Damascus Virginia to Grayson Highlands State Park Appalachian Trail Section Hike
Damascus Virginia is nicknamed Trail Town USA and this section covers the miles headed there from Tennessee all the way to the wild ponies in Grayson Highlands State Park! In 2023 we section hiked 1,225 miles of the Appalachian Trail, the longest footpath in the world, and spent 13 weeks day hiking, working, and van camping on the Appalachian Trail as we moved up the trail slowly from Georgia to Maine. In this series we cover each section we hiked and in this article we cover the area Northbound and Southbound from Damascus Virginia to Grayson Highlands.
If heading NOBO (Northbound) on the Appalachian Trail the Us 421 Low Gap in Tennessee is marked as mile 455.7 of the 2023 AT Distance and the VA 603 gap is 511.9. This 56.2 mile stretch is what we covered in four days and you will gain 12.5k in ascent and about 12.5k in descent!
Damascus and Grayson Highlands Appalachian Trail Section Hike Need to Know’s:
The 15 Miles from Low Gap TN into the town of Damascus Virginia was the easiest 15 mile stretch of hiking I did on the entire AT!
Damascus Virginia is another Trail Town that the AT runs directly through! From hosting Trail Days to being the “Friendliest Town on the Trail” to having the Creeper Trail as well right in town this was a fun place to hang. We even had the Mayor Katie on our podcast HERE!
The blue blaze to the top of Mt Rogers (the state high point of Virginia) doesn’t offer any views but does offer another chance to reach the top of a AT state just off the trail!
We stayed at the Hickory Ridge Campground in Grayson Highlands State Park. Pro Tip: The very famous Wild Ponies don’t come out as much in the rain, if it’s going to be raining the next day and it’s sunny, go see the ponies!
The 2nd highest point in Virginia (White Top Mountain) is also along the AT in this section.
If you are choosing to backpack this 54 mile stretch you have several shelter options, hostels and B&B’s in Damascus, and even state park campgrounds in Grayson Highlands.
What else happened that was memorable during this section hike?
I hiked with my first thru hiker for an entire day after mainly hiking with my family or by myself. I had a great time with Cardinal and we clipped 3.5 miles an hour as we rolled into Damascus (I told you it was an easy slice of the AT!)
Arriving in Damascus felt a bit monumental. There was something beautiful about arriving in a few of the well touted AT Trail Towns we had heard so much about and it was always fun to enter them out of the woods on foot.
The largest snake I saw on the entire AT was a 6 foot black rat snake that was located a few miles north of Damascus after the Creeper Trail and the AT separate.
Grayson Highlands was way tougher and rougher hiking terrain than we imagined. I just thought of wild ponies and beautiful flowers and they were there; combined with steep ascents, descents, jagged rocks, and tight squeezes!
The one two punch of Mount Rogers and White Top on the same day held out as my fourth highest day in elevation the whole hike (Katahdin, Washington, and the AT Approach Trail were the only ones that were higher.
What gear did I use and like the most on my 2023 AT Section Hike?
Hoka One Kaha’s were my trusted shoes for this day (and for the whole summer on the trail.)
I used my REI 40 Liter Backpack. This worked great since I was coming on and off the trail every day but most thru-hikers or multi-day section hikers were looking at bigger packs than mine.
Darn Tough Vermont and Merino Wool Socks from REI and SmartWool were my go to’s.
Osprey Water Bladder and Lifestraw Collapsible Filter for hydration.
I wore New Balance running shorts mainly and much preferred that to more typical hiking shorts.
Gaiters were a must as was coating our clothes in Permethrin to avoid ticks. (We did not get any ticks remarkably while hiking the AT in 2023.)
The AT Guide by AWOL and AT Conservancy are AMAZING resources for a hike on the AT!
Damascus Virginia: Trail Town USA!
Virginia has the most miles of any state on the Appalachian Trail and we were spending the most time in that state (tied with Maine at 3.5 weeks each) and this section was a great intro of what was to come!
I understand why you could get the “Virginia Blues” as a thru-hiker but as a section hiker this piece of trail will have you excited and elated as you go by every blaze.
It was a decently friendly stretch for our dog and our campgrounds (Damascus Creekside RV and Hickory Ridge in Grayson Highlands) were both perfect if you have a fur companion.
Damascus has a bit of a reputation as a super friendly trail town. I felt that the people there were as friendly as could be but I would also say I was fortunate to have little to zero bad encounters with locals as I hiked.
What Damascus had that we really loved was TONS of super easy to reach access points of the AT that enabled us to keep the van at Creekside RV for five nights (our longest stay at one place in the 13 plus week we spent on the AT.)
If you are into cycling as well the Creeper Trail seems to be as good as it gets (we met people from all over the WORLD who were in Damascus not to hike, but rather to cycle!)
From the Wild Ponies in Grayson to Trail Town USA in Damascus to the two highest points in Virginia this section of the AT packs quite a punch for its highlight reel!
We spent five days hiking this section that included some “double back” miles and I think Cotopaxi and Jill did the four miles of the Creeper Trail in and out of Damascus about three times a day :)!
For me this was a section of the trail that I had heard so much about as well and it was fun to see it in person. Jason M who writes on this site and is a frequent podcast guest grew up in this area and hiked these mountains forever. I was supposed to hike this section of trail with a few of my buds in December of 2022 on a winter backpacking trip that I had to bail on because I got sick. It was actually intended to be one of my “shakedown” hikes to prepare for the AT. I finally got to experience it in person though and it was worth the wait.
Thanks for reading and happy trails to you! Whether you are planning a thru, section, or day hike…or are a trail town local, trail angel, or just someone wanting to learn more about the longest footpath in the world…I hope the Appalachian Trail gives you what you need! Don’t forget to Leave No Trace and pack your 10 Essentials!
Comment below with questions or your experience on this section.
Our Trail Towns USA Podcast Episode with the mayor of Damascus can be found HERE or on your podcasts app and it details all of the trail towns we experienced in the state.
Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike R
