Before I begin I was very confused as to the difference between the town of Whitetop, VA and the mountain in VA called Whitetop. They are two different things. The town of Whitetop, VA is the eastern Terminus of the Virginia Creeper Trail. Whitetop Mountain is about 8 miles north of Whitetop, VA. The AT leaves the Virginia Creeper Trail at Lost Mountain, then gets to Whitetop Mountain in about 5 miles. The AT does not go through Whitetop, VA. I hope that clears things up for you too.
When I section hiked this area in 1999 I took the Virginia Creeper Trail north out of Damascus and stayed on it for 10.8 miles. I then got off at the northernmost AT access point and made it to the Lost Mountain Shelter within a few miles. It was very flat to slightly uphill. I remember going through a gate that said to close the gate after you so the cows won’t get out at each end of the property that the trail went through.
This trail was made possible by the concerted efforts of many individuals and organizations. It does go through some private property so please respect the rights of those land owners. The Virginia Creeper Trail is jointly maintained by the towns of Abingdon and Damascus, VA between miles 0 and 15 and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area from miles 15 to 34 according to
The Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy,
which is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of the Creeper Trail corridor. This organization also sells the official Virginia Creeper Trail Map. It is available for sale on their website. Please help support this organization by buying a copy. It is only $6.95 and I believe that includes shipping. Enjoy your adventures on the Virginia Creeper Trail!
