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Mount LeConte is the third highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This 13.4 mile hike takes you past Grotto Falls and up to LeConte Lodge.

Adam Walks Behind Grotto Falls — One of the early highlights from the hike up was a walk behind Grotto Falls. Below: Christine at the trailhead; Adam starts the hike up the Trillium Gap Trail; The higher we got on the mountain, the thicker the fog became; LeConte was enshrouded in fog and rain when we arrived; We had queen-sized bunk beds in our room; Near sunset, sky conditions began to clear up.

Adam Says…

When we were first thinking about going to the Smokies, we learned that the only lodging in the park was a rustic place atop Mount LeConte. After doing some research, I found out it was very difficult to get a reservation. LeConte Lodge does reservations by a lottery system. Rooms are typically available March-November, but weather occasionally dictates a shorter season. When entering the lottery, you can submit three dates you would like to stay. Then they do a drawing to determine if you have spot. The lottery drawing happened in October (the year before our proposed stay). We were really disappointed when we didn’t get a spot for any of the three dates we requested. I kept calling daily to see if a spot had opened up. I finally asked when the deposits to hold the reservation were due. Once I got that information, I called the very next day and a spot had luckily opened up on one of the original dates we had selected. We were thrilled and got started planning the rest of our Smokies trip around our stay at LeConte.

We chose to the hike up the Trillium Gap Trail for a couple of reasons. First, it’s path that the llamas use to bring up supplies and food to LeConte Lodge. Due to the remoteness of the lodge, a team of eight pack llamas is led up the mountain three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). They bring up supplies and clean linens and carry out used linens and other refuse. The second reason we chose Trillium Gap was the more gradual elevation gain. Mount LeConte has several different routes to hike up with the others being the Bull Head Trail, Rainbow Falls Trail, Alum Cave Trail, and The Boulevard Trail. Most people seem to choose Alum Cave – it’s the shortest route (5.5 miles) and has a bit less elevation gain (2700 ft).

We started on the trail around 8:00 a.m. We noticed the llama trailer was sitting empty in the parking lot, so we didn’t get to see them packed for the hike up. Later, when we talked with the handler, he told us he normally starts around 6:00 a.m. or sunrise – whichever comes first. We headed up the trail to try and make the lodge by lunchtime. The trail begins through thick hemlock forest. The hike continues up (and is uphill just about the entire way to the top) and at 1.3 miles, you will reach Grotto Falls. Grotto Falls is a gorgeous waterfall and the interesting thing is that you get to walk behind it as you continue along the trail. We stopped for some photos of the waterfall, but due to the early start we had it completely to ourselves. We continued past the waterfall and continued the climb. The trail becomes rockier and more narrow at this point on. The trail continues to round the mountainside. At 3.1 miles, you reach the junction with the Brushy Mountain Trail. Hang a right to stay on the Trillium Gap Trail. The trail seems to be relatively level for about .25 miles, but then begins some switchbacks that lead you up the mountain. The trail continues to climb for the rest of the hike. You will eventually come to some areas with steps through a tunnel of fir trees. At this point, you are nearing the end of your journey and will pass a horse hitch. You will finally reach the lodge at 6.7 miles.

Adam Walks the Trail Up to Grotto Falls — Adam approaches Grotto Falls. Below: We saw lots of llama prints and boot prints on the trail; The damp conditions were perfect for snails – we saw so many along the hike; Adam checks out the other side of Grotto Falls; Christine passes beneath the falls, All the vegetation along the trail was so lush and green; Catawba rhododendrons were in full bloom; Our legs and boots got really muddy on the hike up.

We came up behind the dining room and saw the llamas getting a few last minutes of relaxation before their hike back down. We talked to the handler and watched as they loaded up the llamas, who didn’t seem happy to be standing in the drizzling rain. We went into the dining room and sat down for lunch. Lunch is served at the lodge from 12-2 and needs to be reserved two days in advance. We then made our way to the lodge office/gift shop to get checked in.

The rest of the afternoon, we hung out in the lodge office and played cards and watched as other guests arrived. I picked up a guitar and played a bit while Christine went to get some more photos of the lodge. We took a short nap, tired from our uphill climb, and met some of the people that would share our cabin with us for the evening. The dinner bell rang at 6:00 p.m. Dinner is served family style and there was plenty of food to go around. Christine had opted for the bottomless wine glass to accompany dinner and we stuffed ourselves on delicious food. After a few hours, the rain was stopping and the clouds were breaking enough to give us a little sunshine. We decided to hike up .25 miles to Cliff Tops to try and catch a view of sunset. The view was still completely in fog. We headed back to the lodge for a while and continued to play cards before we made our way back to the cabin to read by and headlamp. After a little while, we snuffed the lamp and went to sleep in the highest elevation cabin east of the Mississippi River.

Hiking Up Log Stairs — Adam hikes up log stairs along one of the steeper sections of trail. If you look closely, you can see another hiker a little bit ahead of Adam. Upon chatting with him we learned that he’s hiked all but 30 miles of trail in the Smokies. Impressive! Below: Trail junction; Another waterfall hidden in the woods. We could hear larger falls somewhere in the gorge below; Places that should have offered views were nothing but fog; Everything was moss-covered; Some interesting cliffsides on the hike up.

The next morning, we noticed that the clouds had moved out, so we made our way back up to Cliff Tops to finally get some great views from the top of the mountain. We were very impressed by the scenery around us. We made our way back down the mountain after quickly packing up. When we reached Grotto Falls, there were lots of families there. We made our way back to the car and then headed off to Gatlinburg, TN for the remainder of our stay.

While visiting, you can learn a lot about the history of the lodge. It started off as a large tent camp in 1925. Jack Huff started building the cabins in 1926. There are some amusing pictures in the lodge office of some of those early days of building, including a picture of Jack Huff carrying his mother on his back up the mountain with a chair strapped onto his back. Jack Huff was married up there in 1934. It is said the wedding party started their hike up the mountain at 10:00 the previous night. There are also several records that are kept of hiking up the mountain.

Most round-trip hikes in one day: 4 by Bill Sharp
Hiked up each trail in one day – Lee Lewis and Mike Povia
Most recreational hikes up the mountain – 1301 by Ed Wright (check out his hiking log)
Quickest ascent – 45 minutes (whoa!)
Quickest descent – 33 minutes by Tim Line (once lodge manager)
Oldest hiker to ascend – Rufus Morgan on his 93rd birthday

There are two geocaches on this trail. Since they are within the boundary of a national park, they are both virtual caches.

Grotto Falls
MT. LeConte – clever cache to gather information from the lodge office

Our hike up to Mt. LeConte is one that we will remember for the rest of our lives. We definitely plan to make the trip up again in the future, but we’ll probably try a different route to be able to have a different experience. Try to book a room at the lodge and you won’t regret it.

Christine Says…

The hike up LeConte is something we started planning last October. With some good luck, our date with the mountain was set – Wednesday, May 23, 2012.

As the day approached, we anxiously watched the weather. What had started out as a forecast for pleasant sunny weather slowly changed to a 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms; then a 50/50 chance of morning rain showers. The morning of the hike dawned with nearly 100% chance of rain and storms. I checked the High on LeConte blog to see if there were any differing reports from the mountain-top (there weren’t). We were none too pleased, but when you have a special date with LeConte – you hike regardless of the weather – rain, wind or snow! The only thing that would have kept us off the mountain would have been dangerous weather like tornadoes or flooding rain.

We decided our best bet to beat the weather was to start off early. We got up at 5:15 a.m. to make the hour-long drive from Bryson City over to Gatlinburg and the Roaring Forks Nature Loop area. The drive took about a half hour longer due to road construction near Newfound Gap.

The LeConte Llamas — The LeConte llamas were just as adorable as we expected. Below: The llamas are tied behind the dining room. They get rest and snacks while the outgoing trash and linens are packed; The handler leads the llamas down the mountain; One last look at the llamas – so cute!; The classic LeConte arrival shot (although our trail actually arrived on the other side of camp); The common room of our bunkhouse; As people arrived the common room was used to hang sodden clothes to dry.

We finally got to the trailhead around 8:00 a.m. We had several trails to choose from when selecting a route up LeConte. In the end, we decided on the Trillium Gap Trail. Adam had initially suggested Boulevard (less drive-time from Bryson City), but I really wanted to see the llamas. Additionally, the Trillium Trail includes lovely Grotto Falls – a waterfall that you get to walk behind! It didn’t hurt that the trail also had a more gradual elevation change than other routes up to the summit. Personally, I’d rather hike a longer distance with a more gradual climb than steeper over a shorter path.

We started hiking around 8:15 and quickly covered the short distance to Grotto Falls. We had the falls all to ourselves, so we enjoyed taking a few photos and climbing around on the rocks around the falls. For this Smokies trip, I invested in a Joby Gorillapod. I’ve been super-impressed with its stability and weightlessness. It’s great to have a functional tripod that doesn’t even weigh a pound!

After the falls, the climbing becomes a bit steeper, but the trail is still relatively smooth and well graded. On the climb up, we saw tons of llama footprints (and llama droppings… which look strikingly like Raisinettes or Goobers.) So far, we’d been relatively lucky with weather. It was thin overcast and looked like the sun might actually burn through. But within the next mile, we stepped into the clouds. The way up wouldn’t be clear for the remainder of the hike. Nevertheless, the forest looked beautiful in the mist. Everything looks greener and more lush under cloudy skies. We crossed a number of small streams and waterfalls by traversing rock hops. We saw tons of blooming Catawba rhododendron. There were snails everywhere along the way. The damp, mossy environment must be perfect for them.

Lunch at Lecont — Lunch was a hot bowl of soup, a huge (and delicious) chicken salad sandwich and a no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie.

After almost three miles of climbing, we reached the junction with the Brushy Mountain trail. To reach LeConte, we stayed on Trillium Gap. At the junction, a sign indicated that we had 3.6 miles to reach the summit.

The trail became trickier and steeper for the rest of the hike around this point. There was poison ivy to dodge. There were thick swamps of mud to traverse. There were slick rocks and roots to negotiate. With every step, I could feel mud splashing up the backs of my legs, making me wish I’d remembered to pack my gaiters. Even though the trail was slippery and sloppy, I was still having the time of my life. It was such a gorgeous trail. And honestly, the fog and mist made it even more lovely. The green, mysterious forest around us made up for what we lost in missing the views from the trail.

Around 5,500 feet, we caught up with a hiker that had left the parking lot just about 10-15 minutes ahead of us. I had noticed him when we were packing up our bags. We stopped to chat with him. It turned out that he has hiked almost every single mile of trail in the Smokies. Of the nearly 900 trail miles, he only has about 35 miles to go. He had been up LeConte numerous times and we really enjoyed chatting with him about the different routes and about hiking GSMNP in general.

We hiked close to one another the rest of the way up the mountain. Occasionally he would give us altitude updates. At around 5,900 feet, the rain finally started in earnest. After fog and occasional light drizzle, this was the first real rain of the hike. We only had about half a mile left to go, so we were pretty pleased with how well the weather held up. Hiking a half mile in rain is nothing.

The rooftops of LeConte lodge soon came into view. The Trillium Gap Trail comes up right behind the dining room. We were met by the eight llamas, who were all tied up to a hitching line right outside the lodge. They were adorable and I’m so glad we got to see them! They had just finished a snack of leftover pancakes and were resting up for the hike back down the mountain.

It turned out that we were the first of the overnight guests to arrive for the night. A couple folks who had come up for a two-night stay were already there, too. It took us about 3.5 hours to hike up, including generous stops for photography, water and snacks. It’s amazing how fast you can hike when you know bad weather is right on your heels!

Adam Plays Guitar — We were the first guests to arrive for the day, so we had some quiet time in the main lodge/office. Adam enjoyed playing one of the guitars provided for guests. Below: One corner was filled with memorabilia and information; Christine and Adam enjoy rocking chairs on their porch; Christine on the porch swing; It was a very rainy afternoon/evening; Dinner was served at 6:00; After dinner card game.

After spending a bit more time with the llamas, we said hello to the cook, Chrissy. We had made reservations for lunch at the lodge because we knew we’d probably be arriving sometime between 11:30 and 2:00 and would want something hearty to eat. Lunch was a steaming bowl of vegetable-noodle soup, a huge chicken-salad sandwich on the sweetest, softest wheat bread I’ve ever eaten, and an enormous no-bake chocolate-oatmeal cookie. The dining room also provides unlimited hot tea, coffee, cocoa and lemonade. Since I was cold and wet, I drank two mugs of cocoa with lunch. The literature about hiking LeConte tells you to wear wool layers, gloves and a hat – even in the summer. I was comfortable hiking up in shorts, a wicking tank top and a light jacket. I brought rain gear, but never used it. And honestly, I was not the least bit cold until I stopped hiking after arriving at the lodge.

After lunch, we headed up to the office/main lodge to check in. Staff member Bonnie led us to our room in the bunkhouse right next to the main lodge. We scored a prime location – right in the middle of a triangle of buildings made up of the bathrooms, the dining room and the main lodge. She went over how the heaters and kerosene lanterns worked, provided a pail to use for sponge baths and gave us some general need-to-know information. For example, when visiting LeConte, you have to store all of your personal food items/snacks in a metal can in the main lodge. This keeps mice (and bears!) away from the bunks.

Adam decided to go back over to the main lodge to poke around and I decided to change into dry clothes and take a nap. I was really glad I had packed long pants and a fleece to wear at night. Top of the mountain temperatures at night ranged around 45-50 degrees, so it was nice to be cozy and dry. Our room had a set of queen-sized bunk beds, a chair and a small table. A kerosene lamp was provided for light, but even when it was lit, we still needed headlamps to see well. Our bunkhouse was made up of three private rooms surround a common area. LeConte has a couple bunkhouses like this in addition to the smaller cabins that house just a single party of hikers.

Adam eventually came back and we napped on the bottom bunk in our room, with me splayed across the bed sideways so my feet could be close to the heater. I listened to rain hitting the roof of the bunkhouse – quite a serious downpour! As the afternoon progressed, other hikers began arriving at the lodge. A group of four women from Wisconsin were assigned to one of the other rooms in our bunkhouse. The third group in our bunkhouse didn’t arrive until much later – one of them, a woman who had suffered a 35’ fall on the trail earlier that day. She was scraped up and dirty, but unhurt. She was lucky to escape serious injury. Everyone who came in later was soaking wet!

After resting a while, Adam and I headed back over to the main lodge. We bought LeConte souvenirs, which you can’t buy anywhere else in the park. I also wrote a postcard to my parents, which was stamped ‘lugged by llamas’ and will be sent by post from LeConte. The main lodge is comfortable and rustic – with a stove, a worn leather couch, tons of rocking chairs, historic memorabilia on the walls, a couple guitars and a generous collection of games and books. Adam and I settled into a game of gin rummy followed by a (new to us) game called ‘Clever Endeavor’. It was fun! We read through several books about the Smokies and learned more about George Huff who originally built the lodge.

Sunset on LeConte — The clouds cleared off enough for us to enjoy a sunset! Below: Sunrise was pretty, too; Our little cabin on a sunny morning; We pose on our front porch; Adam takes in the view from Clifftops; Pancake breakfast; The main lodge under nicer weather.

At 6:00, the dinner bell rang. We were ushered into the dining room and seated at assigned tables. Our tablemates were lovely people and we spent most of the evening chatting with a mother and her two adult daughters who had hiked up the Alum Cave trail. Dinner was fantastic – hot soup, pot roast with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, spiced apples, cornbread and chocolate chip cookie bars for dessert. I opted to take advantage of the ‘bottomless wine glass’, too! They weren’t kidding about the bottomless part. As soon as my glass was half empty, one of the crew members would sweep by with a refill. I forced myself to stop at two glasses because I wanted to make sure I didn’t feel the least bit hung-over for the hike down.

At dinner, staff member Nathan made announcements about where we could see sunset and sunrise and thanked everyone for hiking up. After dinner, Adam and I walked the .25 miles up to Cliff Tops to see if there was any chance of clearing below for sunset. The view was nothing but a wall of fog, so we hiked back down again and headed back to the main lodge to play more games – Phase 10 and another round of rummy. As soon as we got settled in, it started to rain again. Fortunately, after this band of showers, the sky started clearing up. We could see the faint outlines of mountains through the mist.

As sunset approached, we put the games away and found a place on the back porch of the dining area to see if a colorful sunset would turn up after all. We were treated to shades of red, purple and blue across the sky. The fir trees looked especially pretty as silhouettes.

When dark fell, Adam and I went back to our room and settled in for the evening. Hikers seem to prefer going to bed early! I think a lot of people jokingly call 9 o’clock ‘hiker midnight’.

I woke up to make a bathroom run around 2:00 a.m. I put on my headlamp and horrid green Crocs and made my way over to the restrooms. As I walked, I noticed the sky was clear as a bell and I could see all the city lights of Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge (not sure which) twinkling below in the valley. I was so distracted by the nice view, that I stepped in a deep puddle and soaked my socks. Oops!

The next time I woke up was around 5:30 when I heard voices outside the bunkhouse. One group of people decided to hike the .75 miles up to Myrtle Point to watch for sunrise. I decided to stay in my cozy bunk and wait for breakfast.

Morning View from Clifftops — We enjoyed a clear view from Clifftops in the morning. This is the spot people normally watch sunset, but it had been covered with fog the evening before. Below: A parting look at LeConte Lodge; Deer peek at us from the woods.

Around 6:30, I got up for good and enjoyed sunrise right from the lodge. I may not have seen the actual sun peek over the horizon, but I enjoyed the soft, pastel-colored sky and the cloak of low fog in the valley below. At 7:00, I walked back over to the main lodge and had a couple cups of coffee. Before the breakfast bell rang, we decided to make a quick hike back up to Cliff Tops to see if there was a view. And boy, was there! The air was clear and crisp, and we enjoyed seeing majestic mountains rolled our before us. Cliff Tops was such a different place under sunshine than it had been in fog the evening before. I’m so glad we took the time to walk back up!

Breakfast was served right at 8:00 – pancakes, Canadian bacon, biscuits, eggs, apple butter, grits and Tang. I had some more coffee; figuring four cups would give me lots of energy for the hike back down.

With full stomachs, we bid farewell to our tablemates, and headed back to our bunkhouse to pack for our hike down. We were back on the trail by 8:40. We made great time back down the mountain, not surprising since it was all downhill this time!

By the time we passed Grotto Falls, it was crawling with people who had made the brief 1.2 mile walk up to see the waterfall. Places like that always seem strikingly different when they’re busy with tourists.

We were back at the car shortly after 11:00 and eating lunch in Gatlinburg a half hour later. Gatlinburg felt so busy and overwhelming after experiencing the peacefulness of LeConte. If you ever have the opportunity to stay at the lodge, I can’t recommend it enough! It was such a memorable part of our first visit to the Smokies.

Trail Notes

Distance – 13.4 miles to hike up to LeConte Lodge and back.
Elevation Change – about 3400 feet
Difficulty – 4. Due to the elevation gain and the constant ascent, this is tough and you will need to take your time.
Trail Conditions – 3. The trail becomes rockier past Grotto Falls. With recent rain, rocks can be slippery.
Views– 4. Even though we didn’t see a lot the first day, we can tell there are great views.
Streams/Waterfalls – 4. Grotto Falls on the hike is the highlight in this area. It isn’t often that you get to hike behind a waterfall.
Wildlife – 3. Someone who hiked up after us said they spotted a bear on the trail just ahead of them. We also saw deer near the junction with Brushy Mountain. There were plenty of juncos nesting near the trail.
Ease to Navigate – 4.5. There is really only one turn at the junction with the Brushy Mountain Trail. The trail is well-defined.
Solitude – 2.5. Expect to see lots of people at Grotto Falls and close to 50 on most days at the top of the lodge.

Directions to trailhead: From Gatlinburg, TN turn at traffic light #8 and stay straight on Historic Nature Trail-Airport Road to head into the National Park. Continue on Cherokee Orchard Road and turn onto the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Follow this for 1.7 miles, until you reach the large parking area for Grotto Falls. The trailhead is at the far end of the parking lot.

Intro to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

May 27, 2012March 11, 20203 Comments

Special: Smokies Edition

Our original introduction to the Smokies was written in 2012! We’ve visited the park twice since then, so it was time to update our list of tips and recommendations. Enjoy!

Smoke in the Smokies — We loved seeing ‘smoke’ in the Smokies. When we visited, the rhododendron were just starting to bloom. Below: Adam sitting alongside the Oconaluftee River; A Smoky Mountains view; The obligatory pose at the park entrance.

The Smokies Are Big and Rugged – We were surprised how different the Smoky Mountains are from the Blue Ridge in Virginia. The mountains are so much taller and steeper. Mountaintops soar to over 6,000 ft. instead of the 3,000-4,000 we’re more used to in the Shenandoahs. The trees are bigger, there are more firs and pines, and everything is greener, mossier, and wetter. Water flows freely and abundantly throughout the park. The waterfalls and rapids are very impressive.

Entering The Smokies Is Free – Most of the national parks we’ve been to make visitors enter through a fee station and charge $10-$20 for a week’s visit. The Smokies have no fee stations, but there are plenty of donation boxes throughout the park. We always put $20 in one of the boxes each week we visit. National Parks are something we both treasure and twenty dollars is a small gift to help support a resource we love.

Best Hiking Book – We had purchased Falcon Guide Hiking Great Smoky National Park by Kevin Adams. While the descriptions of the trails were decent, the author seemed a little bit negative about the park. His descriptions made us feel that we were going to be constantly overwhelmed by crowds and never have a moment of solitude. While we were there, we picked up two books that we recommend over the Falcon Guide. Day Hikes of the Smokies by Carson Brewer and Friends gave us some great ideas and was broken down by easy, moderate, and strenuous hikes. Also available is Hiking Trails of the Smokies. This book was recommended to us by a park ranger as ‘their Bible’ for the trails in the Smokies. Both can be purchased online through the Great Smoky Mountains Association. The one drawback of the books is that they embellish the features of hikes. Sometimes we found ourselves disappointed when features didn’t live up to the rhapsodizing descriptions in the guide. We also love the website Hiking in the Smokys. Their descriptions of hikes are very accurate and their indexing system for locations and hike difficulty makes it really easy to find the right hike for you.

Food Is Scarce In The Park – Besides a few vending machines at visitors centers, food is nowhere to be found in the park. The park does not have restaurants or gas stations. You should definitely plan on packing snacks or a lunch if you plan on spending the day in the park. The only exceptions we found were the Cades Cove campground and the LeConte Lodge. The snack bar at Cades Cove had burgers, hotdogs, BBQ sandwiches, ice cream, chips and sodas. LeConte offers drinks, baked goods and bag lunches, but you have to hike anywhere from 5-12 miles to get to the lodge. Sit down dining is only available for reserved overnight guests.

The Smokies Are Crowded – Millions of people visit GSMNP each year – it’s the most-visited national park in the country. The busiest times are June 15-August 15 and October (especially weekends). While we did see lots of people in late May, I think a good rule of thumb is to get an early start. We typically woke up before 7:00 most mornings, grabbed some breakfast, and headed to the park. We were able to hit most trails before 8:30 a.m. and typically had the views or waterfalls all to ourselves for at least a few minutes before anyone else came along. When we were done with our hikes, the parking lots were always more crowded. If you arrive 10:00 a.m. or later, expect to share vistas and waterfalls with lots of other people. Cades Cove is by far the most crowded place in the park. If you want to drive the loop, plan at least half a day, maybe all day. Here is a great online guide to driving the loop. Traffic is very heavy and slow moving. If you’re trying to get to a trailhead on the loop, bring your patience with you and enjoy the scenery along the way!

The Smokies Are Hazy – The views are amazing, but there was usually a thick haze over everything. Due to research the NPS has done, the haze is a result of air pollution and acid rain. Occasionally you get a day that is strikingly clear, but fog, mist and haze are the norm.

Bear Cub — We spotted this adorable bear cub in a tree along Little River Road, leading into Cades Cove. Shortly after spotting the cub, we noticed momma bear watching us from the hillside above the road. Below: One of the many small, roadside waterfalls we spotted.

Best Place To See Wildlife – Cades Cove had the best wildlife viewing. The first year, we saw seven bears on our way into or around the Cades Cove loop. In 2014, we saw a bear within 15-20 feet while hiking the Rich Mountain Loop (trailhead in Cades Cove). While black bears can be seen throughout the park, the heaviest concentration and the better likelihood of spotting them is in this area. You will also see tons of deer and wild turkeys in the fields. If you want to see elk, the largest population is in the Cataloochee Valley area. But there is also a small herd near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We were lucky enough to get a private ranger-led walk out to spot the Oconaluftee elk in 2012.

Don’t Just Stay In One Place – We stayed in Bryson City, NC for the first half of the week and ended our trip with a couple of days in Gatlinburg, TN. In 2012, we spent one night in the middle of the week at the LeConte Lodge that sits atop the Smokies’ third tallest peak. Bryson City is a quaint, peaceful town with a Mayberry-esque feel. The people were friendly and there were some good restaurants in town. On the southern end of the park, more people probably stay in Cherokee, NC, which is about ten miles from Bryson City. It’s located in the middle of the Qualla Cherokee Indian Reservation for the Eastern band of Cherokee Native Americans. The town of Cherokee is definitely more commercial. There is a large Harrah’s casino and lots of souvenir shops. Without a doubt, Gatlinburg, TN is the most popular park town. It reminded us of a town you would find at a touristy beach. The downtown area had tons of shops selling kitsch (airbrush shirts, old-time photos, plastic trinkets and T-shirts emblazed with neon letters proclaiming ‘I’m Sexy and I Know It’ and ‘YOLO’). There are also tons of mini golf courses, Ripley’s Believe It or Not attractions, and four moonshine distilleries. The food in Gatlinburg was great and I’m sure we’ll mention some of our meals in our upcoming posts. We prefer the quiet areas, so we were glad to spend the bulk of our time in Bryson City. The largest benefit we experienced was by staying in different spots, we were able to get to different areas of the park quicker.

Must-See Things That Don’t Involve Hiking

Visit the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, NC. The exhibits were interesting and give you a good overview of Cherokee history and culture.
Across the street is the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, which serves as a co-op and gallery showcasing the traditional work of over 250 Cherokee artists. The items you’ll find here are quality, hand-made arts and crafts, so expect to pay a higher price than you would for the replicas and knock-offs seen in other shops. The baskets, carvings, pottery and jewelery are all very beautiful.
Visit the Nantahala Outdoor Center located southwest of Bryson City. There are several places to eat, an amazing/knowledgeable outdoor outfitter, and a bridge that carries the Appalachian Trail over the river. They have an even larger outdoor outfitter shop in Gatlinburg. It was nicer than any REI we’ve been to, so if you like hiking, camping, kayaking or backpacking – don’t miss the NOC! One of our favorite things to do at the NOC, is to get a beer at Big Wesser Brew & BBQ, sit at a riverside umbrella table and watch kayakers run the river.
Drive through Cades Cove. As mentioned above, it is a great place to see wildlife, but there are some interesting homesteads, churches and farms from a bygone era. Traffic is very slow, so if you’re not the ambling, sightseer type – you’ll need a lot of patience to visit this part of the park. If you want a more laid-back experience in Cades Cove, try biking it on one of the mornings it’s closed to car traffic. It’s still crowded, but you can go at your own pace without getting stuck in traffic jams.
Drive to Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome. There are gorgeous views from some of the highest areas of the park here!
Visit the park’s many spectacular waterfalls and streams. The Smokies are a rainforest fed by numerous streams and rivers. They’re so beautiful!
Visit Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) and Lazy Hiker (Franklin) to sample their fantastic craft beer.
Taste some moonshine – Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine and Sugarlands (both in Gatlinburg) are fun (and offer cheap samples)!

A Restaurant Recap – We had lots of good food on our visit!

Pancake Pantry Breakfasy — Pancake Pantry breakfast! Below: Barbecue at the Bar-B-Que Wagon in Bryson City; Sugarlands Moonshine; Nantahala Brewery in Bryson City; Lunch at the River’s End Cafe; Pizza at Anthony’s, Enjoying a beer at Big Wesser at the NOC.

In Bryson City, we ate at Pasqualino’s (huge portions, cute atmosphere, the best calzone Adam has ever had), River’s End Restaurant at the NOC (good chili, salads, yummy onion rings with a tasty dipping sauce, pizza, burgers), Soda Pop’s for ice cream, Bar-B-Que Wagon had delicious, classic Carolina-style barbecue, for pizza – Anthony’s (located right next to Nantahala Brewing) has really good food, and for a quick breakfast and great coffee, Mountain Perks! In 2015, we finally got to try The Bistro at Everett Hotel. It was worth the hype and the crepes were amazing.
Sylva/Dillsboro is worth a visit – don’t miss Haywood Smokehouse and Innovation Brewing.
In Gatlinburg, we ate at the Smoky Mountain Brewery (house-brewed beer, amazing burgers – Christine thought the Brewery ‘Ale’ Steak was the best steak she had ever eaten). We also ate at Mellow Mushroom which is a chain, but definitely a good one! They had delicious pizza, good beer selection, and a fun environment. Hungry Bear had excellent barbecue with all the trimmings. For a quick on-the-go breakfast, you must go to the Donut Friar. They have the best donuts we’ve ever eaten – lightly crisp exterior with a soft, airy interior. If you have time for a more leisurely breakfast, don’t miss the Pancake Pantry. They have Gatlinburg’s best pancakes and they make them a million different ways. We both got crepes and they were phenomenal! And lastly, for ice cream and candy – Kilwin’s. They had lots of creative flavors of ice cream and the candy selection was out of this world.
We recommend packing lunches for your day in the park. The Smokies are big and it’s time-consuming to drive to one of the gateway towns for lunch. We packed a lot of energy bars, candy, trail mix and Lunchables so we wouldn’t have to drive out of the park to get something to eat mid-day.

Trails We Covered in (or Near) the Smokies

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

Appalachian Trail – Elkwallow to Jenkins Gap

May 15, 2012August 26, 20154 Comments

This 12.6 mile hike gives you several breathtaking views to the west and a visit to an AT overnight shelter. Instead of doing our normal ‘Adam Says‘ and ‘Christine Says‘ segments, Adam is going to cover the first day and Christine will cover the second.

Christine Taking in the View — Christine enjoys the view from one of the Marshalls on the second day of the trip. Below: The Gravel Springs Hut; Views on the first day; Adam relaxes by the campfire.

From the Elkwallow Wayside, follow the short spur trail at the northern parking lot for .1 miles until it reaches the junction with the white-blazed Appalachian Trail. Turn right, heading north and you will almost immediately cross Skyline Drive. The trail begins to climb. At 1.4 miles, the trail crosses Skyline Drive again and continues to climb. At 2.5 miles, the climbing reaches an end as you reach the junction with the Tuscarora Trail. At mile 2.9 and mile 3.2 you will cross Skyline Drive a few more points crossing over Hogback Mountain. At the cross at mile 3.2, you are on a fire road for a very short while (that is used for people bringing in hang gliders) and the AT goes into the woods. At mile 3.4 you reach some nice views and where the hang gliders take off for a descent over the mountains. At mile 3.6, you will reach a junction with a side trail that leads to a spring. The trail begins to descend at this point. At mile 4.3, the trail begins to slightly ascend until you reach a nice viewpoint at mile 4.4. The trail descends again and crosses Skyline Drive again at mile 5.0. At mile 6.0, you reach the side trail which leads .2 miles to the Gravel Springs Hut. For the start of our second day, from the Gravel Springs Hut, rejoin the AT at 6.4 miles. At mile 6.6, the trail crosses Skyline Drive again and continues to ascend. At mile 7.4, you reach a great viewpoint on South Marshall Mountain. The trail continues to climb up and crosses Skyline Drive at mile 8.2. The trail then ascends steeply up North Marshall Mountain and leads to another nice view at 9.4. The trail ascends for another quarter of a mile and then descends steeply down the trail. The trail crosses Skyline Drive again at mile 11.0. The trail ascends over a short bubble of a hill and then reaches the Jenkins Gap Trail junction at mile 12.5. Take a right at this junction and reach the Jenkins Gap Trail parking lot at mile 12.6.

Day One – Adam Says…

I noticed the weather forecast was saying that we had a 0% chance of rain on Friday and only a 10% chance of rain on Saturday. Since we have opted to cancel a few backpacking trips recently due to rain, we felt we couldn’t resist these odds and decided to take the day off work to work on this section of the Appalachian Trail. We had bought two annual park passes last year, with one expiring at the end of May. We felt the pressure of getting this hike in since it required two vehicles for the shuttle.

Adam Climbing Up from Elkwallow — Adam climbs uphill from the Elkwallow Wayside. Below: A nice view of the valley below. For some reason, Christine likes to wear backpacking clothes that don’t match; The Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah often runs within sight (or earshot) of Skyline Drive; The trail crosses and briefly follows fire roads in several spots.

It took us a while to get our act together to make sure we were ready for the trip. We started loading our packs, made sure we had instructions for our dog sitter, and picked up some lunch along the way from Subway. We drove up to drop a car off at the Jenkins Gap parking lot and then made our way back down to the Elkwallow Wayside. We ate our lunch outside and saw a few thru-hikers that we wondered if we would see later that evening. Christine was really cold sitting in the wind outside the wayside. Her legs were covered with goosebumps and she kept pulling her jacket tighter and tighter around her ribs. She told me that she was really worried about the cooler temperatures, and hoped she would warm up once we started hiking.

We finally started off on our hike around 1:30PM. We strapped on our 30 lb. packs on to our backs and started climbing up the hill. While we had been hearing the loud screams of the seventeen-year cicadas near our house, we were pleasantly surprised to hear they were not out in Shenandoah National Park. We stopped at a few points on the uphill climb to take in the views from Hogback Mountain. One nice thing about this hike is that the views were mostly on the uphill climbs, so it gives you a reason to take off your heavy pack and enjoy the scenery. A couple of thru-hikers we had seen at Elkwallow passed us near the hang glider launch. We’re always amazed at how fast they hike. I guess hiking every day has its pay-offs!

Hangglider Launch Site — The hang-glider launch site offers a beautiful view! Below: Adam hikes uphill again near Hogback Mountain; Wildflowers blooming along the trail; Our tent site at the hut.

We made our way down the mountain at this point. Backpacking uphill seems to be where you feel the weight the most, but going downhill has its own challenges – you feel the weight differently in your legs and have to be extra careful of your footing. We made it to the Gravel Springs Hut around 4:30PM and checked out the nearby area. There weren’t any other hikers there yet, so we were wondering if we were going to have this all to ourselves that night. We scouted out some of the campsites near the shelter. There were five campsites. We started to pitch our tent at the first campsite, but we realized we wouldn’t have enough of room to put up the fly. And with the night forecast to go into the upper 30’s, we definitely wanted the extra layer of insulation on our tent. We ending up moving to the largest of the sites, but this site was more sloped. We pitched our tent so that our feet were on the lowest, downhill part of the slope. We filtered some water and I began to work on cooking dinner while Christine gathered some kindling for a campfire. In most places in Shenandoah National Park, you can’t set fires in the backcountry, but this shelter had a large stone fireplace. We ate a dinner of Backpacker’s Pantry Sweet and Sour Chicken (which was delicious and definitely something we would have again) and Natural High’s Banana Cream Pie (which we didn’t like the taste or consistency).

One of the highlights of staying at an AT shelter, is the people that you get to meet. Around 5:30, we met our first group of hikers that were planning on staying at the shelter. There was a gentleman named Don from Indiana, who had suffered a knee injury from hiking the AT previously, but was returning for a hike through Shenandoah to Harper’s Ferry to test his knee on an extended trip. He was accompanied by two brothers from Florida. The older brother, Adam had decided to introduce backpacking to his younger brother (who wasn’t enjoying it as much). The original plan was to hike the AT through SNP and return back. However, they had recently decided they would stop at Front Royal and then find a way back to Waynesboro that didn’t involve hiking. Next, two women came along and set up tents at two more of the campsites. They were out on a two night trip and had parked a car nearby so they could slackpack most of the trail. Shortly afterwards, Standing Bear arrived. Standing Bear was a thru-hiker that had started his trip from Georgia around the end of February. He told us a lot that night about how he has been attracting a lot of recent trail magic, from margaritas at a campsite to meals and lodging along the way. He told everyone that he was very good at ‘Yogi-ing‘. We then had another thru-hiker join us named Mountain Goat. When you looked at Mountain Goat’s legs, he just looked like a tough beast and he was working on trying to do over 25 miles a day to finish the trail quickly. As dusk approached, the last group of thru-hikers joined us – Rat Bucket and Sketch. They had purchased a couple of bottles of wine and were making their 6-mile trip from Elkwallow to the hut drinking wine instead of water. They were of course a little happier than most of the hikers when they arrived at the cabin. We hung out for a while, sitting around the campfire and talking about what areas the hikers had enjoyed the most (Grayson Highlands was the unanimous vote) along the way and food (which seems to be a constant discussion with thru-hikers).

Christine Works on the Fire — Christine works on getting a fire going. She still hates her lime green Crocs. Below: Adam filters water from the spring at the shelter; Everyone congregates and cooks dinner at the picnic table in front of the shelter; Relaxing by the campfire after dinner. Everyone is usually in bed by 9:00 or so.

Around 9:00, we headed back to our tent. I continued to read my book that I have been only reading while backpacking – a book of John Muir’s writings and Christine listened to her iPod. We fell asleep to the sound of nearby owls. The slope really affected my sleeping as my fitted sheet for my air mattress kept coming off and I would wake up in fetal position at the bottom of the tent and would have to fight back up to the top.

Day Two – Christine Says…

I woke up as soon as the birds started chirping and the first hints of light filtered through the trees. It was cold, so I pulled my sleeping bag tighter around me and cinched its hood around my head. I had slept really well despite the fact I had repeatedly slid downhill to the bottom of the tent. I heard others nearby starting to stir as well – tent zippers sliding, the privy door slamming and the whoosh of camp stoves firing up. I didn’t want to leave the warmth of the tent, but I did. There’s always so much that needs done to break down camp before eating breakfast.

Breakfast Time — The table got really crowded at breakfast time, so we cooked on the little stone bench on the side of the shelter. Below: Adam checks out the trail sign showing hike options in the vicinity of Gravel Springs; Adam tucks his pants into his socks to avoid ticks; Christine and Adam on South Marshall Mountain.

Adam and I are usually pretty efficient and can have our whole campsite broken down and backpacks repacked within about half an hour. The first step is always to shove our sleeping bags back into their stuff sacks. Then we repack our sheets, crunch down our pillows and let the air out of the sleeping pads. Once the bedding is stowed away, we pack up the tent and any clothing that was left strewn about the site. Yes… we really carry all this stuff! As you might have guess, we are not lightweight backpackers. We carry a lot of creature comforts and luxury items (pillows, sheets, chairs, books, card games, etc). When we go on longer trips, we’re really going to have to reevaluate our gear and make some sacrifices. 🙂

When we walked down to breakfast, our backpacks were pretty much fully loaded and ready to go for the day. The only things left to pack were our food, dishes, stove and water filter – and we always keep those items near the top of our packs. When we got down to the hut, almost everyone was already up and working on breakfast. We got our two bags (trash and food/other stuff that has a scent) down from the bear hang and joined the rest of the group at the picnic table. Breakfast was coffee and instant apple cinnamon oatmeal. You see a lot of oatmeal and granola at backpacker breakfasts. Clif bars and bagels are pretty popular too. Although, this particular morning, one pair of hikers even had a container of fresh berries!

Adam and I were the first to leave the hut. We climbed up the short, but steep, access trail back to the AT and headed north. The early part of the morning’s hike took us past several gorgeous views from the Marshalls. We spent time at each of them, taking photos and enjoying the cool, crystal-clear morning. While we were at the first view, Rat Bucket caught up with us. We took a photo of him and he returned the favor for us before heading quickly down the trail. Once again, I marveled at the speed and distance covered by thru-hikers. Most of these folks are covering 20-28 miles a day through Shenandoah National Park.

Christine on North Marshall Mountain. Below: Views from both Marshalls were excellent; You can see Skyline Drive off in the distance; Christine scrambling around on the cliffside; Another excellent view; Adam takes in the scenery from a high perch; Checking out mileage on the trail marker.

At the next view, Mountain Goat caught up and passed us. He only briefly stopped to check out the vista. I guess when you hike big miles, you don’t have time to meander and pause at every pretty spot along the trail. While we were stopped at this spot, we had a quick snack of PowerBar Energy Blasts. They’re basically caffeinated gummy candy, but the website makes them sound like they magically give you Lance Armstrong-like endurance and help your muscles recover. Maybe they don’t do all that, but they sure do taste good! And they have sugar and caffeine – both of which seem to help me hike stronger.

At the third viewpoint, Standing Bear passed us, but we ended up leapfrogging him a little further down the trail and didn’t see him again. Nor did we see any of the other folks from the hut. All but two people staying at Gravel Springs had been northbound, so I suppose they just stayed at camp a bit later.

The trail was so beautiful and lush and green! Even when there wasn’t a view to enjoy, the hike itself was so lovely. The climbs were never too hard and the descents were never too steep. We crossed Skyline Drive several times. We saw lots of dayhikers… two of them were even dressed in their ‘Sunday Best’ clothing. They were walking south along the trail, not in the vicinity of any views or special attractions. Neither of them looked in the least bit happy and both of them looked hot and uncomfortable. I see people like that and wonder if this hike was a spontaneous decision. I wonder if they know where they’re going, or if they just set out on a trail thinking ‘Hmmm… if I walk on a trail, eventually I’ll see something!’

Dayhikers — We saw a lot of dayhikers as we approached Jenkins Gap. Below: An old foundation along the trail; The only bear we saw on this trip came in the form of Adam in a mask at the Skyland gift shop.

We made it back to our car at Jenkins Gap around 10:30 or so. We had plans to meet my parents at Skyland for a Mother’s Day lunch at noon, so I brushed my hair and changed into my less-dirty clothes. We had plenty of time to kill, so we stopped by the Elkwallow wayside for more snacks and drinks. When we got to Skyland, it wasn’t even 11:30, so we relaxed in the lobby until they arrived. We had a nice lunch together and then headed home. It was a fun trip, and I can’t believe we only have several more miles of Appalachian Trail to hike in Shenandoah!

Trail Notes

Distance – 12.6 miles
Elevation Change – 1900 feet.
Difficulty – 3. Despite the two big climbs of elevation, we didn’t feel that it was overly difficult.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was in great condition and was well-maintained. There were only a few rocky areas that you had to worry about footing.
Views – 4.5. We were impressed with the views along this section. The best views were from South Marshall Mountain, but there were probably 4-5 areas to take in the expansive views.
Streams/Waterfalls – 0. There were no streams or rivers nearby, but there was a reliable water source at Gravel Springs Hut.
Wildlife – 3. Someone had written in the hut trail journal they had seen a few bears on the way down to the hut that day. We did see a deer and the woods were filled with pileated woodpeckers, owls, and other birds.
Ease to Navigate – 4. There are some side trails, but just consult the cement posts to keep following the Appalachian Trail.
Solitude – 3. We ran into most of the people around the Jenkins Gap to North Marshall mountain. I would imagine this would be fairly popular since it is closer to the northern end of Shenandoah National Park.

Directions to trailhead: Park one vehicle at the Jenkins Gap lot at mile 12 on Skyline Drive. Then travel down south to mile 24 at Elkwallow Gap Wayside. The spur trail to the Appalachian Trail starts from the northern parking lot.

Bear Church Rock – via Graves Mill

May 6, 2012August 26, 201515 Comments

Bear Church Rock is a 8.5 mile hike that leads to gorgeous, mountain views. The hike passes alongside two rivers, waterfalls, and a PATC cabin. You can also reach this beautiful overlook from Skyline Drive (Bootens Gap).

Taking in the View From Bear Church Rock — Adam enjoys the view from Bear Church Rock. Below: The tall, straight trees along the Staunton River trail were very beautiful; Azalea blooming near the top of Jones Mountain; The last push to the rock almost killed Adam.

Adam Says…

Bear Church Rock is a hike that has it all – nice trail alongside a stream, a few small waterfalls, a visit to a PATC cabin, and a great view at the top. The views are completely of mountains with rarely a sign of civilization. I always feel like I am truly getting away when I don’t have to see houses or roads dotted across the landscape. You can easily see Fork Mountain and Doubletop Mountain nearby, but past that ridge, you can also get glimpses of the ridge that makes up Skyline Drive.

The hike starts off on the Graves Mill Trail, which is a flat walk that runs along the Rapidan River. At .5 miles, you reach a junction with the Staunton River Trail. Take a left at the junction to follow the Staunton River Trail, which runs along the Staunton River. Shortly after you join the trail, you will come across a beaver dam on the river and you’ll notice several stumps of trees that have been gnawed by beavers. At 1.1 miles, you will see a small waterfall leading into a small pool off the trail that is worth a stop. At 1.8 miles, you will see on the left side of the trail some piles of stone and on the right you’ll be able to see another small waterfall through the trees. At 2.7 miles, you reach the junction with the Jones Mountain Trail. Take a left on this trail. The trail becomes very steep at this point and will remain so until you reach the top. At 3.1 miles, you reach the junction with the McDaniel Hollow trail. Take a left here to follow the Jones Mountain Trail. At mile 3.4, you reach a junction that leads to the available-to-rent PATC cabin. If you stay relatively straight on the trail, it leads to the PATC Jones Mountain Cabin. We took this trail which starts off flat, but then descends rather steeply. After visiting the cabin, return to reach the junction with the Jones Mountain Trail and head up the steep incline until you reach Bear Church Rock. Continue back the way you came, but your return trip will be shorter if you have already visited the Jones Mountain Cabin. The total trip should be 8.5 miles.

You could also approach this hike from Skyline Drive for a longer hike, following the Laurel Prong Trail to Cat Knob Trail to Jones Mountain Trail. My guess is it would be about a 10 to 12-mile round-trip to approach it from that direction.

Start of the Staunton River Trail — Adam pauses to look at distances marked on the Staunton River trail sign. Below: Parking for this hike is at Graves Mill; The lovely Rapidan River; Trillium were still blooming along the trail, but were nearing the end of their peak.

On our way up the Jones Mountain Trail, we ran into a few PATC volunteers that were working on maintaining the trail. Some PATC members volunteer to help maintain the trails that run through Shenandoah National Park, the Appalachian Trail, and other regional trails. One of the workers has been working on improving this trail for the last five years. At the time that we saw them, they were working on building in some water bars through the trail that helps pull the water off the trail to prevent erosion. They were digging drainage ditches, placing some dead black locust tree logs across the trail they had cut, refilling with dirt, and then mounding the dirt in a way that it was unnoticeable to hikers. We learned that the black locust trees were great trail logs because they don’t rot. We thanked them for helping to improve the trails and we plan on getting in touch with them to help them some weekend in the future. We both feel that as much as we enjoy hiking, it would be nice to give back.

First Waterfall on Staunton River Trail — This was the first of many small waterfalls we saw along the Staunton River trail. Below: Another waterfall; There were many remnants of stone walls and stone structures in the woods along the trail; Adam stops to consult the map at the junction of the Staunton River and Jones Mountain trails.

At one moment when we were hiking up the Jones Mountain Trail, I decided to take a break from the climb and sat on a log on the side of the trail. As I was relaxing, a piece of the log broke off, causing me to hit myself in the head with one of my trekking poles. I felt like I was in the Subway commercial of fat people breaking things. Embarrassing, but funny.

This was our first time hiking this trail, but Christine and I both think this is one of the best trails in Shenandoah National Park. If you can handle the distance and the steep climb, this should be on your “must” list. For further reading about this area, check out Lost Trails and Forgotten People: The Story of Jones Mountain. I think I would like to pick up a copy and learn more about this area, since it was such an amazing hike.

Christine Says…

Another weekend, another backpacking trip cancelled due to rainy weather – what can I say? When you’re a fair-weather backpacker, lots of spring trips end up delayed. We were pretty glad we postponed again, because the thunderstorms that passed through overnight on Saturday were pretty fierce and torrential. I would not have enjoyed being in our tent during those winds and rains! Fortunately, Sunday morning dawned dry, but foggy with a forecast of dissipating clouds followed by brilliant sunshine. We decided to tackle the 8.5 mile route up Jones Mountain to Bear Church Rock. It’s a hike we’ve been meaning to do, especially after seeing it covered by PATC – Charlottesville Chapter and Hiking Upward.

The hike vastly exceeded my already high expectations. I had the BEST time! Without a doubt, this hike has cracked my top-five list of hikes in Shenandoah National Park (along with Riprap, Mary’s Rock from Pinnacles, Rapidan Camp and the Rose River Loop). This hike had it all – gorgeous river scenery, waterfalls, fantastic trail conditions, a rustic cabin, spectacular views and plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife.

Beaver Dam on the Staunton River — We saw this impressive beaver dam on the Staunton River. There were lots of gnawed trees (inset) around the water. Below: Showy Orchis is a common wildflower seen blooming along the trail; Everything was so lush and green; You may notice Adam’s pants tucked into his socks to avoid ticks. Ticks are out in force this year!

We started out around 10:00 a.m. from the Graves Mill parking area. The lot is small; with room for about 8-12 cars at most. It was already mostly full when we arrived. The hike starts off on the Graves Mill trail – a flat section of trail running parallel to the Rapidan River. Within a half mile, the Graves Mill trail meets the Staunton River trail. This trail is a gentle uphill grade, following within sight or earshot of the water. One of the first interesting things we passed was a series of several beaver dams spanning the river. I don’t know if they’re active dams or long abandoned. We saw plenty of gnawed tree stumps, but no sign of beavers or any fresh activity. A little further upstream, we passed the first of a series of small waterfalls. All of the falls and cascades along the Staunton River are beautiful! If you’re a photographer and like shooting long exposures on moving water, this river is a goldmine. I’d love to return on an overcast day after there has been plenty of rain. I think this trail would also be popular with people in search of the perfect summertime swimming hole. There were so many deep, quiet pools between the faster moving cascades.

After about a mile and a half along the Staunton River trail, we reached the junction with the Jones Mountain trail. Adam took a brief break at this point to consult the map. We quickly figured out that we were about to start climbing. Overall, the path to Bear Church Rock requires about 2200 feet of elevation gain.

PATC Work Crew — PATC volunteers have been working on the trails in this area for over five years, spending 1000+ hours of their time.

After just a few minutes of walking, we heard voices and the sound of tools coming through the woods. Shortly later, our paths crossed with a PATC trail crew hard at work installing water bars. We learned from the crew that they’ve done over 1000 hours of work on this particular section of trail over the past five years. No wonder the trail is in such magnificent shape. Everyone who hikes in Shenandoah and enjoys the fantastic trail conditions owes a debt of gratitude to volunteer trail workers. They do mind-boggling amounts of backbreaking labor to make the trails nice for everyone else.

After chatting with the trail crew for a few minutes, a couple came down the trail. They mentioned that they had seen a bear with two tiny cubs just a few minutes earlier. We were excited and hopeful that we might spot them too. Unfortunately, we weren’t that lucky!

Eventually we reached a ‘Y’ in the trail, with one arm leading .3 of a mile down to the Jones Mountain cabin and the other arm leading a half mile up to Bear Church Rock. We decided to visit the cabin first, and then enjoy lunch atop Bear Church.

The trail to the cabin led rather sharply downhill, first passing through an ancient, gnarled stand of mountain laurel. The curly branches practically formed a tunnel over the trail. All along the final descent to the cabin were stacks of firewood – also courtesy of PATC trail crews. Apparently, there is a significant problem with cabin renter chopping down live trees near the cabin to use as firewood. I find that SHOCKING! What is wrong with people? Who goes to a National Park… and chops down living trees (especially when deadfall is so abundant in the park)?

After rounding a final bend, the roof of the cabin comes into view. The Jones Mountain cabin is adorable – two stories with a big front porch. We peeked in through an opening in the shutters and saw a big fireplace, a rustic wooden dining table and a sunny loft on the top level. A privy and a spring are both located near the cabin. What a great place to hike in and camp for a couple nights!

We didn’t stay long at the cabin because we were hungry for lunch and wanted to enjoy Bear Church Rock before any other hikers arrived. The climb back up to the trail junction was pretty steep, but didn’t take too long.

The toughest climbing of the day came along the final push up to the rock. After a few switchbacks, the trail went straight up the mountainside. At the top, a little unmarked (but highly visible) path cuts through the vegetation onto a large rocky outcropping. The trail continues past the little spur trail to the rocks, so don’t miss it! If you continued along the trail, you’d eventually come to trails in the vicinity of Camp Hoover.

The view from Bear Church Rock is fantastic! Instead of looking down into a valley full of roads, farms and small towns, you look down into wilderness. You see nothing but trees and a line where the river cuts through the forest. If you have a map, you can identify some of Shenandoah’s other peaks from this spot. We hit this spot on a perfect spring day. We had bluebird skies with only occasional puffy clouds. The progression of spring was evident in the mountains – vibrant green climbing its way up toward the still barren mountain tops. We enjoyed our lunch and relaxing in the sunshine.

Spectacular View from Bear Church Rock — Just some more beauty shots from atop Bear Church Rock.

The hike back down went quickly – with a descent so steep it was easier to run than to walk! We made the return trip to the car in about half the time it took us to climb up. In the end, the entire hike took us about four hours, including stops at the cabin and half an hour for lunch.

Bear Church Rock is definitely worth doing! What a beautiful day!

Trail Notes

Distance – 8.5 miles
Elevation Change – 2210 feet
Difficulty – 4. The parts near the Rapidan and Staunton Rivers are very flat, but the uphill climbs are very steep.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is wide during much of the trail where you could even walk side-by-side with someone if you wanted. The trails are well-maintained thanks to our PATC volunteers and it is not very rocky through most of the hike.
Views– 4. The view from Bear Church Rock is amazing. It’s not a 360-degree view, but you can see mountains for miles and little sign of civilization.
Streams/Waterfalls – 4.5. The rivers are nice to walk alongside. You also have a beaver dam and a few small waterfalls on this trail.
Wildlife – 4. We saw some snakes by the river and on the trail. We saw deer by the Jones Mountain Cabin. People coming down the trail when we were coming up had just seen a mama bear with two cubs.
Ease to Navigate – 4. While the trail does have a few turns, it is well marked with concrete posts to help give you direction.
Solitude – 3.5. We had the view to ourselves by going early in the day, but this is a fairly popular hike.

Directions to trailhead: From Route 230 near Wolftown, VA turn on to Route 662. Continue to follow the signs for 662. In about 6 miles until 662 ends at a parking lot. The trailhead is visible from the parking lot.

Appalachian Trail – Beagle Gap to Turk Gap

April 14, 2012August 26, 20154 Comments

The Appalachian Trail – Beagle Gap to Turk Gap is a nice 6.4 mile section that includes a short summit hike and a visit to a AT shelter in the southern district of Shenandoah National Park.

View Along the Ridge — A nice view along the ridge line. You can see the spring green creeping up the mountainsides. Below: Flowering trees near the beginning of the hike at Beagle Gap; the Calf Mountain Shelter; Dogwood in bloom.

Adam Says…

With this section of the Appalachian Trail, we finished section-hiking the southern district of Shenandoah National Park. Now that we are finished with both the central and southern districts, we will next start working on completing the northern district so that we can ultimately cover all 105 miles of the AT through SNP. The southern district accounts for 45 miles of that total, so we are glad to have the longest section completed. I think hiking all of those miles was best realized by me when we are driving back home. It feels like it took forever to drive the distance (due to the 35 mph speed limit through the park), so knowing we walked the distance gives me a little pride. Of course, it still amazes me that some AT thru-hikers will accomplish the entire AT through SNP in about 4 days where it has taken us 5-8 days of hiking just to cover one section.

Adam hikes up Calf Mountain. Below: The Charlottesville chapter of Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) is working on a less steep re-route of the Appalachian Trail near Calf Mountain; The USGS marker on Calf Mountain’s summit; After descending Calf Mountain you will cross under powerlines. They’re very loud and buzzy!

We did bring two cars to cover more ground. We parked one car at Turk Gap at mile 94.2 on Skyline Drive. We took the other car to Beagle Gap and began our hike northward from there. From the parking lot, we went through the gap of the fence on the same side of the parking lot. We started walking across the open field and up into the woods. Once we got into the woods, the trail becomes quite steep as you make your way up Calf Mountain, where you gain about 500 feet of elevation in the first mile. The woods are more open through this section, so you can take in a lot of the beauty around you if you need an excuse for a break. The AT is being re-routed through this part, so you will see some posted signs, but stay on the white-blazed AT. At mile 1.0, you will see a large cairn on the trail. If you look nearby on the ground, you will see a USGS marker that marks the summit of Calf Mountain at 2974 feet. The trail then begins to descend past this point. At mile 1.6, you will see a blue-blazed side trail that leads to the Calf Mountain Shelter. The sign says that the shelter is .3 miles away, but it is really just slightly over .2 mile away and the trail is relatively flat. We always enjoy visiting the shelters along the way and reading the entries in the shelter log books to see who has been through recently. Once you return back to the AT, continue northward. At mile 2.5, we started to hear some buzzing in the air. Within a few short steps, we came across some power lines that are cut through the mountains that were producing the unsettling sound. At mile 2.7, you will come across the South Fork Moormans River Fire Road. Cross the road and continue on the AT. The trail descends to bring you down to Moormans River, which is more like a trickling stream than a river at this point. Once you reach the stream, the trail then begins the uphill climb for most of the remainder of the trail. At mile 4.8, you will reach Skyline Drive and the Sawmill Run Overlook. Cross Skyline Drive, continue to climb, and at mile 6.4 you will reach the Turk Gap parking lot.

When reading the log book at the Calf Mountain shelter, it appears there were a few writings about a zombie apocalypse happening on the trail and some people were getting eaten and others were trying to stay ahead of it. The only mention of this I could find online was through Tarzan’s AT journal. I just picture a group of thru-hikers with zombie makeup shuffling through the forest and tagging others to spread the zombie disease. But from watching The Walking Dead, I don’t picture anyone trying to set any speed records as a zombie. Christine and I have toyed with doing a haunted hike on Halloween before, so this gives us some ideas.

Calf Mountain Journal — The journal at Calf Mountain shelter was full of fascinating and entertaining entries. Below: Adam reading at the shelter; Zombies on the Appalachian Trail; Climbing uphill

I did struggle a bit with this hike. The last two weeks I had a very severe sinus infection. Topping that off with a high-pollen allergy season just made this tough for me. My lungs haven’t fully healed from all the coughing that I was doing, so walking uphill for most of this hike was taxing. By the last mile of this hike, I was just ready to be done.

Christine Says…

This section of trail was quite a bit nicer than I expected. On the map, it basically looked like a series of rolling hills on a trail through the woods – no panoramic views or remarkable features. But once we got out there, we did find a couple nice views after all. The shelter visit was fun, mostly because the journal entries were more entertaining than usual. Trees and wildflowers were blooming abundantly, so there was plenty of color along the way. I also enjoyed the bluebird skies and the pleasant breeze.

The trail began with the climb up to the summit of Calf Mountain. It’s a summit without a view. It’s marked by a USGS marker and a conical pile of rocks. The pile reminded me a little of the giant cairns that mark the summits in Acadia National Park. Adam always poses on those Maine summits, so I asked him to do the same on Calf Mountain. Unfortunately, he made a really goofy face in the photo, so I won’t be sharing it on the blog.

Green Trail — The understory turned green early in the spring of 2012. Below: Ferns uncurling; Budding azaleas; Wildflowers

Hiking down from the Calf Mountain summit, I really noticed how GREEN everything is becoming. Spring hit early and fast this year. Even though the mature hardwoods had not leafed out when we did this hike, much of the understory was already green – ferns were uncurling, dogwoods and redbuds were in full bloom and we saw wild geraniums and dwarf irises. On this section of trail, we passed several enormous trees with lots of large, low-hanging branches. They were just the kind of tree I would have climbed as a kid. I wish I knew what kind they were, but they didn’t have leaves yet and I’m not good at tree identification without leaves.

Our next stop was the Calf Mountain shelter. I ate candy and cheese. Adam almost broke my camera by getting his foot caught in the neck strap as it was sitting on the picnic table. (Aaaaaah!) I read the journal. Apparently, there are zombies afoot on the Appalachian Trail this spring – many hikers are now undead, and it sounds wise to stay on the move. (kidding, kidding) There was also a fascinating entry from a man who has completed many thru-hikes (and not just the Appalachian Trail). His entry was really uplifting and motivating. I can’t believe one of his thru-hike attempts ended after getting thrown off the AT by a tornado in Maine — yes, A TORNADO in MAINE. That doesn’t happen very often!

Flowering Tree — There were plenty of flowering trees along the hike. I think we saw dogwoods, redbuds, cherry and apple. Below: Dwarf iris.

The second half of the hike was mostly uphill. It was never steep uphill, but we still gained several hundred feet in a pretty short distance. I felt really bad for Adam. He was struggling with the uphill after recovering from a chest/head cold. At one point, I heard him cursing and muttering behind me that he was ‘*%$# tired of *%$# uphill.’ I always feel a strange sense of guilt when people I’m hiking with are having a hard time. I almost feel like the hills are my fault. LOL I want to carry more, encourage them to take more breaks, or offer to make a run for the car and come back to get them at an earlier stop point. But Adam was tough, and pushed through the pain.

The nicest views of the hike came on the section of trail between Jarman Gap and Turk Gap. There were several open views along the ridge. It was beautiful to see the spring green creeping up the mountainside!

It feels good to be done with two sections of the AT through Shenandoah. Now we have less than twenty miles to go. Hopefully we’ll be able to knock those miles out in the next few weeks.

Trail Notes

Distance – 6.4 miles, including .4 miles to visit the Calf Mountain Shelter
Elevation Change – 1300 feet
Difficulty – 2.5. While most of the trail is uphill, the grade is typically not very steep except for the section up Calf Mountain.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was in great shape and well-traveled. There were not many rocky sections along this trail.
Views – 2. There were a few views near the power lines, but most of the views along this section are obstructed.
Streams/Waterfalls – 2. You do go along the south fork of Moormans River at one point, but it is largely a trickle at this point. There are a few springs along the way, but the most reliable source is probably near Calf Mountain Shelter.
Wildlife – 3. We did see several deer along the trails and we could hear lots of woodpeckers through the trees.
Ease to Navigate –4. Stay on the white-blazed AT and you should be fine.
Solitude – 3. You will find more people on the way to Calf Mountain, but not many people after that.

Directions to trailhead: At mile 99.5, you will come to a large parking area. Look for the gap in the fence on the same side of the road and head up the Appalachian Trail.

Appalachian Trail – Brown Gap to MM89

December 18, 2011May 31, 20121 Comment

For our Thanksgiving hike, we decided to knock off another section of the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park. This six mile hike includes a visit to the boulder summit of Blackrock mountain and a side trip to a PATC hut.

View from Blackrock Summit — The view from Blackrock is beautiful! Below: The summit of Blackrock is a massive jumble of boulders left behind by an ancient collapsed cliff; Adam looks at the different hiking options around Blackrock. This area is popular with families and day-hikers due to its short length, With all the leaves down, Skyline Drive was visible many places along the trail.

Adam Says…

For the last several years, we’ve had our own non-traditional Thanksgiving Day celebration We start off with a morning hike, and for dinner we have homemade pizza. Since it is typically just the two of us, we haven’t felt the need to make a big turkey with all the trimmings. Christine isn’t a big fan of turkey, so we decided to have something for dinner that we both enjoy even more. But to keep with a little tradition, we take a piece of pepperoni, make a wish, and tug on both ends. Whoever gets the majority of the pepperoni, gets their wish. And there is also usually football on the TV.

We started off our 2011 Thanksgiving hike by parking one car on the side of the road at mile marker 89 (after the Horsehead Mountain overlook) where the Appalachian Trail crosses Skyline Drive. We then drove back to the Brown Gap parking lot (near mile marker 83). The white-blazed Appalachian Trail begins across Skyline Drive. The trail starts off with a gradual uphill. At .8 miles, you may begin to smell campfires or see a few people since it goes right behind the Dundo Picnic Area. At 1.3 miles, the trail intersects with the Jones Run Trail and then at 1.5 miles, the trail crosses Skyline Drive again. The trail continues uphill to make your way up to the summit of Blackrock mountain.

Rock Jumble on Blackrock — The rock jumble on Blackrock is impressive. Below: Adam hikes around the summit; Adam hikes along the AT under bare trees.

At mile 2.0, the trail skirts a Blackrock parking lot. A sign shows some alternate ways up Blackrock mountain, but just stay on the Appalachian Trail. At 2.5 miles, you should reach the boulder pile for the summit of Blackrock. You will see some nice views from this point and from a nearby overlook as the trail winds around the summit. The trail then starts descending rather steeply down the other side. At mile 3, we took the spur trail that leads to Blackrock hut. The hut is about .2 miles away down a steep out-and-back trail. We visited the hut and returned to the Appalachian Trail at mile 3.4. At mile 3.9, the trail crosses Skyline Drive. At this point, the trail begins to go back uphill and goes up and down two small hills until you reach your car at mile 6.0.

The best part of this hike is clearly the Blackrock summit. It is fun to climb around on the boulders and the views from this area and the nearby overlook are great. Many people hike this summit from the Blackrock parking lot. For a one-mile hike from the parking lot, this does give you a good payoff for little effort. Since it is a short hike, you should expect to see other people on this hike during most nice days.

Since it was Thanksgiving, Christine and I talked to each other about what we were thankful for. I am very thankful to have an amazing wife, three dogs that are a great part of our family, a job that enables me to enjoy the rest of my life, and the ability to be able to hike with Christine through some gorgeous areas of Virginia. I’m very thankful to have the life that I have.

We only have about 12 more miles to finish the southern section of Shenandoah National Park. It is always amazing to us when we are driving to cover our next section that we have been able to cover all this distance on foot.

Christine says…

Well… this post has been a long time coming! I can’t believe it’s taken us nearly a month to get details about our Thankgiving hike onto the blog. The holiday season is always so busy and chaotic!

As far as hikes go, this one was pretty low-key. There was one great view from Blackrock, but it was mostly walking through the woods. The terrain was really easy and the weather was really warm for late November. We only saw one other group of people the entire day – a family hiking up to Blackrock.

I really enjoyed the walk down to visit Blackrock Hut. Adam surprised me by bringing our JetBoil along. We got to enjoy drinking hot beverages while perusing the shelter log. He had cocoa and I had hot cider. The hike was such a fun and relaxing way to spend the holiday morning.

I can’t even begin to describe how much I love our Thanksgiving tradition! I used to spend the entire day in the kitchen – basting the turkey, preparing a zillion different side dishes and setting the table. I would stress over getting everything onto the table at the same time. And worst of all… by the time the meal was ready, I really didn’t even want to eat it. And then there was the sink full of dishes, weeks worth of leftovers and the dreaded turkey carcass to contend with. Now I get to go for a hike and spend the majority of the day outdoors. Plus, homemade pizza is easy, no-fuss and delicious after a hike.

Trail Notes

Distance – 6.0 miles (including .4 mile side trail to Blackrock Hut)
Elevation Change – about 1100 feet
Difficulty – 2. There is some uphill at the end of the hike, but most of the hike is flat or downhill.
Trail Conditions – 3.5. Overall was pretty well-maintained, but there were a few trees across the trail to navigate coming down from Blackrock summit.
Views – 3.5. Best views on the hike are near Blackrock Mountain
Streams/Waterfalls – 1. A small, mostly-dry stream was near the Blackrock hut.
Wildlife – 1. We didn’t see anything beyond birds and squirrels.
Ease to Navigate – 4.5. Just stay on the Appalachian Trail.
Solitude – 3.5. Expect to see people around Blackrock mountain, but otherwise, not a lot of traffic on this hike.

Directions to trailhead: Leave one car on the side of the road at mile marker 89 (after the Horsehead Mountain overlook) where the Appalachian Trail crosses Skyline Drive. Drive back to the Brown Gap parking lot (near mile marker 83). The white-blazed Appalachian Trail begins across Skyline Drive.

Dobie Mountain

October 22, 2011August 26, 201511 Comments

This 6.2 mile hike includes an overlook, a great AT overnight hut, and plane wreckage.

Taking in the view from the Glass Hollow Overlook. It was really hazy and we were facing the sun, so the photos aren’t great. But, it was still really colorful and pretty. Below: Adam takes the turn onto the Appalachian Trail; The Paul C. Wolfe Shelter; Adam walks along the Albright Trail.

Adam Says…

Today was our 14th wedding anniversary, so we decided to take the day off of work and go for a nice hike together. It is a good sign that it doesn’t seem like 14 years and that time has flown. I’ve seen a card that said on the outside “Thank you for five wonderful years of marriage” and on the inside it said “Happy 25th Anniversary”. We’ve had some great years together. It was wonderful to pick a beautiful fall day to experience together.

While Humpback Rocks is the more popular hike that departs from this spot, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about this other hike that takes off from the Humpback Rock parking lot. So, if you’re interested in hiking but not tons of people, this may be an option for you. The views are better from Humpback Rock, but you do get some benefits on this hike also.

After parking in the lot, you will see a picnic table adjacent to the first parking spot. There are two trails that take off from this spot. Take the blue-blazed trail to the right of the picnic table that descends into the woods (you’ll return from the loop by the Albright Loop Trail on the left). The trail descends gradually and at .25 miles, you reach an intersection with the Appalachian Trail. Take a left on the white-blazed AT heading north. The trail at this point is relatively flat or downhill. At mile 1.1, you reach an intersection with a small blue-blazed trail that veers off to the right pointing to the Glass Hollow Overlook. The trail to the overlook is just about .2 mile and is worth the walk. At the overlook, there is a backcountry campsite for those that would like to camp and take in the views of the sunrise from the overlook. Go back on the spur trail the way you came and join the AT again, taking a right and continuing north on the trail taking your mileage to 1.3 miles. At mile 1.6 and 1.7, you come across intersections with the Albright Loop trail. Just continue on the Appalachian Trail.

Inside the Shelter — Adam checks out the shelter log in the Paul C. Wolfe shelter. Below: Past campers debate (in graffiti) the philosophy of Christopher McCandless from ‘Into the Wild’; We found a name we knew in the shelter log; On the hike back up from the shelter, we got an open view of Bears Den Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. You can’t tell in this photo, but there are radio towers atop the mountain in the distance.

The trail begins to descend for the next 1.3 miles through a long series of switchbacks. At mile 3.0, we rock-hopped across Mill Creek and reached the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter. We took some time to rest here before we returned the way we came on the Appalachian Trail. We climbed back up the Appalachian Trail from the shelter heading south this time and back up the switchbacks we had just experienced. We were both glad that these took off some of the difficulty of the elevation climb. At mile 4.2, we reached the first junction with the blue-blazed Albright Loop Trail. Take a right here and you will follow this trail 2 miles back to the parking lot. The hike on the Albright Loop trail starts off very manageable, but ends up being the most difficult part of the hike since there is quite an ascent up through some switchbacks.

On the return on the Albright Loop Trail, immediately after the second switchback, look up the hillside to see the wreckage of a Beechcraft Bonanza plane. On the trail it was marked with a cairn to show where you can leave the trail. The plane crashed back in 1963. Please respect the wreckage and leave it as it is.

Plane Wreckage along the Albright Trail. Below: Adam checks out another section of the plane.

The Paul C. Wolfe Memorial shelter was built by the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club in 1991. According to their website, “it took approximately 30 people every weekend for two months to complete the shelter. Materials were hauled two miles by hand and tractor.” This is one of the nicest huts on the AT, according to a lot of the thru-hikers. It really has nice construction and a beautiful location.

After our hike, we made a quick trip down to Sonic for a snack (tots and creamslushes!). We didn’t want to spoil our anniversary dinner though, since we had reservations at The Local Chop & Grill House in Harrisonburg, VA. It always feels good to have a guilt-free dinner when you have burned off a lot of calories on a hike.

Christine says…

What a great anniversary hike! I love being out on the trail during the peak of fall foliage season. All during the hike, the sun was filtering through the trees above – making a gorgeous canopy of gold. There were also plenty of brilliant red maples tucked into the understory. What was even better — no crowds! Hiking on a weekday on a less well-known trail made this hike especially enjoyable.

I had new boots to try out on this hike. Right out of the box, my Oboz Sawtooth boots were perfectly comfortable. They’re the first taller pair of boots I’ve ever worn. I was skeptical about that, but they felt great the whole six+ miles.

Golden Forest — A golden canopy of forest. Below: New boots on the Glass Hollow Overlook; Adam crosses Mill Creek; A small cascade on the stream.

Since Adam has already talked about the trail specifics, I’ll just share a few of my highlights. One of my favorite stops was at the Paul C. Wolfe shelter. It really is one of the nicest backpacking shelters I’ve ever seen – two levels, plexiglass windows, hooks to hang backpacks and a deep, well-sheltered porch, so you always stay dry when you’re sleeping. The structure is set uphill, overlooking a wonderful, babbling stream. Even the privy is unique at this shelter. With it’s half-door, I can’t say you’ll ever get true privacy, but at least you know when it’s occupied and the ventilation couldn’t be better!

While we were taking our break at the shelter, we took a few minutes to flip through the log book. We noticed the entry from one of the backpackers we met in September at the Pinefield Hut. It was kind of neat to see a name we knew.

I also took some time to explore and photograph the stream. Along the bank of the stream, there is a marble bench placed in memory of John Donovan. He was an experienced hiker and a member of the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club. He died on his attempt to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2005. The bench gave me enough information to Google his name so I could learn more about what happened. As it turns out, Backpacker Magazine published a long feature story about John Donovan’s disappearance and death in a 2006 issue. It was a fascinating read! The tragedy that befell Donovan turned into a miracle that saved two other lives.

John Donovan Bench — A bench is placed in memory of John Donovan. Below: The privy has a half door!

The plane crash was an interesting stop, too. I expected the plane wreckage to be a lot rustier after close to fifty years in the woods, but it was still completely recognizable as an aircraft. I couldn’t find anything more about the crash other than the year it happened and the type of plane.

After leaving the plane site, we finished out stint on the Albright Trail and made our way back to the car. The parking lot was really full, but pretty much everyone else was on the Humpback Rocks trail. I’m really glad we took the time to explore this trail – it turned out to be a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary.

Trail Notes

Distance – 6.2 miles
Elevation Change – 1500 feet.
Difficulty – 3. There is a good amount of uphill climbing. The steepest section is along the Albright Loop Trail.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is nicely maintained. During the fall season, be sure to watch your footing if the trail is covered with leaves. There are loose rocks underneath a good portion of the trail.
Views –3. The best unobstructed views are from the Glass Hollow Overlook.
Streams/Waterfalls – 3. Mill Creek was moving nicely near the shelter. According to a journal entry from an AT hiker, there is a small waterfall and pool shortly downstream.
Wildlife – 1. We didn’t see anything beyond birds, chipmunks and squirrels.
Ease to Navigate – 3.5. There are a few intersections, but there are also signs at each of the intersections.
Solitude – 3. You will likely run into a few others on the trail, due to the proximity of Humpback Rocks.

Directions to trailhead: The trail is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile Marker 8. The hike begins on the blue-blazed trail to the right of the picnic table.

The Beall Trails (WV)

October 8, 2011September 4, 20182 Comments

The Beall Trails are a relatively short and flat figure-eight series of trails in Canaan Valley, West Virginia that provide open areas for viewing wildlife and a scenic walk along the Blackwater River.

Woods Along the Beall Trails — The woods along the Beall Trails are pretty and lush. Below: Flowers were still blooming at the end of summer; The area is part of a National Wildlife Refuge; Lots of deer inhabit the area of the Beall Trails.

Adam Says…

This figure-eight loop trail was a great way to experience some early fall weather and scenery. This trail doesn’t have a lot of elevation change, so it is doable by most people. It is also a birdwatchers paradise if you hit the trail in the early morning. The open fields and nearby Blackwater River make this an active spot for birds.

We parked at the parking lot and started by taking the South Beall trail. The trail started off cut through grass. There are a couple of signs that point to the left, but stay straight on the trail. Eventually, you will approach an area that is wooded. There is a sign here for a handicapped hunting shed, that hunters use for deer hunting. The trail begins to loop away to the left near the sign and begins to descend towards the Blackwater River. The trail hugs closely to the River and gives you a few views of the water before you ascend back up the trail. You will eventually rejoin the trail. Take a right and make your way back to the parking lot.

For the North Beall trail, the trail starts off instantly in the woods. After a few tenths of a mile, it opens back up into a large field (where a large barn used to exist) and then brings you back into the woods. The North Beall trail then continues to loop to the east, and then brings you on more of a fire road to take you back to your vehicle.

There is a Beall Connector trail that bisects the North Beall trail to make a shorter loop. There is also a Bog Overlook Trail and Hemlock spur trail that are both out-and-back short trails if you wanted to add more to your hike.

One interesting thing that happened along our hike is that we heard and saw about 12 fighter planes streak across the sky at lower elevations and then bank hard over the nearby mountains. The area is used for pilot training. I’m not sure exactly what type of planes these were, but they were definitely combat-type planes. We tried to get some pictures, but whenever we heard them we were deep in the woods and couldn’t get a clear shot with the speed they were flying.

A Black Swallowtail Caterpillar. Below: Adam and Wookie walking along the trail; Wookie perches in a tree; Trail marker

On the fire road on the North Beall trail, shortly before returning to our vehicle, I spotted a bright green caterpillar. We inspected it closely and it had large orange antennae. We had never seen any caterpillar that was so bright and colorful before. After returning home, Christine was able to identify it as a Black Swallowtail caterpillar. It also gave off a strong stench when we picked it up on a stick. It turns out that these caterpillars brighten up and secrete a chemical as a defense mechanism. After getting a few close photos, we put it back down to let him travel along to one day become a gorgeous butterfly.

After our short hike, we made a trip into Davis, WV for lunch at Hellbender’s Burritos. This was our first trip there, but the food was amazing! Christine got the Gendarme burrito, which was similar to a Philly cheese steak and I got The Admiral, which had chicken and bacon. We will definitely make this a must-stop place for lunch in the future.

Christine Says…

When Adam and I decided to get away to Canaan Valley for a long weekend, I thought we’d do a couple hikes, go for a bike ride and maybe take a ride up to Dolly Sods. In the end, it turned out to be a chilly, gray weekend, so we opted for just one really easy hike on the Beall Trails and lot of movies on DVD, crackling fires, pizza eating and wine drinking. It was nice to have such a relaxing weekend, but I am glad we did manage to get in one hike!

We decided to take Wookie along on this hike. He really hasn’t been hiking much lately because of the summer heat. He was beyond thrilled to accompany us. When he saw us packing his leash and portable crate, he started spinning in circles and whining excitedly. That dog loves outings more than any dog I’ve ever known!

Wookie Runs — Wookie runs on the South Beall trail. Below: Leaves were starting to turn colors; A bluebird box on the trail.

The Beall Trails, which essentially form a large figure-eight path, are part of the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The trails go across open meadows, through boreal forest and along a small stretch of the Blackwater River. It’s very easy, mostly flat walking. The trail is in great shape, so it’s really a suitable hike for all kinds of people.

We started off South Beall Trail. Essentially, the path crosses a large open meadow before turning left into the woods and dropping down to the shore of the Blackwater River. After following the river for a few tenths of a mile, the trail ascends quickly and returns hikers the same meadow path back to the parking area. The river is lovely and in the meadow, you’ll likely see whitetail deer, wildflowers, birds and butterflies. There are bluebird boxes around the meadow and an accessible hunting blind is located a short distance from the trail.

Along the Blackwater River — Stopping along the Blackwater River. Below: Adam and Wookie make their way along the South Beall Trail; More pretty trail scenery.

The North Beall Trail is a little bit longer and a little bit more densely wooded. There is one distinctly open area a couple tenths of a mile into the trail. The field used to house a beautiful, run-down old barn that we enjoyed exploring and photographing. However in May of 2008, the barn was torn down to supply the barn timbers to the National Park Service for restoration projects at Antietem Battlefield. I’m sure the wood from the Beall Barn lent a lot of authenticity to the battlefield projects, but I wish they had left the barn where it originally stood. I wasn’t happy about them taking history from one place and falsely installing it in another. It also took away the home of the owls that used to roost in the barn. You can still read about the barn and the owls on the plaque at the trail entrance. The interpretive sign about the barn was still there as of 2011. Oh well…

Even without the barn, the area is still very pretty and we enjoyed our short hike very much!

Wookie Says…

This was a great trail for a dog! Even though it went along the river, I didn’t get wet or muddy at all. I especially liked running in the open meadows!

Trail Notes

Distance – 3.5 miles total. 1.4 miles for the South Loop and 2.1 miles for the North Loop
Elevation Change – about 100 feet
Difficulty – 1.5. There is only one slightly steep climb on the South Loop.
Trail Conditions – 3.5. The trail is maintained, but may be overgrown in some of the summer/fall months.
Views – 2.5. You will get nice views of the mountains around you from the open fields, but this isn’t a hike for overlooks.
Streams/Waterfalls – 3. On the South Loop, you do walk along the Blackwater River for some nice views between the trees.
Wildlife – 3.5 We saw a few deer on the trail, but the birdwatching on this trail is prime.
Ease to Navigate – 3.5. This is an enclosed group of inter-connected trails, so you shouldn’t get lost.
Solitude – 4.5. We’ve hiked this a few times and haven’t seen anyone.

Directions to trailhead: Heading north on Route 32 through Canaan Valley, WV, take a right on Cortland Road. In about 1.5 miles, you will reach a one-lane bridge. Nearby is the Canaan Valley sign that points to the short road that leads to the parking lot. The parking lot is the center of the South and North Beall trails, so you can pick which one you would like to start first.

Carriage Road Bike Ride – Witch Hole/Eagle Lake/Jordan Pond – Acadia National Park (ME)

August 15, 2011September 4, 20187 Comments

Special: Acadia Edition

The bike ride along this loop gives you beautiful lakeside views in the interior of Acadia National Park.

A view of Eagle Lake from the Carriage Roads. Below: The Duck Brook Bridge entrance to the Carriage Roads; There are lots of water lilies in Acadia’s ponds; Adam bikes along the shore of Jordan Pond. The rocks lining the trail are affectionately known as ‘Rockefeller’s Teeth’.

Adam Says…

This is truly one of our favorite places to bike! If you are ever near Acadia, I would recommend taking a bike ride around Eagle Lake. While there are 45 miles of carriage roads in Acadia National Park, the loop around Eagle Lake is by far the most popular.

The carriage roads were donated and built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., emulating the carriage roads his father created in Ohio and New York. While the Park Loop Road provides access to much of the circumference of Acadia National Park and ocean views, the carriage roads provide great access to the interior, providing glimpses from the top of mountains and around the lakes and ponds.

I recently had a co-worker, Kristen, that was going to Maine to visit some family property. Having been to Acadia many times, I planned out an ambitious day for her and her sister to capture the things I enjoy up here. She wasn’t able to do everything I suggested, but she did the Eagle Lake/Jordan Pond section of the trail. They rented bikes in Bar Harbor and decided to bike from town to reach the carriage roads. There is a large hill from Bar Harbor to reach the entrance to the Eagle Lake parking lot. Her sister was yelling up ahead to her, “KRISTEN! I DON’T THINK I CAN MAKE IT!” I should have been explicit in telling her to rent a bike rack and park near the carriage road entrance. Some people bike to the carriage roads from town, but I think it is best to park closer or you’ll burn up all your energy before you get to enjoy the actual ride.

Biking toward eagle lake — Adam on his rented comfort bike, passing under the Eagle Lake bridge. It was quite different from the mountain bike he normally rides. Below: Christine’s parents take a break after a long uphill stretch along Eagle Lake. This is the spot we took a wrong turn!

We started our ride, by parking on Duck Brook Road. Right before the roadside parking, you pass a beaver dam on New Mill Meadow. Park your vehicle near the bridge that begins your journey. The carriage road intersections are all numbered on wooden posts (that also serve as posts to provide you some overall direction) and have this trail started at Post #5. We took a right after crossing the bridge to make our way around Witch Hole Pond. The trail does tend to go uphill during this part of the section about 100 feet. In 1.1 miles you will take a left at Post #3. You will begin to see some up close views of Witch Hole Pond. At 1.3 miles, you take a left at Post #2. The trail continues to loop around Witch Hole Pond. At mile 2.3, you will reach Post #4, bearing right and seeing views of the small Halfmoon Pond. At mile 3.4, you will reach Post #6, going under a bridge and close access to the Eagle Lake parking lot. Most people start their bike ride here, so expect lots of people around this bridge. After going through the bridge, you will arrive at Post #9 at mile 3.5. The trail goes along the western side of Eagle Lake, but goes up during one of the tougher sections of this loop ascending over 200 feet. At mile 5.5, you will come to Post #8. Take a break if you would like here, for the toughest part of the first section is over. At Post #8, take a right (this is where I failed to follow the map closely which caused us to retrace our steps and made us go uphill). At mile 5.7, you will reach Post #10. Take a left at this junction to make your way. The trail does ascend slightly. At mile 7.0, the trail begins to open up to views of Jordan Pond and the Bubbles to your left. At mile 7.9, you reach the Jordan Pond House and Post #14. Bear left at this intersection for about .3 mile passing by Post #15 and Post #16. Cross the Park Loop Road carefully and then you will see the large Jordan Pond Gatehouse. Bike carefully through the gate. At mile 9.8, you reach Post #17, near Wildwood Stables. Take a left here and your climb begins again. Once the trail levels out, you will pass by Bubble Pond on your right. At mile 12.9, you reach Post #7. Take a right at this junction and you will begin to enjoy the best views of Eagle Lake. The trail continues along the eastern side of Eagle Lake. At mile 15.1, you will reach Post #6 again. Take a right and go under the bridge. At mile 16.2, you will reach Post #4. Take a right here and at mile 17.3, you will reach Post #5 to complete your loop.

As there are a lot of intersections, I would recommend picking up a map of the trails. While you can purchase them from many places in Bar Harbor or Acadia National Park, they do have some decent carriage road maps that are free. These are typically in some of the boxes attached to the post intersections near some of the entrances to the carriage roads. I did spot these boxes at Post #5 and Post #8.

Lunch on the Lawn — Lunch on the lawn at Jordan Pond is not to be missed. Below: Views of Jordan Pond and the Bubbles.

If you do your planning well, you can include a stop near the halfway point at the Jordan Pond House Restaurant. This is a must-visit restaurant while in Acadia. Get a seat outside and enjoy popovers as you take in the scenes of Jordan Pond and the Bubbles. The menu has been expanded since the last time we had been here, so we were thrilled to try some new things. Christine really enjoys their lobster quiche and I like their cranberry walnut chicken salad sandwich. While the prices are a little high, you do have one of the best views for a restaurant. There are plenty of places nearby to lock your bike and there is a gift shop that sells everything from hiking gear to pottery to Gatorade. They even sell Jordan Pond coffee and popover mix.

I have two favorite sections of scenery along this trail – the view near the rock slide approaching Jordan Pond and the eastern side of Eagle Lake. This is a bike ride that almost invites you to take your time by soaking in the great views of the lake, taking your time to pick wild blueberries near Witch Hole Pond, or listening for the cry of loons on Eagle Lake or Jordan Pond.

Christine Says…

Biking Acadia’s Carriage Roads is always one of the Maine activities I look forward to most on our trips! It’s funny, when I visited Acadia as a child and teen, I never tried the carriage roads by bike. Instead I preferred to run. Looking back, I don’t know what I was thinking! Sure… the carriage roads are great for walking and running, but I can’t imagine a better way to see them than by bicycle (Unless I was given the option to go on horseback; but unless you arrive at Acadia with your own horse, the closest you can get is taking a chauffeured horse carriage ride.) The car-free carriage roads in Acadia meander through the woods, passing ponds and lakes. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot beavers or loons swimming. You get occasional glimpses of the ocean. You breathe in the clean, evergreen-scented air. And best of all… you can bike right up to the Jordan Pond House and indulge in popovers with butter, popovers with strawberry jam, popovers with soup, popovers with salad and even popovers a la mode! Don’t even get me started on how much I love popovers a la mode. They’re one of my raison d’êtres. I’m not even kidding – ask Adam!

Sometimes we bring our bikes on the long drive up to Maine, but this time we drove our small car to save gas money, and ended up renting bikes at the Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop. The folks there are really friendly and knowledgeable and their bikes are all expertly maintained. We tried renting a carrier for our car, but none of them worked with our particular hatchback. Thankfully, my parents were vacationing with us and were able to haul our bikes to the start point of our ride. Technically, you can ride your bike from the shop to the carriage road entrance, but it’s an arduous uphill ride along a very busy road. Biking the few extra miles from the shop to the trails takes a lot of the enjoyment out of the ride, so we avoid it any way we can.

On this particular day, we decided to follow one of our absolute favorite routes. Starting at Duck Brook Bridge, we biked around Witch Hole, then around Eagle Lake, past the north shore of Jordan Pond to the Jordan Pond House. After lunch, we continued the route past Wildwood Stables, along Bubble Pond and the opposite shore of Eagle Lake. A few final miles along the other side of Witch Hole returned us to our car.

Jordan Pond Gatehouse — Even though the Gatehouse sits in the park, it’s still privately owned. Below: A horse carriage on its way from Wildwood Stables to Jordan Pond.

It’s a fabulous route that shows off a little bit of all of Acadia’s best scenery. There are some substantial hills along the route, and it’s not uncommon to see people walking their bikes uphill instead of riding them. I remember the first time I biked the carriage roads many years ago, the first steep hill along the first side of Eagle Lake about killed me! Despite the fact I was beet red and out of breath, I was determined NOT to walk my bike. I did have to take a water break or two, but I never had to get off and push my bike uphill. Nowadays, I’m in much better shape (even though I’m almost 20 years older) and biking the hills is no sweat at all! In fact, I must brag that I biked easily past dozens of people headed uphill. 🙂

The trail marker at the far end of Eagle Lake is one of the only places that directions get confusing along the ride. The trail branches off in several different directions at this point. As (bad) luck would have it, we biked following our instinctive directions instead of looking at our detailed map. We ended up going the wrong way for almost two miles – mostly along a steep, beautiful downhill coaster of a descent. This meant we had a tough uphill slog once we finally realized we were going the wrong way.

I suppose we could have kept on going in the wrong direction – most of the trails eventually cross one another and we would have ultimately arrived at the Jordan Pond House. However, I really enjoy the ride along the north shore of the pond, so we decided to retrace our ride. My parents decided to stay the course (my mom didn’t want to bike back uphill) and meet us at the Pond House.

The uphill turned out to be less painful than I imagined and after about 15 minutes, we were coasting downhill along the edge of Jordan Pond. I enjoyed the sparkling water, the first glimpse of the Bubbles, passing the big rock slide and knowing I’d soon be eating popovers.

The ride along Jordan Pond goes really quickly. At Jordan Pond, the first thing we always do is get our name on the waiting list for a table on the lawn. If you visit the Pond House, you can almost always get an indoor table immediately, but you DO NOT want to do that. The best place to sit is outside on the lawn at one of the picnic tables overlooking the water and the Bubbles. I always start my meal off with lemonade. It’s fresh-squeezed and comes unsweetened with a tiny pitcher of simple syrup, so you can sweeten the drink to your personal taste. The regular lemonade is good, but the strawberry lemonade, loaded with fresh strawberry puree, is even better. As soon as you finish placing your order, a waiter will come around with a basket of piping hot popovers. They’re served with butter and homemade strawberry preserves. On this particular day, I ordered the lobster quiche, which has always been a favorite of mine. I also couldn’t refuse a second popover, even though it cost a little extra. Because we were biking and I didn’t want to feel over-full, I had to pass on the a la mode (for now).

After lunch, we refilled water bottles and took a few minutes to digest lunch while browsing the Acadia gift shop. We also stopped to chat with the Friends of Acadia who were working on fundraising and recruiting new members. We joined a few years ago and are happy to support our favorite National Park.

After leaving the Jordan Pond House, we crossed the Park Loop Road and passed by the privately owned gate house. We happened to time our departure perfectly to pass a team of draft horses pulling a buckboard up the hill. They’re such huge and beautiful creatures!

The ride along this section is wooded and doesn’t pass anything remarkable. You can take a side road to get down to Wildwood Stables and Day Mountain, but we continued on toward Bubble Pond.

A look at Bubble Pond from the Carriage Roads

Bubble Pond is a gorgeous spot. We’ve seen loons there and I’ve even taken a photo of the pond that was featured on the cover of Boston Magazine’s 2011 Summer Travel issue. This year, the view was as lovely as ever, but the experience was marred by a couple changing the diaper of their caterwauling toddler. They had the child laid out on a rock on the pond’s edge… the edge of the pond that is a source of public drinking water. Ewww! I know babies need changing, but for God’s sake… take the diaper-changing activities off the trail and away from the water source.

After passing the end of Bubble Pond, you go over a neat arched bridge, cross the Park Loop Road again and make the final push back toward the opposite shore of Eagle Lake. As the trail gets closer to the lake side, you get some really lovely lake and mountain views. You also pass one of the most popular kayak launch spots in the park.

Shortly after passing the launch, you arrive at the Eagle Lake parking area. This area is another parking option for accessing the Carriage Roads, but it’s usually horrible congested. We continued past this spot to bike the remainder of the trail along Witch Hole and back to our car.

Witch Hole is very pretty – full of lily pads and beaver dams.

It was a fantastic ride – one that I know I’ll want to do again and again! After we wrapped up the ride, we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up before dinner. Sometime between the end of the ride and leaving for dinner a heavy fog rolled over the island. It’s really amazing how quickly clear blue skies can turn to thick, cottony fog in Maine! It’s part of the island’s charm, I suppose! We enjoyed the foggy evening at one of our favorite lobster pounds, Thurston’s (in Bernard). If you’re on MDI and want a classic Maine lobster experience, don’t miss Thurston’s!

Trail Notes

Distance – 17.3 miles. We added about another 4.4 miles due to our misdirection.
Elevation Change – Approximately 500 feet.
Difficulty – 2. There are some uphill sections which will have you switching to lower gears, but it is doable for most people. Take breaks whenever you need one or walk your bike up the steeper sections.
Trail Conditions – 4.5. The only thing better is pavement. The carriage roads have small crushed gravel, which is good for just about any type of bike. I would recommend a hybrid or mountain bike though due to the gravel.
Views – 3.5. Most of the views are of the lakes, so you can’t see for miles and miles in most parts, but the lakes and ponds are gorgeous.
Waterfalls/Streams – 4. You get great views of Witch Hole Pond, Eagle Lake, Jordan Pond, and Bubble Pond.
Wildlife – 1. You may see an occasional loon or gull in the lakes, but not much else other than a red squirrel.
Ease to Navigate – 3. There are lots of turns on this trail, but bring a map and follow the signposts and you should do well.
Solitude – 0. This is an extremely popular spot for bikers, walkers, runners, and even horses.

Directions to trailhead: Head west on 233 out of Bar Harbor. After about a mile outside of town, take a right on Duck Brook Road. Travel for about two miles until you reach the roadside parking near the park service building.

The Bubbles – Acadia National Park (ME)

August 9, 2011September 4, 20184 Comments

Special: Acadia Edition

We’ve taken a detour from our normal coverage of Virginia hiking and biking! For the next five posts, we’ll be doing a special edition covering the trails of Acadia National Park in Maine.

The Bubbles hike consists of two small mountains that overlook Jordan Pond. One of the key features on this hike is a large glacial erratic hanging on the edge of the south Bubble.

Adam and Bubble Rock — Adam pretends to support the giant glacial erratic known as Bubble Rock. Below: The first viewpoint along the trail up the South Bubble; A view of Jordan Pond from the South Bubble; You can see how precariously the erratic hangs on the side of the mountain; When you visit the Jordan Pond House you get a great look at the Bubbles from a distance. The two small mountains have such a distinct shape (photo from another trip).

Adam Says…

We had an extraordinarily tough drive up to Maine this year. We left on a Friday with plans to stay in Sturbridge, MA for one night and then finish the trip to Maine the following day. We were counting on a lot of weekend and rush hour traffic around Boston, so we thought breaking this into a two-day drive was a good idea. Well, the drive on the first day should have taken us around 8 hours and ended up taking us over 12 hours. We ran into an over two-hour delay near Allentown, PA and Connecticut traffic is always ridiculous. On Saturday, we had a better day of driving to get to Mount Desert Island We were very eager to stretch our legs when we got there. When we vacation, we are not ones to idly relax; we like to pack in as much as possible.

We have hiked up the Bubbles a couple of times in the past, and have always enjoyed it. Since this is a short hike, you should be able to fit it in a narrow time period. From the Bubble Rock parking lot, start off on the Bubble Rock trail. At .1 miles, you will reach a junction with the Jordan Pond Carry Trail. We went past this and just continued straight on the trail. In about .3 miles, you reach a junction where the North and South Bubble trail split. Take a left at this junction and continue the path up to reach the top of the South Bubble. Take in the views and then go back the way you came. At the previous junction, then follow the path to the North Bubble summit. You can this take this path back to the junction and then just take a left to head back to your vehicle.

South Bubble View — Another view from the South Bubble. Below: Trails are very well-marked throughout Acadia; Adam scrambles to the top of the boulder pile to reach the summit marker on the South Bubble; The sun came out a bit more by the time we climbed the North Bubble.

When you reach the summit of the South Bubble, take in the views of Jordan Pond and also take some time to find Bubble Rock (not to be confused with Balance Rock, which is located along the Shore Path in downtown Bar Harbor). It was amazing to see all the people that try to push on the rock in hopes that they can personally move a multi-ton granite boulder. There was one family that we enjoyed watching that had a couple of younger boys with them. One of them held a stick like a spear and seemed to have a little violent streak running through him. He kept wanting to throw his stick at things. We overheard him telling his family, “When I see things, I want to chuck my spear at it SOOOOO BAAAAAD!” I’m curious to see how his deviant behavior develops over the years. From the Bubble Rock, you can also get some views of the Park Loop Road below. This hike pays off with stunning views despite little effort.

We also enjoyed talking with a couple at the North Bubble. They were taking part of a quest to visit all of the U.S. National Parks. They had been to lots of places over the last few weeks and had come from Canada a few days before Acadia. They took some pictures of the two of us and we returned the favor. They said they were sending their pictures to their friends that were cursing them at all of the things they have been able to do. I guess once you make your friends envious, you have to keep it up. I will say that the North Bubble is a little steeper to climb up, but the views from both of the Bubbles are great.

We hope that you enjoy our reviews of Acadia National Park hikes. We have been going there for years and I think you will see that over the next few blog entries that this is a place that you should put on your “must visit” list! There is a reason that nearby Bar Harbor, ME was once called “Eden”. This area really feels like a paradise to both of us.

Christine Says…

We rolled onto Mount Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park, in the early afternoon after an easy six hour drive from Massachusetts. It was a beautiful afternoon with a cold front pushing out the last of the dark, gray storm clouds and humidity from the day before. We were really eager to start enjoying the park, so instead of going to our hotel, we immediately headed to the Acadia Visitor Center. We changed into hiking clothes, bought our park pass and set out to do the short hike across the north and south Bubbles, overlooking Jordan Pond.

The hike is short and easy/moderate, so it’s very popular with families and novice hikers. Even so, most of the traffic had cleared out earlier in the day, so we were able to find a parking spot right at the trailhead. Anyone who visits Acadia knows how rare that is! Acadia is one of the smallest and most congested national parks, so we always try to plan our activities at non-peak times to avoid crowds.

The trail climbs from the parking lot. It starts off smoothly, but soon you’re scrambling over roots and up granite ‘stairs’. It was a little wet from storms the night before, so we had to be careful of our footing. There aren’t many footing surfaces more slippery than wet granite!

The first viewpoint we came too came atop a rocky shelf, mostly overlooking the mountains, but with a little snip of water visible. After snapping a few quick photos, we made our way to the summit of the South Bubble.

The View from the North Bubble. Below: Christine and Adam enjoy views along the hike.

Of the two Bubbles, the south peak is quite a bit more popular due to the presence of ‘Bubble Rock’ – a glacial erratic that sits precariously on the side of the mountain. It looks like it could go rolling down the mountainside at any moment. It’s always fun to sit and listen to people plotting to push the boulder off its perch. Some people think it would take a group pushing effort; others contemplate the lift power of a lever. Personally, I think when the boulder falls; it will be solely Mother Nature who moves it. I hope it doesn’t happen in my lifetime, because I like the boulder right where it is! Another fun tradition is to take photos of your hiking buddies pretending to hold the boulder up.

If you hike past Bubble Rock, the trail leads over to an open view of Jordan Pond below. It’s a lovely spot!

To get to the North Bubble, you simply retrace your steps back to a trail junction marking the path north. The trail up the North Bubble might be slightly steeper, but it’s still a short and easy hike. We spent a bit of time atop the peak, enjoying the view and luxuriating in the cool, breezy Maine air. Being in Maine always makes me feel so happy.

We hiked back down the way we came and were back at our car quickly. Even though the hike was nothing long or challenging, it was still a perfect way to kick off our week in Acadia!

Trail Notes

Distance – 1.7 miles
Elevation Change – approximately 1050 feet. You first go up about 500 feet up to the South Bubble, go back down 200 feet and then up another 550 feet to the North Bubble
Difficulty – 2.5. These trails are very short, so most people should be able to do them. The South Bubble is fairly easy with the short distance and I would give about a 2 in difficulty. The North Bubble is definitely more of a steep trail and is closer to a 3-3.5 in difficulty.
Trail Conditions – 3. The trail is very well-maintained and traveled. However, some of the footing can be slick in the rain on the granite. The North Bubble does have some steeper sections which make the footing a little more treacherous.
Views – 4. Great views from both Bubbles.
Wildlife – 0. We didn’t really see anything, but you may be able to see birds soaring above or relaxing on the lakes below.
Ease to Navigate – 3.5. This path we took was more like a T, since you split off in different directions. Almost all of the trails in Acadia lead to other options to combine into loops with other trails.
Solitude – 1. Due to the distance, this is an incredibly popular hike. You will very likely have several hikers to share in the views if you go over the summer.

Directions to trailhead: On the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park, keep following the road until you reach the Bubble Rock parking lot. This is just south of the Bubble Pond parking lot, so don’t be confused by the name. The trailhead starts from about the middle of the parking lot.

Author: virginiatrailsadam

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