There’s a place where dirt-caked trail runners, sunburned shoulders, and worn packs are met not with judgment but with celebration. That place is Damascus, Virginia — affectionately called “Trail Town, USA” — and the celebration is Trail Days.
Held each May, Trail Days is far more than a festival. It’s a homecoming. It’s the beating heart of a thru-hiking culture that spans generations, miles, and mindsets. For Appalachian Trail (AT) hikers—past, present, and aspiring—Trail Days is a pilgrimage, a reunion, and a reminder of why the trail calls in the first place.
Where the Trail Meets the Town
Damascus earned its nickname “Trail Town” honestly. The Appalachian Trail runs directly through the heart of this tiny southwest Virginia town, as do several other long-distance trails like the Virginia Creeper Trail, the Iron Mountain Trail, and the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. In a town where trail names are just as familiar as given ones, hikers are never strangers for long.
Since the first Trail Days in 1987, Damascus has opened its arms every spring to welcome the wandering tribe of hikers with warm meals, showers, music, and open hearts. It started as a simple community gathering — a way to connect hikers with the town that hosts them year after year. But it has grown into the largest hiking festival in the United States, attracting over 20,000 people from all corners of the hiking world.
A Festival Rooted in Homecoming
Ask anyone who has thru-hiked the AT, and they’ll tell you: Trail Days is sacred. It’s a space to see familiar faces from the trail, to heal trail-weary bodies, and to share stories of hard-earned miles. For some, it’s the first time they see the people they hiked with after parting ways months or even years earlier.
It’s a joyful chaos—gear vendors lining the streets, the famed Hiker Parade where everyone marches through downtown wearing their dirt, pride, and the occasional costume. There’s a tent city in the woods, nightly music and bonfires, trail maintenance clinics, gear swaps, and, always, the unmistakable sense that every hiker belongs here, no matter how many miles they’ve walked.
Healing, Humor, and Humanity
What makes Trail Days extraordinary isn’t the spectacle; it’s the humanity. Local churches offer foot-washing and free meals. Community members who’ve never set foot on the AT still greet hikers by name. Even the “Hiker Trash” signs hung lovingly around town feel more like badges of honor than insults. There’s space for laughter, but also for healing. Trail Days often offers support groups and resources for those who’ve struggled with post-trail depression, trauma, or identity shifts after a long journey ends. For many, it becomes a way to reconnect not just with others, but with themselves.
Damascus: A Town that Remembers
For hikers, the trail is transformative. For Damascus, it’s part of its DNA. The town’s economy, community spirit, and identity have been deeply shaped by the trail and those who walk it. Trail Days is their way of giving back.
Locals volunteer for months in advance. Students paint banners. Churches prepare hundreds of meals. It’s not just a festival hosted by a town — it’s a town built around the trail and the people who walk it.
More Than Just a Weekend
Trail Days may last only a few days each spring, but its imprint remains throughout the year. Hikers leave with more than a cleaned-up pack and a few trail stories—they leave reminded of their resilience, of the kindness of strangers, and of the power of shared experience.
And they know, somewhere tucked in the mountains of Virginia, there’s a town that will always welcome them back like family.
Because the Trail Gives, But So Does Damascus
In the hiking world, there’s a saying: “The trail provides.” It gives you what you need, when you need it—whether it’s a water source, a clear sky, or a stranger with a Snickers.
But in Damascus, the trail doesn’t just provide — it gathers. It celebrates. It gives thanks. In this little mountain town, hikers aren’t just passing through. They’re coming home.