The Virginia Creeper Trail

Almost every year, we take a family trip to Damascus, VA and ride the Virginia Creeper Trail. No, this is not a creepy, scary ride :)
Creeper is actually describing the immensely long hill and the way trains used to creep up the 34 mile track ever so slowly. The tracks have since been removed and it has been turned into the state's premier mountain biking trail.

We usually drive up the night before and camp in Damascus. In the morning, we just walk to the bike shop in the "downtown" area and they drive us up to the top of the trail. It takes about four hours of biking, taking pictures, and enjoying the scenery to arrive back in Damascus, and the total trip is seventeen miles. Then, we relax and eat dinner before driving back to Charlotte.

The trail is either flat or downhill the whole way which makes it very easy; our kids could all do it unassisted by the age of five. We also wear our bathing suits under our clothes so we can stop and swim along the way :)

Check out this link if you want more information or to reserve some bikes or rides from one of the bike shops. (Even if you bring your own bikes, you still need to reserve a ride to the top of the trail in one of their vans.) We always go with Adventure Damascus.

http://www.vacreepertrail.com/