Itinerary
Virginia Creeper Trail, Virginia
Bike Trip and Campout
Boy Scout Troop 9
  13-14 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. A troop vehicle will meet the bike trip at designated waypoints.

Schedule

Saturday 6 am Depart, Chapel of the Cross
  11 am  Lunch at Whitetop Station VA
noon - 4 pm Bike to Damascus. Ferry bikes to Virginia Creeper Hostel
overnight Virgina Creeper Hostel
Sunday
 8 am
 Ferry bikes back to Damascus. Bike to Abington VA

noon Lunch and depart from Abington VA
  5:00 pm Arrive, Chapel of the Cross 

Messages and Trip Status

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

Personal Equipment

Sleeping bag and personal gear for hostel stay. For bike ride, bike, helmet, water bottle, sunscreen.

Food and Group Equipment

There will be a charge of $12 per person for food. This will provide lunch at Whitetop Station and Abington and dinner and breakfast at the hostel. There will be an additional charge for the hostel, depending on the number of boys going.

Water

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.

Virginia Creeper Trail Waypoints


Location Miles Directions from US-58 GPS Coordinates
Whitetop, Virginia Lunch;Start 0.0 Whitetop Gap Rd, CR-726 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 Green Cove Rd 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 Creek Junction Rd, CR-728 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 On US-58
"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.). Ferry to Hostel 17.4 City Park just past Red Caboose 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 RIGHT onto CR-722, LEFT onto CR-710 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 Knobswith 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 RIGHT onto CR-677 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 Green Springs Rd GPS: 036° 42' 31.78"N, 081° 58' 17.12"W