2003, 7-20, FHSP, Jeep Road Mountain Biking

With all the attention that Frozen Head gets for its hiking and trail running opportunities, people tend to forget that there are options for mountain biking as well. The entire Lookout Tower Trail (aka the Jeep Road) is open for riding from the campground to Tub Spring and the Lookout Tower, and then down to TN 116 at Armes Gap. In addition, the side road to Coffin Springs is open to bikes, or at least it was when I rode it in 2003.

There are a couple reasons why mountain biking hasn’t caught on at Frozen Head. The first is the three mile long, 1,600 foot climb from the main trailhead to the crest of Bird Mountain. After the main climb, there’s a nice long stretch of rolling terrain to Panther Gap, but then it’s another 400’ climb in ¾ of a mile up to the Lookout Tower. The back side is just as hilly, 1200’ of climbing in 2.7 miles from Armes Gap.

The second reason is the roadbed. Sure, a jeep road sounds like a nice cushy surface for riding, but the reality is often different. The first three miles of the road that climb to the crest of Bird Mountain can be loose and rocky, depending on how long it has been since the road was graded. Some summers the road is washed out enough that ATVs rather than pickup trucks are the main mode of transport. The Park does it best to keep the road and its networks of culverts and drainage ditches clear, but this only postpones how long the road can stay open before regrading is necessary. I’ve spent enough volunteer days clearing culverts to know that it doesn’t take much rain to plug things up again.

I know a modest number of riders who’ve ridden at Frozen Head, but not too many who have come back to repeat their rides. Dave Engebretson, the former park manager was the only regular rider I knew, but then he lived in the park. Most of us ride there once, and quickly realize that there are many easier places to go.

By the summer of 2003 I was in good biking shape, just having finished the riding that would result in my third guidebook “Backroad Bicycling the Blue Ridge and Smokies.” I was also starting to learn how to use my GPS unit more efficiently, but not well enough for me to map out a trail yet, I was still just recording waypoints of features along trails or routes. Still, I was looking for new places to ride, and was curious to measure distances along the roads at Frozen Head.

My notes on the ride are mostly distances between features, primarily the trail intersections, and transcripts of the trail signs that I passed. I did take a few GPS waypoints, but I have no pictures from the ride.

I started at 8:10 at the Macs Trailhead and rode through the campground to reach the start of the Jeep Road. It’s a steady three mile climb to the top of Bird. For me it was long first gear grind, I remember going slowly enough that I thought I might tip over. The east end of the Bird Mountain Trail was well marked then, but I didn’t see any sign of the connector trail at Bald Knob leading north to the North Boundary Trail. I explored a bit there on foot, but couldn’t match any of the overgrowth to the trail shown on the park map.

Beyond the Bird Mountain Trail junction, the Jeep Road rambles along the mountain crest far more amiably. I found the side trail to the campsite at Squire Knob and walked to the little used area, and its cook table and fire ring. I also took a side trip down the Coffin Springs “Trail” also a road, but one less used, more overgrown, and more rutted. At the Coffin Spring Campsite, a trail turned north and downhill, and a gate marked the park boundary. ATV tracks stopped on the other side of the gate. The Cumberland Trail (now relocated) exited the park up the ATV road.

I rode back up to the Jeep Road, realizing that the ride to Coffin Springs loses more elevation than one might expect. After the junction with North Old Mac Trail in Panther Branch the Jeep Road steepens again. It’s a short, but breathtaking climb to the South Old Mac junction at Tub Spring. The last piece is the familiar spin up to the old Firetower, which hosted a designated campsite back then. I reached the tower at 11AM and in 8.9 miles, including my side trip.

Not surprisingly, the descent back to the trailhead was easier and quicker. But not as much of either as I’d hoped. The mountain crest segments were fine. Relieved of my mileage recording duties, I could just roll on and enjoy the scenery. But the descent down to the campground was still a bit of a chore. The road was rocky and rutted enough that I couldn’t just let the bike roll and needed to keep on the brakes the entire three miles, long enough to get a bit of cramping in the hands. Without the side trip, I was back to the Old Macs TH in 16.2 miles.

Besides my own trip, I’ve only seen sign of other riders at Frozen Head twice. The first was on a snow covered winter day when I was doing some early Barkley Training. I followed the track of a single rider along much of the Jeep Road to Tub Spring. There, instead of continuing on the road or turning back, the trail continued out on the Chimney Tops Trail. In those days I often finished my training days with a descent down the Spicewood Trail because of its smooth footing and gentle grade. The bike tracks that day went out to, and then down the Spicewood Trail as well. I remember that the tracks were recent, with the tread pattern pressed crisply into an inch or two of snow, and I wondered who had the stamina to do the ride, and the nerve to leave their tracks so obviously on a closed trail.

The other rider I saw was even more unusual. Jean and I had just completed our first volunteer training day for the E-mammal project at Frozen Head. E-mammal was a research project investigating the effects of trail/roads and their use on wildlife movement using game cameras. We’d learned to set up and calibrate our cameras in the morning and then Jean and I went out in the afternoon and completed our first placement near Bald Knob. As we approached the campground on the Jeep Road, we were passed by the principle investigator for the project, on a unicycle. According to his coworker he was a wiz, and had ridden up to the tower and back.

2003, 7-4, Virginia Creeper Mountain Bike Ride

 Jean and I had ridden the upper part of the Virginia Creeper Trail from Whitetop Station to Damascus twice for my 2003 book “Backroads Bicycling in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains”.  Bike Book Link The 18-mile, family friendly ride was a perfect fit for the book, with its great scenery, easy logistics, and of course an all downhill grade. To keep the book rides varied, we’d ignored the lower section of the trail from Damascus down to Abingdon.

Riding the Virginia Creeper Trail.

For our next Fourth of July weekend, we decided to drive up to VA and ride the lower Creeper one day and then the New River Trail from Foster Falls to Pulaski the next day. Because I was still in the habit of taking the notes needed for writing guidebooks, I continued with this habit for both rides. Once home I wrote up both rides for potential inclusion in a later edition of the guide. However, sales of my bike book were never strong, and in contrast to all my other books, it never went to a second edition. With no second edition in sight, I am posting the write up here.

While the upper Creeper from Whitetop to Damascus is potentially the most popular ride in the region, the lower section is relatively quiet. The shuttle services in Damascus are happy to drop you off in Abingdon, but only a small percentage of riders choose this option. But in contrast to the crowds on the upper Creeper, the lower section offers some quiet and beautiful scenery of its own. Jean and I enjoyed the section enough that on our next two trips to the Creeper, we sprung for the full shuttle packages, getting picked up in Abingdon and then dropped off at Whitetop to ride the full length of the Creeper. Here’s the book-style write up for the lower Creeper, along with a few scanned slides from that era.

Scenery along the trail.

Virginia Creeper, Abingdon to Damascus

Distance: 15.5 miles one way. The Short and Sweet version is 8.7 miles one way. The Extra Credit Ride is 31.0 miles round trip.

Terrain: Easy riding along a converted rail line.

Special Features: South Holston Trestle and scenic countryside.

General Location: The trail connects Abingdon, Virginia on I-81 with Damascus, Virginia on US 58.

Maps: Mount Rogers National Recreation Area Virginia Creeper brochure.

Access: To reach the Abingdon Trailhead take Exit 17 off I-81. Drive north and at 0.2 mile turn right onto Green Springs Road.  At 0.8 mile reach the gravel Abingdon Trailhead which is next to the entrance for Light Milling Company and across the street from a retired North & Western Engine. Restrooms and another small parking lot are available 0.1 mile down the trail.

            To reach the Damascus Trailhead take Exit 19 off I-81 to US 58. Drive east to Damascus and look for a large gravel parking area in the Damascus City Park marked by a red caboose that houses a USFS information station.

The lower section of the Virginia Creeper Trail from Abingdon to Damascus lacks the steeper grades and dramatic vistas of the upper section from Damascus to Whitetop Station. But the lower section is just as pretty, is less used, and has convenient access from I-81. From Abingdon to Alvarado the trail is shaded and relatively cool, making it an especially attractive choice for a hot summer day.

            From Abingdon the trail crosses the Great Knobs, then the River Knobs, two of the long high ridges that make up the Ridge and Valley Geographic Province. After exiting the knobs, the trail follows the Middle Fork of the Holston River to its confluence with the South Fork at a long trestle high above South Holston Lake. From the South Fork Trestle, the Creeper follows first the South Fork of the Holston, then Laurel Creek up to Damascus. Since the low point of the trail is at the South Fork Trestle, the first half of the ride will be a gentle downgrade from Abingdon, and the second half will be a gentle climb into Damascus.

            For those looking to ride one way only, there are several commercial shuttle services in Damascus. By prior arrangement, these operators will pick you up in Abingdon and drop you off in Damascus, or at Whitetop Station, for a small fee.

0.0 Enter the trail by crossing Green Spring Road.

After crossing the first of the trail's 47 trestles, reach another gravel parking area and a restroom provided by the Town of Abingdon. The Creeper starts through a pretty town park. The trail itself is hard packed dirt topped with a light coat of cinders.

0.9 Pass underneath I-81.

Next up is the first of the square concrete mileposts that will track your progress toward Damascus.

1.5 Cross Meadow Drive along a golf course near the intersection with Winterham Drive.

This crossing is protected by a stop light. Be careful to watch for both cars and golf carts.  Beyond the Golf Course the trail enters the Great Knobs and follows the pretty path of Betty Creek.

3.8 Just after crossing long high Trestle 4 over Fifteenmile Creek reach the Watauga Trailhead at VA 677.

This gravel parking area can be reached by driving east on US 58 for 1.3 miles, then driving south for 2.1 miles on VA 677 from I-81 Exit 19.

4.6 Reach Trestle 5 which is a long curved structure suspended over a small creek at the base of the River Knobs.

At Trestle 5 is a large triangular concrete post labelled "A5". You will see other mileposts like this along the trail that mark distances along the Abingdon Branch of the N&W railroad, and which do not match the mileposts used to mark the Virginia Creeper Trail.

5.7 Just before reaching Trestle 7, cross a gravel road surrounded by two gates.

You will cross several more gates and private gravel roads on the way to Damascus. Remember that the public has access to only the narrow corridor of the original rail line. Please respect, and keep off of, private property and remember to close all gates behind you.

7.3 Reach the west end of the South Holston Trestle.

Crossing the Holston Trestle.

Here the Middle Fork of the Holston River joins the South Fork. While the rivers above the confluence flow freely, below the confluence is South Holston Lake, an impoundment created by the Tennessee Valley Authority's South Holston Dam, located just a few miles downstream in Tennessee.

            The trestle also marks the low point of the ride. You have dropped 300 feet in elevation from Abingdon and must gain nearly another 300 feet on the way to Damascus.

Jean on the trestle.

7.8 There is a small picnic area on the bank of the river.

8.7 Cross a paved road in the tiny community of Alvarado.

Alvarado.

For the next two miles the trail will follow a series of roads along the river.

8.8 VA 674 (Denton Valley Road) branches off to the right.

VA 710 will also branch off to the right in 0.4 mile as the Creeper stays parallel to VA 711.

10.5 Just past Trestle 15, cross paved VA 712 which immediately crosses the South Fork of the Holston on a bridge to the north.

Beyond this crossing the trail regains its rural character as it passes through a Riparian Area established by the Green Valley Poultry Farm. The Farm has planted trees and fenced livestock away from the South Fork of the Holston and from the Virginia Creeper Trail in order to enhance water quality in the river, and to improve the trail experience on the Creeper.

12.1 Cross underneath the US 58 Bridge over the South Fork of the Holston at Drowning Ford. Just beyond the crossing is a cable bridge used by hydrologists from the US Geological Survey to measure water flows in the river.

VA 711 leaves US 58 immediately on the east side of the river. From this point the Virginia Creeper will closely follow US 58 into Damascus. You will cross VA 1230, VA 715, and VA 718 along with several other private access roads on your way into town.

15.6 Reach the end of the ride at Damascus Community Park at US 58.

The Park features a red caboose hosting a visitor information center that is operated seasonally by the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. There are also restrooms, water, a pay phone, picnic tables and a vending machine. The town of Damascus offers a full range of services including restaurants, grocery stores, accommodations, and perhaps more bike shops per capita than any place else in the country. The Community Park is also the spot where the world famous Appalachian Trail first joins the Virginia Creeper on its 2,000 mile journey from Georgia to Maine.

Short and Sweet: For a shorter, mostly downhill trip, ride the 8.7 miles from Abingdon to Alvarado.

For Extra Credit: For a longer, but still mostly downhill ride, get a shuttle to Whitetop Station and ride the full length of the Creeper 33.6 miles down to Abingdon.