CROZET, Va. – One of the destinations for the WSLS Blue Ridge Games is the Blue Ridge Tunnel in Nelson County. 10 News anchor John Carlin gave it a test on his bike.
Riding into the Blue Ridge Tunnel
As I rigged up a helmet-mounted light for my ride in the Eastern Trailhead of the Blue Ridge Tunnel, cars began filling the parking lot with other people who had the same idea.
“I hope it’s like pitch black and kind of like spooky,” Eric Luna of Harrisonburg said.
Jerry and Judy Yeatman of Pennsylvania are driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. They were looking for places to use their new e-bikes, and the tunnel was a perfect destination.
“That’s a good stop-off place to bike. So that’s why we want to do it,” Jerry said. “A lot of places you can’t bike, but here you can.”
There’s a lot to think about on this trail which totals 2.3 miles from one parking lot to the other. Essentially, there is a section of hard-packed trail for less than a mile on either side of the tunnel. There are parking lots at either end, but the eastern trailhead side offers the easiest walk or ride, and the least distance to the tunnel entrance.
The tunnel entrance came into view as I rounded a corner. Water was dripping down from the top and the ground was somewhere between damp and wet.
Once in the tunnel, I switched on my helmet light and kept riding. Water seeped in through the walls creating deep puddles on the sides of the trail. I later confirmed that crayfish live in the puddles.
About in the middle, I learned I was crossing underneath the Appalachian Trail.
After nearly a mile riding essentially underground, you emerge back into the daylight.
Along the way, the rough stone walls had turned to brick. And while the eastern entrance was rough, the western side was much more refined, thanks to the workers who built the tunnel starting c. 1850, under the direction of chief engineer, Claudius Crozet.
Once out of the tunnel, I had the option of riding the approximately eight-tenths of a mile to the western trailhead parking lot. But the attraction was the tunnel itself, so I turned around and rode back through, and returned to the car.
By cycling standards, this is a very short ride. But it’s long on scenery.
It’s something you will remember for a long time.
Want to learn more about the Blue Ridge Games? You can find more information here. Registration opens July 1!