This time next year, repairs could be winding down to the Virginia Creeper Trail, half of which sustained catastrophic damage when the remnants of Hurricane Helene blew through Southwest Virginia one year ago Saturday.
For that to happen, the U.S. Forest Service, which owns and will soon begin repairing the second half of the 34-mile recreation trail, must meet the ambitious schedule it has shared with local officials, which is to finish its work in one year.
Damascus Town Manager Chris Bell shared the timeline during a recent town event, updating the progress made since the hurricane brought serious flooding and high winds to the Washington County town and surrounding communities.
Bell referred to the one-year completion goal as both “remarkable” and “aggressive.” He said earlier that the schedule was part of the request for proposals from USFS to prospective contractors.
Several attempts over nearly three weeks to talk to officials with the Forest Service for this story have been unsuccessful. The initial request on Sept. 9 for an interview with the local ranger in Marion was referred to a USFS public affairs officer, who responded the following day. Two days later, she said the request was submitted, but she added that there is a high volume of requests. There was no response to an email sent earlier this week to a USFS official in Atlanta.
Initially, Bell said he thought it would likely take about three years to complete the project. He said it’s possible that the time frame could be adjusted later. The schedule could be affected by weather conditions, material shortages or labor issues, he added.
The Creeper Trail project is expected to cost $200 million to $300 million. The money is a portion of $660 million approved by Congress in December as part of the American Relief Act of 2025. The remainder of the $660 million is for repair of other Helene-related damage and for watershed and forest restorations, a USFS official said earlier.
The rebuild will largely follow the existing trail corridor to maintain the downward grade from Whitetop to Damascus, said Bell. The downhill path makes it an easy bike ride, which is one reason that portion of the trail is so popular.
The trail is the economic lifeblood of the restaurants, inns and bike shops in Damascus, which has nearly 800 residents. The Appalachian Trail also passes through the town, which is known as Trail Town USA.
The Creeper Trail runs from Abingdon to Whitetop Station near the North Carolina line. It was built on the bed of a mountain railroad between Abingdon and the Virginia-North Carolina border. Before Helene, it drew about 250,000 visitors per year.
The closed 17-mile section of the trail between Damascus and its end sustained widespread damage, including the destruction of 18 of 31 trestles, while most of the remainder were damaged and compromised, the USFS said in an Aug. 15 news release. Much of that part of the trail and some of the trestles were simply washed away.
The first half of the trail, which runs from Abingdon to Damascus and is owned by the two towns, sustained only minor damage and reopened within a few days after the storm. The first section is flatter land and offers a more challenging bike ride.
Local officials have been urging trail enthusiasts to hike and bike the first half of the trail while the second half is restored. The use of e-bikes was approved to help entice more users to that part of the trail.
Lisa Quigley, executive director of the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy, said she encourages people to try the first half because it offers a lot of scenic, bucolic spots not seen on the upper portion.
“One of the most unique aspects of the entire trail is due to the fact that you go through so many environments, not just firs and Alpine environments, but some places have small communities like Alvarado, which really now have an opportunity to showcase themselves, which will bode well for … when the entire trail is reopened,” she said.
Bell and Quigley say the first half of the trail is being used more these days. However, the town manager also noted that business is down by about 60% to 70% for the bike shops in town, most of which were damaged but reopened after the storm.
Preparing for a ‘contractor economy’
In June, to jumpstart the rebuilding efforts, the Forest Service contracted debris removal along its portion of the trail, according to Bell. About 30,000 cubic yards of downed trees, damaged trestles and other debris were removed, he said.
The work is expected to be completed in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests by the end of this month, he said, adding that will “clear the way for the next steps in recovery.”
By early October, the Forest Service is expected to announce the main contractor for the trail restoration project. The list has been narrowed to three large companies that have the employees and the knowledge and experience to handle the huge project, local officials said.
The contract is for the design and repair of the trail and will include removal of the remaining debris and damaged trestles, Bell said.
Once the trail work is underway, which is expected next month, construction workers and other crews will descend on the town, which is expected to bring a temporary economic boon to the region.
Bell, who said he expects at least a few hundred workers and has heard that as many as 800 might come, called the boost a “short-term contractor economy.” Once the winning contractor is named, town officials will work with the company to make sure the restaurants and bars can accommodate the workforce. Housing will also be needed, he added.
“We want to accommodate the workforce … as much as possible so they stay here, eat here, spend their dollars here. And so, we’ve been actively talking to all of our residents and businesses about what we need to do as a town to prepare ourselves and welcome this contractor economy,” Bell said.
He also plans to work with the contractor to form partnerships with local businesses.
Helene-related projects have already provided a boost to the town’s economy.
Over the last year, restaurants have seen an uptick in business thanks to the workers who came to town to rebuild houses and infrastructure. About 90 houses were repaired, and eight new ones were built.
Crews were also in town to rebuild a section of U.S. 58, nearly a mile of which was washed away by the storm. The repair was handled by the Virginia Department of Transportation, which completed the work five months ahead of schedule. The completion of repairs to the two-lane road between Damascus and Konnarock proved to be a real morale boost to those in Damascus, local officials have said.
It will also aid in the Creeper Trail repair, allowing crews access to parts of the trail that are more remote.
An ’emotional attachment’
The town manager and the Forest Service have cautioned people to stay off the second half of the trail, where debris removal continues and where recovery work involving heavy machinery is expected to start soon. Barriers and keep-out signs have been placed along the path.
Those who enter the trail can cause delays because construction must stop whenever a person is spotted in the work zone, the USFS said in a news release.
People looking for recreation opportunities can use the first half of the trail or try the nearby Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, which offers scenic hiking, biking and equestrian trails, the news release states. A recreation map and trail updates are available on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests website.
One takeaway from the aftermath of Helene for both Bell and Quigley has been the overwhelming love so many people have for Damascus and the Creeper Trail.
“The number of cards and emails, messages that we’ve received the month or six weeks after the hurricane, that really brought me to tears a couple times because people were saying the same thing: ‘This trail saved my life’ or ‘I’m 10 years sober because of this trail,’” Quigley said. “Whatever the emotional attachment is, it is real and it is tangible.”