036° 42' 31.78"N, 081° 58' 17.12"W