Bee Tunnel-Roaring Branch Trail

Wise County

Along this trail along Roaring Branch, you'll find Bee Rock Tunnel, listed in the Ripley's Believe It or Not as the "Shortest Railroad Tunnel in the World". The tunnel is 47 ft., 7 in. The trail, once a railroad, runs from Appalachia to Big Stone Gap. The town of Appalachia is considered to be a largely intact "era" town of the late 1800's and early 1900's. At one time, the town was a center for coal mining. The town was the "hub" of eight "coal camps" located along the outskirts of the town. Presently, many of the coal camps remain as does much of the coal mining equipment. The town sprang up after the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Southern Railroad made a junction there in 1890. Many railroad buildings still remain in the town. Big Stone Gap, where mine owners and managers lived, has many large mansions, including the Slemp mansion which now is home to Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park with exhibits on coal mining, heritage crafts, Big Stone Gap history and more. Author Adriani Trigiani places three of her novels here, where she grew up.