Media

Drone image of downtown Damascus, Virginia

Cyclists standing under the Virginia Creeper Trail arch next to the Town Park Caboose

Damascus, Virginia Media Room

2026 Damascus Area Trail Updates

For decades now, the many trails of Damascus, Virginia have been a source of economic growth and vitality. We are open for business and our local businesses are eagerly welcoming visitors back to town. We have a busy 2026 season ahead!

The Virginia Creeper Trail remains open from the Start to the Heart, Abingdon to Damascus, about 17 miles. The upper half of the trail is being rebuilt and is expected to be completed in late 2026.

The Appalachian Trail has a temporary detour just north of Damascus during the rebuilding of the Virginia Creeper Trail. The trail follows the historic Iron Mountain Trail to the Mount Rogers High Country.

View our Damascus Area Trail Updates for the most current trail conditions and more information on the restoration of the upper half of the Virginia Creeper Trail:

Damascus Area Trail Updates

Scout troop biking the Virginia Creeper Trail in Damascus, Virginia

Welcome to Damascus VA, Trail Town USA!

One of America’s Best Trail Towns

Damascus is a small town in Southwest Virginia with a big claim to fame: Several major trails intersect right in downtown, creating “Trail Town USA”.

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. Tourism is one of the largest economic drivers in Washington County, VA, second only to agriculture.

Many Trails Pass Through Downtown

Damascus is at the heart of the Virginia Creeper Trail, which stretches across the middle of town two blocks to the south and connects to Whitetop Station and Abingdon. The 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail is a world-famous Rail-Trail Hall-of-Famer and economic engine for Southwest Virginia. The TransVirginia Bike Route and Grayson Gravel Traverse follow the Virginia Creeper.
The Appalachian Trail enters the state of Virginia just a few miles south of Damascus, then runs through the Town Park and down the sidewalk of Laurel Avenue, our Main Street. The AT passes right by the Damascus Trail Center, one of three visitor centers operated by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy along the trail’s 2,200 miles.
Laurel Avenue is a waypoint on several long-distance routes, including the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail / Route 76, the Mount Rogers Scenic Byway, the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail, and The Crooked Road.
The Iron Mountain Trail heads up into the forest from Douglas Drive, offering classic ridgeline singletrack for mountain biking and trail running.
This tiny town is the hub where the Mid-Atlantic & South East Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) meet. These two dual-sport routes, when combined with the North East BDR, stretch from Florida to Canada.

Where Your Front Porch is the Trailhead

Nearby are Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Grayson Highlands State Park, and Cherokee National Forest. Damascus is a gateway community to the five highest peaks in the state and popular hiking destinations: Mount Rogers (5,729ft), Whitetop Mountain (5,525ft), Pine Mountain/Wilburn Ridge (5,525ft), Buzzard Rock (5,095ft), and Haw Orchard Mountain (5,007ft). Just outside of town, we have Backbone Rock Recreation Area, also known as the “World’s Shortest Highway Tunnel,” and Beartree Lake Recreation Area.

Best-Kept Secret? Trout Streams

One of our best-kept secrets? Several trout streams converge right here. Whitetop Laurel, Beaverdam Creek, and Tennessee Laurel come together in downtown to form Laurel Creek for a short distance and join the South Fork of the Holston River just downstream. Each is a fishing destination in its own right. Whitetop Laurel is renowned as one of Virginia’s greatest wild trout streams and forms in the shadow of Whitetop Mountain, Virginia’s second highest peak. The river flows into nearby South Holston Lake, a popular spot along the Virginia/Tennessee state line for motorized boating, flatwater paddling, swimming, and bass fishing. And the famed South Holston tailwater in Tennessee is just a quick trip away!

Appalachian Trail Days Festival

The biggest event of the year in Damascus is the Appalachian Trail Days Festival, known locally as ‘Trail Days’. Each year in May, the town swells from 700 residents to an estimated 25,000 people for the weekend. Trail Days is the world’s largest hiking festival – a grand celebration of the Appalachian Trail and thru-hiker culture and a massive reunion of thru-hikers past and present.

Visit Damascus Press Kits

New Exhibit at the Damascus Trail Center

Chain Reaction: How Bikes Led to a Trail-Town Revolution, invites visitors to explore the rich trail history and cultural significance of Southwest Virginia as part of America’s 250th anniversary. The exhibit is a reflection on the American spirit: one of resilience, reinvention, and the simple joy of the journey. The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence and the 50th anniversary of the Bikecentennial. The exhibit is free to the public and on display now through National Public Lands Day, September 26, 2026. (posted June 2026)

Appalachian Trail Days Festival, May 2026

How Bikes Led to a Trail-Town Revolution, June 2026

View Damascus-Related Hurricane Helene Updates

Halloween trick or treating in front of Discover Damascus

Damascus Outfitters on the Appalachian Trail in downtown Damascus

Business & Quality of Life

Welcome to the Friendliest Town on the Trail! Damascus, Virginia has a longstanding tourism and outdoor recreation economy. Several trails intersect within town limits, bringing along people, stories, and culture from all walks of life. Thanks to the efforts of our community – local government, dedicated staff, scores of volunteers, and residents – we’ve found ways to turn these trails and our other outdoor recreation resources into a source of local pride and community revitalization.

Damascus Business Recruitment Tools

Livability Magazine, Washington County