Damascus is a place of stunning natural beauty, nestled in the hills and peaks of the Appalachian Mountains. Photo by Tyler Irving / We Ran There Photo & Video

How far is the Appalachian Trail from here and how long is it? How long does it take people to hike the A.T. and when do you see the most thru-hikers? What is your recommendation for the best day hikes and sightseeing in the area? Where is a good place to eat in town?

These are just a few of the most common questions asked by people who come through the doors of the newest Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) visitor center — located in the heart of Damascus, Virginia. Visitors hail from as close by as across the nearby Tennessee state line and from as far away as Alaska, Brazil, Germany, and Sweden. In total, more than 1,700 people visited the center in its first six weeks after opening on August 27, 2022.

Upon entering the 2,100-square-foot facility with its soaring floor-to-ceiling windows, visitors not only get their questions answered by knowledgeable ATC staff members and volunteers — they also have an opportunity to explore exhibits about the history of Damascus and the three national trails that converge there: the A.T., the Virginia Creeper Recreational Trail, and the Overmountain Victory Historic Trail.

The Damascus Trail Center serves as the quintessential starting point for a variety of excursions in the region. The spectrum of opportunities available from the centrally-located center also served as the conceptual starting point for a multi-year design process that engaged a multitude of regional partners. The success of those efforts is apparent in the range of questions that visitors ask. At the center, visitors can pick up information about recreation and volunteer opportunities in the region and a map or two before heading out to the outfitters, restaurants, and shops farther down Main Street.

Revitalization Plans

Damascus has not been immune from the challenges facing other small towns in the Southern Appalachians, which include declining populations and higher unemployment rates than national averages. In years past, the impact of the waning timber and coal-based economies was particularly noticeable in the town’s business district, where storefronts sat empty and some buildings fell into disrepair. But Damascus also had some distinct advantages, not the least of which are the natural assets surrounding it — the mountains, valleys, and rivers — and the recreational opportunities they provide for hikers, cyclists, kayakers, and fly-fishermen, among others.

“We saw an opportunity to connect our natural resources with the cash registers at the businesses in town,” says Idalina Walker, director of outreach and partnership at the Friends of Southwest Virginia (SWVA). In 2016, SWVA worked with the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission (MRPDC) to submit a proposal for POWER Initiative funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission. This initiative, whose acronym stands for Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization, provides grants to Appalachian communities seeking to create more vibrant, diverse, and sustainable economies.

The POWER proposal included a master plan for revitalizing downtown Damascus — of which a purpose-built trail center was the centerpiece. “We wanted to capitalize on our growing reputation for being outdoor recreation-oriented and the friendliest town along the Appalachian Trail,” said Gavin Blevins, who is currently the Damascus town manager and the planning director for the MRPDC. “We sought to create new assets that built on what we know to be innately Damascus.”

The master plan also included a waterfront development project to build a riverwalk and green space adjacent to Laurel Creek, which runs through town, as well as enhancements to wayfinding and connection points with the various trails. The Trail Center provided a much-needed anchor for downtown. “It creates a campus feel and a place for the community to congregate in town, rather than being dispersed across the county,” says Blevins.

A conference room doubling as a classroom off the main exhibition hall in the Trail Center provides a welcoming space for meetings, educational programs, and other community gatherings. A garage on the property is being converted into a workshop where the ATC’s storied Konnarock Trail Crew and the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club store tools and supplies for trail maintenance projects as well as conduct training sessions for volunteers.

Partnering for Success

Recognizing the importance of the A.T. in driving visitation to Damascus, the town’s leadership approached the ATC in 2017 to partner on the design of the new Visitor Center. They also asked the Conservancy to operate the center once it opened to the public. “The A.T. builds community in an important way. It brings people to Damascus who are committed to exploring and preserving our natural assets, and it connects Damascus to a bigger region and a broader network of people along the entire Trail,” says Walker.

The A.T. is one of three nationally known trails that intersect within the town’s borders Photo by Kristi McFarlin

The Damascus Visitor Center is located in the heart of Damascus, Virginia. Photo by Kristi McFarlin

The ATC was no stranger to Damascus, given the popularity of the town’s annual Trail Days festival. For more than thirty years, Damascus has welcomed some 20,000 hikers and outdoor enthusiasts annually, including current and former thru-hikers, for a weekend of Trail-related camaraderie, education, and celebration. Damascus has also been a designated A.T. Community™ since 2011. Before signing onto the partnership, the ATC Board of Directors completed an economic analysis to clarify the financial impact of operating the center and then helped draft the terms of a lease. Groundbreaking took place in winter 2020, and the center officially opened to the public in August 2022.

“The Visitor Center supports our volunteer engagement efforts by providing a facility for training and partnership events,” notes Andrew Downs, ATC’s senior regional director – South. “It’s also an important communications vehicle for the Conservancy, because it gives us an opportunity to speak directly with visitors to the A.T., to tell them who we are, what we do, and our history that predates the Trail itself.” 

ATC staff were responsible for designing the exhibition space, which includes a four- by ten-foot topographical relief map of the Mount Rogers High Country, marked with roadways, parking areas, trails, shelters, and campgrounds. Wall-mounted informational panels, photographs, and historic timelines surround the relief map. An important goal in selecting what to display was conveying that outdoor spaces are welcoming to visitors of all ability levels and degrees of experience.

Damascus welcomes some 20,000 visitors annually for its Trail Days festival.

The 2,100-square-foot facility with its soaring floor-to-ceiling windows gives visitors an opportunity to explore exhibits about the history of Damascus and the three national trails that converge there. Photo by Jesse Kokotek

To underscore the “Trail is for all” message, visitors are encouraged to share their experiences in the outdoors by posting hand-written notes on a storyboard named for a lead donor to the center, Larry “Dutch Plodder” Mulder (see “Spotlight,” page 16).

A Blueprint for Others

The A.T. runs through some 88 counties and 164 townships and municipalities as it winds its way up the spine of the East Coast. Each of those communities is unique and has its own set of assets and needs. Yet, the Damascus Visitor Center offers some lessons that could prove useful to all of them.

“The planning process that we followed is one many other communities could adopt,” notes Blevins. Walker adds, “The programmatic aspect is the replicable piece. A beautiful building is a great step, but without programming and community involvement, it would be left out in the water.”

As the ATC approaches its 100th anniversary in 2025, its leadership is thinking strategically about the role of visitor centers up and down the Trail, including its headquarters in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Programming needs, partnership opportunities, hiker engagement, and community involvement will all be critical components of the solution envisioned for the next century — a vision that connects everyone to the A.T.