I have been to the VCT many times, like a home away from home, but I hike it instead of biking. To re-affirm some things mentioned, the section from Whitetop to Damascus gets VERY crowed on weekends in the summer and at other select times with crowds of cyclists. Most if not all of the bathrooms are open again. They are located at Whitetop station, Green Cove station, Taylor's Valley, Straight Branch & Creek Junction trailheads, and in Damascus. There are snacks available at Green Cove and the cafe at Taylor's Valley is supposed to re-open under new management in the spring. If you chose to do the Damascus to Abingdon section, it is much less crowded. It is flat from Damascus to Alvarado station and then uphill into Abingdon, if you call 500-700 feet altitude gain over 8 miles uphill. Take time to read the interperative signs along the way. And finally, stop in at Green Cove if they're open and learn about Lawrence "the Legend" Dye.
Just bought a new 2022 trek marlin 8 mtn bike 3 weeks ago. So I am riding it on the kingsport greenbelt getting use to riding a bike again in my golden years. I am turning 59 later this year in October. I hope to be in good enough shape to go ride on the creeper trail in late September or by mid October to see the beautiful changing fall colors.
I biked this a few years ago in BSA and it was by far the best biking trip we went on. Personally, I think it was just as good as when we did canoeing and kayaking.
We were there about a week after your trip!! We had a blast!! The morning we left out of Whitetop it was 28* and a very blustery wind! But we had layered accordingly and began peeling off the layers on the way down to Damascus and further on into Abingdon. It was Sunday when we were there and a bit crowded, but not to the point that we were bogged down in traffic We saw road bikes on the trail as well as a few adult tricycles, AND a couple of lone riders riding UP towards WhiteTop!! We will definitely be doing this trail again, maybe a week or so into October (we life in FL and get no Fall here at all!!) and NOT on a weekend day. Hopefully, more bathrooms will be open after COVID gets by us a little farther. Thanks for your video review of this trail. Your review was spot on!!
Thanks for watching, Larae, and for sharing with everyone! I’m also glad you enjoyed it as much as we did. I hope you can make it back there soon. Thanks again! And subscribe while you’re here if you would 😊
Me and my dad haven’t done a father son trip in 20 years and are traveling from southern Indiana to Fleetwood nc next weekend. This trail was recommended to me by locals on Reddit and your review sealed it for me. Thanks for taking the time to provide such an informative review! Looking forward to making good memories with dad and this helped me decide something for us to do.
When we were there, the public restrooms were closed because of COVID. There was one bathroom we found off the trail at a parking area for the accessible fishing piers, but you have to ride about a half-mile ish or so, I believe, back off the trail to get there.
Thank you very much for this review! Me and my dad are going on this trail next Tuesday, which is during the week so it hopefully won’t be that crowded! Thanks for all the info :)
Nobody seems to be able to answer my question: Can you ride the entire trail both ways? I want to spend all day riding, both ways, I don’t want any shuttles. Thank you.
You definitely can! You’ll just be climbing if you take it up to White Top. And I would Highly recommend you watch for folks coming the other way and give them the right of way as that’s the direction most people will be coming.
The rough parts weren’t too very long. Now we were there over a year ago, so depending on weather and maintenance, it may be a little different. I think your trikes would be fine. Just be careful on the bridges and watch for oncoming traffic (but there usually isn’t much). Also, I’d call a couple of the bike shops and make sure they’re equipped to carry your bikes up the mountain. Thanks for watching!
@@ReviewThisThing Thanks for your reply. Yes, trikers using shuttles have to call ahead. Understandable that they would charge more if they did agree to carry trikes. Otherwise, trikes and bikes are very similar except in the riding experience. Most people like to focus on speed so they don't like trikes, but others quickly realize how much energy they're saving by not balancing. Helpful for old folks like me who tend to lean. :-)
I did the trail last year on Friday OCT 15 2021, from Whitetop Station to Damascus. Yes it was pretty crowded. I have a Catrike Dumont. I stopped in a couple days before and inquired about the shuttle, I made sure they understood it was a recumbent trike. No problems. . The guys who put the trike on the trailer, said he never had one of these before. At the time, they did not charge me any more than what a "normal" bike cost to haul it up to the top. Since you have 3 tracks to look out for, I would deflate your tires just a bit, there are small rocks ( fist size, give or take) that you are going to have to be aware of. There are going to be a bunch of people who are going to fly by you, . If you ride any trails you are going to have a lot of patients, most people there don't really know bicycle trail etiquette, but don't let it get to you . Take your time , enjoy the ride. beautiful scenery. Well worth your time. If you can help it, don't go on the weekend ! Good luck and enjoy!
@@jefflee66 Thanks for your great advice. Appreciated. And yeah, I know all about people who don't know trail etiquette. Don't even get me started on that subject!!! 🙂
2014 my wife and I rode from White Top to Damascus. The crazy thing was she took a Joyrider. (3 wheel daemon) 24" rear 12" front. God was watching us. Way too fast for her. The brakes did not work very well. But we made it. Could you do it again yes JOYRIDER NO? Silly us did not wear helmets, There were lots of friendly people, and one lady let my wife use her bathroom.
@@ReviewThisThing It isn’t too bad, pretty gradual. I think I ‘big ringed’ the entire thing. 😉 It just goes on and on. Think it took me about 90 minutes or so to get to Whitetop.
Thank you for this review, you answered most of my questions, I have a Canondale hybrid, and it sounds like it will be fine on the trail. My wife has an electric bike she uses because of some health issues but if it's downhill maybe she can rent a hybrid. I stumbled across this trail by reading a review about a mountain bike, I never heard of before and can't wait to get there. Thank you for doing this review, it was more than helpful!
I hope you both love it! There are some flatter places where you will need to pedal, so use what makes you comfortable. You may want to just check in and make sure they haven’t made any regulations against ebikes. Have fun!!!
one thing after completing the trail, is that the trail requires your attention. The road surface is a little on the rough side, combining with the speed of a down hill run and the large number of people using the trail, you really need to be alert. It is a fun ride.
Nice review. We stayed in Damascus and started with the White Top section. I hated the van trip up. So I asked what was the record was for the downhill. They told me 48 minutes. We got back in 43 minutes. I might have missed some of the scenery. Maybe next time. 😉