Welcome to the Virginia Tech Urban Exploration site, where we will be posting logs, photos, videos, and other information on exploring the steam tunnels, buildings, and general area around Virginia Tech. Before we begin, we must issue this disclaimer - anything found on this site is not intended to be instructional, but rather informative; do not attempt to recreate any of the activities discussed or displayed on this site, we will accept no responsibility for your actions. That being said, let us begin by explaining what all there is to offer on the Virginia Tech campus.
One of the main interests of urban exploration on campus is regarding the steam tunnels - Virginia Tech has approximately six miles of underground steam piping which transports the steam all around campus. These pipes may need to be accessed for maintenance, and are therefore located in underground tunnels, several of which are accessible. There are several maps of the steam tunnels located on the web (check the sites under the 'Links' section), but here is probably one of the better ones.
Some general guidelines for anyone exploring the tunnels is to bring decent flashlights, possibly extra batteries, water, cameras, gloves. Any clothing you wear ought to be something you do not mind getting dirty, wet, or possibly ripped. Covering as much skin as possible is not a poor idea, since some of the pipes are hot. Wear decent shoes/boots - the ground may be covered in up to three inches of water/mud. It is not a good idea to bring more than three or four people into the tunnels at a time, but a lookout is not a bad idea. You may want to bring cell phones in case you need to get in touch with someone outside of the tunnels - if you have Verizon/Sprint you will be able to get service in most parts of the tunnels (at the time of writing this, AT&T sucks on campus). If you can get a hold of one, a police scanner is never a bad idea. If you're like most of the other tunnelers, you'll want to make your mark down below, so prepare for this. You should always be quiet, discreet, and cautious when entering, traveling through, or exiting the tunnels. Be careful of touching the pipes - they may be very hot.
