Both of them are completely fine and offer the same service, but we personally really like Blue Blaze the most!Įssentially, whichever shuttle service you choose will help you fit your bike to you, provide a helmet, shuttle you and your bike they provide to Whitetop (the top of the trail), and get you going in the right direction. We’ve went through Blue Blaze Bike Shuttle Service twice, and we have also done Shuttle Shack. Which Bike Service is Best for the Virginia Creeper Trail?Ī lot of the bike rental companies offer essentially the exact same service. Most people also do the trail through paying for one of the numerous shuttle services running in the area. When most people say they are doing the Creeper, they usually mean the 17 mile, one way, downhill journey that starts in Whitetop and ends in Damascus. Located in southwestern Virginia, the trail runs from Abingdon to Whitetop, Virginia, near Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the North Carolina state line. The Virginia Creeper Trail is a 35-mile multi-purpose rail trail. This has given us a pretty good idea of the best tips to know before doing the Virginia Creeper Trail, and I wanted to round up all our tips here. We have biked the Virginia Creeper Trail (called the Creeper for short) three times- once in the summer, and twice in the fall, specifically mid-October and early November). I want to share all my Virginia Creeper Trail tips so you can know everything you need to prepare for, see along the way and more on the creeper! It’s one of those activities you can do again and again, so be prepared to fall in love. This bike trail is one of the most fun and scenic outdoor activities you can possibly do, but it might seem daunting your first time. However, it can rapidly overpopulate your yard, so be wary when planting.Biking the Virginia Creeper Trail deserves a top spot on your USA bucket list. While the Virginia Creeper can be a beautiful lawn ornament, it can also harbor numerous species of insects, songbirds and wildlife. Humans mostly use the plant for ornamental purposes, but it is also used to control soil erosion, to attract birds, and for a few medicinal purposes (the bark and twigs are made into cough syrup). The sap of the plant also contains oxalate crystals and can cause skin irritation and rashes in some people. The berries of the Virginia Creeper are not poisonous to humans however, they do contain oxalic acid, which when consumed will irritate your stomach and kidneys. This destructive feeding process, also performed by Japanese Beetles, is called skeletonizing. ![]() The tougher veins are left behind, creating a net-like skeleton. As the eggs hatch, the caterpillars begin eating the leaf tissue between the veins on the underside of the leaves. ![]() The adult Grapeleaf Skeletonizer lays eggs in clusters on the leaves. In the fall the fully-grown caterpillars spin cocoons in the vine’s leaves. The female Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth lays two to three eggs on the underside of the Virginia Creeper. The Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth, the Achemon Sphinx moth and the Grapeleaf Skeletonizer use the plant as its larvae host. ![]() While animals such as mice, skunks, chipmunks, squirrels, cattle and deer will munch on the leaves and stems of this vine, it is the insect class that relishes the plant. More than 35 species of birds enjoy eating the Virginia Creeper’s berries, including: thrushes, woodpeckers, warblers, vireos, mockingbirds and other songbirds. They have been found climbing as high up as 98 feet and are native to countries in the western hemisphere, including: Southeastern Canada and as far west as Manitoba, Canada Eastern Mexico Guatemala the Eastern and Central parts of the United States and South Dakota, Utah and Texas.ĭuring winter months, birds are not only attracted to the red leaves, but also to the bluish-black berries that the vine produces. This green vine, which changes to a beautiful, purplish to bright red color in autumn, uses tendrils (slender, curling extensions) that have adhesive-like tips to rapidly attach themselves to structures, rough or smooth. The Virginia Creeper, scientifically known as the Parthenocissus quinquefolia, is a five-leafed woody vine that provides an abundance of food for hundreds of insects, birds and other wildlife. Photo by Larry Allain, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |