250 and the Blue Ridge Parkway, in an area known locally as Rockfish Gap, the Crozet Tunnel was replaced by a new railroad tunnel with a larger bore in 1944 and is no longer in use. To honor Crozet's accomplishment, a nearby town was named after him. Overseeing work crews boring from each end, Crozet encountered hard rock, frequent rock slides, unusually heavy winter snows, and problems with ventilation and drainage that adversely affected working conditions. In the nearly 10 years required to build the tunnel, Crozet was forced to deal with fighting between laborers, a cholera outbreak, a national financial crisis, and persistent personal criticism. Envisioned and built by Claudius Crozet, a French-born educator and civil engineer, the tunnel remains a testament to his belief in advancing rail transportation even when faced with numerous difficulties. At the time of its completion, it was the longest railroad tunnel in the world. One of four single-track tunnels built by the Blue Ridge Railroad, the 4,273-foot Crozet Tunnel was constructed at a time when hand drills, pickaxes, and black powder amounted to state-of-the-art tunneling technology.
Claudius Crozet, in an address to Virginia legislators, late 1820s The ultimate effects of its introduction are incalculable. "The railroad system is the triumph of the age.
#BLUE RIDGE TUNNEL TRAIL MANUAL#
I have some nice cuts even through my jeans from the thorns.The 4,270-foot Crozet's Blue Ridge Tunnel was the longest railroad tunnel in the United States of its time and represents the culmination of civil engineering technology based on manual drilling methods. There isn’t much of a trail leading to the tunnel and there were thorn bushes everywhere. We parked at the animal hospital off 250 after you pass 64 and walked from there (they have a nice little bridge that leads over the creek.) You have to cross 250 to get onto the trail. Follow the dirt road/path to the other end of the tunnel.Īfter we had seen the Afton side we went to the Waynesboro side of the tunnel.
Take the road to the end where there’s a spot to park. Pass the old train station on the left, now an attorney’s office. Take a right on Afton Depot Lane before the tracks. From Waynesboro, head back over the mountain on 250.
The other end of the tunnel is simpler to access. About a 100 feet from the entrance you’ll feel cold air. Cross there and then pick up the trail on the other side. It’s on the Waynesboro side of the bridge on the southern side of the road. It seems a little sketchy but there was another car there when we left.) There is a dirt road next to the overpass that leads up toward the tunnel. (We parked just beyond the guardrail on the Waynesboro side. To get to the Waynesboro entrance, park alongside 250 at the train bridge overpass between Rockfish Gap and Waynesboro. Here are the answers I have found so far –
#BLUE RIDGE TUNNEL TRAIL HOW TO#
Someone asked me via the RealCrozetVA meebo widget last night:ĭoes anyone know how to get to the western entrance of the Crozet tunnel by Waynesboro?"
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