Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail

The Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail follows the 1850s Blue Ridge Railroad grade under Rockfish Gap, linking a trailhead on Afton Depot Lane in Afton with a second on Three Notched Mountain Highway in Waynesboro. Nelson County owns the trail and tunnel and the Nelson County Parks and Recreation Department maintains them. From one trailhead to the other it runs about 2.25 miles, or roughly 4.5 miles if you walk end to end and return the way you came; the county says a hike to the western portal and back typically takes about an hour and a half at a comfortable pace. The tread is crushed stone, 10 feet wide, with a 1 to 2 percent cross slope for the entire trail. The centerpiece is the tunnel: 4,273 feet of unlit bore driven through the mountain by Irish immigrant laborers under engineer Claudius Crozet, opened to rail traffic on April 13, 1858, and at that time the longest railroad tunnel in North America.

Which trailhead you start from changes the trip. The east approach, at 215 Afton Depot Lane, runs 3,346 feet (0.63 miles) to the east portal with a net elevation change of +37 feet, an average grade of 1.5 percent, a maximum grade of 5.3 percent over 150 feet, and most of the rest under 1.6 percent; the county rates that side fully ADA accessible and puts 56 spaces in the lot, with no bus parking. The west approach, at 483 Three Notched Mountain Highway, is 4,279 feet (0.81 miles), gains 175 feet, averages 6.5 percent and tops out at 19 percent, with grades ranging from -17 to +19 percent over lengths of 150 feet or more and staying over 5 percent for a majority of the section. That side is not ADA accessible, holds 20 cars, and does take buses. It also includes a concrete mat stream crossing that may have water flowing over it during or shortly after rainstorms. For a less strenuous trip, or for accessible or wheelchair access, the county recommends starting from the east.

Plan on the tunnel being dark and wet. It is not lit for its full 4,273 feet, and the county's rule is that you must bring your own flashlight or headlamp; a high-powered one is strongly recommended. Water drips continuously from the ceiling and walls, leaving ruts and puddles that make the ground uneven and inconsistent, and the interior stays between 55 and 65 degrees year round, so the county advises appropriate clothing and sturdy, comfortable shoes. Visitors are asked not to touch the tunnel walls, to stay off the rocks along the trails, and not to drink any water coming off the mountainside or from the rocks inside the tunnel, so fill bottles before you arrive: there are no water fountains anywhere on the trail. Portable restrooms sit at both parking areas and nowhere else. Both lots are small and limited, and the county's stated policy is that when the parking areas are full the trail is considered full. Park only in designated spaces and never along the roadways; the road and land leading to the trailhead are privately owned, and there is no overnight parking, RV parking or camping at either trailhead. Hours are daily, sunrise to sunset. Dogs are allowed on the trail and in the tunnel on a leash at all times, and cyclists are welcome, encouraged onto the gentler east side and required to yield to pedestrians, though the county also posts that mountain bikes are permitted only on designated roads.