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Recreation meets relaxation at Brinkwaters in downtown Damascus, VA, a unique mountain town near the North Carolina and Tennessee borders. Whether your favorite past time is biking, hiking or fishing, or perhaps all three, you will find plenty of ways to unplug and unwind.
Biking
The Virginia Creeper Trail is one of the country’s most famous biking trails, and Damascus is at the heart of this 34-mile experience. Just across the street from Brinkwaters are bike shops that offer bike rentals and shuttle service to Whitetop Mountain. Start there and coast your way down the 17-mile trail back to downtown Damascus. While on the trail, stop along the way at the Green Cove Station, grab a bite to eat at the Creeper Trail Café, skip rocks along various river stops, keep count of the 47 trestles and bridges along the trail, or explore Creek Junction, where the trail runs beside some of the best trout fishing in Virginia. If you’re feeling more adventurous, start in Damascus and take the 17-mile slightly uphill trek to Abington, VA.
Hiking
Damascus, VA is named Trail Town, USA for a reason! Seven nationally known Appalachian trails intersect within its borders, with many other trails and parks just minutes away. Whether you are an amateur or an avid hiker, you’ll find a pathway perfect for you. Get ready to be stunned by the natural beauty of the area. After your hiking adventures, your Brinkwaters room will beckon you back to relax and unwind for the day.
Grayson Highlands State Park
The Channels Trail
Backbone Rock
Gentry Falls
Buzzard Rock
Appalachian Trail to Tennessee Border
Fishing
The area’s abundance of streams, lakes and watering holes provide ample opportunity for rookie and expert fishermen alike to cast a line. White Laurel flows into Damascus and is known as Virginia’s finest trout stream. Try your hand at fly fishing at small streams around the area. Or take a short trip to South Holston Lake for tailwater fishing in the waters immediately downstream from the dam. Wherever you choose to explore, chances are the fish tales you have heard will come true in Damascus.
