"The Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail will be CLOSED on Friday, October 24, as we work to set up the trail for our 5th Annual Tunnel After Dark event." That's how Nelson County Parks & Recreation's notice began last October. It went on to say the Western Trailhead would stay closed all day and through the event.
The 6th Annual Tunnel After Dark is set for Friday, October 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the East Trailhead, 215 Afton Depot Lane in Afton. That's eight days from now. Most coverage treats it as a fun Halloween-week outing, and it is one. For anyone who walks the tunnel on an ordinary weekday, though, it's also the one Friday each fall when the usual trail goes away so a few hundred people can see it lit by candlelight.
Sunrise to sunset, with one exception each fall
The tunnel keeps simple hours. The official FAQ at blueridgetunnel.org says it's open year-round from sunrise to sunset. The exceptions are extensive maintenance and events coordinated by Nelson County Parks & Recreation. Tunnel After Dark is that kind of event. Blue Mountain Brewery's Eventbrite listing calls it a chance to explore the tunnel "after hours for one night only."
Opening a trail at night takes setup, and the county has closed the trail on event day more than once. In 2023, a county notice said the trail would close on Friday, October 27, to prepare for that evening's event, and would "reopen for normal hours on Saturday, October 28." Here's how the day ran in 2025, according to the county's notice:
- The Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail was closed on Friday, October 24, while crews set up.
- The Western Trailhead stayed closed all day and for the length of the event.
- At 6 p.m., the Eastern Trailhead gate opened for Premium Onsite ticket holders.
- Shuttle ticket holders rode in from Rockfish Valley Fire Department.
Those were last year's arrangements, and they aren't a promise about this year. With closures in both 2023 and 2025, though, plan on Friday being a non-trail day unless the county says otherwise. Closure alerts go up at nelsoncountyrecreation.com, and the tunnel FAQ lists (434) 263-7015 for questions.
A few hundred people, and that's the point
The best public record of what the night looks like is a report Parks & Recreation gave the Nelson County Board of Supervisors in March 2024, covering the 3rd annual event in October 2023. Crews lined the 1.5-mile stretch from the Eastern Trailhead to the Western Portal with nearly 700 luminary bags. Just before the Eastern Portal, Blue Mountain Brewery set up gas fire pits, photo spots, a lounge area and a mobile bar.
The bar poured Dark Hollow and its annual barrel-aged reserve, Concealed Darkness. Both labels show the tunnel's Western Portal, which, as the report put it, "helps promote the tunnel year round." Blue Mountain Brewery describes Dark Hollow as a barrel-aged imperial stout with bourbon and vanilla notes at 10% ABV, available year-round.
The attendance numbers show how small the night is. On an ordinary day, the trail is open to anyone from sunrise to sunset. For the after-dark version in 2023, the county's figures came to:
| Tunnel After Dark, October 2023 | Figure |
|---|---|
| Shuttle riders from Rockfish Valley Fire Department | 108 |
| On-site cars, averaging about 3.5 riders each | 56 |
| Estimated total visitors | 304 |
| Time for tickets to sell out | Under one week |
| Donation to the Nelson County Pantry | $1,000 |
| Nonperishable food collected on site | 150.4 lbs |
The $1,000 had two sources. Parks & Recreation's proceeds were $763.58, and Blue Mountain Brewery added $236.42 to make an even thousand.
So a whole day of normal trail access buys about three hours for roughly 300 people. That trade only works if the night stays small. A tunnel lined with candles can't hold the kind of crowd that fills the trailhead lot on a sunny October Saturday, and the sell-out pace shows the demand is well past what the format allows. For the 2026 event, the Eventbrite page lists tickets "From $7.18," which is the lowest tier.
Where the money goes after the candles are packed up
The 2026 proceeds go to two Nelson County groups, according to the event listing.
The first is the Nelson County Pantry. The pantry describes itself as volunteer-run and privately funded, and says it serves about 275 households a month. The event also takes food donations on site "just in time for the holidays," so it's worth packing a few cans along with your ticket.
The second, Blue Ridge Packs and Tracks, fits the event's location closely. It's a 501(c)(3) that provides free adaptive all-terrain track chairs, with trained volunteers, so people with mobility challenges can get outdoors.
That ties back to the trailhead the event uses. The tunnel FAQ calls the East Trailhead the easiest side and considers it an ADA accessible trail. It's 0.63 miles from the East Trailhead to the East Portal, with a net elevation gain of 37 feet and an average grade of about 1.5%. One night at the gentle end of the trail helps pay for equipment that gets more people onto trails like it the rest of the year.
Planning a Nelson County week around October 30
If you want a ticket, the rules that matter most come straight from the 2026 listing. Leashed dogs are welcome at the event but not on the shuttle, so dog owners need an onsite parking ticket. Refunds aren't offered. Event questions go to Blue Mountain Brewery at [email protected]. In 2023 and 2025, shuttles ran from Rockfish Valley Fire Department. Confirm this year's pickup point on your ticket before you head out.
If you're coming from Route 151, the tunnel FAQ's directions to the East Trailhead are simple. Turn left onto VA-6 West, go 3.2 miles, and turn left onto Afton Depot Lane.
If you'd rather have the daytime walk, move it to another day. In 2023 the county reopened the trail on Saturday morning after the event. The West Trailhead, at 483 Three Notched Mountain Highway outside Waynesboro, won't help on event day either, since it stayed closed through the 2025 event.
The tunnel night also lands in a busy week up the mountain. On Saturday, October 24, Wintergreen Resort runs fall foliage chairlift rides from noon to 4 p.m., at $12 for ages 13 and up and $8 for ages 6 to 12. Wintergreen's Spooktacular Haunted Chairlift Rides start Thursday, October 29, and run nightly through Sunday, November 1, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. They use the Blue Ridge Express lift and Checkerberry Cabin, and adult admission is $25. That puts two evening events on back-to-back nights for anyone in the Rockfish Valley: Thursday on the chairlift, Friday in the tunnel.
The tunnel's history is a reason to see it under different light. Workers built it between 1850 and 1858 beneath Rockfish Gap. CSX Transportation donated it to Nelson County in 2007, and the county's restoration work dates back to 2001. For the rest of the year, its hours follow the sun. On October 30, Nelson County Parks & Recreation and Blue Mountain Brewery set those hours aside for one evening, and so far the only cost has been one day of ordinary walks.
Is the tunnel your regular walk, or are you thinking about a move to the Rockfish Valley? Either way, I'm always happy to talk about what daily life looks like on this side of the Blue Ridge. Let's connect over coffee. You can schedule a free consultation with Patricia Irby anytime.
