ABINGDON, Va. — Fall season has arrived in full force on the East Coast.
But this year in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the season will look differently for dozens of communities across the nation. The famous Virginia Creeper Trail is one of them.
The Creeper Trail, located in Southwestern Virginia, is a 34-mile rail trail stretching from Abingdon to Whitetop. Every fall, thousands of visitors eager to view the fall foliage visit the site. The most popular months for tourism are October and May.
This year, the Creeper Trail was forced to temporarily shut down to the public. Hurricane Helene not only devastated people's lives and homes but also nearly destroyed the best way to recover the economy. Fall tourism is the biggest source of funding for mountainous regions of Southwestern Virginia, just like in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
Currently, the second half of the trail, from Damascus to Whitetop, is still closed for repairs. But the starting half, from Abingdon to Damascus, is open and visitors are encouraged to take a look.
Meteorologist Tevian Whitehurst and Visual Storyteller Jillian Taylor traveled to Virginia to bike the trail, and learn why reopening it to the public is so important.
If you'd like to explore the trail yourself, follow the link to the US Forest Service for updates on trail closings.
If you'd like to bike along the trail, there's a multitude of shops where you can rent bikes and/or sign up for shuttle services to pick you up on each end.
If you leave from Abingdon, you'll bike down to Alvarado or Damascus and then you'll be picked up by your shuttle. The local company Tevian and Jillian worked with was Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop owned by Jerry Campers.
If you go to Damascus and want to support a resilient local business, head to Wilson's Cafe and Grill. Their owner manages three local businesses, so your money will go far.
Finally, the best way to help these impacted areas is money! If you can't make the trip yourself, consider donating to organizations like United Way of Southwestern Virginia. Their disaster relief fund has received over $800,000 since its creation in late September.