Genuine darkness is rare in modern life. Even at night, as we curl up in our beds, we’re illuminated in some small way by the shimmer of streetlights coming through the windows or the blink of our devices charging on our bedside tables.
In the Blue Ridge Tunnel, the darkness swallows you whole. There’s a peacefulness down there, like being underwater, where sound is distorted and light is rare.
So bring a flashlight if you plan to walk (or bike!) down the three-quarter-mile tunnel, which opened in Nelson last fall and has become a favorite for adventurers local and far-flung.
Construction began on the tunnel in 1849, under the leadership of French engineer Claudius Crozet (sound familiar?). After nine years of blasting through the hard rock of the Blue Ridge, the tunnel opened in 1858. Trains used the path to pass below the mountains until 1944, when the route went out of service after a larger tunnel was built nearby. In 2012, the Blue Ridge Tunnel Foundation began restoring the long-abandoned space, and the path opened to tourists last year. Catch the trail at the southern entrance of Skyline Drive from sunrise to sunset every day.