On September 28, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. The intensity and size of this storm created an immense swath of damage across, destroying vast portions of the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 34.3-mile, mixed-use trail that runs along old railroad beds and bridges in southwestern Virginia. Roughly 17 miles of the trail traverses the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Here, 446 days later, on December 18, 2025, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, joined by USDA Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz (R), and other dignitaries to break ground in Damascus, Virginia, for a project to repair trails, bridges, and roads destroyed during the storm.
(Forest Service photo by Preston Keres)
| Date Taken: | 12.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.20.2026 12:26 |
| Photo ID: | 9484424 |
| VIRIN: | 251220-O-LX350-1334 |
| Resolution: | 2816x1584 |
| Size: | 596.95 KB |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 0 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Breaking ground on hope [Image 42 of 42], by Preston Keres, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.