Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Location
Montgomery County
Endpoints
Blacksburg to Christiansburg
Mileage
6.2
Roughness Index
1
Surface
Asphalt
In the early 1900s, a train line nicknamed “the Huckleberry” was built to transport
coal and provide mail and passenger service to Blacksburg. The line was also used
by the Corps cadets at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (more commonly known as Vir-
ginia Tech), who unofficially renamed Blacksburg “Huckleberry Junction” due to the
abundance of huckleberries that grew along the train line. The huckleberries grew
after trees were cleared for railroad construction, and thereafter, the region became
famous for delicious pies and jams. Although many of the huckleberries along the
trail today have diminished due to increased shade, trail users can find huckleberry
bushes planted around trail information kiosks.
The northern trailhead for the Huckleberry Trail is nestled in a residential neigh-
borhood at the Montgomery/Floyd Regional Library in downtown Blacksburg, across
from the Virginia Tech campus. You may hear a marching band in the distance or no-
tice a game at the nearby Worsham Field on campus.
