Virginia Creeper Trail invites bikers to take it easy

DAMASCUS, Virginia (AP) - The Virginia Creeper Trail offers a family-friendly bike ride, adaptable to any skill level, and with scenery to hold anyone's attention.

The trail runs about 34 miles from Whitetop Station in Whitetop, Virginia (about a mile shy of the North Carolina border) into Abingdon, Virginia.

At least a half-dozen outfitters in the area rent bikes and provide shuttles up the mountain road to Whitetop Station for $25 per rider.

The most popular segment by bike is the first 17 miles downhill from Whitetop to Damascus, a pleasant ride with gorgeous, woodsy scenery.

It's busy in autumn as visitors take in the fall colors, so reserve your bike rentals and shuttles ahead of time.

The mountain route was originally home to a rail line but trains stopped running in the 1970s.