Most of the rest of the tunnel is rough-cut rock. The western side of the tunnel is lined with bricks. The 4375 ft long tunnel is straight, not curved, so the other end is visible the entire time That doesn't mean that you don't need to bring illumination (headlamp, flashlight, cell phone) to make your way through the tunnel! The tunnel also has an unusual elliptical shape. We started at the West Trailhead, then hiked 0.8 miles downhill to the West Portal. The Appalachian Trail also passes through here. At the tunnel's deepest point, trains were 720 feet below. Three small tunnels on the east side of the mountain, and the 4,273-foot long Blue Ridge Tunnel at Rockfish Gap, enabled trains to cross the Blue Ridge. It is also where Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park ends and the Blue Ridge Parkway begins. The first railroad tunnels constructed in Virginia were built in the 1850's on Afton Mountain, between Waynesboro and Charlottesville. I-64 and US-250 go over the Blue Ridge here. The tunnel goes beneath Rockfish Gap on Afton Mountain. It was used until the 1944 opening of a more modern tunnel accommodating larger locomotives built adjacent to it. At the time it opened, it was the longest railroad tunnel in North America. It was designed by noted engineer Claudius Crozet and was unusual in that work began at both ends and met in the middle - a notable engineering challenge. The tunnel was built in the 1850s (specifically, 1849 to 1858) with Irish immigrant and slave labor. Even on a mid-week Thursday, the parking lots were short on space. Turn into the park and continue a half-mile to another right turn for the Isaqueena Falls parking area.The Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail in Nelson and Augusta Counties (Virginia) opened just before Thanksgiving 2020, and has seen a steady stream of visitors ever since. On the right, immediately beyond Yellow Branch Picnic Area, look for Stumphouse Tunnel Park. To the northern trailhead: From Walhalla, follow SC 28 north for just over five miles. Contact Oconee State Park, 624 State Park Road, Mountain Rest, S.C. Oconee State Park, for instance, has 140 tent sites and 19 cabins available on a first-come, first-served basis. Insect repellent is recommended during the warm months.Ĭamping: Nearby Oconee State Park and Cherry Hill Recreation Area have campsites with facilities. After your visit to the Saddleback Tunnel, return the way you came. You can't enter this tunnel, because over the years it has filled with water, but along the way, you can expect to encounter a lush deciduous forest of oak, maple and pignut hickory as well as wild blackberries and blueberries (when they’re in season). Return to the main trail, turn left, and continue to the third tunnel, the Saddleback Tunnel. Although once covered with dirt, the Middle Tunnel now has an opening, so you can go inside. After a visit to the Stumphouse Tunnel you can start the trail just above Isaqueena Falls and walk to the second or Middle Tunnel, which is on a short spur to the left at approximately 0.5 mile. You can walk to the end of the tunnel, but be aware there may be water and you will need a flashlight to find your way. Start your walk with a visit to the Stumphouse Tunnel, which is 25 feet high, 17 feet wide, and although it was not completed, extends 1,617 feet into the mountain. This moderately difficult walk follows the incomplete nineteen-century rail bed of the Blue Ridge Railroad where you can see three abandoned tunnels.
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