AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Breakwater atc application3/12/2024 (Distance is approximately 2500 feet from Sign 6 to Sign 7.)įrom the Creeper Trail sign, continue east along the Creeper, passing the Town Pool, and walk across Trestle 17 over Laurel Creek. Here you will find an informational sign on the Virginia Creeper National Rail Trail, the economic engine that powers Damascus by bringing in people who enjoy bike riding. Then, when you reach the Creeper Trail crossing at the drugstore, turn right and go a hundred feet or so. At the Rock School, cross the road to the sidewalk. Go out to Shady Avenue at that point and turn left. (1250 feet from sign 5.) This was the site of one of the largest industries in Damascus, a dye plant, from 1918 to 1985.įrom Sign 6, to avoid walking on the road without a sidewalk, walk between the ball fields and along Beaverdam Creek until you get to the parking lot at the Rock School. In a short distance you will see a sign on the right next to a fence and facing an empty field. (1139 feet from Sign 4.) Building this school was a huge effort using many volunteers back in the early days of the town.īacktrack across the bridge to the library and turn left and cross the new pedestrian bridge over Beaverdam Creek. ![]() Bridge (to be reconstructed in 2022) and find the informational sign for the Rock School. Turn left at the library and cross the Water St. You will also notice an old AT Shelter near the Arch. (952 feet from Sign 3.) Here you will learn about the lumber industry and the family which started this industry in Damascus.Ĭontinue southbound along the Appalachian Trail and through the Welcome arch for hikers (an Eagle Scout project). Walk a couple of hundred yards to the playground and find the sign which sits on the location of the old railroad station. ![]() (1035 feet from Sign 1.)įrom the Founders sign, walk about halfway across the old railroad trestle (270 feet from sign 2) over Beaverdam Creek, learn about the first electric plant in Damascus and look down to view the old concrete water channel that supplied water to power it.įrom the trestle, walk back out to the red caboose and turn left onto the Appalachian Trail, southbound. Walk back toward the red caboose and you will find the sign featuring the earliest settlers of Damascus. Next to the creek and an informational sign, you will see the remains of concrete pylons, the foundation for the old water tank where the original steam engine would stop to refill. This was used on narrow gauge railroads that hauled timber out of the mountains in this area.Ĭross the main road and walk north on the Virginia Creeper Trail (formerly a railroad) for about 1/10 mile. Near the caboose is a small black engine. The route is suitable for walking or biking, and some of it is wheelchair accessible.īegin at the red caboose in the Damascus Town Park. This is the suggested path for walking or riding the Tour, with informational signs arranged in order, and distances indicated. Trail Days is a celebration of the Appalachian Trail and thru-hiker culture and a massive reunion of hikers past and present.” Each year in May, the town swells from 650 residents to an estimated 20,000 people for the weekend. The biggest event of the year in Damascus is the Appalachian Trail Days Festival, known locally as ‘Trail Days’. Just north of town is the fan-favorite Mount Rogers High-country and Grayson Highlands State Park. The trail crosses paths with the famous Virginia Creeper Trail at several points. The Appalachian Trail crosses the Tennessee / Virginia state line just a few miles south of town, then runs through the Town Park and down the sidewalk of Main Street. Opened in 2022, the ATC’s Damacus Trail Center is a hub for experienced outdoor enthusiasts, nature lovers, casual Trail visitors and volunteers alike to learn more about the wide range of outdoor resources throughout the region. passes through, along with Hot Springs, NC and Hanover, NH, Damascus is also known as the Friendliest Town on the Trail.ĭamascus is the first stop for NOBO thru-hikers once they reach the state of Virginia. Tourism is one of the largest economic drivers in Washington County, VA, second only to agriculture.Īs one of just three downtowns that the A.T. ![]() Originally a railroad town in the lumber boom of the early 20th century, this small-town economy reinvented itself through outdoor recreation and tourism in the 1990s and has been thriving ever since. ![]() Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusionĭamascus is a small town in Southwest Virginia with a big claim to fame: Seven nationally known trails intersect within town limits, making it “Trail Town USA”.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |