shenandoah national park – Page 5

Appalachian Trail – Skyland to Thornton Gap

April 10, 2011August 26, 20151 Comment

The Appalachian Trail from Skyland to Thornton Gap follows ten miles of trail and includes no fewer than four spectacular panoramic views.

Adam and Jason on Stony Man — Adam and Jason take in the view from Stony Man mountain. To the left of where they are standing, you can see the buildings of Skyland Resort. Below: The view looking northwest from Stony Man; A view from Little Stony Man; A section of trail following below and parallel to Skyline Drive; A view from the Pinnacle looking toward Mary’s Rock; A view looking down into Thornton Gap from Mary’s Rock.

Christine Says…

Monday was a real treat – a day off work, an out-of-town friend and an amazing hike along the Appalachian Trail. My friend, Jason, came to visit for a day while his wife attended a conference in Washington D.C. He’s from Seattle and lives surrounded by three of our most spectacular national parks (Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades.) I was a little worried that Shenandoah would disappoint him. We don’t have dramatic peaks, towering waterfalls or the quiet, sapphire blue glacial lakes that western parks have. Our mountains are old and roll gently down into the valley. The streams and waterfalls are typically small and ponds/lakes are uncommon. At this time of year, we don’t even have foliage. The forests in our area are largely deciduous, and are still bare and brown from the winter. Considering all these factors, I wanted to pick a hike that would still show Jason a nice ‘snapshot’ of what Shenandoah has to offer.

After tossing around a number of ideas, we settled on the ten mile section of the Appalachian Trail between Skyland Resort and Thornton Gap. The hike includes four great views (Stony Man, Little Stony Man, the Pinnacle and Mary’s Rock) and passes an AT hiker hut (Byrd’s Nest). I thought Jason would especially enjoy the fact that the hike traverses a (albeit small -.45% to be exact) section of the storied Appalachian Trail.

A Fellow Hiker Takes in the View from Little Stony Man — A hiker enjoys the view from Little Stony Man. Below: Jason checks out the lichen growing on one of the many giant boulders along the trail; Adam walks along one of the rockier section of trail; Another Little Stony Man view.

We met at Thornton Gap and shuttled back up to the north entrance of Skyland Resort to begin our hike. We climbed up along the trail until it joined with the Stony Man spur-loop. Although Stony Man is not technically on the AT, the view from the summit is well worth adding the extra .3 onto the total mileage. The wind was fierce atop Stony Man – backpacks blew open, hats had to be held and we had to shout to hear one another. We stopped to take a few photos, but we didn’t stay long. We got a later start than we anticipated, so we had to be quite business-like about our pace.

We hiked downhill from Stony Man to our next viewpoint from Little Stony Man. We stopped again to have some water and give Jason a chance to eat some lunch. Of the two views, I actually think Little Stony Man is a bit nicer. After a few more photos, we climbed down a few hundred more feet into a saddle between the mountains. This section of trail is fairly level and follows closely to Skyline Drive. Without leaves on the trees, we were able to enjoy many open views along the trail. The lack of leaves allowed the sun to beat down strongly on our heads. It was an unseasonably warm day – a bit humid and around 80 degrees. Jason and I both struggled a bit with the heat. I’m definitely not acclimated to warm weather hiking yet!

After the low point of the saddle, we began a slow, long uphill climb to the Pinnacles picnic area. We rested there and gave everyone a chance to refill their water bottles with cold mountain water. I had my 3 liter CamelBak so I still had plenty to drink. I love my CamelBak! We took a few minutes to chat with a couple section hikers resting at the picnic area. They mentioned that they were on their way to Pennsylvania and were hoping to get into the town of Luray for a night off the trail. I hope they made it, because the thunderstorms were crazy later that night!

After the Pinnacles picnic area, the remainder of the hike followed pretty much the same route we use for Mary’s Rock. The climb up to the Pinnacle gains about 550 feet of elevation. It wasn’t hard climbing, but we were all pretty tired, so we stopped to eat brownies.

The climb up to the Pinnacle passes lots of huge, lichen-covered boulders. Eventually, we arrived at the view. I like the Pinnacle because you can see the entire route all the way over to Mary’s Rock. While we were enjoying the view, Jason remarked that the end of the hike still looked a good distance off. It was! We still had about five miles to go at this point, so we had to start keeping an eye on the sun’s level in the sky. Adam kept checking our distance and walking pace on his GPS to keep us on track to be out of the woods before nightfall.

Photography on the Pinnacle — Jason takes a few minutes to take a few photos from the Pinnacle. You can see Adam peeking up from another rocky outcropping.

After leaving the Pinnacle, we dipped down into another saddle between mountains. At the bottom of the saddle lies Byrd’s Nest #3 – one of the long-distance hiker huts along the AT. I had hoped we would have time to let Jason read some of the hiker log book and poke around the shelter, but we only had a few minutes to stop and chat with a hiker who had settled in for the evening.

Our last uphill climb was relatively easy and led us to our final viewpoint – Mary’s Rock. The viewpoint lies about .1 mile off the Appalachian Trail, but you don’t want to miss taking this short spur trail!

Once we were at the summit, Jason took some time to scramble around on the giant boulders and take some photos. I stayed off the boulders because climbing on them always gives me vertigo. The light wasn’t great, but I’m sure he was still able to get some nice shots of the valley below. One of the prettiest things I noticed from the view was the evening sun shining on all the little farm ponds down in the valley below. Each pond glowed golden-orange in the evening light.

By the time we left Mary’s Rock, we had about 25 minutes of light and 1.8 miles to go. Because it was all downhill, we didn’t have any problem making it back to the parking lot before total darkness.

Adam Says…

There must be something about Mary’s Rock and the threat of darkness for us. The last time we hiked up Mary’s Rock, we were threatened with the setting sun and this time was no different. After some discussion on if we thought we could do the ten-mile stretch, we decided it was doable and we drove to the Skyland entrance and the Stony Man parking lot to begin our hike around 2PM. As many of you know, I do carry a GPS with me, which has the ability to track distance and walking speed.

We were surprised at how hot it was when we were hiking. A few days ago, the temperature was in the 40s, but today the sun was beating down relentlessly on us. We kept up a good pace throughout the hike as sweat was dripping from our brows. For some reason, even though we were walking at a good pace, the mileage seemed like it was going slowly. Jason and Christine both were asking me how far had we traveled and when I first answered three miles, it felt like we had gone almost twice as far.

The trail starts near the northern Skyland entrance off Skyline Drive. As soon as you turn into this entrance, the Stony Man parking lot is on the side. You start on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail. Keep your eye out for black bears if you try this hike during the late spring or summer as we have often spotted bears near the Skyland entrance. In about .5 miles, you will come to a blue-blazed junction with the Stony Man trail. This is a .3 mile loop trail that leads to nice views from Stony Man Mountain. There is an interpretive brochure you can purchase for $1 from the trail start of this loop if you want to learn more about the features along the trail. You can read more about our hike up Stony Man and Little Stony Man here.

Once you rejoin the Appalachian Trail, the trail descends 500 feet until you reach the Little Stony Man overlook at 1.3 miles with more gorgeous views (I believe the Little Stony Man views are nicer than the Stony Man views). At 1.6 miles, you will reach an intersection with the Passamaquoddy Trail, but stay on the white-blazed AT. The trail continues to descend and at 2.3 miles, you have reached the bottom of the saddle and have arrived at the Stony Man overlook on Skyline Drive. The trail begins to climb at this point. At around 4.2 miles you will reach the Pinnacles Picnic area. There are rest rooms right on the side of the trail and a pump behind the rest rooms that provided a nice cooling refill of our water bottles. The trail continues to ascend in the last steep uphill stretch. At 5.5 miles, you will reach the peak of your climb and a nice viewpoint from The Pinnacle. The trail then descends and winds down through the woods until you reach the Byrds Nest No. 3 shelter at mile 6.8. This used to be a day-use only shelter, but recently became an overnight shelter. The trail begins to ascend slightly for the next mile and the footing is a little more rocky as you make your approach to Mary’s Rock. At mile 7.8, you will reach a junction with a short .1 spur trail to lead you to the summit of Mary’s Rock. Once you take in the views from the top, meet back with the AT and continue to follow north through steep switchbacks for another two miles. You will most likely be able to see the Panorama waystation and parking lot when you are almost done. At 9.9 miles, you will see the post that leads to a short walk to the parking lot for Panorama.

Jason on marys rock — Jason climbed to the top of Mary’s Rock to take in the view. Below: Adam was exhausted by the time we got to Mary’s Rock. He enjoyed resting on a rock; A hazy view from Mary’s Rock; Beyond Adam you can see Rt. 211 entering the park at Thornton Gap; Jason makes his way to the top of Mary’s Rock.

We ran into a few long-distance hikers at the Pinnacles picnic area. When I asked where they were heading, they said they were on their way to Pennsylvania. I’m guessing they are tackling the Appalachian Trail in sections. Their goal that night was to make it to the town of Luray. We told them about the thunderstorms that night, but they were hoping to make it down to a hotel and stop by a liquor store. We ran into them again at the Byrd’s Nest Shelter No. 3. My guess is that they stayed their overnight, but I know they were in for a night of torrential thunderstorms, since the lightning and rain woke me up in the middle of the night.

Fading light across the valley — The fading light across the valley was really pretty. It made all the little ponds glow. Below: The rolling mountain layers in the fading light.

We managed to make it back to our vehicle with about 10 minutes to spare of sunlight. We did keep a steady pace, which was why my calves were quite sore for the next few days. This hike is definitely one of the best hikes for views in all of Shenandoah National Park. I would allow for at least 6.5 hours to do the entire hike, since you will want to take time to enjoy the views.

Trail Notes

Distance – 10 miles. This includes the shorter spur hikes to Stony Man and Mary’s Rock.
Elevation Change – 2000 feet with two climbs up and down two mountains
Difficulty –3.5. The distance is the largest reason. It is definitely best to do this section from south to north.
Trail Conditions – 4. It is well-maintained, but the sections near Little Stony Man and Mary’s Rock are very rocky.
Views – 4.5. You have lots of views along this hike of the western valley. On a clear day, you can see all the way to West Virginia.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 3.5. You will likely see deer and you may even see some black bears during the warmer months.
Ease to Navigate – 4. As long as you read the posts at the junctions with other trails, you shouldn’t have any trouble. Just stick with the white blazes.
Solitude – 2. You will likely see people along the trail and at some of the big draws of Stony Man and Mary’s Rock.

Directions to trailhead: We handled this hike as a shuttle, leaving one car at the Panorama parking lot at mile 31.3 on Skyline Drive. To start the hike, park your other car by turning into the northern Skyland entrance at mile 41.8. The Stony Man parking lot is immediately to your right. You will see the trailhead on the eastern side of the parking lot (along with a box to purchase the Stony Man brochure).

Appalachian Trail – Beagle Gap to Rockfish Gap

March 20, 2011August 26, 20158 Comments

The section of the Appalachian Trail from Beagle Gap to Rockfish Gap gives you nice, open views of the mountains and farmland surrounding the city of Waynesboro.

Walking up to Bear's Den Mountain — Adam makes his way along the Appalachian Trail up to the top of Bear’s Den Mountain. Below: Adam and Wookie pose at the Beagle Gap sign; This white blaze looked like it was painted on a headstone; Adam passes some giant rocks along the trail.

Adam Says…

Those that have been following our blog may know that we have been working on hiking the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park in smaller sections. On this day, we decided to handle the stretch between Beagle Gap to Rockfish Gap in the south district. We left one vehicle at the junction of I-64 before the pay station at the park’s south entrance. We then drove into the park and parked at the Beagle Gap parking area (not the Beagle Gap overlook).

The Appalachian Trail crosses the road at this gravel parking lot. We crossed the road from the parking lot and headed through the gate. Take a left as soon as you go through the gate and walk through the field . The south-bound AT then climbs rather steeply through some open areas and crosses over a fire road early on the trail. At .5 miles, you reach a communication tower and some old tractor seats. I’m sure that many AT thru-hikers have enjoyed taking a brief rest on these seats. At one point, I’m sure these seats provided a nice place to view the western sunset, but now the trees in front have blocked some of the scenery from view. Continue past this area and keep following the white blazes to stay on the trail. At the one-mile marker, you will come to another communication tower. Stay on the white-blazed AT and the trail begins to descend. At 2.0 miles, the trail reaches McCormick Gap and crosses Skyline Drive. Cross the road and you will come to a small ladder stile that will lead you on to private land.

This part of the trail is on private land, but hiking on the AT is allowed. As soon as you cross over the stile, you will see a weathered sign pointing the way to continue on the Appalachian Trail. This section of the AT is very steep as it winds up Scott Mountain. At 2.4 miles, the trail levels off and you will begin to enjoy some obstructed views (probably very limited during the spring and summer months) of Waynesboro and the farmlands around the city. At 3.0 miles, you will begin several miles of very gradual descent (with some uphills thrown in) until you come out onto Skyline Drive. Continue to follow the road for a brief walk back to your car, crossing a bridge over I-64 before reaching your vehicle.

AT Crossing the Meadow — This is one of the few open, meadow-like sections of the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park. Below: This section of the trail uses an easement on private land; Some colorful dried plants on the mountainside; An open and barren view from Bear’s Den Mountain.

The hike from Beagle Gap to Rockfish Gap was an interesting section of the AT. The way up to the communication towers included some of the more open areas of the park. Most hikes in Shenandoah National Park involve hiking through the woods, but this first two-mile section gives you nice views around. When we got to the communication tower, it was interesting to think of what would have been here before these towers existed. I can just imagine people in the 1950s hiking up from the road to view the sunset and perhaps having a picnic at the top. You can also read an interesting history on the area on PATC’s website here which explains the use of Rockfish Gap during the Revolutionary War. I’m glad we did this hike before Spring hit, since many of the views through the woods would have been obstructed with leaves on the trees.

Christine Says…

Well, winter is over and we didn’t meet our goal of finishing the entire AT through Shenandoah. In fact, we’re still less than a quarter of the way there. The road through the park was closed so often this winter, that it was really tough for us to get to the sections we needed to hike. The section we hiked most recently, Beagle Gap to Rockfish Gap was a shorter segment than we usually like to hike. Adam’s knee was bothering him, we wanted to take Wookie and we had a limited amount of time, so the 5.7 mile segment ended up being perfect for the day.

Tractor Seats on Bear's Den Mountain — Old tractor seats are planted in the ground next to the radio towers on Bear’s Den Mountain. Below: The radio towers; Wookie enjoys relaxing on a tractor seat.

The day was so pretty and warm! The skies were crystal clear and blue, but there weren’t really any signs of spring in the mountains yet. I led Wookie on his leash – which was a little bit tricky to do with my trekking poles. He kept yanking them slightly forward or to the side, especially on uphills and downhills. Wookie is actually really well-mannered on a leash – but he likes to walk up and down hill much faster than I do! I envy his energy.

We took a short break atop Bear’s Den Mountain to enjoy the open views. The radio towers are a distraction from the natural beauty of the area, but I suppose they’re necessary. Upon leaving the summit, the trail was actually a little bit confusing. There were some unmarked side trails that crossed the path. The fire road that runs alongside the trail was also somewhat misleading. Luckily, the AT through Shenandoah is generously marked with white blazes and even when we took the wrong path, we were quickly able to notice the lack of blazes and set ourselves right.

Climbing the Stile — Adam climbs the stile heading south out of McCormick Gap. Below: A beat up old AT sign; Wookie and Adam share some trail mix; The PATC does a great job maintaining trails and shelters along the AT in Shenandoah.

I noticed that this section of Appalachian Trail was a bit more up and down than typical for the park. The climb down and up through McCormick Gap is actually quite steep – especially the southbound climb up leaving Skyline Drive. That was really the only tough section of this hike.

Once we were out of McCormick Gap, the remainder of the hike was a gentle series of rolling ups and downs (mostly). We passed a lot of giant boulders, had a snack, crossed a shallow stream, and enjoyed the views looking down into Waynesboro. We passed a couple other hikers headed north and saw one southbound backpacker. Soon, Skyline Drive and the distant interstate came into view and we were back at the car.

Wookie Says…

When I heard Christine and Adam talking about hiking from Beagle Gap, I knew I had to come along. I was assuming that this was an area that beagles gathered, so I thought it would be great. But alas, there were no beagles around. We hiked up to the communication towers and I got to sit on the old tractor seats. I was a little skeptical at first, but I found a good seat to enjoy the views and relax a little. I had two big highlights on the hike. The first was meeting Winnie. Winnie was another pug that I met on the trail. Her master was a PATC member that actually maintains this section of the trail. It was impressive to learn that Winnie’s master also backpacked the entire Shenandoah National Park over ten days for her 70th birthday! I’m always a little nervous meeting new dogs on the trail, but it’s nice to see some other hiking pugs out there. My second highlight had to be the snack that I had. Adam gave me a few bites of Cinnamon Apple Pie trail mix which included some dehydrated apple bits, cinammon-covered yogurt, and pecans. It was a great boost to give me some energy to finish the hike. Overall, the trail wasn’t too tough for me. There are a few steep sections in the beginning and from McCormick Gap up to Scott Mountain, but by the end I was proudly leading the way.

Trail Notes

Distance – 5.7 miles
Elevation Change – 800 feet
Difficulty –2.5. There are a few uphill steep sections heading southbound, but the longest stretch of them is .3 miles.
Trail Conditions –4. The trail is well-maintained and the footing was great.
Views – 3.5. The best views are during the beginning of the trail before you reach the communication towers. There are obstructed views towards the second half of the trail.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 1. Other than birds, we didn’t see much wildlife here.
Ease to Navigate –3. The only tricky section was around the communication towers. You just want to be sure you follow the white-blazed trail. I believe the other trails from the communication towers will still bring you the same way, but I would stick to the white blazes.
Solitude– 3. We only ran into a few people on this trail. During the summer, the hike from Beagle Gap to the summit of Bear’s Den Mountain is quite popular, though.

Directions to trailhead: On Skyline Drive, park at mile 99.5 at the Beagle Gap gravel parking lot on the eastern side of the road. The trail begins across the road on the western side and through the gate.

Appalachian Trail – Big Meadows to Bearfence

January 23, 2011August 26, 20155 Comments

This 8+ mile segment along the Appalachian trail offers a couple nice views, a visit to an old cemetery and the opportunity to cross over one of the park’s most fun rock scrambles.

Snow on Hazeltop — Adam hikes through the snow covering the Hazeltop Mountain summit.

Christine Says…

This winter, we planned to hike the 100+ miles of the Appalachian Trail leading through Shenandoah National Park. Sadly, our grand plans have been foiled by frequent closures of Skyline Drive. As mentioned in our last post, the road through the park closes if there is even a slight threat of a dusting of snow. So, this is the first section of AT that we’ve hiked since our Skyland to Big Meadows hike last spring.

Big Meadows Buck — This majestic buck watched us as we started our hike. Below: He ended up leaping off into the woods with another buck friend; they continued to watch us; we parked near the campground check-in station.

We started out at the Big Meadows campground, leaving one car parked there and our other car parked at the southern terminus of our hiking route. The no-fee weekend made doing this segment hike logistically easier. We’d actually been planning to buy a second park pass to accommodate our need for two cars to do these segment hikes. The Big Meadows area was covered with a thin dusting of snow. The whole area was eerily quiet – no campers, no cars, the lodge and restaurants closed for the season. We saw so many bucks hanging out together in small groups – friends again after the animosity of mating season. One especially majestic buck greeted us at the trailhead. He watched us quizzically for a few moments before bounding back into the woods.

The trail was frosted with snow, and our footprints were (in many places) the first human ones set into the path. We saw lots of animal tracks along the way – deer, coyote, turkey, rabbit and bobcat. It took about the first half-mile of walking for me to warm up enough to be comfortable. Within the first mile, we passed two of the three viewpoints on our eight mile route. Both lookouts are directly behind the Big Meadows lodge area, and look into the western valley. I’m always struck by how barren winter is in our area when I get a sweeping view on a January hike. As far as the eye can see, everything is brown and faded – bare trees and a pale winter sky. Winter in places with lots of evergreens is so much prettier!

Blackrock View — Winters are so bleak and pale in the Shenandoahs. Below: Adam takes in the view; A look at the rocks that make up the Blackrock viewpoint from below; The back of Big Meadows Lodge is visible from the trail.

After a couple miles of hiking, we reached a cemetery – the largest I’ve seen within park boundaries. There were lots of people with the last name “Meadows” buried in this one. One tombstone was engraved with the name “Fairy Meadows” – a woman who lived in the early part of the twentieth century. What a neat name!

After leaving the cemetery, we made our way toward Milam Gap. We encountered a hiker dressed all in camouflage. He had a camera with a long lens and was headed in the direction of the cemetery. We could see his footprints in the snow. They were the only human prints in the snow coming from the opposite direction. The odd thing is… they disappeared abruptly and were replaced by dog tracks. There was no trail junction or other place he could have come onto the trail where the boot prints changed to dog prints. So… here’s my theory — werewolf of Shenandoah! I’m all for starting a new myth or legend. 🙂

I knew we were getting close to Milam Gap when we started seeing wizened, old apples in the snow. The area around the gap has many apple trees from an old orchard before the area was incorporated into the park. At the Milam Gap parking lot, we took a break to drink some water, stretch and look at our map. After a short rest, we crossed Skyline Drive and began the long climb up Hazeltop Mountain.

Along the way up we passed a few people at a backcountry campsite. In fact, we saw a couple groups of people on winter backpacking trips. I guess that camping in the snow could be fun, but I’ll just have to take their word for it. You can’t even have a fire in the backcountry in the park. It seems awfully bleak to go out and sleep in the snow without a campfire. I think I’ll stick to fair-weather backpacking.

The snow got sort of deep near the summit of Hazeltop Mountain. It was hard work climbing uphill in the snow. This summit has no view or marker. In fact, the only reason you know you’ve reached it is that the uphill climbing ends.

After the descent from Hazeltop, the hike continues on mostly flat terrain for a while until you get to Bearfence Mountain. For this stretch of of the hike, you’ll be pretty close to Skyline Drive. The road is often in view from the trail. You’ll climb a moderately steep slope until meeting up with the Bearfence Trail junction. If you have the time and energy, it’s worth taking the Bearfence trail loop across the rock scramble. You’ll get a third, beautiful, panoramic view from the scramble. The Bearfence trail crosses the AT again on the opposite side of the scramble, so taking this option doesn’t really add any mileage. Because of the snow on the ground, we opted to skip the scramble and stick to the AT. It was probably a good choice, because we found the trail across Bearfence mountain to be very icy. The ice was concealed by snow and was extremely slippery. I had a startling moment along this stretch of trail when I encountered a dead skunk wrapped around a tree branch. At first I thought it was a live skunk and I was about to be sprayed, but I was soon left wondering how on earth a dead skunk ended up there. Could a hawk have swooped it up and then dropped it? I really have no idea…

From this point, the trail meanders away from Skyline Drive, making the hike longer than you would expect it to be at this point. From Bearfence, the trail zig-zags down via a series of switchbacks. This section of trail is lined by rhododendrons, mountain laurels and hemlocks. It was really the only greenery we saw along the way. Eventually, the trail empties out into the parking lot marking the end of this section of Appalachian Trail.

It was a fun day and great to be out hiking again! The thing that has struck me so far with our two trail segments is how easy to moderate the AT is through Shenandoah. I’ve always heard thru-hikers remark that Shenandoah is “flat” and “all the mountain summits require more than 200 feet of climbing”. Those claims are a bit of a stretch, but walking the AT through Shenandoah is definitely much easier than hiking the blue and yellow blazed trails in the park.

Adam Says…

With Shenandoah National Park having a free weekend, we took advantage and drove two cars up so we could do a shuttle hike to cover more ground. We dropped off our first vehicle at the small parking lot near the Bearfence Mountain Hut at mile 56.8 on the western side. Keep in mind, this is not the main Bearfence Trail parking, which is around mile marker 56.4. We then combined into one car and drove to the Big Meadows Campground. The campground was closed, so we had to walk through the parking lot at the picnic area until we made it to the short spur trail that leads to the Appalachian Trail. We started on the trail heading south to make it back to the car. The Appalachian Trail is always marked with white blazes. The trail at this point is relatively flat. You’ll begin to see the lodge to the left and in about .3 miles, you’ll reach a junction with the Lewis Springs Falls Trail. Just continue on the AT. Around .5 miles, you will start seeing some lovely views of the valley below. There is a short path on the left side of the trail that is marked with a post for a view from Blackrock. This trail is often closed due to the nesting of peregrine falcons. If you decide to add this overlook, it is an uphill .2 miles to the view. The trail shortly begins to descend about 300 feet over the next mile.

At 1.7 miles, you will reach the Tanners Ridge Administrative Road. You will see to your right a large family cemetery. It is nice that families that once lived on the mountain are still allowed to be buried here. I can’t think of a more restful spot than being placed in a national park. Pick up the AT directly across the road and continue south. At mile 2.7, you will come to the Milam Gap parking lot. You will cross Skyline Drive from here to continue on the AT. The trail begins a gradual climb that will gain about 550 feet of elevation over 2 miles. At mile 4.7, you will reach the summit of Hazeltop Mountain. We did not see a marker for the summit, but you will know that you have passed it when you start descending again. The descent is more severe as you lose about 600 feet of elevation in .6 miles. At 5.3 miles, you will reach the junction with Bootens Gap (a parking lot and a horse trail).

Tree Near Bearfence Trail — I knew we were close to Bearfence when we saw this tree. Its very distinctive. Below: We stopped for a snack of Clif Bars along the way; A view of the Bearfence rock scramble from below.

The trail ascends again and at 6.8 miles, you will reach the junction with the Bearfence Mountain Trail. Stay on the AT heading south. After the junction, you reach the steepest and slickest ascent over the rock-covered trail. Passing the Bearfence rock scramble on your left, you will continue to rise for another . 4 miles. At mile 7.3, you will begin to descend and it is less than a mile back to the parking lot and your vehicle.

The trail was more difficult than I was expecting. I had first thought that we should do about 10 miles of the trail, but snow on the trail made for harder work. The most snow was up on Hazeltop Mountain, which we saw some remains of snowshoe tracks. While our feet didn’t sink deeply in the snow at any point, it made for tricky footing and sometimes you had to lift your legs up a little higher than normal. At some point, I slipped through some frosty areas and wrenched my knee slightly. Hiking up and down Bearfence was quite tough for me, but I’m glad we didn’t do an extra two miles.

Snowy Laurel-Lined Trail — The section of trail descending Bearfence was lined with mountain laurels, rhododendrons and hemlocks.

One aspect of the trail that I thoroughly enjoyed was being able to see coyote tracks on the trail. We’ve seen a coyote up in this area frequently during the fall. While some local farmers hate the nearby coyotes for their predatory habits, I enjoy seeing them in the protected park area. I also enjoyed seeing several bucks along the trail that greeted us at the beginning of our hike and followed nearby for the first mile of the trail.

The one regret I had during our hike was that I forgot to pack my Jetboil stove. I would have liked to have paused and had some hot chocolate along the way in the snow.

Trail Notes

Distance – 8.25 miles
Elevation Change – about 1000 feet
Difficulty – 2.5. There are several climbs of 500-600 feet, but the trail is mostly easy walking.
Trail Conditions – 4. Since most is on the AT, the trail is very well-maintained.
Views – 2.5 We enjoyed the western views near Big Meadows.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 3.5. We saw lots of impressive bucks and saw coyote tracks in the snow.
Ease to Navigate –5. Just follow the white blazes!
Solitude –3.5. You may see some hikers on the AT due to the proximity to Big Meadows. Bearfence is also a popular hike, so you’ll likely see people in that area as well.

Directions to trailhead: We left one vehicle at mile 56.8 in the small parking lot on the western side of Skyline Drive. We then drove to Big Meadows and followed the signs to the Big Meadows campground. Normally, you can drive right up to the trailhead. It is on the westernmost side of the parking lot of the picnic area at the campground.

Saddleback Mountain Loop

December 16, 2010April 29, 20221 Comment

The Saddleback Mountain Loop is a hike for people that are looking for a convenient day hike of moderate length – about six miles. There aren’t any great views, but it is an enjoyable walk.

Gnarled Tree on the Saddleback Trail — Adam walks under a fallen, gnarled tree on the Saddleback Trail.

Adam Says…

Sorry it has been awhile everyone. We’ve had a crazy fall and haven’t been able to get out as much as we had hoped.

We have had a plan this winter to try and do sections of the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park. We thought we would start with a shuttle trip to cover the section from Swift Run Gap to Lewis Mountain. We made our way up to the Swift Run Gap entrance to Shenandoah Park and talked to the ranger at the gate. He told us that the entire drive was closed, but we could do some day hikes around the area. He said there was snow and ice on the road and they were also worried about more bad weather moving into the area later that night. Boooo! We went back to the car, upset that our plans couldn’t work out the way we wanted. Rather than admitting total defeat, we decided to try a loop hike that included Saddleback Mountain. It was close enough to the entrance gate that we could walk into the park from Route 33.

Skyline Drive Closed for Snow. Below: The trailhead had a small amount of snow; The trees overhead were all bare; We saw a little bit of milkweed still hanging on.

Throughout the hike we got a few glimpses of Skyline Drive through the woods and we never saw any snow. I talked to a friend of mine who is married to a ranger and he said that often they close the road because they don’t want to have people get trapped up there. Then, the rangers have to deal with them, since they typically close during hunting season at 5PM. I also found out they send one ranger north to inspect the Central section and one ranger drives up from Waynesboro to view the Southern section. We found out later that the Southern section ended up remaining open all day, so we could have done a different hike. Oh well, at least we were able to cover something we hadn’t done yet for the blog.

The hike starts where the Appalachian Trail crosses the road at the border between the Southern and Central Districts of Shenandoah National Park. Heading north up the white-blazed trail, the trail ascends steadily. After a few tenths of a mile, you will see an unmarked path to the right that leads to an old family cemetery. It was nice to pay some respects to the families that lived and died here on the mountain. Continuing back on the AT, the trail continued to slowly ascend. At 1.4 miles, you reach a junction with the blue-blazed Saddleback Mountain Trail. Take a right on this trail to make this hike a loop. The Saddleback Mountain Trail goes around the mountain, which was a nice break from climbing uphill. We saw a few nice icy formations and some heavier patches of snow on this shadowy side of the mountain. At 2.6 miles, you will come to a PATC maintenance hut. These huts are scattered throughout the park that serve as places where PATC volunteers can have access to some tools to help repair sections of the trail. There is an open outhouse here and a spring nearby, but we found that the spring was mostly dry. We continued past the PATC maintenance hut for .2 miles on a fire road until we met the junction with the AT. Head south on the AT and you will have 2.7 miles until you reach the original trailhead. As I mentioned before, the Saddleback Mountain goes around the mountain, so when you start the trail you will again be heading uphill until you reach the summit. The summit was not marked, but it was nice to have a downhill trip back to the car.

Snow on the Trail — The shady side of the mountain had a little snow. Below: We took a short side trail to take a look at an old cemetery; Even though there was a little snow on the ground, the morning temps were well above freezing; We saw some recent bear scat and scratches along the trail.

On our way back downhill, we ran into two hikers that were there hoping to catch up to the Valley Hikers group that were evidently doing that hike to South River Falls. They got a late start but said there was a note on a car telling them where they went. We talked to the couple for a while before parting ways. When I got back home, I checked my email and it looks like the Valley Hikers changed their itinerary completely and were not doing the South River Falls after all. I hope the couple didn’t get too discouraged on their trip. Valley Hikers is a great group to join if you are interested in meeting up with some other people in the Shenandoah Valley that enjoy hiking. Members are of all skill levels and they do a good variety of hikes and an occasional backpacking trip. I do belong to the group, but I have yet to meet up with them to do a hike.

When Skyline Drive is open, you can also do a shorter version of the Saddleback trail, starting from the South River Falls picnic area. From that direction, you would have just a few tenths of a mile of an uphill hike to the summit area.

I’m glad we were able to get out and do a hike after our hiatus. Even though this trail doesn’t have a lot of great views, it is a nice walk in the woods and it was good to get some exercise outdoors on a cool winter day.

Christine Says…

With our original plans foiled, we sat in the car for a few minutes and deliberated our options – go home or figure out an alternate hike route that allowed us to walk into the park from outside the pay station. I’m really glad we decided to go for the latter, because the hike (while rather uneventful) turned out to be a pleasant way to spend the morning. It was great to get back out on the trail after a month of sloth (the flu and three weekends of art shows severely limit the ability to hike!)

PATC Maintenance Building. Below: Adam checks out the map at the first trail intersection; Someone left pennies on top of each of the cement trail marker posts; We saw some pawprints in the snow – maybe a fox or bobcat – they were too smudged to determine for sure.

As we started up the Appalachian Trail, I couldn’t help but remember that this was the exact spot we met our friends from The Traveling Circus back in May. The trail looks pretty different now than it did back then – bare trees and fallen leaves instead of a lush tunnel of green. While the woods might be prettier in the spring, summer and fall, there is still something I really enjoy about winter hiking. I like the lack of bugs, the fact that I don’t get sweaty, the solitude and the glimpses of views through the trees that you miss the rest of the year.

A few tenths of a mile up the trail, we took a short spur to take a look at an old cemetery. Headstones we saw dated back to the turn of the twentieth century. Many of the people buried here lived in the park throughout the 1800’s up until they were forcibly removed in the early 1900’s by the US Government. I think there were many older unmarked graves as well, but we took a few minutes to read each of the headstones still left standing.

After leaving the cemetery, the trail climbed gently, but endlessly, uphill to the junction of the Saddleback Mountain Trail. There really wasn’t anything remarkable about the trail to this point – no amazing scenery, just the occasional peek through the trees at the valley and Skyline Drive below. Adam and I laughed at how bare of the snow the drive was every time it came into view. We really don’t understand why it was closed at all.

We turned onto the Saddleback Trail and enjoyed a relatively flat walk skirting around the shoulder of the mountain. Near the end of the trail, we passed a PATC maintenance cabin and a pit toilet.

We stopped to rest a few minutes. I noticed a thermometer on the hearth outside the cabin and saw that it read 40 degrees – pretty balmy for a winter hike! The morning we hiked, a bit of a southerly air flow arrived. The warmer air came in aloft, creating the rare phenomenon that it was much warmer in the mountains than it was down in the valley.

From the PATC cabin, we passed the South River spring (a boxed spring intended as a water supply) and headed up a short fire road to meet back up with the Appalachian Trail. We turned south, and walked along the AT, climbing up to the summit of Saddleback Mountain. The summit of Saddleback is covered with trees and does not offer a view.

After crossing the summit, the hike was an easy, all-downhill stroll back to the car. Even though we didn’t get to hike the route we originally planned, this Saddleback loop made a great substitute and we had a fun morning.

Trail Notes

Distance – 5.9 miles
(Check out the stats from Map My Hike)*
Elevation Change – about 1080 feet
Difficulty – 2 There is some steady uphill, but it is manageable.
Trail Conditions – 3.5. Since most is on the AT, the trail is very well-maintained, but rocky and steep in spots.
Views – 1. We only had a few views through the trees, that I’m sure would not be there when leaves are on the trees.
Waterfalls/streams – 1. Two springs near the shelter.
Wildlife – 3.5. We did see deer and heard the echoing sounds of a pileated woodpecker. There was also fresh bear scat in the area and possible tracks in the snow.
Ease to Navigate –4. This is fairly easy to follow if you read the concrete posts at the junctions.
Solitude –4. You may see some hikers on the AT due to the proximity to the South River picnic area.

* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.

Directions to trailhead: Once you go through the Swift Run Gap entrance station, park your car across the street from the stop sign. The Appalachian Trail sign is straight ahead and head north.

Snead Farm

October 11, 2010April 29, 20227 Comments

This 3-mile hike leads to the old Snead Farm. It’s one of the few hikes in the park that really shows off what life at the turn of the twentieth century must have been like for the people who made their homes where the park now stands.

Snead Farm - Barn and Cistern — The barn at the old Snead Farm is still in good shape. Most of the other structures are gone, only foundations left. Below: There is a view from the fire road before you follow the final fork to the farm.

Christine Says…

The walk to Snead Farm is really easy and perfect for families. Much of the trail is level and follows a fire road. There are a couple of route options, too. If you start from the visitor’s center, you’ll walk .8 miles on the Dickey Ridge trail before reaching Snead Farm Road. This ends up making a three-mile route, and is the route we followed. You can also start from Skyline Drive, directly on the Snead Farm road. This cuts the route to a mere 1.4 mile out-and-back. Just be sure to follow the correct forks in the road, or you’ll find yourself on a walk to nowhere (like we did… more about that later). Whatever route you choose, the going is easy and relatively level.

As far as I know, Snead Farm has the only remaining barn left standing in the park. In fact, it’s one of the few non-park structures of any kind left standing within the boundaries. The doors are barred closed, so you can’t go inside – but you can peek through windows and gaps in the doors to see the old hayloft up top and animal stalls on the lower level.

Behind a tangle of vines, you can still climb down into the root cellar located behind the barn. The cellar is deep and lined with sturdy shelves, which undoubtedly held stores of food for the farm. The main house’s foundation and several sets of stairs still stand slightly uphill from the barn. The boxwoods that stood on either side of the front door are still there. They have grown tall and wild! The cistern is still there as well. The farm was occupied until the early 1950’s, so the site doesn’t feel as old as some other places in the park, like Pocosin Mission.

Adam Says…

Our hike to Snead Farm ended up being longer than we were expecting. We were using our Falcon Guide Shenandoah National Park book as a guideline and there was misleading information in the book. I’ll try to set things straight with our own directions. From the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, cross Skyline Drive and walk to the flagpole. Take a right at the plaque with hike information. In .2 miles, you will come to the intersection with the Dickey Ridge Trail. Take a right here and proceed for about .3 miles until you reach a fire road (Snead Farm Road). Take a left on the fire road. In another .2 miles, you will reach a fork on the trail. Stay to the left. In another short distance, you will come to another fork where you will see a concrete post. Go to the right, heading uphill. You will continue this trail for about .5 miles until you reach Snead Farm. You will begin to see the barn through the trees.

We did misinterpret the information in the book since it told us to take a left at the last fork. Since we were going a different way than the book, we ended up second-guessing ourselves. When we thought we had gone far enough, we decided to turn around and take a different fork. When the other fork came to a dead-end at a utility building, we realized we had been going the right way. We went back the way we came, took the correct fork, and made our way to the farm. We ended up adding only an extra mile to our hike, but after doing a couple of other hikes that day, we weren’t in the mood for more miles.

The Snead Farm Fire Road is pleasant walking. Below: The old root cellar is still standing; Another view of the barn.

Christine and I marveled at how well-maintained the barn looks. Since it was abandoned in the 50s, it is clear that the park service has kept up with maintaining the barn and even painting it. I wonder if this will be a permanent part of the hike or if the park service will one day let this building fall prey to the elements and the woods.

Overall, this hike was a decent leg-stretcher and a good family hike.

Trail Notes

Distance – 3 miles
Elevation Change – 300 feet
Difficulty – 1.5 An easy walk down a mostly level trail.
Trail Conditions –3.5. Half of the trail followed the Dickey Ridge trail which was well-maintained and the rest is on fire roads.
Views – 1.5 Some views are seen from the final fork to get to Snead Farm.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 2. You may run into some of the usual park animals like deer and birds.
Ease to Navigate – 2.5. The turns did us wrong, so we’re marking it down.
Solitude – 2.5. This is a popular hike due to the proximity to the Northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park and the short distance.

Directions to trailhead: Follow Skyline Drive to the Dickey Ridge Visitors Center (around mile marker 4.6) Park at the visitors center. The trail begins on the east side of the drive, across from the center.

Fox Hollow Loop

October 10, 2010October 10, 201027 Comments

Fox Hollow Loop is a short, interpretive hike near the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center that gives you glimpses of life on the mountain.

Lemuel F. Fox Headstone — This hike takes you past an old cemetery. Generations of Foxes are buried in this hollow. Below: The trail starts near the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center; The trailhead has a sign marking different hike options in the area.

Adam Says…

After we finished our hike to Lands Run Falls, we decided to add another hike – the Fox Hollow Loop. There is a path, starting near the flagpole, that takes you across Skyline Drive from the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center. You will see a plaque displaying the hike information and a box where you can purchase a $1 guide to to the hike. The guide is useful in helping you locate some of the interesting sights along the way. I would recommend picking this up since it does give a little history of the area and insight into the flora around you on the trail.

From the sign, head to the left. You will quickly come up to a concrete post where the trail intersects with the blue-blazed Dickey Ridge Trail. Take a left at the post to join the Dickey Ridge Trail. At the next concrete post at .3 miles, you will take a right to join the no-blazed Fox Hollow Trail. The trail descends at this point as you go through the Fox homesite. You will shortly come across a few rockpiles, created by the Fox family to clear the cornfield. At .5 miles, you will reach the Fox family cemetery on the left of the trail. After leaving the cemetery, continue on the trail. Keep your eyes peeled for a millstone that is hidden in the brush on the side of the trail. It takes a sharp turn to the right and begins a climb up on a path that used to serve as a road used by the Fox family to get to Front Royal. At the one mile marker, you will reach another concrete post that intersects with the Dickey Ridge Trail. Continue straight past the post to reach the Visitor Center at 1.2 miles.

Fox Hollow trail marker — The Fox Hollow Trail is well marked by cement posts. Below: The old box spring used to be the water supply for Dickey Ridge.

This hike will attract many visitors as it is one of the first opportunities to hike if approaching from the Front Royal entrance to Shenandoah National Park. The short distance and mild elevation gain will also attract a lot of people. It is interesting to think of what life would be like for the Fox family. Thomas and Martha Fox started farming here in 1856 and the family stayed here until the 1930s. Most of the trees have been formed since the 1930s, so it is interesting to think of this area as plowed pastures for corn, wheat and bluegrass.

Christine Says…

The Fox Hollow Loop was the second hike we completed on our beautiful fall morning in the park. The hike started off with a nice view looking toward the valley to the east. The open meadow was blanketed with dry grasses and ragweed, so it looked golden under the fall sun.

The trail quickly descended into the woods. The path was lined with dogwoods covered with their bright red seed berries. Along the trail, we saw piles of stones and old walls sinking back into the forest floor.

Old stone wall in Fox Hollow — There are many old stone walls in Fox Hollow.

We soon passed an old cemetery, where generations of the Fox family have been buried. Most of the headstones have toppled or have disappeared, but two markers (Lemuel Fox and Gertrue Fox) are still in good shape. It’s compelling to imagine how different this hollow must have looked in 1900. Back then, this would have been open farmland – fields, cherry trees, barns, houses, stone walls and a road meandering over to the neighboring hollow. It must have been a lovely, idyllic place to live.

After leaving the cemetery, we continued downhill and found an old boxed spring. Apparently, when the park was new, this spring supplied water to the Dickey Ridge lodge. We passed over a small marshy area and saw more stone walls in an opening off the trail. There was supposed to a mill stone along the trail, but we never saw it. We also didn’t see the old barbed wire fencing that was supposedly along the trail. We weren’t the only hikers to miss spotting the artifacts. We ran into a group of four women standing in the middle of the trail. They asked if we had seen either the stone or fence. I think they were contemplating going back, but we pressed on.

The rest of the trail was a nice walk through the woods and we soon came back to where we had started.

Trail Notes

Distance – 1.2 miles
Elevation Change – 310 feet
Difficulty – 1. The trail should be quite easy for most people.
Trail Conditions –4. The trail is well-maintained and easy to walk on. It could be muddy in parts after lots of rain.
Views – 1.5. You do get some nice views from the plaque of mountains in the distance, but you won’t see much on the trail.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 2. This is a busy trail, so many animals will stay away, but you may see deer around the area. The fields near the plaque would be good for bird watching.
Ease to Navigate – 3.5. The trail only has a couple of turns near cement posts. If you read the directions on the posts, you shouldn’t have any problem.
Solitude – 2. This is a popular trail for people of all abilities, so you will likely see others on the trail.

Lands Run Falls

October 6, 2010August 26, 20152 Comments

The hike to Lands Run Falls is a fairly easy 1.6 mile walk down an old park road. The waterfall is not terribly large or impressive, but it’s definitely worth a look if you’re in the mood for a short leg-stretcher.

Adam sits alongside Lands Run Falls. The falls were still a little on the low side despite five inches of recent rain.

Christine Says…

We planned to do a long hike on Saturday, but Adam was having knee trouble. Instead, we waited until Sunday and decided to try doing a few short, gentle hikes in the north district of Shenandoah National Park. It’s been several years since I ventured as far north in the park as Lands Run Falls, so it was a nice change of pace.

The walk to the waterfall stays on a wide gravel road the entire time, so the footing is easy and there is absolutely no place you can possibly take a wrong turn. The only place you might go wrong is by hiking across the top of the waterfall and missing it completely. The falls aren’t marked and they’re really not visible from the trail. You’ll know you’ve reached the falls when you pass over a small stream and culvert. You can also follow the sounds of falling water!

To get a good look at the falls, you’ll need to follow a worn path through the woods down into the ravine. It’s a fairly well-worn path, and the rocks in the ravine sort of form big steps. Be careful on the rocks immediately around the waterfall. They’re very slick and covered with moss and algae.

Lands Run in Winter — The last time I visited Lands Run Falls it was winter and there had been quite a bit more rain.

If you hit Lands Run Falls when there has been lots of rain, you’ll be treated to a pretty waterfall with three small, but distinct drops. The first drop of about 20 feet is the most accessible and the most photogenic. The other two drops are mostly obscured by blow-downs and underbrush. If the weather has been dry, Lands Run Falls probably is not worth your time. It frequently dries up completely in the summer.

In Henry Heatwole’s well-known Guide to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, he stated “This [Lands Run Falls] is an unrewarding experience for most people… This is for the very few hikers who are willing to go to a lot of trouble to find solitude beside a pool on a mountain stream.”

I wouldn’t characterize Lands Run Falls quite so grimly. I mean, it’s not spectacular – but it is definitely worth seeing if the water flow has been nice.

Adam Says…

We started off with this as our first of three short hikes for the day. I was battling some knee issues and Christine thought we should turn around because I was limping the first few steps. I felt I could make it though and luckily my knee felt better on the trip back up from the falls.

You descend 310 feet during this walk down the fire road. While it doesn’t seem quite as noticeable on the way down, you will feel the elevation change on the way back up. Most people should be able to do this hike, but you may need to take your time if the steepness gets to you.

Once you reach the area of the falls, to get the views that we did, you do need to climb down a steep section off the trail that can be slippery. I was able to do it on a bad knee, but you do have to watch your feet carefully. The fire road continues further for another 1.4 miles past the falls, but that only leads to a park boundary and there is nothing of interest to see.

The day was quite brisk with temperatures in the upper 40s. I initially wished that I had brought a fleece along, but once the blood got pumping I was fine in my T-shirt and shorts. The leaves were just starting to turn color – I think we’re still two weeks before peak season on Skyline Drive and higher elevations.

The Lands Run Fire Road descends about 300 vertical feet over .6 of a mile to the falls.

The trail was a nice quick view to a waterfall. I believe it is a somewhat popular trail, but that is largely due to the number of people that are driving down from Northern Virginia and are looking for a close waterfall hike. The falls themselves are pretty but they are not as impressive as many others in the park.

Trail Notes

Distance – 1.6 miles out and back
Elevation Change – Around 300 feet
Difficulty – 2. Relatively easy, but definitely uphill on the return trip
Trail Conditions – 4.5 The trail is a well-maintained fire road
Views – 0. The trail stays in the woods and does not offer any panoramic views
Waterfalls/streams – 3. Lands Run Falls is small but pretty. It does dry up when there hasn’t been much rain
Wildlife – 2. You’ll likely see the usual park specimens along this trail – birds, squirrels and deer
Ease to Navigate – 4. The fire road doesn’t have any turns. Be careful not to miss the falls – you walk over a small stream and the waterfall cascades below the trail.
Solitude – 3. We saw a couple groups, but for a beautiful fall day, the traffic was light.

Directions to trailhead: Follow Skyline Drive to mile marker 9.2. Park in the lot on the west side of the drive. The hike starts at the south end of the lot.

Story of the Forest Nature Trail

September 9, 2010April 29, 20224 Comments

The Story of the Forest Trail is an easy family walk in the Big Meadows area of Shenandoah National Park. The entire loop is 1.8 miles and half of the trail is paved.

Dappled Light on a Doe — Whitetail Deer are a common sight along the Story of the Forest Trail. Below: No pets or bikes are allowed on the trail; The return arm of the loop follows a paved path along the road.

Christine Says…

The first weekend of September was spectacular – simply perfect weather to be outside. Adam and I decided to take a picnic dinner up to the park. The Big Meadows area has a 1.8-mile nature trail, called “Story of the Forest”, that joins the wayside and the campground. We decided that a pleasant pre-dinner stroll sounded ideal.

We parked at the Byrd Visitor’s Center, and set out from the north end of the lot. The trailhead is marked by a sign that also indicates that dogs and bikes are prohibited on this path.

Late Wildflowers — The trail was lined with these small white wildflowers. Below: The Big Meadows-Skyland horse trail crosses the path.

The trail starts off gently downhill – passing through an area lush with ferns and wildflowers. After crossing a small footbridge over a stream that feeds Dark Hollow Falls, the trail bears left and heads deeper into the woods. You’ll pass over the Big Meadows-Skyland horse trail. After that, you’ll pass communication towers that are part of the lodging complex. Eventually, the campground will come into view. To make the hike into a loop, turn left when you see the campground. This will lead you back out to a paved bike path running parallel to the road through Big Meadows. The paved path will lead you back to the wayside and visitor’s center.

The Story of the Forest doesn’t offer anything especially unique , but it is a nice walk for anyone visiting the Big Meadows area.

Adam Says…

I think this was actually the first time I have done the Story of the Forest Trail. It is a very easy hike, so it is perfect for families with small children. You can also use this trail to connect to Dark Hollow Falls to create a longer hike. The trail is a nice walk in the woods, passing by some impressive trees and ferns. I was expecting a guide that would possibly tell the “story of the forest”, but there isn’t a hike brochure like there is at the Stony Man Trail.

There are a few turns that form this loop. The trail is marked on the cement posts as “nature trail”. Once you start the trail, you will go through the forest until you reach a couple of bridges that go over the Hogcamp Branch. In .2 miles, take a left at the junction to stay on the trail. In .4 miles, the trail will intersect with a horse trail – just go straight and don’t turn on the horse trail. In .8 miles, you will begin to see the Big Meadows campground. Take a left on the paved path to follow this back to the Big Meadows wayside, which is next to the Visitor Center. Grab a blackberry shake from the wayside and take a picture with the CCC statue at the visitor center to round out the experience.

Small Bridge Across the Hog Camp Branch — This small footbridge crosses a stream that feeds Dark Hollow Falls. Below: When you pass the visitor’s center near the end of the loop, stop to pose with the CCC statue.

I’m surprised that Christine didn’t tell the story, but we passed a family that were slowly making their way along the trail. A girl hoisted on the shoulders of her father was soooo excited to see a deer. She said to us as we passed, “Take a picture of the deer.” We went a little further up the trail and saw a different deer. I stopped to take some pictures and the deer wasn’t being cooperative. When the deer got startled and bolted off, I said a curse word. I heard far off through the woods, the same girl say, “That man said a bad word.” I felt bad about that and Christine hasn’t let me live it down. I like to think that I was reinforcing her education rather than being a bad influence. If she hadn’t heard the word before, she wouldn’t know it was bad. At least that’s how I’m trying to justify it.

Trail Notes

Distance – 1.8 miles loop hike
Elevation Change – Negligible
Difficulty – 1. This trail is suitable for everyone.
Trail Conditions –4.5. The trail is very well-graded and easy to walk on. The return arm of the loop is a paved bike path.
Views – 0. None.
Waterfalls/streams – .5. In wet weather, you’ll cross a small stream that feeds Dark Hollow Falls.
Wildlife –3. There should be plenty of deer. Many folks have also spotted bears on this trail.
Ease to Navigate –4. Easy to follow, just look for the Nature Trail marked on cement posts.
Solitude –1. You’ll see many people on this trail, as it connects the Big Meadows campground to the wayside and visitor’s center.

Directions to trailhead:
Park at Big Meadows near the Harry S. Byrd Sr. Visitor Center (mile 51 on Skyline Drive). The trailhead starts across from the northern end of the Visitor Center parking lot.

Buck Hollow – Buck Ridge

August 30, 2010August 26, 20158 Comments

The Buck Hollow – Buck Ridge Trail is a steep hike in the Central District of Shenandoah National Park. It takes a deep plunge along the Buck Hollow stream and a steep hike back up the Buck Ridge trail.

I've never seen so many different kinds of mushrooms/fungus along a trail in Shenandoah. — I’ve never seen so many different kinds of mushrooms/fungus along a trail in Shenandoah. Below: When we hiked Buck Hollow in August of 2008, we saw two yearling bear cubs; the stream running through Buck Hollow is rather small and overgrown.

Adam Says…

I have to be honest – we have been putting off doing this trail for a while. We first did this hike a few years ago and the memories of how tough a hike it was kept us from wanting to do it again. Christine and I both weren’t feeling well the day we attempted it last time, but we were more pleased doing this hike this time.

The trail starts off from the Meadow Springs parking area. After about 20 feet down the trail, you see a post marking the Buck Hollow trail. Take a left to go down this trail. The trail seems to constantly descend and is rather steep in many portions. There are loose rocks and if you attempt this after a heavy rain, you should expect some mud and slick soil on the trail. Along the side for much of the trail, you will see the Buck Hollow stream. Around mile 1.75, you will make a few rock-hops across the stream. The trail continues to descend and then finally seems to just parallel the stream. At mile 2.8, you will reach a cement post, pointing you to take a right on to the Buck Ridge Trail. You cross the stream again and then you will quickly come up to the dreaded stairs.

For any Lord of the Rings fans, these stairs remind me of the stairs of Cirith Ungol. “Up, up, up, up the stairs we go.” They are unrelenting and seem to last forever, but they last less than .3 miles. Of course, you do gain over 400 feet of elevation in this short distance. These stairs didn’t exist the last time we did the hike; the last time, we just had a steep section of loose soil to traverse. The stairs help make this hike more manageable, so I do thank the workers that accomplished this laborious task!

Nice Camping Spot — At the bottom of Buck Hollow, there is a beautiful camping spot with flat, open forest and easy access to water. Below: The trail starts out at the Meadow Springs Parking Area; A trail through a small slot in the rocks leads hikers to the only open view on the trail.

After the stairs, the trail continues to go uphill, but it is at a much more manageable grade. Once you are high enough on the ridge, you are treated with views of Skyline Drive and mountain views around you (including Mary’s Rock). We found a small crevasse bisecting a large rock formation that we were able to easily climb up to get some unobstructed views. After mile 5.2, you do come up to another concrete post. Take a right and you will reach the parking lot in a little over .3 miles.

One interesting note that I remember from our first hike of this loop trail was near the bottom of Buck Hollow. We were hiking along and all of a sudden we startled two yearling bears. One of them quickly climbed a tree and the other took off up the mountain. We kept our distance, and the one that climbed the tree climbed back down and took off in the opposite direction. As I looked to see where the bear went, I spotted a buck and a pileated woodpecker in the same direction. I felt that I could have taken a picture that would have looked like a wildlife mural that you often see on brochures or placemats.

We were tired after we finished the hike, but this trip we definitely felt that it was more enjoyable than the first time we attempted it.

Christine Says…

When we woke up to cool, pretty weather on Saturday morning, we decided to end our hiking hiatus a week earlier than initially planned. I had to be at an art show by 1:00, so we needed to find a hike that was relatively short and sort of close to home. We’ve pretty much hiked and blogged about everything in the central district of Shenandoah National Park already… with the exception of the dreaded Buck Hollow-Buck Ridge hike.

Why dreaded? As Adam mentioned, last time we did this hike we were both fighting colds and had zero energy. And while Buck Hollow is not the longest or hardest hike we’ve done, it certainly felt like it the last time we were there. We ran out of water, we were fatigued, the trail felt endless and daunting as soon as we started the uphill climb. Other than seeing the two yearling bears, the Buck Hollow hike didn’t carry a single pleasant memory. It just made me think of exhaustion, suffering and thirst. 🙂

When I mentioned to Adam that we should probably hike it again for the blog, he looked at me with incredulity and told me that he didn’t ever want to hike there again. Somehow he was convinced to relent, and off we went!

This time, the hike was a lot more fun! It was still a long, steep downhill – but I really enjoyed marveling at the huge variety of mushrooms and fungi growing along the trail. I don’t know if there is a name for people who collect/catalog fungus, but if such people exist – this is the trail for them. We also happened to notice a beautiful backcountry campsite at the bottom of the hollow, where the trail leveled out. Along with easy access to water, there was a wide, flat expanse under the shade of the trees. The forest floor in this area was open with very little undergrowth. There were also several huge piles of rocks – maybe from old stone walls or foundations in the area. It was a great place to take a break and have a snack.

Stairs — Although the stairs don’t look steep in this photo, they ascend nearly 400 feet in just over two-tenths of a mile. Below: The Buck Ridge trail is lined with dense mountain laurel; The only (mostly) open view comes from atop a rock along Buck Ridge.

The flat terrain at the bottom of the hollow doesn’t last long. Shortly after passing the cement post marking the Buck Hollow – Buck Ridge junction, you’ll encounter what I think is the toughest, steepest section of climbing in all of Shenandoah National Park. Indeed, it’s a short climb – but wow… it’s STEEP. The terrain along this little section is the equivalent of gaining 2000 feet in elevation over a mile. I think most hikers will agree — that’s TOUGH climbing.

The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club published a review of this hike in their October 2010 newsletter. In it they say “Steep, does not begin to describe the trail ahead.” They also call it scary and compare it to a descent into hell. 🙂 We concur!

I was quite glad when the terrain moderated, because the steep stair climb really exhausted my legs!

Butterflies were everywhere along the trail. Below: The PATC trail overseer clearly loves this area.

We also noticed the nice view from atop the rock that we had missed last time we hiked. It’s funny how being fatigued and thirsty makes you miss the best things along a trail sometimes. The last section of the trail along Buck Ridge passes through dense mountain laurel and through patches of blueberry and raspberry bushes. I really thought we’d see more signs of bears (and maybe some actual bears!), but we really only saw one old pile of scat this time.

The Buck Ridge trail eventually meets up with Hazel Mountain Road for the last third of a mile. This section of trail was quite familiar, since we hiked it just a couple months ago on our backpacking trip to Catlett Mountain. When we arrived back at the parking lot, we noticed the PATC overseer’s car was in the lot – complete with a “BCKHLW” license plate. Clearly, the overseer loves this section of the park and does a great job maintaining the trail.

It was a fun hike – one I enjoyed far more than I expected to!

Trail Notes

Distance – 5.6 miles loop hike
Elevation Change – 1750 feet
Difficulty – 4. The trail is steep at the start going down and once you reach the halfway point includes a steep uphill. Not recommended for those with knee or ankle issues.
Trail Conditions –3. The Buck Hollow Trail is rocky and steep, so you have to watch your footing. The Buck Ridge Trail had better trail conditions.
Views – 2. The views you get are from the Buck Ridge Trail portion. While most of these are through the obstruction of trees, there is a nice place to climb on top of a rock for a view.
Waterfalls/streams – 1.5. You do walk along the Buck Hollow stream, but there aren’t a lot of nice views of falling water.
Wildlife –3.5. There are signs of bear scat around. The first time we went on this trail, we saw two yearling bears and a buck. Both times we have spotted pileated woodpeckers and many typical woodland birds.
Ease to Navigate –4. Not too many turns, just read the concrete posts.
Solitude –3.5. We did see a number of people on the trail that seemed to be in a group, but this isn’t overly popular. Some people will hike up from Rte 211 to Mary’s Rock, so you’re likely to only find people on the Buck Hollow portion of the trail.

Directions to trailhead:
At mile 33.5 on Skyline Drive. Park at the parking lot on the eastern side of the road and the trail starts from the southern end of the parking lot.

Powell Gap

August 12, 2010August 26, 20153 Comments

Powell Gap is a fantastic short hike to a beautiful view of the eastern valley. Even if you’re not a regular hiker, this walk can be done by nearly anyone. The rock ledge on the ridge provides better views than many of the scenic pull-outs along Skyline Drive.

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

Christine Says…

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

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

Appalachian Trail to Powell Gap — The viewpoint is accessed via the Appalachian Trail.

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

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

Trail Notes

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

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