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This trail/tunnel is a must see if you're in the area. We started at the East trailhead and were able to get a parking spot on a Friday around 2pm. There's a fairly level walk to the tunnel itself, which is nearly a mile long. Definitely bring your flashlight or it will get pitch dark inside and you'll have to turn back. It's kinda deceiving since you'll see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and think you're almost at the end way before you're really almost done. The ground is mostly level inside but there are some ridges and a few mini-craters to watch your footing. Also, the tunnel is 55-60 degrees even when it's much warmer outside so be ready for that. This isn't a hard core long Appalachian Trail style hike by any means but it's unique and something to check out if you're in the area.
I couldn't figure out where the East Trailhead was located but I sure found the signage for the West Trailhead at 483 Three Notched Mountain Hwy, Waynesboro, VA 22980. A nice parking area loop where I left the car and followed the path. It was about a mile and a half (?) of mostly smooth walkway though some of the grading could be challenging. I'd put it at a 1 or 2 on the difficulty scale - easy enough for kids and pushing a wheelchair but definitely not for someone with walking issues. Other than that, the trail is lovely and it was busy enough with couples, kids and even grandparents walking along. Only one or two benches and no water sources, but definitely doable for someone as out-of-shape as yours truly. The trail goes right to the tunnel entrance and if you're lucky, there won't be a crowd of people in the way of getting a few amazing pictures of this 4273 foot long tunnel. Its dark and cold and humid, but you can see the light at the far end and that was very cool. There's some history here but no captions of explanations on site. In the mid 19-th century, the Virginia Central Railway wanted to connect to the Shenandoah Valley. To do that, they needed to build a rail line across the Blue Ridge Mountains. And so France-born Claudius Crozet who had been an engineer in Napoleon's army but was now the chief engineer on the Blue Ridge Mountain railroad project and tasked with establishing a rail crossing through the mountains. His plan for achieving this involved building four tunnels, with the last of the four being the longest and most challenging by far. At the time of its completion in 1858, it was the longest tunnel in the United States. It's worth pointing out that the project predated the invention of dynamite, so the work was done with hand tools and black powder, making it exceedingly slow and dangerous. This Blue Ridge Tunnel was used until 1944, when it was replaced by an adjacent parallel tunnel that was able to accommodate larger freight trains. As this new tunnel became known as the Blue Ridge Tunnel, the original was renamed the Crozet Tunnel in honor of the great engineer. So technically, THIS business on Yelp should be renamed Crozet Tunnel. [Review 15103 overall, 605 of 2021, number 1318 in Virginia.]
It's a nice but dark (obviously... it's a tunnel). The floor is a little uneven and water dripping down. The tunnel is decently long and the walk from the parking lot is decently long as well. Parking is okay- could use more spots on busy days. Pet friendly.
Nice trail to do real good walk gets nice and cool in the tunnel It's a must if you are in the area
The history is neat but let's face it - there's only so much to see. The total hike to and from the parking lot is around 3 miles, of which around 2 miles is underground. The parking lot is on the smaller side so that can be an issue. The tunnel is cold, so be prepared for that. Your cellphone flashlight will do, but bring something brighter if you actually want to look around. You walk in, you go a mile, you come out to the other side, and you go back. That's about it.
Neat little trail through the tunnel that took over 9 years to make. We went when it was 20 degrees outside so obviously a little cold in the middle but otherwise a cool walk through history. The tunnel is about .5 mile from the parking lot and the trail through the tunnel is another .5- 1 mile long. I'm not exactly sure the distance but probably 3 miles round trip unless you decide to walk to the other parking lot. Overall the trail is pretty flat and it gets pitch black inside so I would bring a flashlight or some sort of light. This is also close to Veritas winery and Blue Mts. Brewery if you want drinks after (both are very good). Overall would recommend this just because not everyday you can walk through a tunnel through a mountain. There are also lots of signs along the trail with bits of history and information on the tunnel.
Beautiful March day, so we decided to go for a hike (actually walk) at the Blue Ridge tunnel. We started on the Afton side and walked over to the Waynesboro side. I wouldn't consider it a hike. It was all relatively flat and gravel covered. There were plenty of dogs on the walk as well as strollers. You will need a flashlight or headlamp. You can use your cell phone flashlight, but doesn't put off a great light. Be prepared for it to be wet. It hadn't rained in a few days and there were still plenty of water on the path and coming down into the tunnel. If you have shoes that you don't want to get dirty, I wouldn't wear them on this walk. Side note: easy trip down to Rt 151 to grab a drink!
Highly recommend this trail. It's about 0.6 miles from the parking lot to the entrance to the tunnel. Even if you don't want to walk the 1-mile tunnel (definitely bring a flashlight and a jacket!), it's worth the walk to see the entrance. Kids could make the tunnel walk if they aren't afraid of the dark
We chose to park in the West Trailhead side and walked in from that direction of the tunnel. We started out with our flashlights on but wanted to walk the tunnel without the flashlights. The Experience was fantastic. We did turn on our flashlights when we saw people approaching so we would not startle them. It is dark, damp, and cold in the tunnel. You hear the little water falling inside. We had pocket warmers and I think they were needed. We were both happy we had our pocket warmers. The hike to the tunnel has wonderful forest views and an excellently maintained trail. They also have some plaques with historical information on them. We really thought that was a nice additions to our hike. Both sides of the tunnel has picnic tables. The picnic tables are brand new this year. We stopped and had lunch. There are 2 parking areas. East Trailhead Blue Ridge Tunnel and West Trailhead Blue Ridge Tunnel. Both have a porta potty but no running water. So you will want to take some hand sanitizer. Easy hike, 4.6 miles. Out and back. 370ft elevation gain. The best maintained trail I have ever seen. Hiker friendly, kid friendly. Dogs on leash, Forest view, tucked away on the side of a mountain, Historical tunnel view. Some of the trail is paved, then gravel, and then dirt with gravel mix. Make sure you leave no trash behind read more
We had a group of eight for the hike. We started on the east side. The walk through the tunnel was great. I was thankful that started on the east side because it was a pretty steep and long climb after the tunnel. It was 4.5 miles total for the walk. To have the steepest part at the middle was perfect rather than having it at the end. Highly recommend. The tunnel is not claustrophobic at all as it is large inside and you can see the end the entire time. It was a perfect fall hike with the leaves changing. We stopped at Blue Mountain Brewery afterward (only 6 minutes away) for lunch. read more
Highly recommend. This is an easy hike, about 6 miles or so down and back, with very little incline and no major rocks to scramble over. We parked at the East Trailhead, which is flat walk to the tunnel entrance. The tunnel itself is SO COOL- pitch black, and pretty chilly (55-65 degrees year round inside the tunnel). Definitely bring a little flashlight, and a hat/gloves for the inside of the tunnel. Plenty of parking, ports potties available at each trailhead. read more
This trail/tunnel is a must see if you're in the area. We started at the East trailhead and were able to get a parking spot on a Friday around 2pm. There's a fairly level walk to the tunnel itself, which is nearly a mile long. Definitely bring your flashlight or it will get pitch dark inside and you'll have to turn back. It's kinda deceiving since you'll see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and think you're almost at the end way before you're really almost done. The ground is mostly level inside but there are some ridges and a few mini-craters to watch your footing. Also, the tunnel is 55-60 degrees even when it's much warmer outside so be ready for that. This isn't a hard core long Appalachian Trail style hike by any means but it's unique and something to check out if you're in the area. read more
I couldn't figure out where the East Trailhead was located but I sure found the signage for the West Trailhead at 483 Three Notched Mountain Hwy, Waynesboro, VA 22980. A nice parking area loop where I left the car and followed the path. It was about a mile and a half (?) of mostly smooth walkway though some of the grading could be challenging. I'd put it at a 1 or 2 on the difficulty scale - easy enough for kids and pushing a wheelchair but definitely not for someone with walking issues. Other than that, the trail is lovely and it was busy enough with couples, kids and even grandparents walking along. Only one or two benches and no water sources, but definitely doable for someone as out-of-shape as yours truly. The trail goes right to the tunnel entrance and if you're lucky, there won't be a crowd of people in the way of getting a few amazing pictures of this 4273 foot long tunnel. Its dark and cold and humid, but you can see the light at the far end and that was very cool. There's some history here but no captions of explanations on site. In the mid 19-th century, the Virginia Central Railway wanted to connect to the Shenandoah Valley. To do that, they needed to build a rail line across the Blue Ridge Mountains. And so France-born Claudius Crozet who had been an engineer in Napoleon's army but was now the chief engineer on the Blue Ridge Mountain railroad project and tasked with establishing a rail crossing through the mountains. His plan for achieving this involved building four tunnels, with the last of the four being the longest and most challenging by far. At the time of its completion in 1858, it was the longest tunnel in the United States. It's worth pointing out that the project predated the invention of dynamite, so the work was done with hand tools and black powder, making it exceedingly slow and dangerous. This Blue Ridge Tunnel was used until 1944, when it was replaced by an adjacent parallel tunnel that was able to accommodate larger freight trains. As this new tunnel became known as the Blue Ridge Tunnel, the original was renamed the Crozet Tunnel in honor of the great engineer. So technically, THIS business on Yelp should be renamed Crozet Tunnel. [Review 15103 overall, 605 of 2021, number 1318 in Virginia.] read more
2 years ago
It's a nice but dark (obviously... it's a tunnel). The floor is a little uneven and water dripping down. The tunnel is decently long and the walk from the parking lot is decently long as well. Parking is okay- could use more spots on busy days. Pet friendly. read more
2 years ago
Absolutely epic. Walk in the dark at least part of the time without lights and it's totally safe to do so as the surface when I was there was smooth. It's a hypnotic spot. A true nugget you won't regret. And you'll get your 8-10,000 steps along the way. read more
3 years ago
Nice trail to do real good walk gets nice and cool in the tunnel It's a must if you are in the area read more
6 years ago
The history is neat but let's face it - there's only so much to see. The total hike to and from the parking lot is around 3 miles, of which around 2 miles is underground. The parking lot is on the smaller side so that can be an issue. The tunnel is cold, so be prepared for that. Your cellphone flashlight will do, but bring something brighter if you actually want to look around. You walk in, you go a mile, you come out to the other side, and you go back. That's about it. read more
Neat little trail through the tunnel that took over 9 years to make. We went when it was 20 degrees outside so obviously a little cold in the middle but otherwise a cool walk through history. The tunnel is about .5 mile from the parking lot and the trail through the tunnel is another .5- 1 mile long. I'm not exactly sure the distance but probably 3 miles round trip unless you decide to walk to the other parking lot. Overall the trail is pretty flat and it gets pitch black inside so I would bring a flashlight or some sort of light. This is also close to Veritas winery and Blue Mts. Brewery if you want drinks after (both are very good). Overall would recommend this just because not everyday you can walk through a tunnel through a mountain. There are also lots of signs along the trail with bits of history and information on the tunnel. read more
Beautiful March day, so we decided to go for a hike (actually walk) at the Blue Ridge tunnel. We started on the Afton side and walked over to the Waynesboro side. I wouldn't consider it a hike. It was all relatively flat and gravel covered. There were plenty of dogs on the walk as well as strollers. You will need a flashlight or headlamp. You can use your cell phone flashlight, but doesn't put off a great light. Be prepared for it to be wet. It hadn't rained in a few days and there were still plenty of water on the path and coming down into the tunnel. If you have shoes that you don't want to get dirty, I wouldn't wear them on this walk. Side note: easy trip down to Rt 151 to grab a drink! read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
Highly recommend this trail. It's about 0.6 miles from the parking lot to the entrance to the tunnel. Even if you don't want to walk the 1-mile tunnel (definitely bring a flashlight and a jacket!), it's worth the walk to see the entrance. Kids could make the tunnel walk if they aren't afraid of the dark read more
6 years ago
Newly opened in Nov 2020, we accessed the tunnel off of 250 in Waynesboro (near Colony motel), and is considered the West entrance. The tunnel connects Afton to Waynesboro. There is limited parking on both East (in Afton) and West entrances so best to go early (open sunrise to sunset) or during the weekdays. From either side, you will need to walk a bit to get to the actual tunnel. There were two portajohns at parking area. We went Friday morning and by 10am, there were probably 20-30 people in the tunnel. Cool place to visit! You can stand on one end and see the other end, but best to bring a flashlight. On the east side, there were "waterfalls" at the side of the entrance as well as at top (in the tunnel, there was also water on the side of the path). read more
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