This 4.7 mile hike is a steady climb that gives you views of the south and west on the climb up and views of the north and east from the summit.
The summit of Furnace Mountain has nice views of Massanutten and of Shenandoah National Park, looking back toward Skyline Drive.
Adam Says…
It is amazing to me to think about how blessed we are to have such great hiking in Virginia. While we have been slowly trying to accomplish the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park, but we also like to mix in some other hikes. Christine stumbled across a mention of this hike, so we decided to try it out. We were pleasantly surprised by the nice views you get on this hike. Keep in mind, there is another Furnace Mountain in Loudoun County. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of originality in naming mountains sometimes. This Furnace Mountain is named for the Mount Vernon Furnace that once stood at the bottom of the mountain for the reduction of iron ore.
Adam rock-hops across Madison Run. Below: Adam adding some excitement to an otherwise boring fire road; The official start of the Furnace Mountain Trail.
We parked our car at the beginning of the fire road and made our way to the boundary of Shenandoah National Park. As soon as we entered the park boundary, you will see a signpost to the right that denotes the start of the trail. You will quickly come up to a stream crossing of Madison Run that you can rock-hop across. These rocks are sturdy, but can be slick in some spots, so be careful. After crossing Madison Run, the trail turns right and parallels the stream for a short distance. Then, the trail begins climbing up the mountain. There is a constant climb uphill for the entire hike. Around 1.6 miles, the trail comes up to a large talus slope of large boulders which provides an open view of the valley. The trail continues climbing and at 1.9 miles, you reach a post and an intersection with the Furnace Mountain Summit Trail. Take this trail, which continues to climb up. At 2.3 miles, you will reach a campsite at the summit. Less than .1 miles is the rock outcropping which gives you the best views on the trail. Return the way you came to make it back to your vehicle. This time, you’re going all the way downhill.
Christine hikes on the trail across the talus slope. Below: Adam takes in the view of the valley.
Madison Run is not named for James Madison, but rather from John Madison, the first Court Clerk of Augusta County. John Madison’s cousin was the father of James Madison, the 4th US President. Near this location stood Madison Hall Estate.
We had debated about bringing Wookie on this trip. He would have loved most of the hike, but would have hated crossing Madison Run. He really wants to avoid water on the trail, so I know I would have had to carry him with his claws digging in to me. He just doesn’t like getting his precious feet wet for some reason.
Hiking this trail in the winter gives you views throughout a good portion of the hike. When the leaves come out, you will have more obstructed views except from the talus slope and the rock outcropping at the summit. We were excited at how great the views were from the summit. Even though this mountain’s summit is only at 2657 feet in elevation, it provides some great vistas of the mountains around. If you’re looking for a manageable hike off the beaten path with good views, this is one to try!
Christine Says…
Adam and I had Friday off work, so we decided to hit the trail for a morning hike. We thought about doing some more of the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah, but I wasn’t in the mood to drive separately for our car shuttle. I also didn’t want to drive too far for our hike, so I started researching trails close to our home. We’ve done so many of them already that it’s getting increasingly difficult to find anything nearby. Luckily, I happened to stumble across a route up Furnace Mountain with a trailhead located about fifteen minutes from our house. I had been aware of Furnace Mountain before this, but most write-ups I’ve seen cover it as a 13+ mile loop hike (with 3000+ feet of elevation gain) paired with Austin Mountain. I can hike 13+ miles as a day hike, but I usually don’t enjoy it. My ideal length for a day hike is still 8-10 miles.
You can see the valley below through the trees for much of the hike up. Below: An illegal fire pit at a backcountry campsite; The rocky outcropping at the summit; A view of Massanutten Mountain
Our trip up Furnace Mountain started off cloudy, and while the clouds thinned out somewhat during the course of the morning, it stayed mostly overcast. That was a bit of a shame, because the views all along the trail are really nice. I’m sure some of the views will be obscured once the trees have leaves again, but for the time being, it was great to see views of the Shenandoah Valley along the climb up.
The trail was extremely rocky most of the way, and even crossed a neat talus slope. I imagine that this mountain was once towering and majestic, but over the ages, the rocky summit crumbled and rolled down the lower slopes. The climb uphill was steady, but not difficult. The most challenging part was the footing – lots of football-sized, unevenly seated rocks.
The Furnace Mountain summit trail is a half mile dog leg off the main trail. Along this segment, we passed a campsite with a well-used fire ring. Since Shenandoah does not allow open fires in the backcountry, the fire ring really shouldn’t have been there. I suppose that the park just doesn’t have enough rangers to police illegal fires.
Shortly after the campsite, the trail took a short downhill to a rocky outcropping overlooking the park and the Shenandoah Valley. We could see Massanutten mountain in one direction and a distant snip of Skyline Drive in the opposite direction. In early March, everything is still barren and brown. The dull color paired with the clouds took a little of the luster off the overlook, but it was still very nice. I’d like to see it again in late spring, summer or fall!
Christine enjoys the summit. Below: Adam on the rocking outcropping. As you can see the rock is very rugged and jumbled.
After hanging out a short while, we headed back down the trail. We made it back to our car in less than half time time it took us to climb up. We practically jogged the whole way down! On our way home, I had really been looking forward to stopping at the Elkton McDonald’s for a Shamrock Shake. We got there… shakes were on the menu… but the stupid machine was out of order. I was robbed!
Trail Notes
Distance – 4.7 miles
Elevation Change –about 1300 feet
Difficulty – 3. The uphill isn’t too strenuous, but there isn’t much break from the climbing.
Trail Conditions – 3. We were surprised at how well this trail seemed to be maintained. The path is a little more open, but does have some rocky sections. The danger would be in going down, since you can pick up speed and some of the rocks may be loose.
Views– 4. The views are quite nice, but not 360 degree views.
Streams/Waterfalls –2. The trail does go along Madison Run for a short distance.
Wildlife –1. We didn’t really see anything on this trail.
Ease to Navigate – 4. As long as you cross the stream at the right point and then make the turn on the Summit Trail, you should be fine.
Solitude – 3.5. Typically only popular with the locals, but you may see a few people on the trail.
Directions to trailhead: From Elkton, VA follow 340 South. You will see SR 659 on the left. Follow that until it intersects with Browns Gap Road/SR 663. Take a left and follow the road until it becomes a gravel fire road. Park on the road. Continue on the fire road for about .2 miles until you enter the park boundary. The trail marker on the concrete post will be on your right.
This 6.1 mile segment along the Appalachian Trail was relatively short and easy – a perfect first hike after a long break from the woods. Although there aren’t any views or noteworthy stops along this section of trail, it’s a nice walk.
Wookie and Adam make their way along the trail. We saw quite a few people along the segment of AT that makes up the Rip Rap circuit.
Christine Says…
Hooray – our first ‘real’ hike since Thanksgiving Day. We decided to knock off another little section of the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park. It was a fun hike, but an uneventful one.
For some reason, Adam wanted to hike southbound even though I pointed out that it was a lot more uphill. He didn’t think the elevation profile looked substantially different in either direction, but he was wrong (as he’ll admit in his write-up). He told me I can choose the direction on our next hike. 🙂
Honestly, it really didn’t matter one way or another to me. The hiking wasn’t steep or challenging by any stretch of the imagination. Even though the hike was mostly uphill, it was gentle uphill.
Wookie and Adam climb uphill. Below: Wookie is always very eager to get started; Adam checks out trail mileage at the junction of the AT and the Riprap trail.
There really weren’t any views or distinct stops along this section of trail, but it was still good to be out and about. I will say, this section of trail is GORGEOUS in late spring when mountain laurel is in bloom. When we hiked Riprap a couple years ago, the section of AT joining the Rip Rap trail and Wildcat Ridge trail was abundantly in bloom. It was like a tunnel of flowers. So, if you want something to see – hike this trail section in May/June!
Oddly, we didn’t see (or even hear) any wildlife the entire hike. Usually we see a deer or two, or at least hear a few birds singing in the trees. This hike was practically silent. The closest we came to wildlife was a ‘problem bear’ sign near the Wildcat Ridge trail junction.
All in all, this was a pleasant outing with nothing special to report. Hopefully, we’ll be hitting the trails a bit more frequently as spring approaches.
Adam Says…
Well, it has been a while since we’ve been out on the trail. Actually, this has been the longest gap since we started this blog. It was great to get back on the trails again. We decided to continue working on covering the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park. We bought a second park pass last year, so we could be able to cover this with some shuttles.
Christine and I had talked about how we were going to cover the trail. We had some differing opinions on whether to do this northbound or southbound. I wanted to do the southbound way because I would prefer to not have an uphill climb at the end of the trail. However, going southbound ended up being uphill most of the way until the very end.
There was one road crossing on this section of trail. Below: Problem bears!
The white-blazed Appalachian Trail starts off uphill going about .7 miles and covering 300 feet of elevation until you reach the junction with the Riprap Trail. Stay on the AT and the trail does go back downhill for the next .5 mile until you reach the nearby Riprap parking lot. The trail continues a steady incline over the next few miles. If you hike during the winter you will have some obstructed views of the rocky ledge of Calvary Rocks to the east, but there aren’t any good overlooks on the trail. The trail then meets up with the Wildcat Ridge Trail at mile 4.2. Continue on the AT for a short incline. You will cross Skyline Drive around mile 4.4. The trail finally levels off and eventually leads downhill until you reach your second car at mile 6.1.
Despite it being a little break since we had been hiking, we still felt like we were in decent enough shape to handle the hiking without much problem. We were surprised to run into several groups of people along this trail, but I think it is largely due to the access to the nearby Riprap and Wildcat Ridge Trails we have covered in the past. That set of trails are some of the best hiking in the southern section of Shenandoah National Park.
Wookie Says…
It’s been a while since I’ve been hiking, too! What you might not know is that I had surgery shortly after my last hike. While I’m fit and trim for a pug, my soft palette had become thicker and longer in my middle years. Any time I became excited or exerted myself, I would faint. I don’t remember much – I would be happy and spinning around, then I would see stars and find myself lying on the ground wondering what the heck happened. My masters were very frightened for me and took me right into the vet. After a simple surgery and a month of recovery, I’m as good as new!
This was a fun hike for me! I kept up pretty easily and even met several intimidating dogs along the way. I think they were friendly, but you can’t be too safe around strangers, so I mostly hid behind Christine. As a treat for doing so well on the hike, I got to eat two chicken nuggets when I got home!
Trail Notes
Distance – 6.1 miles
Elevation Change –about 850 feet
Difficulty – 2.5. The hike was fairly easy. If you would like less uphill walking, follow the trail northbound instead.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was in great shape after our mild winter.
Views– 0. Nothing to see here.
Streams/Waterfalls – 0. None
Wildlife – 0. We barely even heard the chirp of a bird along this hike. We did see a ‘problem bears’ sign near Rip Rap, but no sign of them.
Ease to Navigate – 4.5. Just follow the white blazes and sign posts. The trail is very direct. When crossing parking lots and the Skyline Drive, keep your eyes peeled for cement trail markers to continue your hike.
Solitude – 2. This hike passes along a substantial section of trail used as part of the Rip Rap circuit, so expect to see plenty of people.
Directions to trailhead: Park one vehicle along the side of the road at MM89 on Skyline Drive. You will see the AT crossing. Park a second car at the Turk Gap parking area (This is where the Turk Mountain hike begins)
This five mile hike has a fair amount of climbing, one nice view and lots of solitude.
Adam enjoys the view from Abbie Point. Below: The trailhead for this hike is along Hone Quarry Road; Colorful foliage, A campsite near the ridgeline.
Christine Says…
Last weekend, we had a perfect fall day – probably one of the last ones of the 2011 season – bluebird skies, temperatures in the sixties and glorious fall color. We had obligations in Harrisonburg on Sunday morning, so we decided to choose a hike close to town so we wouldn’t miss out on such a nice hiking day. We did some research and decided on the Hone Quarry Ridge Trail. Its five mile length and close proximity to town made it perfect for a quickie hike squeezed into a busy day.
The hike was actually tougher than I expected! The climb went uphill without many switchbacks which was a small part of the challenge, but most of the difficulty came from the tricky footing. Large sections of the trail were covered with loose, pointy, ankle-turning rocks covered with a deep layer of dry autumn leaves. I was so glad to have my trekking poles. I am sure they saved me from turning my ankles multiple times.
The woods were so colorful – reds, oranges, golds mixed in with occasional evergreens. On the climb up, we caught glimpses of views through the thinning trees. We passed a few established backcountry campsites and enjoyed one gorgeous open view from Abbie Point.
Yellow blazes were few and far between. Below: Adam makes his way up the trail; A couple of the signs we spotted along the way. There were several trail junctions that were unsigned.
Hiking in George Washington National Forest can be a real adventure. Some popular trails like Big Schloss and Kennedy Peak are as navigable and well-maintained as anything in Shenandoah National Park. While other trails, like Hone Quarry Ridge, have very little foot traffic. Not much attention goes into maintaining these trails. The double yellow blazes were spaced pretty far apart. Trail junctions were often unmarked, leaving us to consult a map and compass to decide our direction. The signs that were standing were in relatively poor condition, slowly rotting into the woods. Don’t let this deter you from trying the trail, just be prepared to double-check your navigation.
After enjoying the view from Abbie Point, the remainder of the hike was mostly downhill (with the exception of a few short uphills), along rocky and occasionally narrow trail. We moved pretty quickly, because we were hungry and had exciting late lunch plans. If you’re ever in Harrisonburg, don’t miss trying Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint. They have the best burgers made with American Kobe/Wagyu beef and the fries are always hot and perfectly cooked. They always have plain burgers and one specialty burger on the menu. I got a cheeseburger and a Crispin Hard Cider. We sat on the heated outdoor patio and enjoyed our decadent lunch.
It was another great hike, with one downside. I got the largest, most painful blister I’ve ever had in my life. I really don’t know how it happened. My boots were the same. My socks were the same. I’m pretty sure I laced up the same. I made it through the hike, but the half dollar sized blister on my left heel has been monstrously painful all week. It was so bad, that I ended up at the doctor’s office on Wednesday to make sure it wasn’t infected. I could hardly walk and I couldn’t wear shoes. We were supposed to hike with my parents the weekend before Halloween, but I still wasn’t ready to wear boots again. It’s finally starting to feel better a week later.
Adam Says…
As Christine mentioned, this is a hike that I’m glad we have a few modern-day conveniences for hiking since leaves were covering most of the trail. My GPS was handy to make sure we were going the right direction and our trekking poles helped to test the ground out and give some extra support with each step.
An example of the rocky trail conditions.
The trail started off shortly after the the Hone Quarry campground. After crossing the spillway, we parked our car on the right where there is space for about 3 cars. The trail starts off across the road and you should see a hiking trail marker on a fire road that shortly leads to a wider off-road parking spot. You’ll see the trail marker go over a mound to the left and up the hill to start the hike. In .1 mile, you’ll arrive at an intersection. The left heads towards the Heartbreak trail and the right heads to the Big Hollow Trail. Follow the trail to the right. The trail begins to ascend going up a wider trail that follows a stream along the way. At .8 miles, the trail will hit a switchback and start a steeper ascent up the mountain. At the 1.1 mile mark, the trail will cross a fire road, but keep going straight. At 1.4 miles, the trail rejoins the same abandoned fire road you joined (you’ll see a small firepit to your left).
Take a right here to join the wider fire road. The trail is quite steep at this point as you’re heading straight up the mountain with few breaks in the uphill climb. At 2.1 miles, you will reach the intersection with the Hone Quarry Mountain trail. Take a left on this trail and you will see another firepit immediately on your left. The trail descends into a small saddle and then begins a steep hike up to a rocky overlook on your right at 2.7 miles. This is the best point for views on the entire hike.
The trail from this point is mostly downhill, but quite overgrown. Much of the trail feels like an animal path through the thick vegetation around. Keep your eye out for the yellow-blazed trail markers. At about the 4.0 mile marker you reach another firepit/campsite area and the trail seems like it splits again (There was a log covering the path straight, so I’m not sure if the trail continues at this point or everything goes to the left). Take a sharp left here (this is now the Heartbreak trail). The trail descends rather quickly through the forest, often through loose rocks, so be careful about your footing! The Heartbreak trail was the most difficult to navigate. The blazes were sparse, so we had to keep hoping we were still on the trail, since leaves covered anything that could be called a path below our feet. Eventually the blazes led us closely to the campground area and we crossed the stream and made our way back to the intersection around 5.0 miles. We continued straight and made our way back to the car around 5.1 miles.
There was a large group of Mennonites picnicking at Hone Quarry. They’re a common site in the Shenandoah Valley. If you hike anywhere west of the city (towards Dayton or Ottobine) on Sunday, you’ll see many families out in buggies and on bikes. Below: A few more shots.
I joked with Christine that the Heartbreak trail was aptly named, since I can imagine lots of couples arguing about if they were still on the hiking trail and then breaking up after the hike was over. After we got back to the car, we came across a bunch of Mennonite families that were enjoying a potluck picnic. Several of the families were heading off to another hiking trail. The simpler life does make me think of how families may have done this type of thing often in the past. Seeing people hiking in suits and dresses reminds me of old pictures that I have seen of people hiking many of the national parks when they were first being established. Today we have trekking poles, wicking shirts, hiking pants that unzip to become shorts, GPS systems, camelbaks, etc.
If you are interested in geocaching, there are a few available on this trail.
Gnome Watch – a fun clue that leads you to the nearby cache.
Hone Quarry – a standard cache not far from the trail.
Cache Advance – a standard cache near the picnic area. Not on the hike, but hard to resist since you pass near it on the drive.
While I think this hike was enjoyable, I was expecting more chances to catch some views. You really only get views from the one rocky outcropping. Everything else is obstructed.
Trail Notes
Distance – 5 miles
Elevation Change –1480 feet.
Difficulty – 3. The climbing on this hike is actually pretty steep, both uphill and downhill.
Trail Conditions – 1.5. Like many less known trails in the National Forest, the Hone Quarry Ridge Trail is minimally maintained. The trail is extremely rocky, and under a deep layer of fallen autumn leaves it can be downright perilous.
Views–3. One nice, open view and some nice peeks through the trees along the way.
Streams/Waterfalls – 2. The nearly dry stream along this trail has the potential of being quite prettier when there is more rain.
Wildlife – 1. We didn’t see anything.
Ease to Navigate – 1.5. The trail is minimally blazed and signs are far and few between. We recommend bringing a map and a compass. There are several trail intersections where you might go wrong.
Solitude – 4. Hone Quarry is a popular camping and picnic area, but you probably won’t see many people on this hike. On a gorgeous Sunday, at the peak of fall, we saw only three people on the trail.
Directions to trailhead: From 33, head south on SR 613/Clover Hill Road. After passing Paul State Forest, the road comes to an intersection. Stay straight and follow the signs to 257/Briery Branch Road. 257 eventually enters into George Washington National Forest. Take the first right on to Hone Quarry Road. Pass by the picnic area and then a small spillway over a stream. You will see a parking area shortly after on the right and the hiking trail is on the opposite side of the road.
Foliage in Shenandoah National Park is at its peak – maybe a little past! These photos are from a couple short leg-stretchers, too short to be called true hikes. Enjoy!
The Point Overlook on Skyline Drive has a short trail that leads down to a beautiful rocky outcropping.Looking back toward Hawksbill Mountain.Crescent Rock is a short hike from the same-named overlook along skyline drive. The trail starts at the north end of the parking area.We saw a couple bears in the park. This one was the more photogenic of the two.At the end of the evening, we were treated to a beautiful sunset!
This 7.1 mile hike picks up right where we left off on our last Appalachian Trail segment. It turned out to be an easy section of hiking with many sweeping, panoramic views.
The view from Loft Mountain is one of the nicest in the park. Below: Wookie perches on the tool chest at the Ivy Creek maintenance hut; Taking in the view from the first eastern-facing overlook. You’ll pass this spot on the initial climb up Loft Mountain.
Christine Says…
When we got to the Loft Mountain Wayside to begin our hike, the temperature was hovering right around 40 degrees and the wind was howling through the trees, making it feel quite a bit colder! I donned a fleece pullover, gloves and a hat for the first time since last winter. It was kind of nice to bundle up for a change. I actually enjoy cold weather and snow (although I dislike the short, dark days and bare-limbed trees that winter brings.) This was the valley’s first real cold-snap of the fall season, and I was glad we had a chance to get out for another hike. Since the hike was not too long or hard, we brought our pug, Wookie, along for the trek.
The hike started off with a climb back up the Patterson Ridge trail and past the Ivy Creek Maintenance Hut to reach the point of the Appalachian Trail where our last segment left off. Most of the early part of this section is a gradual hike up Loft Mountain. After about a half mile of walking, I had already warmed up enough to ditch the hat and gloves. Climbing uphill is a great way to heat yourself!
Christine and Wookie enjoy the windy view on Loft Mountain. Below: From Loft Mountain you get nice views of Massanutten peak and Skyline Drive; Wookie stays hydrated.
I went into this section only expecting two nice views – the same ones we had seen when we hiked the Loft Mountain Loop a couple years ago. So, I was pleasantly surprised that the open vistas occurred pretty regularly throughout the entire distance of the hike. Instead of cutting a straight line through the middle of the camping area, the Appalachian Trail swings a wide arc around the area, adding distance but keeping the trail more scenic. In fact, some of the nicest views came from rocky ledges not far off the trail behind the Loft Mountain campground.
When we got to one of the overlooks near the campground, and I had a vivid flashback to my childhood. My family camped at Loft frequently when I was in elementary school. I remember our run-down, brown pop-up camper and the smell of bacon cooking over the campfire in the mornings. I remember my dad’s goofy-scary ghost stories, making s’mores and going for family hikes on the AT. So many fond recollections! But this rocky overlook stirred a memory that wasn’t so pleasant! I remember once when I was maybe seven or so, my parents let my brother and I go unsupervised to the overlook. It was only a hundred or so yards from our campsite and we were well within earshot of mom and dad. For some reason, I decided to sit right on the edge of the rock shelf and dangle my feet over the edge. It was all lots of fun, until it was time to swing my legs around and stand back up. When I tried to get up, I couldn’t do it. I was suddenly and utterly paralyzed with a fear of falling off that rock ledge. I screamed and cried and sent my brother running to get my dad. He dashed down, grabbed me under my armpits and yanked me back from the edge. I had really forgotten about that moment until we passed the spot on this hike. Looking at it again, it wasn’t quite as scary or precipitous as I remembered.
This tree looked like one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Ents (see the eyes, nose and mouth?) Below: Butterflies were abundant, but they were all weak and slow due to the cold temperatures.
After leaving the Loft Mountain area, the trail is really easy. It’s either downhill or relatively flat for the remainder of the miles. We covered the distance at a really good clip. We passed quite a few other people out dayhiking – especially in the vicinity of the Doyles River-Jones Run trail. We saw a lot of dogs out hiking, too. All but two were leashed! This was unusual and very welcome! Wookie is always one of the smallest dogs on the trail, and big dogs sort of frighten him a bit when they come bounding up freely.
Near the end of the hike, the trail crosses a scenic overlook along Skyline Drive. Basically, you walk across the overlook and pick the trail back up on the south end of the paved area. A few tenths of a mile after that, the trail crosses to the west side of the Drive for the last mile of walking.
Our other vehicle was parked at the end of the segment – in the Brown Gap parking area. Good hike!
Adam says…
This section of the Appalachian Trail can look misleading on a map. On the road, it passes from mile marker 79 to 83, but the distance is longer on the actual trail since this section separates from the road to the east and winds around Loft Mountain and the Loft Mountain campground before rejoining the proximity of Skyline Drive again. We left one vehicle at Brown Gap and parked our first vehicle at Loft Mountain.
Some great views are a short walk from the Loft Mountain Campground. Below: Another nice view; Walking through the fallen leaves.
To make sure we cover every inch of the AT through SNP, we started off our trail by going down the fire road on the north side of the Loft Mountain wayside, across from the street. You hurdle a small chain blocking off the fire road and then shortly take a right to head down the fire road. You will pass the Ivy Creek Maintenance Hut and spring after about .3 miles. At .6 miles, this fire road joins the white-blazed Appalachian Trail. Take a right to head south and begin your climb up Loft Mountain. At 1.1 miles, you reach a nice view to the east and at 1.6 miles you reach a few nice views to the west (along with an intersection with the Frazier Discovery Trail). The trail then begins to take on a quick descent from Loft Mountain. At 2.7 miles, you reach a post that shows a short side-trail to reach the Loft Mountain camp store. At this point, you will begin to make your way around the Loft Mountain campground. There are even a few trails to the campground, but you will see tents on a busy weekend through the trees. Around 4.0 miles, you will also find some nice views if you step out on to the rocks near the campsites. The trail begins to descend again. At 6.1 miles, you will cross Skyline Drive and at 7.1 miles you should reach your vehicle at the Brown Gap parking lot.
Wookie was pretty happy with the hike. Below: As soon as the car started moving, he fell asleep.
This section of the AT had several great viewpoints. The views from the top of Loft Mountain are in my opinion the best views from hiking in the southern section of SNP. You’ll get to see views of mountains for miles and you can even glimpse Skyline Drive snaking through the mountain ridge. It was also great to smell campfires from the Loft Mountain campground. The smell of campfires on a cool day defines outdoors in the fall to me.
The day that we hiked this section happened to be JMU’s Homecoming. Since we graduated from there a while ago, most of our close friends no longer return. So, we typically try to avoid Harrisonburg that weekend, since it is packed with people at the restaurants, grocery stores, etc. When we were just about a mile from the end of our hike, a group was coming up the trail and I heard someone say “Adam”. It turned out to be a student assistant for our office and one of our JMU tour guides (of which, I used to serve as an adviser). He was backpacking for a few days with some other students in his law program at the College of William & Mary. It was great to catch up with him for a few minutes and it gave me a sense that we had our own version of Homecoming out on the trail.
Wookie Says…
It was great to get outside and do a hike. On most trails, I tend to not be very confident with where I’m going. I typically have Christine walk me, but I heel closely right behind her ankles with Adam walking behind. This gives me a good buffer against anything we may come across on the trail. But, if we are doing an out-and-back hike, on our return trip I remember where we’ve gone before, so I’ll walk proudly in front. Since we did this with one car serving as a shuttle, I stayed in the middle on the hike.
The hike wasn’t too tough, since I’m in pretty good shape for a pug. However, with about 1.5 miles left I started kicking my back foot out a little and was kind of limping along. When Adam noticed this, we stopped. It turns out I just had some mud between my pads which was making me step a little funny. They don’t make hiking shoes for dogs like me, so occasionally this happens.
I did enjoy this hike, taking in the views and sniffing near the campgrounds for the smells of hot dogs cooking on the fire. When we stopped for a quick break, I even found some peanuts on one of the rocks, left behind by some careless hiker. I tried to wolf down before Adam & Christine noticed, but they were quick to grab me before I did. I did have a few bowls of water to keep me hydrated and I got to eat some extra food when I got home.
Trail Notes
Distance – 7.1 miles
Elevation Change – about 800 feet
Difficulty – 2. The hike was really pretty easy, but 7 miles might be long for some people.
Trail Conditions – 4. The Appalachian Trail is typically in good shape, but this section was especially nice and not too rocky at all.
Views– 5. Many excellent places to take in the scenery below.
Streams/Waterfalls – 0. None
Wildlife – 1. We didn’t see anything beyond birds and squirrels.
Ease to Navigate – 4.5. Just follow the white blazes and sign posts. The trail is very direct. When crossing parking lots and the Skyline Drive, keep your eyes peeled for cement trail markers to continue your hike.
Solitude – 2. This hike passes Loft Mountain Campground and the very popular Doyles River-Jones Run trail, so you’ll like see quite a few people.
Directions to trailhead: Park one vehicle at Brown Gap, near mile marker 83 on Skyline Drive. Then drive up to the Loft Mountain wayside, near mile marker 79 on Skyline Drive. The trail begins across the street on the north side of the wayside.
This post covers the ten miles from Powell Gap to Loft Mountain, with an overnight stop at the Pinefield Hut. Sleeping inside a hut is typically something reserved for people out on multi-night trips, so we tented in a spot uphill from the hut. Hut sites offer the convenience of a spring-fed water source or stream (usually), a picnic table to cook on, a place to have a campfire (the only permissible place in Shenandoah’s backcountry) and access to a privy (no catholes to dig).
There was a nice group of eight people camping in or around the Pinefield Hut – our stop for the night. Below: Pretty mountain layers as seen from the Ivy Creek overlook; Our tent site was on a hill above the hut. You can see the roof of the hut through the trees; Adam climbing the trail upwards from Simmons Gap.
Adam and Christine Say …
We’ve found that with our backpacking trips, it’s usually easier to combine our thoughts into one large post. Here we go!
Even though this backpacking trip was scheduled weeks ago, we weren’t sure until the last minute that we were actually going to pull it off. It rained all week, Adam was having back spasms, our friends couldn’t make the trip and we were both coming off a particularly busy week at work. Sitting in the air-conditioned house, pajama-clad, and watching TV from the couch seemed quite a bit more appealing than heading out into the damp, buggy woods with 30+ pounds of gear strapped to our backs.
The thing that ultimately tipped the scale in favor of hitting the trail for an overnighter was actually all the 9/11 anniversary coverage. When Friday morning rolled around, Christine was feeling overwhelmingly sad. All week long, virtually every news outlet had been covering 9/11 – bringing all the horrific imagery and stories back to the forefront. Remembering and paying tribute is important to her, and she felt drawn to having a quiet, peaceful place to reflect without seeing any more images of people dying or cities burning. We both wanted to be in the woods – away from the TV, away from the internet, away from the radio.
Adam takes in the view after the first climb out of Powell Gap. Below: There is not a paved parking lot at Powell Gap. Instead, you can leave a car in the grassy field next to the trail entrance.
We had a leisurely Saturday morning. Christine made a big breakfast with eggs and biscuits (for Adam), blueberry pancakes (for herself) and bacon (for both of us). After cleaning up dishes, Christine packed our camp food into Ziploc bags and put together bathroom kits. Adam worked on loading our backpacks. We decided to eat lunch at home and then headed off to the park around 1:00. We chose to hike south along the Appalachian Trail from Powell Gap to Loft Mountain, with an overnight stop at the Pinefield Hut. We brought two cars into the park to make the trip logistically easier, parking the return car at the Loft Mountain wayside.
We left one car in the grassy field next to the trail entrance at Powell Gap. After doing last minute pack checks, we headed off. The trail climbs immediately upward from the gap. You gain about 300 feet in just a few tenths of a mile. Within the first half mile, you pass a pretty eastern-facing view of the valley below. We stopped and made some pack adjustments. Adam insisted on taking over the burden of carrying our extra water. The south district of Shenandoah is famously dry, so we hauled a 3 liter Nalgene canteen so we’d have plenty of water for cooking and hiking on Sunday. Even with all the rain, we weren’t sure if the spring at the hut would be running. Christine bickered with Adam over the extra weight of the water, because she didn’t want him to make his back pain worse. In the end, he won and we headed down the trail with the extra 6.6 pounds of water hooked and freely swinging from a carabiner on the back of his pack. He was definitely carrying too much and it did slow his pace down a bit!
We spotted a young bear on a hillside before the descent to Simmons Gap. Below: Stopping for a snack and map break at the Simmons Gap crossing; Our trekking poles make backpacking trips so much easier; Monarch butterflies were everywhere!
The Appalachian Trail between Powell Gap and Pinefield Hut is pretty uneventful. There are a few road crossings, several climbs and descents, and just the one open view. Most of the trail is just typical walking along a forest trail – pretty, but not remarkable.
On the descent toward Simmons Gap, a black shape caught Christine’s eye. She turned back and mouthed ‘BEAR!’ to Adam. Sure enough, a handsome yearling bear was perched on the hillside, quietly watching us pass. She managed to get an OK photo of the bear, but he was really too far up the hillside for our pocket camera’s zoom capabilities. We stood still and had a little stare-down with the bear for a few moments before he turned and lumbered up the hill. We’ve decided the park has two kinds of bears: 1) indifferent bears and 2) scared bears. The scared bears run as soon as a human comes into view. Indifferent bears may cast you a sidelong glance, but otherwise ignore you and continue along with whatever they were doing before you spotted them. We like the indifferent bears; they’re easier to photograph! We’ve never come across an aggressive bear in Shenandoah – thankfully.
At the trail crossing near the Simmons Gap Ranger Station, we stopped and had a snack of cashews. The cement post indicated that we had 2.2 miles to cover before reaching Pinefield Hut. We figured we’d make it there well before dinner time. As we were sitting on the grass eating cashews, another backpacker came up to us and asked which way it was to reach Brown Gap. We pointed the way (12 miles to the south), rested for a few more minutes and then continued. The trail climbing out of Simmons Gap was probably the hardest climbing of the day, but still fairly moderate. Christine noticed that Adam was really struggling with his pack weight, so we made some more adjustments and she took the big Nalgene canteen back.
We saw this timber rattler after climbing out of Simmons Gap. Below: A good look at the rattle.
As we continued climbing, we spotted the hiker headed toward Brown Gap stopped in the middle of the trail. We didn’t see anything, so we continued climbing until we were right behind him. He turned and said ‘There’s a rattlesnake on the trail!’ Christine replied ‘Ooooh, where?’ But as soon as she peered over his shoulder, she immediately saw the large snake laid out, almost completely spanning the trail. He wasn’t moving or rattling. We speculated that maybe he was dead or in a state of torpor. We stood and looked at him for a good five minutes. Finally Adam climbed off the side of the trail, making a wide arc around the snake (since he is definitely more fearful of snakes than Christine). Christine followed suit, as did the other hiker. As soon as we all passed, the snake slowly slithered off the trail and coiled up in the leaves about a foot off the path. We got a few exciting photos of the snake before we headed off to finish our climb uphill.
Eventually the trail leveled off for a while before gently descending to Pinefield Gap. Climbing downhill, we both noticed how much bear scat there was along the trail. This area obviously has a pretty healthy population of black bears. After one final road crossing, we had just two tenths of a mile left until we got to the shelter.
Pinefield Shelter lies just a couple hundred yards off the AT. As we were walking down the side path to the shelter, we heard voices and laughter. We were greeted at the shelter by six other hikers – a mix of thru-hikers, section hikers and weekenders. Peak use of AT shelters happens May- June, so we were a little surprised to see so many people at Pinefield. Everyone was really friendly and they already had a great campfire going. We chose a tent site up the steep hill behind the shelter.
We quickly set up the tent, inflated our sleeping pads and fluffed our bags before heading back down to the shelter to socialize and cook dinner. We had a repeat favorite dinner from Backpacker’s Pantry – Pad Thai and Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert. Two of the others hikers in for the night, Brendan and Ayla, had purchased a bag of marshmallows and were roasting them over the fire. Talk centered heavily on food for much of the evening. If there is one thing hikers have in common, it’s hunger! We set our camp chairs near the fire and enjoyed an evening of conversation and a little music. Ayla had a flute and Brendan carried a small guitar. It was a pleasant evening, and you really can’t beat a good campfire!
Adam relaxes by the fire. Below: A comparison – the first photo is the park’s representation of Appalachian Trail backpackers. The second and third photos are what backpackers really look like! Sometime soon, I think Adam and I are going to pose to recreate the park’s image – spacy expressions and all!
Sometime after dark, we climbed back up the hill to our tent by the light of Adam’s headlamp. Christine listened to the new book in the Game of Thrones series on her iPod and Adam continued to read his John Muir book. As we relaxed in the tent, we began to notice that our tent site wasn’t quite flat. It was on just enough of a slope that you can feel, even if you can’t see it!
Christine had a decent night of sleep – occasionally waking to the hoot of an owl or the sound of Adam thrashing around next to her. He didn’t sleep well at all! He still hasn’t figured out the best way to get comfortable with his sleeping set-up. In the morning, everything had shifted to the downhill side of the tent. Adam was crammed up along the tent wall and Christine was practically on top of him!
Almost everyone was up early, cooking breakfast and packing up their gear. We took down our tent and shoved everything back into our packs. We fired up our JetBoil and made oatmeal and coffee. We didn’t even use all the extra water we had hauled down to camp, so we shared with everyone else. Incidentally, the spring was running at Pinefield so we didn’t even need to carry all that extra water. Oh well… better safe than sorry.
Our second day of hiking was a little tougher, but a little more rewarding in terms of views and scenery. Ivy Creek, which we passed near the end of the hike, was actually running much more than usual Our packs were lighter, since most of the food and water were gone. The forest was beautiful and misty, with golden sunrays cutting down between the trees. Spider webs covered with dew glistened in the morning sun. We crossed paths with the hiker we had met at Simmons Gap the day before. He was headed north, and looking for water. We were kind of surprised, because he must have passed at least three decent water sources that morning returning from Brown Gap.
We got a great view of Skyline Drive and the mountains beyond on our second day. This view looks to the west. Below: Morning fog created some nice sunrays in the forest; Ivy Creek was running nicely; Spider webs glistening in the morning light.
We reached the junction of the AT and the trail down to the Ivy Creek maintenance building around 10:15 a.m. It was a quick downhill walk of .6 miles back to Skyline Drive. We got to the Loft Mountain Wayside around 10:30. Even though it was still on the early side, we wanted lunch! The cook behind the counter was nice enough to make us fries and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches even though they were technically still serving breakfast. It really hit the spot!
After lunch we passed through the gift shop and picked up a couple 75th Anniversary Shenandoah souvenirs – a magnet and a Christmas ornament. We’d been meaning to get something from the anniversary all season. Park shops are only open for a few more weeks, so we figured it was now or never.
Lunch at the Loft Mountain Wayside. Below: Our hike down to Skyline Drive from the Appalachian Trail took us past the PATC’s Ivy Creek trail maintenance building; Adam crosses Skyline Drive and heads toward the Loft Mountain Wayside where we left our car. Unfortunately, someone whacked our car pretty hard while we were away. We have a huge dent and a paintless streak on the passenger side now. Boo!
We were back home before 1:00, which was perfect! We had the rest of the day to relax and clean up before heading back to work on Monday.
Trail Notes
Distance –10 miles
Elevation Change – 2500 feet over five different climbs
Difficulty – 3. Mostly uphill climbing on this hike.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was in pretty good shape. Some areas were slightly overgrown and there were a few tree blowdowns, but otherwise, it was fine.
Views– 3.5. Some nice eastern views on the climb up from Powell Gap and nice western views near the Rockytop overlook.
Wildlife – 4. We saw many signs of bears along the trail (and saw one), we saw our first timber rattlesnake, and several pileated woodpeckers.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Not many turns on the Appalachian Trail, but a few turns to make it to the Loft Mountain wayside.
Solitude – 4. You will likely see people near Powell Gap and Loft Mountain, but not a lot in between.
Directions to trailhead: Mile 70 on Skyline Drive, park in the large field. You’ll see the post for the Appalachian Trail from the lot and head south.
We hope you enjoyed our Acadia series… but now it’s time to get back to Virginia hiking. We decided resume our normal posts with an exceedingly well-known mountain – Old Rag. This 8.8 mile loop hike is Shenandoah’s most popular hike. It’s so well-loved and traveled that the official Shenandoah website has a whole section dedicated to hiking this mountain. [View NPS Map for this hike]
Note: Some of the NPS website details (and mileage markers along the actual trail) were a little outdated as of summer 2011, as they refer to the hike distance before the park service closed the upper parking lot in April of 2010.
Large boulders near the summit of Old Rag. Below: Adam walking along the road headed toward the Ridge Trail’s start; Views from the summit of Old Rag; Adam drops down into a narrow passage between the rocks.
Christine Says…
After two and a half years, we’re finally getting around to covering Virginia’s most popular, most well-known hike – Old Rag. I’ll make an outright confession. Old Rag, as beloved as it might be by (seemingly) everyone else, is not my favorite hike. But, when you have a Virginia hiking website, you’re practically obligated to have a write up about this mountain. So, on to the post!
We’d been tossing around the idea of hiking Old Rag for the blog for well over a year. Adam would suggest it and I’d invariably tell him that it was too hot, too cold, possibly wet and slippery, I heard there was ice, my feet hurt, I don’t feel like driving that far, etc. Basically, I floated every excuse in the book to delay the hike. But then I went and did something incredibly stupid and it really blew up in my face! I had a day off work coming up. It was going to be a beautiful August day – crisp and unseasonably cool! I had visions of getting up early, doing a photo shoot in the park, maybe eating some donuts and then taking myself to a matinee movie. But before I could stop myself, I found that I had blurted out “Tomorrow would be a GREAT day to hike Old Rag!” I assumed this was purely hypothetical because Adam had to work. But he immediately responded “Yeah! Let’s go! I’m taking tomorrow off too!” Ugh – I didn’t see that one coming! I don’t like to back out on plans, so the next morning we were up before dawn, snacks stashed and Camelbaks filled.
We got to the parking lot before 8:00 a.m.. Getting to Old Rag early is something I consider to be a necessity. The trail is always crowded – even on weekdays. The Old Rag parking lot is actually my first point of contention with the hike. It used to be if you got up early, you could always get a parking spot in the small upper parking area located right at the trailhead. In April of 2010, a couple years after our last hike up Old Rag (fall of 2008 – see photos), the park service closed the upper lot to all vehicles. Now, all vehicles must park in the lower lot, which is just a shade under a mile from the trailhead. The added mile follows a paved road uphill to the beginning of the Ridge Trail. I’m not going to make any apologies; I just don’t like road walking on outings that are supposed to be hikes.
The first section of rock scramble is just a little sampling of what is ahead. Below: Giant boulders along the trail; Christine climbing up the Ridge Trail; Christine taking in the view; A view of the valley; A dog who has panhandling all figured out!
Once we got to the Ridge Trail, things improved a bit. The trail climbed upward for about two miles. It’s not terribly steep or difficult climbing, but it is steady uphill. There are occasional switchbacks, lots of gigantic boulders along the trail and even some glimpses of views through the trees.
The higher you climb, the better and more open the views become. After the first real panoramic view, you get your first little sample of the extensive rock scrambling you’re about to encounter. The first pass is short, but requires hoisting yourself up through a small opening, then across a flat pancake of rock. At this point, my boot slipped and I almost toppled over backwards. Luckily, I was able to hang on long enough for Adam to give me a hand up.
Shortly after that little scramble, you’ll come to what I think is the nicest view on the hike. Instead of overlooking mountains with a distant peek at Skyline Drive, this viewpoint overlooks the valley below. The vista is dotted with little farms and winding country roads. It’s really pretty! At this point of our hike, we encountered an emaciated, but super-friendly dog. He had a collar but there didn’t seem to be any human to claim him. Dogs are not allowed on Old Rag’s hiking trails, so we figured someone brought a dog up anyhow, and then abandoned him when he could no longer follow along the rock scramble. The dog looked so pitiful and hungry that we ended up sharing some cashews and half a Luna Bar.
The dog followed us along until the scramble began in earnest. He looked sad to see us go, so we decided to report him to park rangers at the end of our hike, in hopes that they could send someone up to retrieve him and lead him back down to the base of the mountain.
After saying goodbye to the dog, we began nearly one-mile of rock scrambling required to reach the summit of Old Rag via the Ridge Trail. Anyone wishing to reach the summit without the scramble can follow the Saddle Trail (accessed by either the Weakley Hollow or Old Rag fire roads). The scramble is the part of this hike that I enjoy most, but also simultaneously fear. I have vertigo, so there are a couple passes that play tricks on my visual and balance centers. Otherwise, the scramble is a lot of fun! It’s almost like a hiking puzzle. You have to look at each obstacle and plan the best strategy for traversing it. The scramble is tough – it’s not so much a cardio challenge as it is a strength challenge. There are lots of places where you’ll rely on both your upper and lower body strength to carry you across the rocks. It’s nice to have at least one hiking buddy to help you along. One particularly steep place, I had to shove Adam up (one hand on each butt cheek) and then he had to tow me up behind him.
Near the beginning of the scramble, you have to drop down into this narrow passage. Below: A variety of obstacles along the rock scramble. Below: Adam shinnies down into the narrow passage pictured above (note the blaze is numbered R22. Each blaze on the scramble is numbered to help rescuers find injured people more quickly); More scenes along the scramble.
The summit of Old Rag is beautiful and decorated with many large and interesting boulders. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a snack while taking in the view. We watched the clouds clearing away, ate cheese and trail mix and watched falcon soaring on the breeze. It may have been a peregrine, as they are known to nest on Old Rag, but we’re really not sure.
After leaving the summit, the hike becomes sort of tedious. Yes, it’s all downhill, and you’ll pass a couple interesting trail shelters (Byrd’s Nest and Old Rag). Both are available for day use only. There is one more decent view. But right after passing the Old Rag Shelter, you’ll reach the Berry Hollow fire road. You’re only on that for a short while, until you meet the Weakley Hollow fire road. You’re on that road for the remainder of the loop until you come back to the paved road at the trailhead. Honestly, everything after the scramble on this hike is just not fun to me – too many miles of featureless road walking. All in all, the Old Rag hike has close to 4.5 miles of road walking (over half the hike). Adam and I were eager to finish up our hike, so we jogged most of the way back along the fire road and paved road.
Adam pretends to balance a giant boulder. Below: More scenes along the scramble.
When we got back to the car, we told the ranger at the check-in station about the skinny dog. She laughed and said “Oh, him! He’s our resident Old Rag beggar!” Apparently the dog belongs to a local family. He likes to take daily hikes to solicit treats from people climbing the mountain. He sure tricked us!
The parking lot had really filled up since we arrived! We were glad to be done, and on out way to get some lunch (fried chicken – yay!).
When I reflect back on hiking Old Rag, and what could be done to improve the experience, I can think of a few things. One idea I think would work well is to issue a finite number of permits per day to hike the mountain. Perhaps limiting numbers on weekends would be enough. I think if they could limit hikers, they could reopen the upper lot and eliminate almost two miles of road walking. Another thought is to limit the number of people allowed per hiking party. So many church youth groups and college clubs hike Old Rag in huge crowds. This causes massive ‘traffic jams’ along the scramble. No fun! I also think that limiting hikers would go along way toward alleviating the trail damage and erosion on Old Rag. The trail is crumbling, lots of rocks on the scramble have been worn to a smooth polish under years’ of boot traffic, and sadly there is garbage everywhere. It’s a trail that would benefit greatly from being enjoyed by fewer people.
That said, I think every lover of the outdoors in Virginia should hike Old Rag at least once! The scramble is truly without compare.
Adam Says…
Well, Christine summed it up nicely describing the pressure that I have been putting on her to tackle Old Rag. We last did this hike together shortly before we started this blog. The logo that we use for the website is actually taken from a photo of Old Rag, so it was a must do. About every year, I put together a list of hikes that we have talked about doing in Virginia and we hang it on our refrigerator. After we finish the hike, we have a ceremonial highlighter that we use to highlight the hikes we’ve finished. For the last few years of printing a new list, Old Rag has been one of the few that has not been highlighted before the latest version is posted. I let Christine do the honors of marking Old Rag off the list – and she was happy to do so.
Adam on the Summit. Below: Summit scenery; Some kind of bird of prey.
I would also agree with Christine that Old Rag is very overused. One thing that makes this hike particularly challenging during the rock scramble is that the rocks are so smooth, you could easily slip. When it has just rained, you know you will have no footing whatsoever. Many of these boulders have no handholds or footholds, so you do have to be creative with how you will get through the scramble. I would recommend that you do this hike with someone else to help you through the scramble. I think Christine especially enjoyed the opportunity of putting both of her hands on my butt and shoving with all of her might. It’s not very often that she gets to do that.
The Old Rag day-use shelter. Below: Adam takes in the last nice view on the way down; The Byrd’s Nest day-use shelter; The crowded Old Rag parking lot.
The hike begins from the parking lot and consists of walking up a paved and then gravel road for about .9 miles until you reach a smaller blocked off gravel lot (with a portable toilet) and a sign for the trailhead to the left. This begins the Ridge Trail. The trail starts off as a gradual ascent through the forest. At about 2.3 miles, you reach the first of several switchbacks. There isn’t a lot of note on the main portion of the trail as you are just walking uphill through the woods, without any notable views. At about 3.2 miles, you reach a nice overlook. As soon as you leave this spot, the rock scrambling will begin. You have about .8 of a mile of rock scrambling until you reach the summit. This path is quite dangerous as you have to navigate down tight crevasses, around boulders open to large drop-offs, and up other boulders with slick surfaces. The summit marker will indicate the end of the tough climbing. There are several places to take in the panoramic views at the top and some of the more adventurous will climb up some of the large boulders at the top. Once you are done taking in the views backtrack to the trail and then take a right on to the Saddle Trail. At about 4 miles you reach, the Byrds Nest Shelter No. 1, a day-use only shelter. Continue down the steep trail and at 4.5 miles, you will reach another day-use Old Rag shelter. Continue down the trail and at 4.9 miles, you reach the junction with the Weakley Hollow fire road. Take a right on this fire road and you have about 3 miles of this fire road to walk down before you reach a few bridges and finally the smaller blocked-off Old Rag gravel lot. Go back the way you came and you should reach your vehicle around 8.8 miles.
I do think we have put a lot of warnings about this hike, but the reason that this hike is likely so popular is due to the challenge and the amazing views. The summit of Old Rag does provide some of the best views in Virginia. Some people even do rock climbing at the top to rappel over the edge and make their way back up. On a clear day, you can see for miles of countryside and layers of mountains. I know most people do put this on their list of must-hikes in Virginia. I recommend to tackle this hike as early in the morning as possible to beat the crowds. If you wait until the middle of the day, you will likely face people-jams as the navigating through the rock scramble takes a while.
For any of those interested in geocaching, there are two geocaches nearby the trail:
I really have to hand it to Christine for confronting her vertigo and facing Old Rag. I told her I wouldn’t bother her again to do the hike since we now officially have it on the blog, but I will probably do it again sometime. I think this hike does have about 1.5 miles of very exciting climbing and wonderful views, but the rest of the hike (especially the way back on the fire roads) seems a little boring and you will look forward to seeing your car in the parking lot after the long hike back. The last time we did this hike was on a fall day at the peak of fall color. If you can find a day like that to tackle this hike, you won’t regret it.
Trail Notes
Distance – 8.8 miles
Elevation Change – about 2600 feet total.
Difficulty – 4. The uphill climbing is gradual and never terribly steep, but the scramble requires good upper and lower body strength.
Trail Conditions – 2. I think the trail is eroded and worn smooth in many places due to years of overuse.
Views– 5. The views are wonderful and include both mountain and valley views.
Wildlife – 3. There have been a fair number of bear sightings on Old Rag. You also have a good chance of seeing birds of prey on the summit.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Follow the signs. This well-traveled trail is well-marked. Distances on the markers are out-of-date and refer to mileage when the upper lot was still open.
Directions to trailhead: From Sperryville, Route 211, turn onto Route 522 and follow it south for .8 mile. Turn right on Route 231, follow 8 miles, turn right onto Route 601 and follow signs to the parking area, approximately 3 miles. From Madison, Route 29 Business, turn onto Route 231 and follow it for 12.8 miles. Turn left onto Route 602.
Follow signs for the parking area. Old Rag parking is approximately 3 miles from the turn onto Route 602.
This moderate hike includes two panoramic mountain summits and views along one of the most scenic ponds in Maine.
The summit of Sargent Mountain has a beautiful view. Below: The trail marker behind the Jordan Pond House; Adam enjoys the view from atop an erratic; Jordan Pond is beautiful!
Adam Says…
Hiking up Penobscot Mountain is one of our favorite hikes in Acadia National Park and we decided to save this hike for our last day there. We had hiked up Penobscot a few times before, but this was the first time that we added on Sargent Mountain.
This loop hike begins at the Jordan Pond House. Facing the house, if you walk behind the left side of the building, you will see the trailhead marker not far from the bathrooms. The trail goes into the woods, crossing Jordan Stream with a small footbridge. At .3 miles you come to an intersection with the Jordan Cliffs trail (another steep option for a loop from Penobscot), but continue on the trail. At .5 miles, you will cross over one of the gravel carriage roads. The trail continues up the Spring Trail at this point. The Spring Trail consists of climbing up some rocks and does require you to pull yourself up through some tight areas. There is also one area where you will likely need to squeeze your body between a few rocks. This is the most challenging part of the hike up the trail, but before you know it, you will reach a nice viewpoint (with a stone makeshift bench) to relax from your climb up. The tricky part from here is that your eyes are drawn to the viewpoint and you could miss the continuation of the trail. Sitting on the bench and looking out, the trail continues behind your right shoulder. There is a small path behind your left shoulder, but that leads to a dead-end.
Adam enjoys the stone bench overlooking Jordan Pond. Below: Christine makes her way up the Spring Trail.
After you soak in the views, continue on the trail. After a short climb, the trail begins to open up as you begin your hike above the treeline on the open mountain face. The hike up from this point consists of following cairns along the way. At 1.6 miles, you will reach the summit marker of Penobscot Mountain at 1194 feet. From the summit, you can see Sargent Mountain ahead, which is only a mile away. We took the path to the west, leading to Sargent Mountain. The trail descends rather quickly and you come across the scenic Sargent Pond at 1.75 miles. Take some time to enjoy the views from the pond and then continue on the trail. At 1.9 miles, you reach the junction with the Sargent Mountain South Ridge Trail. Take a right to join this trail and make your way to the peak. You will come out of the woods and hike on the open mountainside (passing by junctions with the Hadlock Brook Trail and Spring Trail) until you reach the summit at 2.6 miles. The summit of 1,373 foot Sargent Mountain provides panoramic views covering most of the areas to the north, which were not able to be viewed from Penobscot. We took a while to enjoy the views here and then followed the east trail down the mountain. This part of the trail reminded me of Scottish highlands as you hike through fields and rock. After a few tenths of a mile, the trail then begins a steep descent back into the woods. There were times that we scooted along our butts to make our way down the next section of rocks. At 3.4 miles, we reached the junction with the Deer Brook Trail. We took this left, continuing the steep descent down the rocky trail. At 3.55 miles, you cross over another carriage road, pass by one of the carriage road arches, and at 3.7 miles you will reach the junction with the Jordan Pond trail. You have a choice of going either way around the pond, but we took the right to view the western side of Jordan Pond. This trail follows closely around the pond and consists of a lot of wooden boardwalks to keep people from damaging the ground below. At 5.4 miles, you reach the Jordan Pond House again to complete your hike.
Christine tries to roll the erratic uphill. Below: Beautiful Maine terrain; Adam at the summit of Penobscot; Blueberries were abundant.
This is a perfect hike to include on your trip to Acadia. It has a combination of everything that I think this area of Maine has to offer – gorgeous panoramic views from the pink granite summits of the islands and ocean around; chances to take in some of the smaller ponds that are tucked between mountains; and challenging, rocky ascents that give you a grand sense of accomplishment. On our descent down Sargent Mountain, we came across a few different groups of hikers that were hiking up the east face of Sargent Mountain. We saw one family that was huffing and puffing their way in complete silence. I had a feeling they were regretting their decision to hike up this way. We saw another couple that were just beginning their hike up Sargent. They said they like doing the loop hike up Sargent and Penobscot in reverse of the way we went because they can enjoy views the entire way down. I think hiking up Sargent from the east face trail would be extremely steep and slow going, so I’m glad we hiked it this way.
One of the great things about doing this hike early in the day, is you can claim a prime parking spot for the Jordan Pond House. This place is packed in the summers around lunchtime and you will likely need to wait for a seat. But it was great to finish off the hike with a nice restaurant and enjoy a popover a la mode with peach ice cream and blueberry sauce.
We had a great week in Acadia and it always sad to leave. This has always been our favorite vacation spot and I think the hiking and biking we have done in this area show everyone why we love it so much.
Christine Says…
Remember how I was talking about perfect Maine days in our write-up of Gorham Mountain? Well, our last day of vacation this year was just one of those days. The weather was so perfect; I was practically swooning over it. At first, we were just going to do the 3.2-mile out-and-back to the summit of Penobscot Mountain. I told Adam that I didn’t want the day to end, that I wanted to use every single bit of it, enjoying the views and making the most of my time in Acadia. We decided to tack the summit of Sargent Mountain onto our hike (this included a climb down the East Cliff Trail, a short stretch of the Deer Brook Trail and a return walk to our starting point along the Jordan Pond Trail.
Sargent Pond is tucked between Penobscot and Sargent mountains. Below: Adam makes his way toward the Sargent summit; the Sargent summit marker; The view from Sargent
After an amazing pancake breakfast at Jeannie’s Great Maine Breakfast, we headed over to the Jordan Pond House. The trailhead lies in the woods behind the restaurant. The trail crosses Jordan Stream and immediately climbs steeply uphill to where it crosses the Carriage Road. You see a trail marker, but you really don’t see trail. That’s mostly because there isn’t trail, rather there is a steep scramble between boulders. This steep pass is known as the Spring Trail. It involves a few iron rungs and rails built into the cliff’s side. Parts of the climb are extremely narrow and require four-point contact with the rocks.
After clearing the cliff, you step out onto a beautiful opening overlooking Jordan Pond from above. The rock shelf even has a natural stone bench from which you can enjoy your view. After leaving the opening, the trail goes back into the woods for a short stretch. From there on out, it’s open walking along the granite to the summit of Penobscot. This is a mountain that has a couple false summits. You see a spot that looks like it’s the highest, but it never is (until you actually reach the rock pile an summit marker.) 🙂
At the summit of Penobscot, we stopped to take in the panoramic view of Mt. Desert Island. The view couldn’t have been more breathtaking and was made even more special by the ideal Maine summer weather. It was 70 degrees and breezy with deep blue skies. A solo hiker arrived at the summit a few minutes after we did and asked if we had any sunscreen for him to use. I loaned him my pink tube of SPF50 for sensitive skin. It was probably fortuitous that he came by when he did, because it reminded me to reapply sunscreen. It’s so easy to get sunburned when hiking in Maine because of all the open exposures along the mountaintops. Also, the cool, breezy weather keeps your skin from ever really feeling hot.
After the Penobscot summit, the trail climbs downward into a small wooded area between the two mountains. This is where you’ll find beautiful Sargent Pond. We stopped there for a short while and watched dragonflies whizzing about. We noticed a ‘No Camping’ sign posted right next to the pond. Not surprising – I bet many people have tried to stealth camp at spots like this in Acadia. Just for the record, Acadia has no real backcountry. You can’t camp freely in the park, but there are two organized campgrounds – Seawall and Blackwoods. Probably the closest you get to backcountry hiking and camping in Acadia is if you take a boat out to Isle au Haute where there are several oceanside primitive sites.
The trail climbs steeply uphill from Sargent Pond. Eventually you clear the trees once again and begin the climb up Sargent. Sargent’s granite surface is not quite as bare as other mountains in Acadia. There seems to be more evergreens and low shrubbery along the way, although I’m not sure why.
Hiking down Sargent. Below: This carriage road bridge passes over Deer Brook.
The summit of Sargent is marked the same way as Acadia’s other summits – a rock pile with a wooden sign in the middle. We really liked the view from Sargent. It was a little different from the other hikes we had done during this week. It’s the only place that offered views looking out toward Trenton and Ellsworth. The day was really clear, so we could see the airport and beyond.
At the summit, we looked at a trail map so we could decide how to make our return back to Jordan Pond House. One option would have been to retrace our steps and go back the same way we came. This would have been a perfectly nice option because we could have enjoyed the ocean views the entire walk down. Instead, we decided to try out some new trails and make a big loop.
The first trail on our return loop was the East Cliff Trail. It was one of the rougher, steeper trails I’ve been on in Acadia. Although there were occasional views of Jordan Pond, most of the way was scrambling down steeply across rocks and roots. The trail was pretty overgrown and I gather it’s not one of Acadia’s more heavily used trails. It was fine, though.
Eventually it met up with the Deer Brook Trail which was more gentle and followed a small stream downhill. After crossing the carriage road, we climbed downhill past one of Acadia’s famous stone bridges to the junction with the Jordan Pond Trail. We came out on that trail at the far end of the pond, almost directly across from the Jordan Pond House.
The shore of Jordan Pond looking toward the Bubbles. Below: Boardwalks along Jordan Pond; Lovely Jordan Pond.
For a mile and a half, the trail clings closely to the edge of the lake. There are a few places where you have to climb from rock to rock. There are also many boardwalks over swampy ground that only allow for single-hiker passage. But, the trail is completely flat so it’s fast hiking. We were speeding along this easy part of the hike with popovers on our minds.
When we finally got to the Pond House, we had to wait about 45 minutes for a table, but that was OK. I got some cold water, found a bench and listened to a book on my iPod until our buzzer went off. I was actually kind of cold at lunch – sweat and a brisk breeze can make even a nice summer day feel chilly. I warmed up with a big bowl of chicken-orzo soup and two huge, steaming popovers. For dessert, Adam and I shared a popover a la mode. It was heaven in a bowl and a fitting end to our wonderful week in Acadia.
Popover a la Mode! Peach ice cream and Maine blueberry sauce. Below: Another look at Jordan Pond; Lunch on the lawn; Popover and strawberry lemonade.
Trail Notes
Distance –5.4 miles
Elevation Change – about 1200 feet total.
Difficulty – 4. The ascent up the Spring Trail and the descent down Sargent Mountain can be steep and requires careful navigation.
Trail Conditions – 3.5. The trail is well-maintained, but there are plenty of places to turn your ankle on the descents.
Views– 5. There are amazing views throughout this hike as you make your way up to the summits of Penobscot and Sargent Mountains.
Wildlife – 1. There isn’t a lot of wildlife in Acadia, but we did see a red squirrel and smaller birds (juncos and other finches) along the hike. When birds of prey migrate through in the summer, you may see some different hawk varieties.
Ease to Navigate – 3. There are some tricky parts along this trail on the ascent up Penobscot and Sargent Mountains, but the trails are fairly-well marked.
Solitude –3. You will likely see people at the summits lingering, but you should be able to stake out your own spots for solitude. The Jordan Pond trail will likely have lots of people on it, so you won’t have much solitude on that section.
Directions to trailhead: Park at the Jordan Pond House, accessed from the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park. While looking at the house, head around the left side and you will see the signs for the bathrooms. Across from the bathrooms, you will see the trail marker for the Penobscot Mountain trail.
This route combines one of our favorite short Acadia hikes to the summit of Gorham Mountain followed by a visit to a beautiful glacial pond called The Bowl, and a return walk along the Ocean Path, passing famous landmarks – Sand Beach and Thunder Hole.
Overlooking Sand Beach from Gorham Mountain. Below: Christine’s parents climb the Gorham Mountain Trail; Adam enjoys clearing skies and a view of the Bowl; Ocean scenery is spectacular along the Ocean Path.
Christine Says…
Even before I was an avid hiker, Gorham Mountain was always a hike I enjoyed. By itself, the hike to the summit and back is less than two miles, requires very little climbing and offers magnificent views of the ocean, the rocky Maine coast and Sand Beach below. If you walk the trail in late July or August, wild blueberries are abundant!
We decided to hike Gorham Mountain with my parents one morning during vacation. We ate breakfast early and got to the trailhead before the crowds. I really can’t stress enough how crowded Acadia trails get during the peak hours of 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. I always suggest that people hike early or late, or rely on the Island Explorer bus (it’s FREE!) for transportation around the island.
On this particular trip, we actually drove separately from my parents because we wanted to extend our hike beyond the Gorham summit, and they did not. The day before this hike had been overcast and a little drizzly and unfortunately, some of the gloomy weather was still lingering for our hike. I was a little disappointed, because the lack of sunshine and blue skies always makes the ocean vista a little less colorful and sparkly. I always prefer to hike Gorham on a ‘perfect Maine day’. I would define ‘perfect’ as a sunny, 75 degree day with wispy or puffy clouds sitting in a deep blue sky. There would be a light breeze and I would hear gulls crying and the sound of lobster boat motors in the distance. There is nothing I love more than hiking Gorham on a day like this.
Even with the heavy clouds, the hike was still lovely and I enjoyed the company. We hiked alongside my parents until we came to the junction of the Cadillac Cliffs trail. At this point, hikers can choose to stay on the easier Gorham trail, or take a little extra challenge and scramble along the boulder-strewn cliff trail. There aren’t any views from the Cadillac Cliffs trail, but climbing through caves and over enormous boulders is pretty fun.
Cadillac Cliffs. Below: Scenes along the Cadillac Cliffs Trail.
We met back up with my parents a few tenths of a mile later and made our final climb to the summit. The views are spectacular all along this section of trail. In fact, the views right before the summit are probably nicer than the actual summit.
We enjoyed the summit as a group for a while before Adam and I continued on our own. The Gorham Mountain trail climbs downward, passing some interesting cliffs, before eventually joining The Bowl trail. The Bowl trail climbs rather steeply uphill to a beautiful mountain lake. The lake is surrounded by boardwalks and benches, and is one of the few bodies of water in Acadia where you can swim. Many of the larger bodies of water are used for drinking water and swimming is prohibited.
There were a fair number of people sitting alongside the lake when we arrived. We sat on a bench and almost immediately heard a child cry “Ohhh… that’s an eagle!” Sure enough, we arrived just in time to see a bald eagle go gliding across the lake’s surface. Talk about great timing!
The Bowl is a beautiful glacial pond you’ll pass along this hike. Below: Christine checks out the interesting cliff face on the hike down from the Gorham Mountain summit; Trail marker at the junction for the Bowl trail; Thick crowds at Thunder Hole.
While we sat at the lake, the clouds really cleared off quickly and the day turned into that perfect Maine day I described a few paragraphs ago. So beautiful!
We hiked back down the Bowl Trail, past the junction to the Beehive trail and down to the Park Loop Road. The trail comes out right above Sand Beach, which is a great place to pick up the Ocean Path. The Ocean Path is a flat walking trail that runs between the ocean and the road. It’s very crowded almost all the time, and if you’re a faster hiker, you’ll have to dodge slowpokes.
From the Ocean Path, there are a ton of small side trails that lead down to the rocky coastline. There are so many places to sit and enjoy the view! The walk along the path goes on for about 1.3 miles and eventually passes by Thunder Hole.
When we passed Thunder Hole, it was so crowded we couldn’t even get down to the viewing platform without waiting in line. We’ve seen Thunder Hole so many times so we didn’t stay long. Besides, it wasn’t thundering at all. The tide was so high that the sea cave stayed full of water regardless of the wave action. There just wasn’t any force to create the sound the spot is named for.
The Gorham Mountain parking lot is just a tenth of a mile or so past Thunder Hole, so we were back at the car after a few more minutes of walking. We headed straight to lunch in town – lobster rolls at the Portside Grill!
Adam Says…
Whenever we talk about going to Maine, one of the things we plan on every trip is a hike up Gorham Mountain. In fact, a few years ago when we came up to the park and knew we had a whole week of rain ahead, we quickly got in a hike up Gorham. As Christine mentioned, just going up Gorham Mountain is a short hike, so it is easy to fit in when you have a break in the weather.
The View from the Gorham Summit looking toward Otter Point. Below: Christine’s parents enjoy the view; The rock pile marks the summit of Gorham Mountain.
You can find the parking lot to the trailhead on the right shortly after the Thunder Hole parking lot. The trail starts off with lots of roots and granite to navigate and can be a little slippery if a storm has recently come through. The trail consists of a gradual uphill climb and is a popular trail for people of all hiking levels. At .2 miles, you reach the junction with the southern part of the Cadillac Cliffs trail. This is definitely a more challenging side trail, that includes some rock scrambling. If you want to try the Cadillac Cliffs trail, do it on the way up since it could be more treacherous going down. The Cadillac Cliffs trail doesn’t really provide any great views, but it does have a small cave to go through and some interesting rocks to scramble. By the time you reach the northern junction at .5 miles, you will likely need to catch your breath. Rejoin the Gorham Mountain trail by taking a right at this junction. You will continue to climb upward and will see lots of places to take in the views along the way. At .9 miles, you will reach the 525 foot Gorham Mountain summit. On the way up the mountain, you typically get views of Sand Beach and Great Head, but from the summit, you can also see Otter Cove, Day Mountain, Pemetic Mountain, and Cadillac Mountain. We continued on the trail from the summit. At 1.5 miles, you reach a junction with The Bowl Trail. Take a left and climb up the steep terrain through the woods until you reach The Bowl at 2.0 miles. From The Bowl, you can also see close glimpses of the summit of The Beehive and there is a trail that connects with it. We took in the views around the lake and then went back down The Bowl Trail, towards the Park Loop Road. At 3.2 miles you will reach the Park Loop Road. Cross the road and proceed on the Ocean Path, heading past Sand Beach. You will likely see tons of cars and people along the road between this point and Thunder Hole. You should reach the Gorham Mountain parking lot around 4.4 miles.
Sand Beach from the Ocean Path. Below: If you look at the larger version of the Beehive photo below, you will see the long queue of people climbing the mountain; Adam enjoys the bench at the Bowl.
We had a funny moment when we first started the hike. A family was coming back from the summit and spotted us with their trekking poles. One little girl was asking why we were all using two ‘canes’ to walk. The parents had responded that we were “professional hikers”. We got a few laughs out of that. If only we could get paid to go hiking (or at least pay for some of our hiking gear).
There are many things about this hike that make it one of our favorites. The blueberries are ripe during July and August and are plentiful on this trail. I think I picked the largest, juiciest blueberry ever during this hike. We always enjoy looking over Sand Beach. You can see the dots of people on the beach, but not many in the water due to the temperature. Walking back on the Ocean Path, you could hear the screams of children as they were being hit by the freezing waves. You can also count on being able to see a lobster boats in the area, bringing up traps, or a large sailboat rounding the harbor. You may also be able to catch a little rumbling from Thunder Hole, but the largest rumblings typically occur in the fall after a storm.
This area has also been where two recent movies have been filmed. You can see Sand Beach in The Cider House Rules and nearby Otter Cliffs was used in Shutter Island.
Trail Notes
Distance – 4.4 miles
Elevation Change – 500 feet to the summit of Gorham and another shorter climb to the Bowl
Difficulty – 2. This is an easy family hike, suitable for most fitness levels.
Trail Conditions – 3. Trails in Acadia are always rocky and rooty and can be slick when wet.
Views– 5. Breathtaking!
Waterfalls/Streams/Lakes – 4. The Bowl is a beautiful glacial pond.
Wildlife – 3. We saw an eagle – that counts for something! We’ve heard that people occasionally see whales off in the distance, but we never have.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Pay attention to the cairns and markers at trail junctions, and it’s hard to get lost.
Solitude –0. This is an extremely popular area. No matter when you hike it, you will see people.
Directions to trailhead: The trailhead is located in the Gorham Mountain parking lot on the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park. The parking lot is about .5 mile south of Thunder Hole.
The seven-mile South Ridge trail takes you to the highest mountain on the east coast – Cadillac Mountain. At over 1500 feet, it is also one of the first places sunlight hits the U.S. each morning, The views from this hike are panoramic and breathtaking!
A View of the Porcupine Islands from the Cadillac Summit. Below: The marker at the trailhead; A view of Cadillac Mountain from along the lower part of the trail; Geodetic Marker at the summit.
Christine Says…
We’ve driven to the top of Cadillac Mountain. We’ve also walked up the 4.4 mile North Ridge trail a few times. But this is the first time we’ve ever hiked to the summit via the South Ridge route. At seven miles (plus some additional length for the side trip to Eagles Crag and walking the summit path) this route probably qualifies as one of Acadia’s longest hikes. It’s also become one of our favorite Maine hikes. It was fantastic!
The trail starts off in the deep coolness of the evergreen forest. Everything is green – covered with moss and ferns. The thin island soil leaves gnarled roots and rocks exposed along the trail. You have to constantly watch where you’re stepping so you don’t catch a boot toe and trip. Planked boardwalks traverse the boggy, marshy places along the trail. This part of the trail is one face of Acadia, with the other being expansive, open domes of granite.
The lower trail is covered with roots and rocks. Below: The view from Eagles Crag; Abundant blueberries along the trail; The first open views on the climb up.
The first trail junction you come to marks a short side-loop across the Eagles Crag. The trail is quite a bit steeper here and leads out to an open rock ledge overlooking the ocean. We hiked early in the morning, so the view looked directly into the sun, rendering the ocean silver and shiny.
On the return arm of the side-loop, we reentered the woods for a short while. Near the trail junction where we met back up with the South Ridge trail, we found one of the densest patches of wild blueberries we’d ever seen! I stopped to pick and eat some berries before we pushed on. Yum! Blueberries are at their peak in late July and early August, so our trip was timed perfectly for enjoying the fruit.
Near this point of the trail, the forest started thinning out and becoming patchier. There were still trees, but they were broken up by open rocky sections. Eventually we left the shade of the trees completely and stepped out onto the pink granite that Acadia is so famous for. The trail was blazed blue, but we also had cairns guide our way. The granite was punctuated by abundant patches of blueberry bushes and water filled glacial potholes. The view behind and to the side of us was SPECTACULAR! We found ourselves stopping time and time again to take in the majestic views. I’ve been to a good number of national parks. They’re all beautiful in their own way, but there is something really special about Acadia.
There were some sections of rock that required climbing and scrambling, but the way was never really steep or difficult. We climbed one especially large rocky pass and found ourselves looking down into a small forested ravine tucked between two mountains. The trail climbed downward into the trees and past a lovely glacial pond called ‘The Featherbed’.
The Ocean and the Featherbed. Below: Another look at the Featherbed; Trails in Acadia are marked by cairns and blazes; Christine hikes up toward the summit.
After the pond, we began the climb up Cadillac in earnest. The first little bit after leaving the pond was quite steep with some mild rock scrambling. Once we regained the ridge, the trail became moderate again. The sun was bright. The sky was deep blue and painted with wispy clouds. The ocean below was sparkling and so beautiful. I must have said to Adam a couple dozen times “It’s so gorgeous! This is a perfect Maine day! We are so lucky!”
Along the ridge, we began to see distant glimpses of cars making their way up the auto road to the Cadillac summit. But we didn’t come close to the road at all until we were almost to the top of the mountain. Once drawback of the shorter 4.4 mile North Ridge is its proximity to the road for much of the hike. We really enjoyed staying away from the road this time.
Near the summit, we passed through one more section of forest and came out on a gravel road behind the gift shop located at the summit. It’s always kind of bizarre to hike several miles along pristine, quiet trail only to summit a mountain with auto access. More than a few people looked at us strangely with our Camelbaks and trekking poles.
Even though it was still pretty early, the summit was packed with people! Adam got cold drinks from the gift shop and I walked around the summit path to take a few photos. The view from Cadillac offers a great look at the town of Bar Harbor and the outlying Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay.
With the thick crowds and the notion of a big lunch, we didn’t linger too long at the summit. On the way down, we passed quite a few people heading up the trail. I was really glad we had started around 7:30 and had been able to enjoy a bit of solitude.
The hike down was bright and hot under the mid-morning sun! I had slathered myself with SPF 50, but I missed one spot between my ponytail and my backpack. I ended up with a strange sunburned triangle on my back. 😦
We really enjoyed the views the whole hike down! I was kind of bummed when the trail eventually descended back into the woods. The shade was nice, but losing the view was not!
When we got back to the car we debated whether we should go back to our room and shower, or head straight to lunch in town. In the end, hunger won out and we ate lunch covered with sweat and grime. We went to one of our favorite lunch spots in town – Rupununi. They have the best Buffalo Chicken sandwiches and clam chowder. We got a great seat out on the patio, the food was delicious and I didn’t even care that I was filthy!
Adam Says…
A trip to Acadia National Park almost requires you to visit Cadillac Mountain. However, most people drive to the top of it rather than try hiking up. Their are also some insane bikers that bike up the mountain, but we’re not in that kind of shape. Since Cadillac Mountain is the highest summit in the park, we used to feel intimidated about trying to hike up. Several years ago, we hiked up the north ridge since that seemed to be the easiest route. We remembered the north ridge hike being a great hike, so this time we decided to try a different route.
A view of Eagle Lake.
To start the hike, we parked on Route 3, almost directly across from the entrance to Blackwoods Campground. You take a few steps up and then the trail begins. This first section is just about the only part that is completely in the woods. At .8 miles, you reach a junction with the Eagles Crag trail. We took a right and went on the Eagles Crag trail, which joins back on to the South Ridge Trail at 1.2 miles. The Eagles Crag trail was probably the toughest climbing on the trail, but it does take you out of the woods to some nice views to the east of Otter Cove and Gorham Mountain. In retrospect, we feel that it really isn’t necessary to do Eagles Crag, since you will quickly see tons of views right after you rejoin the trail. But, if you want more views and/or some more challenge, go for it. When you rejoin the South Ridge Trail at 1.2 miles, the trail begins to open up to more views in a short distance. You will need to pay attention to the cairns on the trail since there are no tall trees to mark trail paths. The views on this trail are completely amazing! You have to turn around to see the great views on the way up. We found ourselves taking pictures from a gorgeous spot and then going another .1 mile and finding even better views behind us. At 2.4 miles, you reach a summit of a small hill where you can see the small pond, The Featherbed, below. You climb down this small hill and then reach The Featherbed and a junction with the Canon Brook Trail at 2.7 miles. Stay straight on the South Ridge trail as you begin your next ascent to reach the summit. At 3.2 miles, you reach a junction with the West Face Trail to the left, but stay straight. The trail is steeper up this last section of the trail. There are a few areas where you will climb up some rocks (even using one iron rung handrail), but we didn’t find it to be overly difficult. Through this section, you are likely to hear or see people along the Auto Road heading up Cadillac Mountain. At 3.7 miles, you will reach the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Go back the way you came.
Adam hiking along in the open. Below: Trail junctions are well-marked in Acadia; The building at the summit; Another view of the Porcupine Islands from the summit; Views on the hike down.
You feel like you are making an accomplishment when you hike up Cadillac Mountain. While many of these people are driving to the top, you feel like you really earned the views. The actual summit marker for Cadillac Mountain is not as easy to find. As you’re coming up the South Ridge trail, you may walk right past it. I like to get a picture of each summit we make. Unlike most of Acadia that marks the summit with a large wooden summit marker, Cadillac Mountain only has a USGS marker in the rock. To find it, walk behind the gift shop by about 100 steps where the gravel ends. To the right, you will see a greenish-looking marker on a rock. This marker has an arrow, that points about 20 feet to another marker on another rock. This is the true summit marker.
We took a little time to hit the bathrooms, buy some cold drinks (that is always welcome when you are finishing a hike), and take in the views. From Cadillac Mountain, you can see just about all of Mount Desert Island and on a clear day, the views are spectacular. Many people drive to the summit of Cadillac Mountain to see the sunrise. This is the second earliest place where you can see the sunrise on the east coast (only to be beaten slightly by Maine’s own Mount Katahdin). While Christine was off taking some photos, I relaxed and talked to a family that just arrived from New York. They were impressed that we hiked up it and I told them about some other things they should do during their week of vacation. I could tell the father of the family was ready to tackle it all, but I could see some of his family wasn’t as enthusiastic. After talking with me, they were going to try and hike up Cadillac Mountain that afternoon.
Cadillac Mountain does have some interesting history. The area was named after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, a french explorer and trader. This area was well-explored and controlled by the French and Antoine was given this area (now known as Bar Harbor) with this mountain (then known as Mount Desert). When I was attending a ranger program while I was trying to achieve my rank as a “Acadia Senior Ranger”, I learned about how this man was much-hated and was basically run out of this area for misappropriation of money. He then left this area and founded what became Detroit. The Cadillac car is named after this man and the seal is his family crest. It is funny that this country holds the car in such high esteem, when the man was a criminal (once called “one of the worst scoundrels to set foot in New France”).
If you are interested in geocaching, you can find a geocache near the top of Cadillac Mountain that is located near the beginning of the north ridge trail: Cadillac Mountain Cache.
As Christine and I were reflecting on all of the hiking we have done in Acadia, I will say this is my favorite hike to do in the park. You truly don’t get any better views than on this hike up the south ridge of Cadillac. There were times that I even felt tears welling up due to the awe-inspiring, panoramic landscape. The north ridge trail also has great views along, but several times you are walking very close to the Auto Road and you are limited to views on one side of the trail. With the vast expanses on the south ridge trail, it can’t be beat. If you are up for doing a longer hike in Acadia, make this the one to do!
Trail Notes
Distance – 7.4 miles
Elevation Change – approximately 1300 feet
Difficulty – 3. The hike is steadily uphill but is quite moderate.
Trail Conditions – 3. The trail is occasionally root-covered and has a lot of open granite.
Views– 5. It doesn’t get any better than this!
Waterfalls/Lakes/Streams – 4. The Featherbed is beautiful and you get lots of distant views of the bay and ocean.
Wildlife – 1. Maybe some red squirrels and (if you’re lucky) hawks on Eagles Crag.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Just follow the markers, blazes and cairns, and you can’t go wrong.
Solitude –1. We started early and didn’t see many people on the trail, but the summit is always very crowded.
Directions to trailhead: Located on Route 3, about 5 miles south of the Jackson Lab. Look for the signs for Blackwoods Campground and park directly across the road from the entrance to the campground. You will see a break in the woods with a few steps that starts your trail.
Wookie Says…
Virginia Trail Guide 