Adam Enjoys the View of Powell Gap. Below: Parking for this hike is right along the road. There is not a lot or pull-off.

Christine Says…

For the final leg in our mini-hike trio, we chose the short walk up to a rocky ledge overlooking Powell Gap.  The hike follows the Appalachian Trail the entire way – which is only a brief half mile.  The trail goes rather steeply uphill the entire way.  And although it’s short, our Falcon Guide still rates this trail as “moderately strenuous”.  I would agree with that assessment if this hike was longer, but due to the shortness, I think this trail would be quite easy for anyone to do.

The overlook along the ridge-line comes atop a beautiful, little rocky ledge.  Views face eastward, and include a wonderful look at the rolling mountains and the valley below.  If you look to the north, you can even see a little snip of Skyline Drive winding its way through the forest below.

The viewpoint is accessed via the Appalachian Trail.

We spent a good twenty minutes on the rock ledge.  Adam covered his face with his cap and took a brief nap.  He exclaimed “That was the most comfortable rock I’ve ever laid on!” when he woke up.  Apparently, it was smooth and the shape cradled his back perfectly.  While he dozed, I enjoyed the nice summer breeze and watched butterflies fluttering about in the trees right below the overlook.

I could have happily stayed longer, but we were both hungry and wanted to squeeze in a picnic lunch on the beautiful summer day.  We ended up having our picnic back in Harrisonburg – at Lake Shenandoah.  Even at high noon, it never got hotter than 81.  It was such a perfect day!

Trail Notes

• Distance – 1 mile out and back
  
• Elevation Change – 300 feet
• Difficulty – 2. Although the trail is a bit steep, the route is so short that the hike qualifies as easy.
• Trail Conditions – 3. The trail is typical of this section of the AT – well graded, but some rocks and uneven footing.
• Views – 3.5. A very nice view of the mountains and the eastern valley.
• Waterfalls/streams – 0. None.
  
• Wildlife – 2. We didn’t see anything, but in the park it is always possible to see deer, bears and other wildlife.
• Ease to Navigate – 5. There is only one trail in the area, so it’s nearly impossible to get lost as long as you head south on the Appalachian Trail
• Solitude – 4. This section of the AT is not heavily traveled.  We did come across two section hikers.

Directions to trailhead:
At Mile 69.9 on Skyline Drive.  Park on the eastern side of the road along the meadow.  The trail begins just near the Powell Gap sign on the eastern side of Skyline Drive.

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The Simmons Gap fire road extends to the park boundary. Below: We saw a bear less than a tenth of a mile from the Simmons Gap parking area; Apple trees probably attract lots of wildlife; Bear scat was everywhere along the Simmons Gap trail.

Christine Says…

Truthfully, we probably wouldn’t have bothered with this hike if it weren’t so close in proximity to the other two we selected for the day.  Our Falcon Guide said it was nothing special, but it was one of the few hikes left in the park that we haven’t done at least once.  (There are a few long 10-16 miles hikes still on the to-do list, but we’ll likely do those as backpacking trips)

The walk down Simmons Gap was about what I expected – a quiet walk down a shady path through the woods.  There wasn’t much scenery – no views and no waterfalls.  The stream running along the trail was nearly dry despite the decent rain we’ve had lately.

As we walked, we kept our eyes peeled for bears.  We had seen a bear less than a tenth of a mile from where we parked our car.  Also, the fire road was practically paved with bear scat.  Besides the ridge of Knob Mountain, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much bear poop in one place. Unfortunately, all we saw was the poop… no bears!

Wildflowers along the Simmons Gap fire road. Below: The trail follows along, and eventually crosses a small stream.

There are many hints of a bygone era along the trail – old stone walls, crumbling foundations and the odd apple tree tucked into the forest.  The spot where the fire road meets the park boundary is obviously used as a dump by people who are too rude and lazy to take their garbage to a proper facility.  The streambed at the end of the trail was littered with everything from a broken baby stroller, to a beaten plastic Shrek suitcase to a box full of empty 2-liter bottles of Dr. Pepper.  It was disgusting.  I wish I knew what people were thinking when they did stuff like this. How could anyone back their car up to a beautiful mountain stream, and just empty their trunk-load of discarded property?

Despite the disappointment of seeing the litter, we still had a nice walk down the path.  Although, I don’t think I’d recommend this hike to anyone.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 1.6 miles out and back
  
• Elevation Change – About 200 feet
• Difficulty –1. Easy walking with very little elevation change.
• Trail Conditions – 4.5. This fire road is smooth and easy to walk on.
• Views –0. You’ll be in the woods the whole time.
  
• Waterfalls/streams – 1. The small stream is pretty and is often lined by stone walls, but it may be dry most of the summer.
  
• Wildlife – 3. There’s a good likelihood of seeing bears in this area.
• Ease to Navigate – 5. There is no place to go wrong.  Follow the fire road straight out and back.
• Solitude – 4.5. Because there isn’t much to see in this area, not many people come this way.

Directions to trailhead:
At mile 73.2 on Skyline Drive you will see a small parking lot on the western side of the road (directly opposite of the sign for the Simmons Gap Ranger Station).  Cross Skyline Drive, walking on the paved road to the ranger station.  You will see a chain guarding a fire road.  Cross the chain and start the trail down the fire road.

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The Knob Mountain – Jeremy’s Run Loop takes hikers along a 12.4 mile route through one of Shenandoah’s most popular backcountry camping areas.  This hike could be done as a long dayhike, but the campsites in the area are too inviting to pass up.

The Knob Mountain - Jeremy's Run Loop offers beautiful stream scenery. Below: Mountain vistas can be seen along the descent on the Knob Mountain Trail; Blue Blazes mark the way across streams on the Jeremy's Run Trail; Adam negotiates one of the many stream crossings.

Adam Says…

Since the weather looked like it was going to be a cooler, we decided to take off and go on an overnight backpacking trip.  Our first overnight trip was the Hazel Mountain-Catlett Mountain trail which we did with a group from the PATC.  This trip was our first non-group outing, so we felt it would be a good chance to put into practice what we learned from our Backpacking 101 course.

To do this trail as a loop, leave from the Elkwallow picnic grounds.  You will see the entrance to the trail next to the pit toilet, which provides a last chance to “take care of business” before embarking on the hike.  You will begin the trail on a short spur trail to the white-blazed Appalachian Trail.  Turn left on the AT.  In .2 miles, you will reach the junction with the blue-blazed Jeremy’s Run Trail.  Continue straight on the Jeremy’s Run Trail.  Around 1.2 miles, you will reach the junction with the Knob Mountain Connector Trail.  Take a right at the post to join this trail.  As soon as you cross Jeremy’s Run with a little rock-hopping, you will begin this steep connector trail.   There are lots of switchbacks and this is definitely the steepest part of the entire trip.  Around 1.7 miles, you will reach a junction with the yellow-blazed Knob Mountain Trail.  Take a left at the trail junction and continue to follow this slowly ascending ridge trail.  We would probably name this portion of the loop the Bear Scat Boulevard, because there was a ton of bear evidence in the area.  You will see a few views through the trees, but nothing remarkable from the trail.  At mile 3.9 you will reach the summit of Knob Mountain, marked by a concrete post.  After the summit, you will begin your steep descent down the mountain.  This is broken up by several switchbacks.  The trail does open up at times to give you views of mountains along the way, including Strickler Knob and the Three Sisters.  At 6.8 miles, you will cross Jeremy’s Run and reach the junction with the blue-blazed Jeremy’s Run Trail.  Since we were fairly exhausted from our trip, we picked a campsite near the junction of the trail, which gave us great access to water.  From the junction, you just continue on the Jeremy’s Run Trail until you reach the parking lot, crossing over Jeremy’s Run fourteen times.   In some areas, it was necessary to rock hop across, but most of the time the traversing was quite easy.  I imagine during heavy rain seasons, this would be more of a challenge.

The overnight trip started with a brief stop to fill out paperwork for our backcountry permit. Below: Adam makes his way down the Jeremy's Run Trail; Snacks on the Knob Mountain summit; A view through the trees from the Knob Mountain Trail.

Jeremy’s Run truly provided a great opportunity for camping in the backcountry.  We saw several previously-used campsite areas, so we decided to use our Leave No Trace principles and use an existing campsite rather than creating our own.   The campsite was short walking distance to a reliable water source.  After starting our trip around 9:30AM, we arrived at camp around 1:00PM.  We were very hungry, so Christine worked on getting some lunch together and I began working on getting our tent set.  The ground was very hard and rocky, so it took an effort to find a good place to get stakes into the ground.  After lunch, we finished getting our sleeping pads/bags ready, hung our bear-bag rope, and prepared our kitchen area.  We got some water to use for the trip at the nearby stream and I dug a few preemptive catholes.  With every thing set, we decided to relax a little in our tents to stretch out our backs.  I like to bring a book along the trip so we took turns reading aloud a few chapters from A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt, an entertaining read about hiking the Appalachian Trail.  We took a short nap and then played a few hands of the Monopoly card game we also brought.  We then broke in our new JetBoil and prepared a great dinner.  After cleaning up dishes, we went down to a place along Jeremy’s Run and stretched out on a large rock.   We watched several brook trout jump out of the water, catching mosquitoes that were lightly dancing on top of the water.  We retired to our tents to the sweet chorus of whippoorwills and the “who cooks for you” hoots of nearby barred owls.

On the hike down from the summit of Knob Mountain, hikers get a few decent views of adjacent Neighbor Mountain. Below: A scenic spot on Jeremy's Run; Our campsite.

There were so many things I enjoyed about our trip.  We saw tons of wildlife – three black bears, a wild turkey, scarlet tanagers in glorious color, and heard lots of birds at night.  The temperature was perfect and the bugs were not out as much as we expected.  The trip also helped affirm our ability to handle a backpacking trip by ourselves. I think we really learned a lot of great skills in the last few months to help us feel well-prepared.   I was a little more apprehensive wondering if we could handle the 12+ mile hike with 35 pounds on my back, since our previous trip was about 8 miles total with a little less weight each.  The hike was more strenuous the first day, but we were able to complete the hike without much trouble.  I think we’re both looking forward to going on another backpacking trip, but we are now getting into the hot summer months.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to find a cooler weekend in the near future.

Christine Says…

When Mother Nature gives you the gift of a sunny, dry, 70-degree day in the midst of a long string of 90+ degree scorchers, you must take advantage of that gift!  We chose to make the most of the pleasant weather and go on an overnight backpacking trip.  One of the leaders on our last trip recommended Jeremy’s Run as one of his favorite places in the park.  As dayhikers (until recently), the Jeremy’s Run hike had always been a little out of reach.  At 12.4 miles with well over 2,500 feet of elevation gain, it was always more than we were willing to tackle on a day hike.  It seemed like a perfect candidate for this little weekend getaway.

After filling out all the requisite paperwork, we set out from the Elkwallow Picnic Area (View Map of the Area) along the Appalachian Trail.  Right away, I was struck by how much heavier my pack was compared to our last trip.  On that trip, we had seven people to split the weight of group gear.  But this time, we had to carry our own stove, fuel, collapsible bucket, water filter, food and rope.  I also chose to carry my old dSLR camera, a couple card games, extra batteries, a fleece and my iPod.  In the end, my pack weighed in about nine pound heavier than our last outing.

I brought my iPod along this time for a couple reasons 1) I wanted to be able to listen to my “workout mix” when climbing a couple of the big hills on the route and 2) my iPod is loaded with audio books, which I thought would be pleasant to listen to after sunset in the tent.  The first big hill we hit was on the Knob Mountain Cut-Off Trail.  It was really steep, so I put in my earbuds and started chugging up the hill.  Listening to mindless pop music with a beat – anything from Tupac to Lady Gaga to Gnarls Barkley – makes climbing hills so much less painful.  I had worked up a pretty good rhythm, listening to the early 90′s party song, “Rump Shaker”, when I rounded a curve a spotted two black bears about 50 yards up the hill.  I’m not sure if they were a mom and a yearling or two adults.  We looked at them, they looked at us, then they quickly decided to leave the area.  I didn’t have time to free myself from my trekking poles and iPod cord to get a photo, but it was still a great treat to see the bears. Backpacking seems to involve an inordinate number of straps and buckles.  Sometimes, it makes me feel like a horse pulling a cart.

After camp was set up, Christine spent some time relaxing on the rocks in Jeremy's Run. Below: Adam collects water in a collapsible bucket to use for cooking later; Crocs and Socks - they might not be high fashion, but they're functional; Playing Monopoly at camp.

After the cut-off trail met the Knob Mountain Trail, the tough climbing was over for the day.  I listened to my iPod a bit more, but eventually put it away in favor of listening to the birds and the breeze in the trees.  We took a snack break on the top of Knob Mountain.  There weren’t any views at the summit – just shade and a ton of poison ivy.  It felt really good to throw the pack off for a while and have a good stretch.  I could really feel the heavier pack weight bruising my hip bones.

The walk from the summit to Jeremy’s Run was all downhill.  The woods along the trail are pretty and occasionally open to views of the valley below.  You also get nice views of Neighbor Mountain, which lies parallel to Knob Mountain.  Another slightly longer loop hike option approaches Jeremy’s Run from Neighbor Mountain.

The downhill walk lasted a little over 3 miles.  We soon arrived at the stream, where the Knob Mountain Trail converges with both the Neighbor Mountain and Jeremy’s Run Trails.  We crossed the stream a couple times and decided it was high time to find a campsite.  We were both completely knackered after walking about 7 miles with our packs.  I honestly don’t know how thru-hikers cover 20-30 miles a day with even heavier packs.  I’m convinced I wouldn’t last a week!

We found a beautiful place for camp under the shade of pines and hardwoods.  It was clearly a place others have camped before.  Stones were arranged like seats in a semi-circle in one of the clearings.  It was also about 30 yards from a gorgeous spot along Jeremy’s Run – so we had great access to water.

We designated separate sleeping and kitchen areas right away.  Adam pitched the tent while I fixed lunch.  I made Buffalo Chicken Wraps – which were delicious (View Recipe)! We found a place for our bear hang and dug a couple catholes for future use.  With camp all set up, we settled into our tent for a nap.

Post-nap, we collected water for cooking in our collapsible bucket.   On our water run, we also took some time to stretch out and lounge on one of enormous boulders in the middle of the stream.  The sky above was so blue and it was very soothing to watch the trees swaying above in the breeze. I actually tried out my Crocs again, and found them more comfortable, albeit considerably dorkier, with socks.  I may keep them as my camp shoes after all.

We filtered water for our dessert and boiled water for our entree. Below: We had Pad Thai for dinner; Dark Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert.

Around 5:30, we started getting things together for dinner.  Because this trip was rather impromptu, we brought pre-packaged dehydrated meals instead of taking the time to make homemade food.  But it was still delicious.  The Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai was filling and tasty.  It had a yummy, spicy peanut sauce with noodles and vegetables.  For dessert, we ended up having Dark Chocolate Cheesecake (instead of Tiramisu, as originally planned).  It was really tasty, too!  I was stuffed from dinner, so we decided to take a short walk down to a deep pool I had seen along the trail a way back.  We sat on a rock and just enjoyed the quiet of the evening.

It got dark quickly down in the hollow, so we retired to our tent a little before nine.  I listened to a book on my iPod and Adam read.  I started to doze off well before 10:00.  All through the night, I could hear a couple barred owls hooting, over and over and over again.  Pretty soon, a whippoorwill joined in and sang through almost the entire night.  I haven’t heard a whippoorwill since I was a child, so it delighted me to hear the song in the night again.  I slept pretty soundly, until the roar of a train whistle woke me up around 2:00 in the morning.  I could hear the wheels on the track so clearly; it seemed like the train was rolling through camp.  I guess some distant sounds really carry on the quiet night air.  When I awoke, I found I was drenched with sweat in my sleeping bag.  It was in the mid-50’s outside, so the down bag was a bit too warm.  However, if I slept outside my bag, I got cold quickly.  I want to get a blanket and sheet for my sleeping pad to make summer camping more comfortable.  Despite being hot or cold, I eventually fell back to sleep and stayed so until 6:30 a.m.

I got up before Adam and got the bear bag down, so I could start breakfast.  We ended up leaving the bacon home because we didn’t want to carry a pan.  Instead we had oatmeal, boxes of apple juice and hot chocolate.  It was a satisfying breakfast on the cool morning.

We saw three bears, including one on the Appalachian Trail. Below: Another scenic pool on Jeremy's Run; We encountered this loose dog on the trail (one of many). He apparently lives on the border of the park and runs the trail often.; Rocks in the stream bed were covered with moss.

We broke camp down quickly and were back on the trail around 8:00.  The second day of hiking was substantially shorter and easier than the first day.  With about 5.5 miles to cover, we knew we’d be back at the car by mid-morning.

The trail climbs ever so gradually along Jeremy’s Run.  We passed lots of fantastic campsites along the stream.  It’s no wonder this area is so popular with backpackers!  We crossed the stream 14 times over the course of the morning. Because of all the dry weather we’ve had lately, none of the crossings were challenging at all.  Most of them were bone dry, and the ones with water were still easily rock-hopped.

We took a snack break where the Jeremy’s Run trail crosses the Knob Mountain Cut-Off.  From this point, the trail follows the same route as we’d used hiking out the day before.  The grade becomes steeper for the last mile and eventually meets back up with the Appalachian Trail.  For this section, I put my iPod back on again to help endure the uphill.  “Rump Shaker” came up in the shuffle again, and after the first few moments, I spotted another bear.  There must be something about that song that conjures bears!  I did manage to get a few distant photos of this bear before he disappeared deeper into the woods.

About ten minutes later, we were back at our car and on our way.  We stopped by the Elkwallow wayside, where I rinsed my face and used  a flushing toilet!  Plumbing is so exciting after being without it.  On our way home, we stopped at McDonald’s for lunch.  Coke and salty French fries taste absolutely amazing after a long hike.  As luck would have it, their credit card machine was broken and they gave us our lunch for free!  It was a fitting bonus for a perfect trip.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 12.4 miles
• Elevation Change – 2600 ft
• Difficulty – 3. If you were going to do this in one day without stopping, I would up the difficulty slightly due to the length.
• Trail Conditions – 3.5. The trail was very well-maintained.  We saw evidence that the Knob Mountain trail had been cut back, but I can imagine in late spring, much of the trail could have some overgrown areas.  The ground was well-traveled and there were only a few rocky spots around the streams.
• Views – 1.5. The best chance of views are on the descent from the Knob Mountain summit down to Jeremy’s Run.  After leaves fall, this may be slightly better.
• Waterfalls/streams – 3.5. You do get lots of chances to cross Jeremy’s Run.  There was only a small fall near the base.  If you want to photograph streams, you should have plenty of opportunities.  You’ll also have a reliable water source.
• Wildlife – 4. We saw black bears, a turkey, and scarlet tanagers; we heard whippoorwills and barred owls at night.
• Ease to Navigate – 4. The trails are well-marked and just stick to the signs on the cement posts.
• Solitude –3. This is a popular spot for backpacking and trail running.  However, we felt that we were able to find our own peace in the woods.  We also came across a dog that belongs to a nearby family that evidently roams the trails frequently, so we had a companion during part of the hike up from Jeremy’s Run.

Directions to trailhead:

Located in the northern section of Shenandoah National Park.  Park at the Elkwallow Gap picnic grounds around mile 24.3 of Skyline Drive.  The Jeremy’s Run trail begins next to the pit toilet at the parking lot.

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A View of Trimble Mountain from the Todd Lake Dam. Below: Todd Lake has a nice campground with flush toilets and hot showers. The lake is open to swimmers.

Christine Says…

Well, this entry should have been part four in the Backpacking 101 series, but sadly my sprained ankle forced us to bail out on the trip.  The weight of a pack on my sore ankle is still too painful.  Fortunately, I was cleared to do some light day-hiking again. So, on Saturday morning, Adam and I headed out to George Washington National Forest.

Trimble Mountain fit the bill for a light and easy hike. The four-mile trail isn’t too rocky and follows a gentle grade both up and down the mountain.  We parked along the road near Todd Lake.  Before hitting the trail, we climbed up the backside of the dam and enjoyed the lake view.  The top of the dam also provides a great look at Trimble Mountain. The sky was absolutely gorgeous – a real photographer’s dream.  It was the prettiest I’ve ever seen Todd Lake look.

Shortly thereafter, we were on our way up the Trimble Mountain trail.  Within a tenth of a mile, we reached a “Y” in the trail.  We took the left branch, following Hiking Upward‘s advice that it was the gentler, more gradual grade.  For about a mile and a quarter, we climbed steadily upward.  It was never tough climbing, but it was consistent.  The trail was really narrow and carved into the mountainside.  A lot of places, one foot was always laterally uphill from the other, and there was barely room for placement of my trekking poles.  It was also an unusually warm day for early May, so the bugs were out in full force.

Trimble Mountain actually has two summits with a saddle between.  Once you gain the ridge, the terrain consists of both uphill and downhill hiking.  There really aren’t any views to speak of at the summit.  Every now and then, we could see glimpses of the mountains through the trees, but there was never a sweeping, panoramic view along this hike.

There were so many different kinds of wildflowers growing along the trail.

The remainder of the hike went by quickly and was all downhill.  I stopped many times along the way to photograph the abundant wildflowers on the forest floor.  I also spotted a few little tree frogs.  They were so tiny and fast that I had a hard time getting photos.  They were the only wildlife we saw on the trail.

By the time we got back to the car, my ankle was quite sore again.  The downhill walking really seems to strain it.  I hope that little by little it will feel better and become stronger. Hopefully when it’s healed, we can make up that backpacking trip.

This little frog was about the size of a fingernail.

Adam Says…

We had been to the Todd Lake area before of George Washington National Forest, but this was our first time hiking Trimble Mountain.  Todd Lake receives a lot of campers and local visitors that want to enjoy swimming and basking.  The Trimble Mountain trail that is nearby doesn’t seem to get a lot of traffic.  We had the entire hike to ourselves on a beautiful day outside.  The bugs helped us realize that the warm weather is here.  One thing that is different about hiking national forest trails is that there isn’t a lot of maintenance to the trails.  There were a couple of trees spread across the trail and the trail was becoming a little more overgrown in parts.  We had heard that there were good views on this trail, but we were disappointed to find that most of the views are obstructed.  The only views you will see is in break in the trees.  The winter would probably lead to more views of the mountainside, but after the leaves fall this will look a lot more dull.  We enjoyed getting out to hike and the wildflower variety was definitely a highlight of the trail.

One of the few openings in the trees that provided a view. Below: Trees blocked most of the view; the trail is marked with double yellow blazes.

There is one geocache on the trail and a few at the nearby Todd Lake area.  The first you can find along this hiking trail.  The other trail would involve hiking along the Todd Lake Trail which you can reach from the opposite side of the road from the Trimble Mountain trail.  The Todd Lake Trail is a little less than a mile and takes you around the entire Todd Lake area.  Since the day that we did the hike was the 10th Anniversary of geocaching, I felt I needed to do a couple of these to celebrate the hobby.

• Trimble Mountain Trunk
• Daisy
• Todd Lake Trail

Trail Notes

• Distance – 4 miles – loop
• Elevation Change –around 1,050 feet
• Difficulty – 2 This climb on this hike is about two miles, but is very moderate.
• Trail Conditions – 3. The trail is narrow and little bit overgrown.
• Views –1. There are some nice glimpses of the mountains through the trees, but nothing remarkable.  Views might be nicer in the winter when trees are bare.
• Waterfalls/streams –1. In times of heavy rain, you’ll find several small streams along the trail.  Most of the year, these streams are dry.
• Wildlife – 1. The national forest is used by hunters, so animals tend to stay hidden.  We saw quite a few frogs and toads along the trail.
• Ease to Navigate – 5. The trail is well-marked and easy to follow.
• Solitude – 4. We didn’t see a soul.

Directions to trailhead: From Bridgewater, Virginia head south on Rte. 42 for about three miles, following signs to Natural Chimneys regional park.  Take a right on 613 and in less than one mile, take a left on state route 747.   Take a right .75 miles after Natural Chimneys to the intersection with 731.  Take a right heading north.  In about a mile, take a left on to State Route 730/North River Road.  This comes to an end and take a right on to state route 718.  In another mile, you will take a left on to Forest Road 95, entering George Washington National Forest (you will see signs directing you to Todd Lake).   The trailhead is about 3.5 miles on the left.  You can park on the side of the road right near a trailer dump station.   The trailhead is on the opposite side.  (There is a trail on the same side of the dump station that leads to the top of Todd Lake if you are interested.)

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The rhododendrons and wild azaleas are starting to bloom. Below: The view was cloudy and hazy from Kaylor Knob.

Adam Says…

For those that regularly follow our blog, you may know that Christine sprained her ankle badly during our hike up Buzzard Rock.  While she was healing, we participated in a Backpacking 101 course through PATC. The workshop concludes with an overnight backpacking trip scheduled for the first weekend in May.  We decided to test out the ankle with some extra weight to see if going on the backpacking trip would even be possible.  So, we got our gear together and decided to do a short hike to Kaylor Knob after work last Friday.

While you can approach this summit from Cub Run, we decided to try the shorter approach,  taking off from the overlook at Massanutten Resort.  The hike starts across the road from the parking lot at the top of the overlook.  We have hiked this trail several times to the first overlook where a geocache is hidden, but this was the first time that we took the hike to the summit.  Since the last time we did this hike, someone has improved the trail markings.  You simply follow the blue-blazed trail along the way (some points also have blue signs marked with a “K.K.” and the mileage).  At around .5 miles, you will come to a junction with another trail that is marked with pink blazes.  Just stay to the right and continue on the blue-blazed trail.  At .75 miles, you will come to a small rock outcropping that has a nice view to the west.  If you continue up the hill past this outcropping, you will continue to walk along the ridge.  You will see views to the west and east through the trees that will open up at different spots.  Shortly after 1.5 miles, you will come to the summit, which is marked with a larger outcropping and nice views to the east.  After taking some time to enjoy the views head back the way you came.  This trail also connects to Cub Run Road.  If you are interested in a longer hike (around 8.5 miles out-and-back), you could try this route.

Adam tries out the backpack.

I do think the views to the east are better than the views to the west on this hike.  If you wanted to see a nice sunrise, you should get up early to make it to the summit by sunrise.  If you are a geocacher, there are two caches you could easily reach hiking this trail:

• Kaylor Kache
• Ivory’s Massanutten Micro

This is a great short hike to do if you’re visiting the Massanutten area.

Christine Says…

Adam and I have a backpacking trip coming up, so I needed to get out there and give the ankle a good test drive.  Our original plan was to hike somewhere in Shenandoah on Saturday and then spend the night camping in our backyard.  However, the weather took a turn for the worse, and we ended up just squeezing in a quick hike to Kaylor Knob on Friday evening. (we also skipped the tent in the backyard  and slept in our nice, plush bed instead.)

I managed to load about 25 pounds of gear into our backpack for the “dress rehearsal”.  My ankle felt completely fine for the entire hike – stable and painless.  The pack was easy to carry and comfortable.  It did make the hills a little tougher, but I still felt really good.  I know our packs for the trip will be a little heavier, but this was still a decent test.

The Kaylor Knob hike is not particularly remarkable.  It’s pretty and peaceful and has two nice viewpoints along the way.  There are definitely more impressive trails in our area, but this one is a five minute drive from the house, so it was perfect for a quick after-work hike.

The Kaylor Knob summit has a nice place to sit.

Unfortunately, the morning after the hike, my ankle and Achilles tendon were pretty sore.  Even though they felt great on the hike, I don’t know if I’m 100% ready to go on our backpack trip.

Note: If you have a couple days in the area, be sure to check out the Massanutten Ridge Trail!

Trail Notes

• Distance – 3.3 miles out-and-back
• Elevation Change – about 450 feet
• Difficulty –1.5 Most people should be able to do this.
  
• Trail Conditions – 3. While the trail is used often, it contains lots of pointy rocks.
  
• Waterfalls/streams – 0. Non-existent.
• Views – 2.5. Pretty, but not terribly open or panoramic.
• Wildlife –1.5 There isn’t much room for wildlife on the top of this ridge.  Expect to see birds of prey soaring in view as well as many of the local birds in the thickets.
  
• Ease to Navigate –4.5. If you stay on the blue-blazes, you’ll be fine.
  
• Solitude –3. You may see some people due to its popularity with vacationers, but you should still have mostly solitude.
  

Directions to trailhead: From Harrisonburg, head east on US 33 for about 10 miles. Turn left at the Exxon on the left and head on SR 644, Resort Drive.  Follow this road and take a left on Massanutten Drive.  You will reach a guard house.  Let the guard know that you are here to hike and they will give you a guest pass.  After about 3 miles, take a right on Del Webb Drive. Follow Del Webb Drive for about two miles until you begin to drive up to the ridge, where there is a parking lot on the left.  After you park here, cross the road.  At the end of the guard rail you will begin the Kaylor Knob trail.

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From Buzzard Rock, you get a great view of Passage Creek and Fort Valley below. Below: The view below from this vantage point; Scrabbly pines are the predominant tree at the summit

Adam Says…

This was the first time that we had done this hike.  The hike seems to be very popular for people from nearby Front Royal, Winchester and Northern Virginia.  It is not too difficult of a hike, which makes it a great hikes for families and newbie hikers.

You start the trail from the parking lot and you’ll follow the double white blazes for the entire trip.  You begin walking through a piney area that will smell nice if the area has been warmed up in the spring/summer sun.  The trail has some hills to go up and down and a few small streams to cross.  Around 1.0 miles, you will arrive at a frequently-used campsite.  Just cross the campsite and continue up the trail for about another .75 miles until you reach the first overlook.  You will continue up the hill to reach the ridgeline.  Continue to hike across the ridge to take in the views from different angles.  Once you feel that you have seen all that you would like, you can return the way you came.

The trail is well-marked and connects to other local GWNF trails. Below: Lots of stuff along the trail is in bloom now; the rocks at the top are covered in lichen.

For any of those people that are interested in geocaching, you can grab three easy ones along the trail.  All of them are normal-sized containers and have some things to trade.  One of these was placed by our inspiration for a lot of hikes, Hiking Upward.

• Hiking Upward – Buzzard Rock Ridge
• Buzzard
• Buzzard Hideout

Unfortunately, this trip was marred for us since my wife sprained her ankle very badly at the top of the ridge.  She somehow managed to hike back down under her own power despite my offerings to carry her down – quite a trooper!  We definitely will do this hike another time.

Christine Says…

Buzzard Rock was a beautiful hike for a beautiful spring day.   The summit offers a great scenic payoff with minimal effort.  The elevation gain of 650 feet is very gradual with the exception of one very short, steep climb to the ridgeline.

The early part of the hike passes close to civilization, so the sound of cars and glimpses of houses are always in sight.  However, within a half a mile, the trail leads away from everything and passes through a pretty stretch of open woods with very little undergrowth.  In early spring, the forest floor is covered with tiny wildflowers peeking out from under the brown leaves. The view from the trail eventually opens up and provides a nice view of the Front Royal Fish Hatchery and the surrounding valley below.

The view of the valley below is beautiful! Below: The Front Royal Fish Hatchery; A view of the Buzzard Rock "spine"

From this point on the trail is extremely uneven and rocky – big slabs of stone, angle up out of the ground like jagged teeth… more about that later.  The view from the top is not as dramatic as other Virginia hikes, mostly because you can’t see many distant layers of ridges.  What you do see is a deep, narrow valley below with Fort Valley Road and Passage Creek winding their way through.  Because of all the recent rain, we could hear creek’s roar even hundreds of feet above.

We enjoyed the view, had some trail mix and then headed back down the mountain.  I stopped along to way to photograph some flowering trees.  When I turned to rejoin Adam, I moved a bit too hastily and carelessly.  The toe of my boot got caught between two of the “jagged teeth” on the ridge.  My toe stopped dead, but my ankle kept moving.  It completely rolled to the side, resulting in a bad Grade 2 ankle sprain.

I was extremely glad to get back to parking lot so I could stop walking on my injured ankle. Below: My bruised and deformed ankle.

My ankle immediately started to bruise and swell, but I had no choice but to hike myself out.  Adam found a makeshift walking stick in the woods, and that helped offset weight on my injured foot.  Nonetheless, it was a long two miles back down to the car. I’ll be off the trails for several weeks to come while my ankle heals and rehabs.  I’m hoping it won’t take as long as the doctor predicted.  I hate to waste three (or more) weeks of this fantastic spring hiking weather.

Wookie Says…

This was a great first hike of the year for me!  It wasn’t very steep, and I love to scramble on rocks.  What I liked less were all the small stream crossings on this trail.  I hate to get my paws wet and muddy, but that’s exactly what I ended up doing on this hike.  I actually acted quite brave, and on the return trip I crossed all the streams with confidence.  Maybe I’ll be a water loving dog yet!

Wookie had a great time on the hike.

I really enjoyed the breezy overlook atop Buzzard Rock.  I liked sniffing the air and feeling the sun on my back.  I even got to enjoy a few graham crackers from my masters’ trail mix.  I also got some water from my portable dog dish.

It was a great day, but I have a feeling I’m getting a bath when I get home.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 4 miles – out-and-back
• Elevation Change –around 650 feet
• Difficulty – 2 This trail isn’t too steep and most people should be able to make it up to the top.
• Trail Conditions – 3. The trail is in decent shape.  There are some muddy spots and a lot of jagged rocks on the ridge.
• Views –3.5. There are great views along the entire ridge.  We would have liked it better if we couldn’t see a road below.
• Waterfalls/streams –1. There are a few rock-hops across some streams, but nothing photo-worthy.
• Wildlife – 1. This is a better bird-watching trip than a trip for spotting any mammals.  We were glad we saw a buzzard at the top since it is their rock.
• Ease to Navigate – 4.5. The trail is well-marked with a white double blaze.
• Solitude – 2 . This is a popular trail for local families and also rock climbers.

Directions to trailhead: From I-66, take 340 South Exit.  Take a right on 55 – Strasburg Road.  Take a left onto 619 – Fort Valley Road.  Parking lot is on the right-hand side.  If you are arriving from the south, go up 340 (following directions for Front Royal Airport) until you reach 619-Rivermont Drive.  After a few miles, Rivermont Drive becomes Fort Valley Road.  Parking lot is on the left-hand side.

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Adam enjoys the vista from the west summit of Mount Pleasant. Below: Moss was still the only greenery along the trail. Leaves are still a few weeks away; The sign at the trailhead marks the loop at 5.2 miles. Our GPS marked it at 5.75, so we'll split the difference in mileage for this blog post.

Christine Says…

When we hiked the Cole Mountain trail last fall, we made a mental note to return to the area sometime to do the Mount Pleasant hike.   We’re so glad we did.  The hike up Mount Pleasant provides gorgeous views from both its east and west summits.  We had a crystal clear day and could see for miles in every direction.

We started out on our hike a couple hours later than we normally do.  The delayed start turned out to be quite fortuitous.  As we drove down Wiggins Spring Rd toward the trailhead, we saw 15-20 cars parked near the AT crossing and Cole Mountain trail.  We assumed that they were a group camping and hiking on the Cole Mountain trail and were thankful not to sharing trail with such a large crowd.  A little further down the road, the Mount Pleasant parking lot was empty with the exception of one frost-covered car that had obviously been left there overnight.

We started down the trail.  It was icy and muddy, but pleasantly flat for the first mile.  After we crossed a small stream, the upward climb began in earnest.  It wasn’t terribly difficult or steep climbing, but it was constant for the rest of the way to the summit.  Much of the trail was wet/soupy and covered with a thick layer of leaves.  There were several places that the trail was tough to follow, but I imagine that once more hikers pass this way, the trail will become clear again.

These could be the poster children for the defiance of Leave No Trace principles. This was just a portion of the group we encountered.

At around the 1.5 mile mark, we started hearing distant voices in the woods - lots of distant voices.  I looked at Adam and said “I don’t think all those people are on Cole Mountain after all.” At 1.9 miles we came to a trail junction being used as a rendezvous point for about 30 kids on a church youth group trip. I have never heard people being so loud in the woods.  One group of three boys thought it was hilarious to repeatedly scream “NINKOMPOOP” at the top of their lungs as they headed down the trail. In case any of those group members happen by chance to visit this blog, maybe they could look at the GWNF Rules for Visitors and maybe try to be a little quieter next time!

After we cut through the crowd, we took a right turn and followed the spur trail up to the mountain top.  On the way up, we passed about 20 more hikers from the same youth group.  As I mentioned earlier, it was lucky we started our hike late, or else we might have been sharing the beautiful mountaintop with 50 shrieking kids.  As it turned out, we had the view all to ourselves.

At the summit, there was a small sign with arrows pointing to the east summit and the west summit.  We headed west first.  The west summit is on a dramatic outcropping of rocks.  It provides an expansive, layered mountain vista, including a great look at the bald summit of Cole Mountain.  The east summit is also lovely, albeit a little less dramatic.  The view is mostly valley and farmland.

We stayed at both summits longer than we normally would.  We wanted to put some time and distance between ourselves and the youth group.  We took in the view, had a snack and a drink and took a few photos.

The hike back down from the summit brings you back to the trail junction, where instead of turning left to hike back down the way you came up, you continue straight on the Henry Lanum Loop Trail.  This trail will almost immediately begin to climb upward again – over the summit of Pompey Mountain.  There are no views from this mountain.  After reaching the peak of Pompey, there is a short, but steep downhill.    The trail from this point on is a mix of uphill and downhill walking until you’re eventually returned to your car.   On this loop, you definitely spend more time hiking uphill than you do hiking downhill.  If you want less climbing, I recommend hiking this as an out-and-back.  It won’t make the hike much shorter, but will significantly cut down on the climbing.

Adam Says…

The summit provides a beautiful view of distant mountains. Below: A telephoto shot of the Cole Mountain summit from the west side of Mt. Pleasant; The eastern summit is beautiful, albeit a bit less dramatic.

The hike up Mount Pleasant is one of the better hikes for views in Virginia.  If you have a few days to spend in this area, I would also recommend doing this and the Cole/Cold Mountain hike.  This area has some gorgeous mountains around you and the reason for the town nearby to be named Buena Vista.   When you combine both views from the two overlooks at Mount Pleasant, you get nearly a full view of the area around you.

The hike was not too difficult.  I would recommend that if just want to see the views, complete this hike as an out-and-back hike.  When we did this hike as a loop, we added on the trip up Pompey Mountain, but there are not any scenic views or much of note on the way back.

One interesting note about this trail is that you may see some remnants of fallen American chestnut trees throughout your hike.  They once covered this area until a fungal blight wiped out their population.   It is interesting to think how different these views would have looked in a canopy of chestnuts.

To know which way to start the hike can be a little tricky.  There are lots of paths away from the parking lot, including two blue-blazed trails marking the Henry Lanum Trail.  You will start the hike at the blue-blazed trail that starts off very flat.  The other blue-blazed trail looks clearly uphill and is the path that you will return. We felt this trail was a little hard to follow at times and could have used a few more blue blazes painted.  There were times we were unsure if we were still on the correct trail.

The trail starts off relatively flat or going downhill for about the first 1.5 miles.  Around 1.3 miles, you see a wooden sign that reads “Trail”, but other than that it is fairly easy to follow.  Keep following the blue blazes and you will eventually need to cross a couple of areas that may include small streams.   We didn’t have any trouble hopping across and I’m guessing that most of the year, it is relatively dry.  After you cross the stream, the trail will lead to the climb up to the summit.  Around 2.0 miles you will reach a junction sign that shows the Mount Pleasant Summit Spur Trail to the right.  This summit trail continues for about .4 miles until you reach the saddle.  A sign at the junction here shows there are overlooks to the West and East.  The western summit takes about .1 mile to reach and you will need to climb up the rock outcropping for the great views.  The eastern summit is closer and doesn’t require any climbing, but we were both more impressed with the views from the western summit.  Once you take some time to soak in the views, go back the way you came to reach the junction sign for the Summit Spur Trail.   If you want to continue the loop back to your car, you will continue straight on the Henry Lanum Trail.  This leads you through the forest for some more uphill climbs over Pompey Mountain.    From the junction sign, it is about 1.9 miles back to your vehicle.

Luckily, we were able to avoid the crowds of screaming teenagers that clearly don’t understand Leave No Trace principles.   Once more of the leaves start spreading their leaves, the summit overlooks will give you absolutely amazing views.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 5.4 miles – loop.
• Elevation Change –1350 feet.
• Difficulty – 3.5 This loop has long, moderate uphills and shorter, steeper downhills.  It’s one of those trails that makes you feel like you’re always walking uphill.
• Trail Conditions – 3. The trail is in decent shape.  There was a lot of mud when we hiked.
• Views –5. The east/west double summit of Mount Pleasant is magnificent
• Waterfalls/streams –1. There is a small stream in the woods on the departing arm of the loop.
• Wildlife – 0. Nothing, but doubtlessly the large church group scared any wildlife away.  We did see lots of juncos along the trail.  People interested in flora of the area should review this report.
• Ease to Navigate – 2.5. In several spots, the trail was hard to find under thick leaves and blowdowns.  Some blazes are starting to wear away and it might be easy to miss turns.  I think ease of navigation will improve as spring/summer approach and hikers wear the path down.
• Solitude – 3 . For today, we had a 0 for solitude, but we just had a bit of poor timing.  Being the namesake hike for this area, you will likely run into some other people on the hike.

Directions to trailhead:
Follow I-81 to Buena Vista (exit 188A).  After passing through the town of Buena Vista, follow US60/Midland Trail for 9.5 miles.  Take a left on Coffeytown Rd.  Follow Coffeytown for just under two miles.  Take a right on Wiggins Spring Rd. Follow Wiggins Spring for 3 miles.  This road will turn to a rugged gravel road.  Follow the signs for the Mt. Pleasant trailhead.  There is a small parking lot at the trailhead.

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The South River is impressive in times of heavy rain.

Adam Says…

We have kept with a tradition the last few years of doing a hike on Thanksgiving morning.  It’s a great way to appreciate nature and try to do something active before a big meal.  This year, we decided to break the tradition of having a huge Thanksgiving meal with turkey and all the trimmings.  We decided to have an easier meal that we would both enjoy – homemade pizza.

We’ve hiked South River Falls before, but we’ve never had as much water in the falls before.  We thought it would be impressive, since we could hear rushing water through the South River a lot earlier than normal.  Waterfall hikes in Shenandoah National Park tend to be fairly tough ones.  Since you park on Skyline Drive at a high elevation, you have to hike down to the valleys where the falls are created.  What makes it difficult, at least psychologically, is that you get to the payoff fairly easily and then have to do the hard work on your way back to your vehicle.

The beauty of the South River is found mostly in its small details. The cascades and little falls leading the large waterfall are prettier than the main waterfall. Pictured below: South River Falls from the overlook at the top of the canyon; the falls from the base. You'll see neither vantage point of the waterfall is terribly photogenic (especially after the leaves have come down). Both of the small photos below are from another date. This time, the falls were much bigger - but it was too sunny to photograph them.

The hike begins at the South River Picnic Area.  Look for the large sign about the hike on the northeastern side of the picnic area.   At slightly over .1 mile, you will cross the Appalachian Trail.  You will continue your descent and around 1 mile, you will rock-hop across a small creek that drains into the South River.  Usually this is not much of a challenge due to the water, but we found the water was higher than normal this time.  At 1.3 miles, you will come to a nice overlook for the South River Falls.  You really get a great view of the 83 foot waterfall.  It plunges to a rocky ledge and splits in two about half of the length of the waterfall.  If you continue on the trail for another .2 miles, you will arrive at a cement post and join a spur to the South River Fire Road.  If you continue on for another .2 miles, you will descend even further and arrive at another cement post.  Following the path from the cement post for another .1 mile, you will arrive at the base of the falls.  For any adventurous shutterbugs, there are ample opportunities near the base of the falls for long-exposure photography. Make sure you have your strength up, because you have 2.2 miles to hike at a steady incline back to your vehicle.

To follow the trail as a loop as we did, once you make your return from the base of the falls, go .7 miles until you reach the cement post and the junction with the South River Falls Trail. Stay on the fire road instead and after .4 miles more, you will reach the yellow-blazed South River Fire Road.  Take a left on the road.  In about a mile, you will reach the junction with the Appalachian Trail.  Take a left on the white-blazed AT, heading south for about .4 miles.  You will then reach the junction with the South River Falls Trail and only have about .1 mile to reach the picnic ground.

The hike was a tough one, but it was nice to get some exercise.  The thought of carving into our pizza helped us muster the energy to make it back.

Christine Says…

This was a great trail to burn off Thanksgiving calories!  The terrain is rugged and the return arm of the loop is nothing but steady, tough uphill climbing.  Even Wookie, who is normally a bundle of boundless energy, got quite tired on this hike.  By the time we got to the Appalachian Trail junction, his corkscrew tail was completely unfurled.   Even though there are some hikes in the park with more elevation gain, I think the 1300+ feet on the South River trail provides some of the toughest day-hiking in the park.   Anyone looking for an easier version of this hike should consider doing the short loop (3.2 miles) that returns after the overlook at the top of the falls.  By taking that route, you reduce the elevation gain to a very manageable 850 feet.

Despite the hard work required to get there, I really enjoyed seeing the South River and its namesake falls so flush with water.  The Shenandoah area has had over five inches of rain in the month of November – more than double the normal amount.  All of the park’s streams, rivers and waterfalls are flowing beautifully right now.  It’s a great time to get out and enjoy the scenery and the less-crowded conditions in the park.

There are many small, but beautiful, waterfalls along the trail. Pictured below: Another pretty spot along the river.

I had hoped to get some photo opportunities along the river on our Thanksgiving hike.  I did take a few shots, but the weather was less than cooperative.  It was too sunny to take shots of the moving water. Every now and then, I found a shady spot down in a deep ravine.  I did a bit of bushwhacking to get to a few pretty spots, but overall I don’t feel like I came home with any special photos.

Honestly, while South River falls is probably the park’s most impressive waterfall, it is not one that translates nicely on film.   The falls plunge into an enormous natural amphitheater.  The sheer rock walls are amazing, but they aren’t photogenic.  I’ve seen a few nice shots of South River Falls in the spring, when the water is flowing and the falls are surrounded by the lush new green of the trees and plants.  In the late fall and winter, the falls are really scrubby and barren looking.

I think some of the prettiest and most dramatic places along the South River come at the bottom of the falls.  In the last .1 mile of the trail, leading to the base of the falls, the water tumbles over a hundred feet down over giant boulders.  There are many small, beautiful waterfalls to enjoy before you get to work climbing back up to your car.

When we got home from our hike, we found several TICKS!  Can you believe it – ticks in late November; ticks after the mountains have had snow and temperatures at night are regularly below freezing?  These were tiny ticks – about the size of a pinhead.  We pulled one off Adam’s sweatshirt and two off of Wookie.  I hate having to watch for ticks year round, but it seems that we must.

Wookie Says…
Hey all of you fellow hiking dogs.  It’s been a while since I’ve been hiking, so I’m going to let you know what I thought of the trail.  I enjoy getting the chance to get in the outdoors and I usually run laps around the house when my masters ask,  “Would you like to go on a car ride?”

The hike on South River Falls was pretty fun for the most part.  I enjoyed going downhill until I reached the stream to try and rock-hop.  I’ve done this hike before with my masters, but there was a lot of water this time around.  I don’t really like to get my feet wet and when I see any water on the hike, I try to take the driest option.  After Adam crossed the creek, I really didn’t want to follow him.  Only after Christine gave me a little nudge with her trekking poles, did I take the plunge and hop across the rocks.

Wookie enjoyed the hike, but was exhausted the rest of the day.

All the rushing water on the trail, really made me need to go to the bathroom.  I tried to make my mark as much as possible to let all my fellow canines know that Wookie was here.  The hike back from the falls was pretty brutal for a small dog like me.  My tail was down a lot of the trip back, because it was exhausting.  At least I got some pizza scraps and a taste of sausage instead of turkey scraps this year.  For that, I was truly thankful.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 4.4 miles – loop.
• Elevation Change –1315 feet.
• Difficulty – 4. The return arm of the circuit climbs steeply uphill along a fire road for two straight miles.
• Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is in great shape.
• Views –0. You are deep in the woods for the entire hike.
• Waterfalls/streams –4. In times of heavy rain, the South River is an impressive stream.
• Wildlife – 0. We didn’t see *anything*, but over the summer there was a bear with three cubs in the area.
• Ease to Navigate – 4. Trails are clearly marked.
• Solitude – 2. This trail’s proximity to a park entrance makes it a popular hike.

Directions to trailhead:
From Skyline Drive, follow the drive to the South River Picnic Area (near mile marker 62).  The trailhead is located at the back end of the picnic grounds, across from the restroom facilities.

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These lichen covered cliffs are found along the Appalachian Trail segment of the Big Run Loop.

Christine Says…

We said we were going to take a weekend off of hiking so we could catch up on yardwork and housework, but the weekend was far too beautiful to spend it being productive adults.  We decided to have breakfast at Big Meadows before hitting the trail.  Most of the park facilities closed for the season on Sunday, and the remainder will close the last weekend in November. It was nice to have one final round of pancakes and sausage in the lodge dining room.

After our big meal, we headed south on Skyline Drive to hike the Big Run Loop.  Last time we did this trail, it was in the midst of an August heat wave.  It was in the nineties and we had to rest and drink water every ten minutes.  This time, the weather was considerably cooler – but still unusually warm for November.  I couldn’t believe it, but there were actually swarms of bugs pestering me every time I stood still.  I even got a giant mosquito bite on my collarbone.  It’s not supposed to be buggy in November!

The trail was covered with dry, brown leaves. Pictured below: The only color left in the woods was from moss and a few hardy ferns.

The trail started off with a couple miles of steady downhill.  The trees had completely shed their fall foliage, so the trail was covered with a thick blanket of crispy fallen leaves.  As we crunched along the trail, I remarked to Adam that we would certainly not be sneaking up on any wildlife on this hike.  The leaves made it hard to see obstacles on the trail, and we both stumbled over rocks and branches hidden under the leaf layer.

At around the two mile mark, we reached Big Run.  The water was very low and the stream was mostly obscured by several newly fallen trees.  Although the trail is named for this stream, I think Big Run is fairly unremarkable.  We didn’t stay long at this spot.

Big Run was prettier last summer. Since this photo was taken, several large trees have fallen across the stream where the trail crosses.

Shortly after the stream, the trail took a distinct uphill turn.  For about a mile and half, we climbed steadily uphill.  Some parts were rather steep, but overall it’s really not too bad of a climb.  I used my trekking poles on this hike and they made the ascent markedly easier.  I think the poles help me hike more efficiently and take pressure off my knees.  Whenever I use them I feel like I have extra magical energy.

We eventually came to a four-way trail junction at the top of the ridge.  The remainder of the hike followed the Big Run Loop trail until it joined the Appalachian Trail.  The last segment along the AT took us past some impressive granite cliffs and crossed the Doyles River Overlook on Skyline Drive.  After about a mile and a half along the AT, we were completed the loop and returned to our car.

Adam Says…

The Appalachian Trail crosses the Doyles Run Overlook on Skyline Drive.

We were debating a few different options for our hike today, but we decided to do Big Run.  One of the reasons that we chose this hike is due to the challenge of trying to find one of Hiking Upward’s hiking sticks.  A few hand-carved hiking sticks are placed along the trails that are up for grabs to whoever can find them.  They provide GPS coordinates for any geocachers out there.  I wasn’t able to find one, I believe due to a typo on the website.

Buck in the rutting season. Pictured Below: Most places in the park allow catch and release fishing. Big Run actually allows fish to be harvested.

Due to all of the leaves falling, the hike was a little more challenging than normal.  We started the trail going downhill fairly quickly and the leaves made it for tricky footing.  The swoosh of the leaves with every step drowned out our own voices and everything else.  We had to stop to hear each other when we wanted to talk along the hike.

The blue-blazed trail descends about 1500 feet in 2.2 miles when you reach the branch of Big Run.  The water was still and barely more than a trickle this time.  After rock-hopping the stream, you will come to a cement post.  Take the left branch of the fork.  The trail is now marked by yellow blazes and starts a steep ascent.  You will gain about 1000 feet of elevation in a little over a mile.  At 3.5 miles, you will come to another cement post.  Turn left, heading east, to continue on the Big Run Loop Trail, which is now marked by blue blazes again.  While you still are going uphill for most of the rest of the hike, it is definitely more manageable.  At 4.2 miles, you will reach the junction with the Appalachian Trail.  You will take a left, heading north, to follow this white-blazed trail.  At 4.5 miles, you will cross Skyline Drive, to stay on the AT.  At 4.7 miles, you will reach the Doyles River Overlook, which provide you the best views on the hike.  The AT continues on the north side of the parking lot.  You will stay on this trail for another mile.  When you reach the cement post at 5.7 miles, you will take a left which will take you back to your car at the Doyles River Parking Lot only about 30 yards away.

While this hike is not spectacular for streams or views (until you reach the Doyles River Overlook), it was still an enjoyable walk through the woods.  As I mentioned earlier, the leaves led to some difficulty with seeing the trail.  At one point on the AT, I slipped on a rock hidden by the leaves and went tumbling down.  Luckily, I was unscathed and more importantly, I was able to protect Christine’s camera gear I was lugging on my back.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 5.8 miles
• Elevation Change – 1400 feet
• Difficulty – 3.5.  There is a mile and a half of steady uphill shortly after crossing Big Run stream.
• Trail Conditions – 4.  The trail is in great shape.  It was a little trickier than it should have been with all the downed leaves covering the trail.  Footing was tough at times because we couldn’t see rock and branches on the trail.
• Views –1.5. You get one nice view when the Appalachian Trail crosses the Doyles River Overlook.  If you hike when leaves are down, you get some other glimpses of views along the way.
• Waterfalls/streams – 1. Big Run is not as impressive as it sounds.  It’s not big and it doesn’t really run much either. 
  
• Wildlife – 2. We saw deer and lots of different kinds of birds.
  
• Ease to Navigate – 4. Although there are turns, this trail is very well marked.
  
• Solitude – 4. Because this trail lacks grand views and waterfalls, it tends to be more lightly trafficked than other Shenandoah trails.  The area is popular with backcountry campers.
  

Directions to trailhead:
Follow Skyline Drive to the Doyles River Trail Parking area at mile marker 81.  Cross the drive and begin your hike on the east side of the road.

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There are three significant waterfalls along the Doyles River - Jones Run trail.

Christine Says…

Although, the wind, rain and (yes!) snow stripped the fall color from Shenandoah rather early this year, Adam and I still wanted to get out and hike on at least one glorious, sunny autumn day.  There was still a little bit of colorful foliage hanging on in the south district of Shenandoah National Park, so we decided to hike the Doyles River- Jones Run loop on Sunday morning.

Parking is available at Brown Gap. Pictured Below: The fire road leading down from the parking lot is one of the prettiest in the park; the Shenandoah area has tons of Civil War history. We passed the grave of confederate solder, William Howard, along the way.

We got to the trailhead at Brown Gap right as the sun was coming up.  It was f-f-freezing and windy.  I carelessly left my hat and gloves at home, so I flipped up the collar of my fleece and retracted my hands into my sleeves.  We set out down the Brown Gap fire road, which is one of Shenandoah’s prettier fire roads.  It’s also where I used to ride my horse, “Friday”, whenever we trailed to the park.  The morning sun was filtering through the golden leaves, and soon the activity of walking warmed me up enough that I didn’t miss my gloves at all.  The fire road was really muddy, so I took that as a good sign that there would be plenty of water flowing in the three waterfalls we’d be passing along the route.

In fact, I was so sure that the waterfalls would be impressive, that I carried all the “big guns” in my photography arsenal – two camera bodies, three lenses, a shutter remote, a collection of neutral density and polarizing filters, extra batteries, memory card and my tripod (the one that feels like it weighs close to 100 pounds when I carry it on long hikes).  I also brought my new tripod bag (by Kinesis) that allows me to carry the tripod backpack style – evenly centering the weight on my back.  The sling style carrier I’ve been using for the past few years twists my neck and shoulders, so I try not to carry it on long hikes.  The new bag was really nice, but it perfectly lined up the camera mount lock lever with my butt.   Every step I took, the lever poked me quite rudely.  I ended up giving the tripod to Adam.  He’s taller, so he escaped the constant prodding.  I ended up carrying the bag with the rest of the gear.  It was much heavier, but still more comfortable.

When we reached the bridge at the junction of the fire road and the Doyles River trail, I groaned in dismay at the dry stream before us.  We walked along the river, or at least where the river should have been for another .3 miles to get to the base of Upper Doyles River Falls.  Normally, there are pretty little cascades leading down to the main double-terraced waterfall.  This time the waterfall was barely a trickle.  We ate our breakfast at the base of “Disappointment Falls” and headed on to the lower falls.

The photo above shows Upper Doyles Falls is October 2009 (left) compared to January 2009 (right).

Surprisingly, the lower falls were running quite a bit more than the upper falls.  I think narrower chasm through the rocks allows the second falls to hold onto more water flow.  The second falls is thin and almost chute-like.   Even though the second waterfall had more water, it still wasn’t anything spectacular.  When you’re a photographer hiking with 40+ pounds of gear and realizing the shots you had planned aren’t going to happen, the gear instantly feels twice as heavy.  I think this is the point that I started to feel like Atlas with the world resting on my shoulders. 

Lower Doyles Falls was a bit nicer than the upper falls.

Leaving the lower falls, the trail became incredibly beautiful.  It followed a babbling brook through near-peak foliage.  The trees were a spectacular mix of gold, orange and red – all set off by the brilliant blue sky above.   This was, without a doubt, my favorite section of the trail.

So far, the hike had been relatively easy – just gentle up-and-down grades along the stream.  At the junction of the Jones Run Trail, the real work started.  In just under 2 miles, we picked up most of the elevation gain on the whole hike.  It was steep, hard climbing to reach Jones Run Falls.

The foliage along the Jones Run Trail was spectacular. Pictured Below: Jones Run and Jones Run Falls.

The waterfall on Jones Run was running low, but it was still really pretty.  From the waterfall back up to Skyline Drive, the grade of the trail moderates a bit.  It’s still a lot of uphill mixed with periods of flat terrain.  Eventually, you reach the junction with the Appalachian trail and follow it north for a little over a mile back to the Brown’s Gap parking lot.  This section of the AT follows closely to the road, so you constantly hear cars and smell exhaust.  The walk along this section is easy, but rather uneventful.

Overall, I think this was a great hike.  I’m so glad we had a chance to be outdoors on a beautiful fall day, but I wish the waterfalls had been nicer.  We’ll have to try hiking it again in the spring after heavier, more sustained rains.

Adam Says…

While we’ve hiked Doyles River a number of times, this was the first time that we had made a loop of the hike and added Jones Run.   When we have done this before, we parked at the Doyles River parking lot around mile marker 81.  We would normally hike down to both of the falls and then head back.

On this hike, we parked around mile marker 83 at the Brown Gap lot.  We crossed the road and headed down the Brown Gap fire road.  At about .4 miles, you see a short path leading up to the gravesite pictured above.  In about 1.7 miles you will reach the junction with the Doyles River Trail.  Take a right on this trail.   After about two tenths of a mile, you will reach the Upper Doyles River Falls.  There is a short spur path to lead down to the base of the falls.  Once you rejoin the trail, you will then see the Lower Doyles River Falls after a tenth of the mile.  Don’t try to blaze down off the trail to reach the falls.  The trail loops around to bring you closer to the falls.  When you reach near the base of the falls, there is a short, treacherous climb down to the base of these falls.  When you join back to the trail, continue south down the Doyles River Trail.  You will reach the Junction with the Jones Run Trail in about .6 miles from leaving the Lower Doyles River Falls.  You begin your hike up to the Jones Run Falls and will reach them about .7 miles on this trail.  After the falls, you will have a 1.2 mile hike up to the Jones Run Parking lot.  Before you enter the parking lot, there will be a junction with the Appalachian Trail.  Take a right on the AT, heading north until you reach the Brown Gap parking lot.  The AT portion is about 1.3 miles back to your car, leading you to this overall hike of 6 miles.

The woods were very colorful at the lower elevations. Pictured Below: One downed tree we came across was so large that Adam could climb inside.

The hike is not that long being only six miles, but there is a lot of elevation gain from the base of the Doyles River Trail, leading up to the Jones Run Parking lot.  Christine felt that it may be better to do this hike in reverse, but based on contours, I think either hike has a tough trip back at the end.

The waterfalls along the way on normal days are really some of the nicer waterfalls in Shenandoah National Park.   The water flow didn’t allow us to see them at their best today, but we enjoyed them nonetheless.  The Upper Doyles River Falls stands at 28 feet;  the Lower Doyles River Falls plummets 63 feet.; the Jones Run Falls plunges 42 feet.  If you’re looking for a hike to see multiple falls, this is the best one to do in Shenandoah.

More golden foliage along the trail.

On our way back to the car on the AT, we ran into a woman doing the trail in the opposite way.  She had two pugs with her on the hike, named Titan and Zoot.  They were eager to greet us, since they must have known we had three pugs of our own.  They were very energetic to begin their hike to the falls, but we wondered how they fared on the steep way back.  We wish we had taken some pictures of these boys, because they looked like they were ready for a great adventure that day.

There was a very long line of cars waiting to get into Shenandoah National Park

The foliage was just slightly after peak today.  We decided to exit the south entrance of the park to reward ourselves with some frozen treats from Sonic.  On our way out, we saw the longest line of cars we’ve ever witnessed trying to enter the park at the south gate.  Cars were at a stand-still all the way down to the interstate.  Three rangers were walking down the line, handing out information to make the fee stations handle things quickly.  I guess everyone felt that it would be a nice day to see color in the park and hopefully they weren’t too disappointed in the color.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 6 miles – loop.
• Elevation Change –1875 feet
• Difficulty – 4. The climb up from the bottom of Jones Run is tough!
• Trail Conditions – 3.5 The trail is well-maintained and traveled.
• Views –0. You might get a few glimpses of vistas through the woods along the fire road.
• Waterfalls/streams –4. The waterfalls and streams along this trail are beautiful, especially when there is plenty of rain.
• Wildlife – 1. Just a couple deer.
• Ease to Navigate – 4. Trails are well marked and easy to follow.
• Solitude – 3. You will likely see several other groups of hikers along the way, but it’s not as heavily trafficked as other waterfall trails in the park.

Directions to trailhead:
From Skyline Drive, follow the drive to Brown Gap (near mile marker 83).  The parking lot is on the west side of the drive.  To begin the hike, walk across Skyline Drive and follow the Brown Gap fire road downhill.

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