Category: views

Appalachian Trail – Powell Gap to Swift Run Gap

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This section of the Appalachian Trail gives you stunning views from the summit of Hightop Mountain.

Summit of Hightop Mountain
Adam and Wookie enjoy the summit of Hightop Mountain.

Adam Says…

We started off our hike by parking one car at the Swift Run Gap entrance and one car near the Powell Gap trailhead around mile marker 70 on Skyline Drive.  The trail immediately starts with going uphill.  Get used to it, because 3.6 miles of this hike is uphill.  You gain 1250 feet of elevation during this stretch.  For 1.7 miles, the hike from Powell Gap until you cross Skyline Drive again at Smith Roach Gap was overgrown in many parts.  I can imagine that maintaining this section of trail was more challenging this year with all the rain, but we wish we had a weed-whacker with us to keep the grass and weeds from brushing up against our legs.  The mountain laurel during this section was so abundant.  It gave good cause to pause from huffing and puffing up the trail.  After crossing Skyline Drive and continuing the white-blazed Appalachian Trail, you will continue your ascent.  The trail was not as overgrown in this section.  At mile 2.7, you will reach a blue-blazed spur trail that leads to the Hightop Hut, adding .2 mile to your hike.  At mile 3.6, you will reach the summit of Hightop Mountain which has an overlook with valley views.  The trail begins to descend at this point, through some slightly-rocky terrain.  At 5.1 miles, you will cross Skyline Drive again.  Continue to follow the trail until you reach Swift Run Gap at 6.4 miles.

Wookie on the Appalachian Trail
Wookie on the Appalachian Trail.  Below:  The mountain laurel were gorgeous along the trail.

Mountain Laurel Walking along the AT

I really think Wookie enjoyed himself on this trip.  It was his longest hike ever, but he pushed on through. We are always amazed at how we think he would be exhausted for the rest of the day, but he runs around the house as soon as he gets home like a puppy on crack.  I think it is his way of boasting to our other dogs that he got to do something fun.

The views are always nice at the top of Hightop Mountain.  This trail does get some decent traffic (especially in the area between Swift Run Gap and the summit), since it is really the first hike you could possibly do in the southern section of the park if you are driving from the north.  We had met the thru-hiker “Shenanigans” at Hightop Hut, who talked to us for a while.  He had heard of the Bearfence Mountain hut being closed.  Rangers had put up a sign letting people know that the hut was closed, which helps the thru-hikers plan on where they were staying next.  His goal was to make it up to Big Meadows, which would have given him a hike of close to 30 miles for the day.  We went to check out the Trail Days festivities at Big Meadows Lodge and talked to one of the ridgerunners.  These ridgerunners are hired by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club to basically hike the maintained trails through the area, talking to hikers, and checking in on the huts/cabins along the way.  He told us that the Bearfence hut was going to be re-opened, so hopefully Shenanigans had a closer place to stay if he wasn’t feeling like doing a ton of miles that day.

Christine Says…

A couple days after we returned from our Virginia Highlands trip, we decided we were ready to go for another hike.  After all, June 4th was National Trails Day, and we couldn’t let the day go by without hiking somewhere.  We didn’t want to go anyplace that required a lot of driving.  We also wanted to do something shorter, so we could bring Wookie along.  Pugs are not the best hiking dogs, but Wookie always enjoy accompanying us on less strenuous hikes on cooler days.  In the end, we settled on another Appalachian Trail section.  Swift Run Gap is only a 10-15 minute drive from our house, so we decided to do the 6.4 mile section between Powell Gap and Swift Run Gap.

Hightop Hut
We stopped at Hightop Hut and chatted with the thru-hiker ‘Shenanigans’.  Below: One of the Skyline Drive crossings; Columbine in bloom.

Crossing Skyline Drive Blooming Columbine

This section of trail is about 65% uphill.  It’s never unbearably steep uphill, but for almost the first four miles, you are almost always climbing.  The trail goes by one nice view, from the summit of Hightop Mountain.  It also takes you by Hightop Hut, which is another overnight stop for multi-night backpackers and thru-hikers.

On the particular day we hiked, much of the trail was lined with mountain laurel at their peak bloom.  2011 has been a fantastic year for mountain laurel.  Spectacular, abundant, lush blooms have been everywhere across the mountains.

At the summit of Hightop Mountain, we encountered two hikers and their dog.  Their dog clearly wanted to eat Wookie for breakfast, so we were extra glad she was leashed!  We enjoyed the views and the breezes.  Hightop has a great view of Massanutten Mountain – one of the most distinct and impressive mountains on our local skyline.

After Hightop, the last couple miles of the hike were pretty easy – lots of downhills and flat.  We were back at the car by lunchtime, so we decided to drive up to the Big Meadows area to have lunch and check out the PATC display for Trails Day.

We were able to say hello to one of our instructors from Backpacking 101.  We also chatted with trail maintenance crews and participated in a demo of their big two-man saw.  We happened to catch one of the ridgerunners at a ranger display and were able to chat with him about a bear incident we heard about near Bearfence Mountain Shelter.  Apparently, a bear was getting too bold for his own good near the shelter.  He had even started exploring tents in search of food.  The last straw was when the bear destroyed an unoccupied tent belonging to a thru-hiker.  The bear was trapped and transported to a less populated area of the park.  While rangers worked on trapping the bear, the shelter was closed, forcing hikers to push on another 10-12 miles to the next shelter.

We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at Big Meadows – burgers, fries and blackberry milkshakes (YUM!).

wookieWookie Says…

This is the first time in quite a while that I’ve been invited out on a hike!  It was a nice cool morning, so Christine and Adam decided to bring me along on a 6.4 mile hike along the Appalachian Trail.  It’s the longest hike I’ve ever been on!

I had a lot of fun trotting along the trail.  I like walking second in line, because I feel safer between my two humans.

When we got to Hightop Hut, I considered stealing some trailmix from the thru-hiker, but Christine wouldn’t let me.  Instead, I got to drink a bowl of water from my collapsible dog dish.  On the summit of Hightop Mountain, I met a big, black and white spotted dog.  She was really loud and scary.  I think she would have attacked me if she had free run.  Being so small, I always appreciate dog owners that follow the rules and keep their canine hiking companions on six foot leashes.

On the last mile of the hike, I started getting really tired.  I could barely hold the curl in my tail, I was so exhausted.  When we got back to the car, I stretched out on the floor between Christine’s feet and took a nap until we got to Big Meadows.

At lunch, I even got some well-earned treats – a few fries and some of Christine’s burger patty. I would have liked to taste a blackberry milkshake, but I don’t think anyone was willing to share.  Lots of people wanted to pet me and say hello at National Trails Day.  I guess hiking pugs are sort of unusual!

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 6.4 miles one-way with a shuttle required.
  • Elevation Change – 1250 feet
  • Difficulty – 2.5  The trail is over halfway uphill, with a few steeper sections.
  • Trail Conditions – 3.  The trail between Powell Gap to Smith Roach Gap was overgrown.  Otherwise the trail is fairly well-maintained, but there are a few loose rock sections going downhill.
  • Views – 4.  Great views.
  • Wildlife – 2.  We saw a few deer and a scarlet tanager on the trail.
  • Ease to Navigate – 4.5. Just stay on the Appalachian Trail. 
  • Solitude – 2.5  The promixity to the beginning of the south district of Shenandoah National Park make this popular for the last three miles of the trail.

Directions to trailhead: On Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park, go to mile 70 in the South District of the Park.  Park on the side of the road, near the sign for Powell Gap.  You will see the beginning of the trail on the eastern side of the road.  Follow the white blazes.

Twin Pinnacles Trail

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The Twin Pinnacles trail is a gentle trail that takes you to the highest point in Grayson Highlands State Park.  The views from each of the Pinnacles are nothing short of spectacular.

View from Little Pinnacle
The view from Little Pinnacle.  Below: Although this blog post primarily covers the Twin Pinnacles trail, don’t miss hiking up through Massie Gap to where it meets the Appalachian Trail.  You’ll see ponies and spectacular scenery.

Ponies  Grayson Higlands Hiking Grayson highlands view

AT through Massie Gap More Ponies Grayson Highlands view

Christine Says…

When visiting the southwest region of Virginia, a visit to Grayson Highlands State Park is practically mandatory.  That park and the high country around Mount Rogers might be my favorite spot in the entire state of Virginia for many reasons.  The lovely boreal forest seen in much of that area is uncommon elsewhere in our state.  The bald, open high country is stunningly beautiful.  And, the kicker… there are WILD PONIES.  Honestly, if there was nothing besides the wild ponies to set Grayson Highlands apart, I would still love it best.  I grew up a horse crazy girl and that sentiment has never really abated in my adulthood.

Last time we visited Grayson Highlands, we hiked up Mount Rogers.  This time we wanted to try something new, so we decided to hike the Twin Pinnacles trail, which lies completely within the state park’s boundaries.  But before we set off on our new hike, I insisted that we hike far enough up the Appalachian Trail that I could see and photograph some of the ponies and their spring foals.  The wild ponies of Grayson Highlands are not everywhere in the park.  The best chances to see them are hiking through Massie Gap and then south along the Appalachian Trail.

As it turned out, the ponies were all tucked into the shade and relaxing at the higher elevations.  We ended up hiking a little over halfway up Mount Rogers before we found the herd.  We enjoyed watching a small family group of ponies – two mares, two foals and a stallion for about an hour before we headed back down to do our ‘real’ hike.

Foal along the AT
This foal looked so beautiful with the mountainous background.  Below: Adam walking along the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail; A couple shots of the Catawba Rhododendron in bloom.

Adam hiking across Massie Gap Catawba Rhodedendron Rhodedendron Along the AT

We also spent a little time headed slightly north on the Appalachian Trail so Adam could look for a geocache.  While he did that, I enjoyed the spectacular blooms of the Catawba Rhododendron.  They’re so colorful, and really set the mountainside awash in brilliant purple.

By the time we got to the trailhead for Twin Pinnacles, which is located behind the park’s Visitor Center, I was already sunburned, tired and hungry.  Thankfully, Twin Pinnacles is a very, very short hike.  At 1.6 miles, it barely makes my personal cut-off of one-mile for actually being considered a ‘hike’.  Anything shorter than a mile is just a walk in my book!

For such a short hike, Twin Pinnacles packs in a ton of majestic scenery!  The trail climbs very gradually to the highest point in the park – Little Pinnacle – at 5084 feet.  You would think Big Pinnacle would be the taller, but the name is a slight misrepresentation.

From the top of Little Pinnacle, we had views in every direction.  We could see Christmas Tree farms down in the valley.  We could see Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain off in the distance.  All through the forest, bands of red spruce were visible.  They really stand out among other conifers due to their richer, russet colors.

Trail Leaving Little Pinnacle
The trail leaving Little Pinnacle.

Walking across the rocky, bare top of the mountain was reminiscent of hiking in New England.  We quickly dipped back into the trees and walked through a small saddle over the Big Pinnacle.  After a short, very steep climb, we stepped out onto bare rock overlooking a gorgeous vista.  Of the two Pinnacles, I think Big Pinnacle has slightly nicer views of the park – especially looking down into Massie Gap.  We enjoyed the breeze atop the Pinnacle, and I spent some time daydreaming more about the ponies and what they might be up to.  (yes… really – I love those ponies!)

After leaving the second Pinnacle, we had a short walk back to the Visitor Center and a long ride back home.  I wish we had more time to spend in the area – I love Grayson Highlands!

Adam  Says…

The last time we had visited Grayson Highlands, we spent most of the day at Mount Rogers and had little time or energy left for anything else.  I thought it would be nice to see some other features of this wonderful state park.  Since the weather and views were lovely, we tried out the Twin Pinnacles Trail.

Storm Shelter
The 1.6 mile loop trail has several storm shelters built by a local boy scout troop.  Below: The trail starts behind the visitors center.

Twin Pinnacles trailhead

During our morning in Grayson Highlands, Christine was determined to see wild ponies.  She stated that she didn’t want to leave until she saw ponies and hopefully foals.  In my best Mr. T impression, I said “I pity the foals” and we started our search.  We ran into an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker.  I wish we had stopped to get his trail name, because he was such a happy guy.  He was from Florida and just said that he is just amazed every day at what he is doing.  He said that he often goes blue-blazing (since all of the AT is white-blazed, trails off the AT are typically blue-blazed) to see other things that people recommend.  He wasn’t out to set any records for speed, he was just enjoying every moment.  I hope he makes the trip the whole way.  I kept thinking that he is adding on a lot of extra miles that I know many other hikers wouldn’t want to do.  I was asking if he had seen any ponies and he said he walked through about four herds getting to this spot today, so I knew we were on the right path.  Shortly after we parted ways, we ran into our first two ponies.  They were a little stand-offish, but they didn’t run away from us.   These ponies looked a little rough, like they needed some time with a grooming brush.  Christine wanted to continue to try and find some more groups of ponies.  Shortly after we continued to climb up the AT, I looked back to enjoy the view (and catch my breath) and I saw some ponies not far from where we were hiking.  We decided to climb back down and check them out and Christine saw there were two foals with them.  We spent about 45 minutes just watching their behavior from a safe distance before I nudged Christine away to continue on with our day.  I’m sure she could have stayed all day looking at this set of ponies.

There are two different options for this trail.  You can start from the parking lot at Massie Gap and hike steeply uphill via the Big Pinnacle Trail.  We decided to go the easier way, since we had already spent a good time hiking before this.

Big Pinnacle overlooking Massie Gap
Big Pinnacle overlooking Massie Gap.

To get to the trailhead, just continue on the park road, Grayson Highland Lane, until you reach the parking lot to the Visitor’s Center.  Once you park the car, you will have to climb up several stairs until you reach the Visitor’s Center.  As you are looking directly at the Visitor’s Center, the red-blazed trail begins behind and to the left of the Center.  After a short distance, you will reach a larger bulletin board with a map of the trail where the trail forks.  Take the left fork.  You will soon come across the first of four storm shelters along the trail that were created as an Eagle Scout project.  You will reach the first rocky outcrop, Little Pinnacle around .7 miles.  The Little Pinnacle is actually higher than the Big Pinnacle in elevation.  The trail continues on for a few tenths of a mile until you reach the sign for the Big Pinnacle overlook.  The trail up to the Big Pinnacle consists of steep stairs leading to the top, but it isn’t too far of a climb to the top.  Once there, you should be able to see the Massie Gap parking lot below.  Go back to the sign and continue to follow the signs leading back to the Visitor’s Center.  You should finish your trip at 1.6 miles.

I did do a little geocaching on the trail while I was there.  In one of the geocaches, I found a toy Pinnochio from the Shrek movies.  I decided to grab it (in geocaching, you typically take something and leave something in the container).  As we continued to hike, I kept thinking that I heard something barking or voices that were in the distance.  I asked Christine a couple of times if she heard anything and she said she didn’t.  After thinking that I was going crazy, I finally realized that this Pinnochio was making noises.  He makes some grunts and occasionally says, “I’ll never become a real boy”.   We had a good laugh at my expense over that.  If you would like to find the geocaches on the trail, they are:

For a hiker in Virginia, it really doesn’t get any better than a visit to Grayson Highlands State Park.  This is truly a magical place!

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 1.6 miles
  • Elevation Change – 250 feet
  • Difficulty – 2.  The trail is mostly flat and easy with the exception of one short, steep climb up Little Pinnacle.
  • Trail Conditions – 4.  The trail is heavily-traveled and in great shape.
  • Views – 5.  Spectacular views from one of Virginia’s highest spots.
  • Wildlife – 1.  We saw some birds. There might be bears and deer in the area, but we didn’t see anything.
  • Ease to Navigate – 4.5. There are a couple turns, but if you follow the signs you’ll easily be able to stay on the loop.
  • Solitude – 2.  The short length and excellent views make this trail very popular.

Directions to trailhead: From Abingdon, take 58 East until you reach Grayson Highlands State Park on the left through SR 362. Continue on Grayson Highland Lane until you reach the parking lot for the Visitor’s Center.  The trailhead is behind and to the left of the Visitor’s Center.

New River Trail – Fries to Foster Falls

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The New River Trail is a 57-mile rails-to-trails bike path.  It starts in Galax or Fries and runs to Pulaski, following the New River closely for most of the way.  We biked a 20+ mile section from Fries to Foster Falls.

A Look Down the New River Trail
The trail was shady and lush! Below: One of the many bridges along the trail – this one crossed the New River;  A view of the New River at Foster Falls; Adam looks at some small rapids.

Bridge Near Shot Tower New River at Foster Falls Adam Looking at River

Adam Says…

When we were originally planning our trip down near the Grayson Highlands area, we were planning to incorporate a bike ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail.  We had previously done the Virginia Creeper Trail from Whitetop to Damascas, but we wanted to do the entire trail.  After doing some research, we found out that due to recent tornado activity, only 8 miles of trail is still available to bike south of Damascas.  There are plans to restore it soon, but it kept us from going with our original plan.

We were disappointed, but I had remembered hearing good things about the New River Trail.  After discovering that we could still stay near Grayson Highlands and do this trail, we had a solution.  The next challenge was trying to find a shuttle service to bike.  After doing some internet research, I found a place called New River Trail Outfitters that offers the service.  However, when I tried to call the numbers were disconnected.  I’m not sure if they are out of business, but I couldn’t find any current information for them.

Bike and Canoe Livery
The livery at Foster Falls rents bikes, canoes, kayaks and tubes. They also handle the bike shuttle service.  Below:  The stable at Foster Falls, A caboose on display; Foster Falls has an old depot building now used as a shop.

Stable Caboose Foster Falls Depot

I then called the New River Trail State Park and found out that they offer a shuttle service.  The park headquarters is located in Foster Falls.  The cost per person to shuttle from Foster Falls to Fries or Galax is $25/person.  When I called in for information, I found out they opened at 9AM.  When I asked if we needed to make a reservation, I was told “No.  You can  just show up.” It’s definitely much more laid back than making shuttle reservations for the Virginia Creeper. Along the Creeper, shuttles fill up days in advance, so you usually have to make a reservation with a credit card well ahead of your trip.

We decided to get there right at 9AM.  The day was calling for temperatures in the high 90s, so we wanted to get most of the bike ride over before the hottest part of the day.  We had to wait for a little while for a second employee to show up, but we were able to get our bikes loaded and we were off by about 9:20.  It took about 35 minutes to get to Fries.  We were thinking that it was going to be a very long bike ride, but the bike path is actually quite a bit shorter than the distance by car.

The New River Trail State Park is the longest state park, measuring a total of 57 miles, but only averages about 80 feet wide.  This is a state park with the purpose of biking, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, or tubing.  The guys operating the shuttle service says that most people choose to rent kayaks and float the river along the trail.

Biking Across the Fries Junction Bridge
Biking Across the Fries Junction Bridge.  Below: A variety of scenery along the trail.

Cliffsides New River Old Barn

I would recommend getting a copy of the bike map to take along with you. This path that we chose mostly takes place in the south section, but you will be 1.2 miles in the north section.

We decided to go for the section from Fries to Foster Falls because we thought it would be a little more manageable in the heat than the Galax to Foster Falls section.  The Galax to Fries Junction section would have meant another 8 miles of biking and doesn’t parallel the New River until it reaches Fries Junction.

The bike path at Fries immediately starts by the New River.  Right from the parking lot, we were able to see gorgeous views of the river.  The trail takes about 5.5 miles to reach Fries Junction (which intersects with the trail from Galax).  At Fries Junction, we did run into about 10 camp counselors that were biking the trail and talking about which colleges they were admitted to.  I tried to keep quiet for a while, since I work in the JMU Admissions Office, but I did talk to one girl that was going to JMU next year as a freshman.  We pressed on after a short break, following the signs to Pulaski (the terminus of the trail).  We passed by Byllesby Dam (at mile 8.0) and Buck Dam (at mile 10.6).  We stopped to eat a snack at Ivanhoe (at mile 13.7).  Shortly after Austinville (at mile 16.5), we went through a short tunnel.  This tunnel wasn’t that dark, so you most likely would not need a headlamp to go through.  At mile 20.1, we reached Shot Tower.  We parked our bikes and hiked up the steep stairs (which is tough after biking a while) to explore the tower.  After we were done, we finished our ride back at the Foster Falls state park headquarters where we had started our trip.

There are a few geocaches to find along the way for this bike ride.

I definitely would like to come back and do some other sections of the trail.  The section from Galax to Foster Falls is about 28 miles and the section from Foster Falls to Pulaski is about 22 miles.  When we were reflecting back on the rails-to-trails bike rides we have done, we would put this only second to the Virginia Creeper trail.

Christine Says…

The New River Trail wasn’t our first choice for this mini vacation.  Initially, we had planned to head down to Abingdon and make a second attempt to bike the entire Virginia Creeper.  Let’s just say we don’t have good luck when it comes to the Creeper.  In 2009, it rained on us for 17 miles before we bailed out and caught a van ride back to Abingdon from Damascus, in 2010 I got bronchitis and was too sick to go when we planned, and in 2011 the section of the trail between Damascus and Abingdon was closed due to tornado damage.  Apparently, some mythical force is keeping us from finishing that trail!

Tunnel
This was the only tunnel we passed through on the section we biked.  Below: Geese and goslings; Pretty wildflowers along the trail; Rocks and rapids in the new river.

Geese Wildflowers Rapids

Luckily, Adam was able to do some last minute research and plan an alternate getaway for us that included biking along the New River Trail.  The trail is 57 miles long and passes through Grayson, Carroll, Wythe, and Pulaski Counties, linking the towns of Pulaski and Galax with a side spur of the trail linking to Fries.  It hasn’t been around as long as the Virginia Creeper, so it’s not as well-known and the area doesn’t have quite as many bike-friendly amenities (shuttle services, bike shops, trailside cafes).  But what it lacks in amenities, it makes up for with its beauty and solitude.   We saw fewer than two dozen people along the New River Trail over a 20+ mile span and greatly enjoyed the pristine river scenery.

The trail was in great shape – smooth and flat, covered with fine crushed stone.  There were lots of pretty wildflowers along the path – snapdragons, mountain laurel and others I didn’t know.  Every now and then, I’d catch a deer watching us quietly from the woods.  We saw a pair of geese and their goslings hanging out at one of the primitive trailside campsites.  The river was fed by many small streams cascading down the hillside above the trail.  There were even a few small waterfalls flowing.  The New River was spectacular!  All the spring rain had water levels higher than average, so there were many rapids and cascades that probably aren’t there when the water is lower.  The driver of our shuttle even mentioned that they had to cancel canoe/kayak/tube trips due to high water on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

It was close to 100 degrees outside on the day we biked, so that made it a bit uncomfortable.  Although, once we got going, the breeze from pedaling along made the heat bearable.  Thankfully, much of the trail passes through a shady tunnel of woods, so we were able to stay out of the direct sunlight most of the way.

Nonetheless, I drank almost three liters of water and a 20-ounce bottle of lemonade over the course of the ride.  I also ended up with a huge, salty sweat ring on the front of my shirt (GROSS!) and my legs were crusted with sweat mixed with gravel and grit (DIRTY!).  I was not a pretty site at the end of the trail, but I had such a good time I didn’t care!

Shot Tower
The Shot Tower.

Two things I liked best along this bike path were the Fries Junction Bridge and the Shot Tower.  The bridge was neat just because it was so long and curvy.  Shot Tower was interesting for its history.  The tower itself sits above the trail.  So you have to take a short, steep climb up a hill and several flights of steps to visit the tower – but it’s definitely worth the effort.  Another little tidbit of history from the area is that Stephen F. Austin, ‘The Father of Texas’, was actually born in Wythe County, in a small town that now bears his name (Austinville).  The trail passes right through that area.

Horses
Park employees enjoy a shady spot on horseback.

I would definitely make a return trip to bike more of the New River Trail!  The state park shuttle service makes it so convenient.  I also might want to go back and ride horses along the trail.  Seeing all the horses at the Foster Falls stable really made me miss having a horse and going for long rides.

After finishing up with our bike ride, we got cleaned up and headed into Galax for a movie and pizza.  I was shocked that movies in Galax were only $4.00 for a matinee (as of 2011)!  After the movie, pizza at RJ’s Pizza and Subs was delicious!  They had really good and inexpensive food.

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 21.3 miles
  • Elevation Change – negligible
  • Difficulty – 1.5  The terrain is extremely flat, so if you can do the mileage, you shouldn’t have a problem.
  • Trail Conditions – 4.5.  The trail is either very small gravel or dirt.  It doesn’t get better unless you find paved trails.
  • Views – 1.5  You don’t get views from high points, but there are a few nice unobstructed views of the river and some of the mountains around you.
  • Waterfalls/Streams – 5.  Most of the trail, you are biking along the New River.
  • Wildlife – 2.  We saw a couple of deer and a black snake on our ride.
  • Ease to Navigate –4.5.  The trail is very easy to follow and well-marked.
  • Solitude – 2.5.  This trail does get busy on nice weekend days, but it is not as popular as the Virginia Creeper trail.

Directions to trailhead: For the headquarters of New River Trail State Park for the shuttle service, take exit 24 (69 East) off of Interstate 77.  Take a left on to US-52 North.  Go 1.5 miles and take a right on to Foster Falls Road/State Route 608.  There should be signs directing you to the New River Trail State Park.  There is a fee of $2 to visit the park.

For the trailhead in Fries, VA, Fries is located off of  highway 94.   From Main Street in Fries, turn on Firehouse Drive.  You should see the small parking lot and bulletin board shelter for the start of the trail at the curve on Firehouse Drive.

Rocky Knob

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This short ‘lollipop loop’ hike takes you across high cow pastures offering great views of the valley below.  Eventually you climb to the summit of Rocky Knob and enjoy visiting a former Appalachian Trail hut.  The views from the hut and the rocky outcropping on the summit are excellent!

Open Meadow and Trail Marker
The trail climbs up across open meadow. Below:  We sampled fourteen different wines at Chateau Morrisette; Hiking in open pasture;  The hike takes you across the Saddle Overlook.

Chateau Morrisette  Hiking in Open Pasture  Saddle Overlook

Christine Says…

A couple years ago we visited the Virginia Highlands area and did some hiking at Hungry Mother, biked the Virginia Creeper and climbed Mount Rogers.  We had such a great time, that we decided a return trip was in order. We stayed in the small town of Hillsville – right off I-77.  It was the perfect spot to use as a base for a number of activities in the area.

The first thing we decided to do was head up to the Meadows of Dan to explore that area of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We settled on a visit to Chateau Morrisette to sample wine, a short hike in the Rocky Knob area and a photo shoot at Mabry Mill.

Normally, I wouldn’t drink a bunch of wine before hiking in 95 degree weather, but it was the only way the schedule would allow us to fit everything into one evening.  So… off I went to drink fourteen different kinds of vino!  Chateau Morisette was such a great place!  Their winery is right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, nestled into the rolling Virginia countryside.  They have a large tasting room with a friendly staff.  A variety of adorable and friendly dogs hang out and roam freely around the winery.  Outside, there are pavilions and gazebos where people can lounge and enjoy their wine. I enjoyed every single wine I tasted – especially their Chambourcin.  I also like that they donate part of the profit from their Liberty wine to support the training and placement of service dogs.  We spent about an hour at the winery, purchased some bottles of the wines I liked best and headed on our way to the Rocky Knob area – just a few miles north on the Parkway.

We parked at the Rocky Knob campground and crossed the road to find the trailhead.  To access the trail, you can either go through the gate or squeeze through the zig-zag.  The first part of the trail climbs across open meadow,  The views were amazing… rolling mountains in every direction.  The sun was really beating down on us.  I was so hot and thirsty (probably from the wine!) that I drank nearly two liters of water in the first half hour of hiking.

View from Rocky Knob
The view from Rocky Knob.  Below: The shelter sits on a hillside above a rocky outcropping; A better view of the shelter, outside and inside.

Rocky Knob Hut Rocky Knob Hut Sideview Inside the Hut

At the crest of the hill, we passed through another zig-zag fence opening and entered the woods.  The forest was full of wildflowers, azaleas and mountain laurel.  Some of the flowers were different than anything we have in the Shenandoah, and the azaleas were predominantly orange (instead of the pink ones we have near us).  In the shade, it was much cooler and more comfortable for hiking.

We passed out of the woods briefly to cross the parking lot at the Saddle Overlook.  At the south end of the overlook, we entered the woods again and began an uphill climb.  At the trail junction, we followed the right arm of the loop and ascended to the Rocky Knob Shelter.  The shelter used to sit along the Appalachian Trail and served as an overnight stop for thru-hikers.  The AT was re-routed much further west a long time ago, but the shelter was left intact.  In front of the building, a small descent takes you down to a rocky ledge with a spectacular view (the view is almost as good from the shelter itself.)  The hillside was covered with mountain laurel – so gorgeous.

We hiked a little bit past the shelter.  There was one more nice view, but after that the trail started to descend toward the picnic area, so we turned around.  The return trip follows the steeper arm of the loop downhill.  As we walked back, the views from the trail were even prettier.  The sun was dropping in the sky, making the light softer and warmer.

When we got back to the pasture area, the cattle had come out from the shady areas they had been hiding.  They looked at us curiously and trotted off when we got too close.  We made it back to the car a good while before sunset, but early enough that I had enough time to shoot Mabry Mill.

It was a great, short hike!  I wish it hadn’t been so hot, but it was otherwise a perfect evening.

Adam Says…

We got checked in around 2:00PM and decided that we should try and make the best of the afternoon.  Christine has been wanting to photograph Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while, so we thought it would be best to hit that closer to sunset.  We decided to try and squeeze in a hike beforehand.  We debated about going to Fairy Stone State Park, but opted for this short hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just north of Mabry Mill.  We drove past Mabry Mill and saw the signs for Chateau Morrisette winery.  After Christine went through a quick wine-tasting, we made our way up to the Rocky Knob trail.

Mountain Laurel
The mountain laurel was spectacular! Below: More wildflowers, azaleas and mountain laurel.

Wildflowers Azaleas More Mountain Laurel

There are many ways to approach this hike.  We consulted our Falcon Guide, which just got us confused on which was the best way to go.  They list about three different hikes for this one, but don’t really provide appropriate directions for all three.

We started the trail, by parking our vehicle right outside the Rocky Knob campground.  Directly across the parkway road from the campground entrance, there is a fat-man squeeze leading in to a field.  This is to keep the cows that occupy this field , so don’t try to open any gates.  After crossing through, head right following the blazed posts through the grassy fields.  You will slowly ascend this hillside.  At .6 miles, the trail leads to another fat-man squeeze that leads into the woods.  At .75 miles, you will come out of the woods and reach the Saddle Overlook area.  Keep going straight and go back into the woods.  At .83 miles, you will reach a junction.  This is the beginning of the lollipop loop section of the trail.  Take the right branch.  Just about another 150 feet, you will reach another junction.  Take the left to start the red-blazed trail.  This trail leads uphill fairly steeply with a switchback.  At 1.0 miles, you will reach the end of this trail, which leads to the Rocky Knob shelter and joins back with the blue-blazed Rock Castle Gorge Trail.  Head up the trail (north) just about 150 feet up the trail and you will come to the Rocky Knob overlook.  Backtrack and go back to the cabin to enjoy the views and explore the cabin.  Head down the Rock Castle Gorge Trail (south), passing by the Saddle Overlook and making your way back to your vehicle.

Adam takes in the view
Adam takes in the view from the second view, past the shelter. Below: Cows were grazing in the pasture on our return hike; A last view across the open meadows.

Cows Open Views

The temperature for the day was over 90 degrees and the sun was beating down on us relentlessly, but the views that you get from the field, the Saddle Overlook, and the shelter were truly breathtaking.  It was a clear day, with no threat of rain, and even in the haze we felt like we could see for fifty miles around us.  The shelter was impressive too.  The Appalachian Trail used to run through this area and this was once used by thru-hikers.  I can just imagine how wonderful of a shelter this would be – the sunrise from this spot must have been amazing.

Christine and I were both impressed with the landscape along the way.  There is a longer 10.6 mile hike through the Rock Castle Gorge that will be something to add to our “must hike” list on a day when we have more time.

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 2.3 miles
  • Elevation Change – 480 feet
  • Difficulty – 2.  The uphill is nice and gradual.
  • Trail Conditions – 4.  The trail is nicely maintained with a few rocky spots.
  • Views – 4.5.  The views from the meadow and the Rocky Knob summit were beautiful!
  • Waterfalls/Streams – 0.  None
  • Wildlife – 1.  Maybe the cows count?
  • Ease to Navigate – 3.5.  Some of the maps and descriptions are a little confusing.
  • Solitude – 3.  It’s hard to judge this.  We visited on a weekday evening.  I assume this area is heavily trafficked on weekends.

Directions to trailhead: The Rocky Knob campground is located around mile 168 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Park your car just outside the campground, cross the parkway, and begin the hike by going through the fat-man squeeze and going right up the meadow.

Compton Peak

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Compton Peak is a short hike in the northern district of Shenandoah National Park. It has great views and requires just a little effort.

Adam Takes in the View from Compton Peak
Adam takes in the view from the western side of Compton Peak. Below: A trail marker points the way to both the eastern and western views; This area was burned in a large forest fire in the winter of 2011. A resident on the park perimeter started the fire by dumping hot ashes from his wood stove. The fire ended up burning over 2000 acres and closed many trails (including the one to Compton Peak); The eastern view is somewhat obstructed.

Double Views Burnt Area Eastern Viewpoint

Adam Says…

There has been so much rain this spring, that it seems next to impossible to find a pretty day to enjoy a hike.  Last weekend, after checking out the weather forecast, we decided to take a quick trip up to Shenandoah National Park to squeeze in a hike before the clouds and rain came (again).

The directions for the hike are rather simple.  From the parking lot, just cross Skyline Drive and start up the white-blazed Appalachian Trail.  The trail ascends steadily.  At .2 miles you will come across a large boulder to the left of the trail. At .7 miles, the trail tends to level off to a slight incline.  At .8 miles, you will reach the post that marks the spur trails to the east and west for views for peaks.  Both of these spur trails are .2 miles in length.  The west trail to the right ascends slightly, but the views are quite impressive.  The east trail to the left descends most of the way and eventually leads to a large boulder to ascend for the obstructed views.

Adam Makes His Way Up the Trail
Adam makes his way south along the Appalachian Trail. Below: We saw this buck with new antlers near the trailhead; Scaling a huge boulder along the trail; Native azaleas in bloom.

Buck Giant Boulder Native Azaleas

We spent a good while taking in the beautiful views on the west trail.  We watched several vultures and a hawk float on the wind drafts.  After we headed back from the trail, we saw the clouds starting to move in.  We were thrilled we were able to get in a short hike before things clouded up.

Since we’ve recently been doing some longer hikes, this felt a little like cheating.  But I tried to think that it isn’t about how many miles you try to pile up, but the enjoyment you get from the scenery around you.

Christine Says…

Compton Peak was not our original plan.  We hoped to drive down to Peaks of Otter and hike Flat Top, the companion hike to Sharp Top.  But like so many other weekends this spring, our plans have been foiled by impending rain.  To put things in perspective, by mid-May, our area should receive a little over 12 inches of rain.  In spring 2011, we’re already pushing 22 inches of rain.  It’s definitely made everything lush and green.  Waterfalls are flowing abundantly.  But, it’s always slick and muddy, views are cloudy, thunder is always rumbling and lightning flashes almost nightly – and let’s face it – it’s no fun to walk in a downpour.

Christine on the Western Viewpoint
Christine relaxes on the rocks. Below: We enjoyed the clear views and beautiful sky; The climb to the eastern overlook was really rocky.

Beautiful Sky The Climb to the Eastern Summit was Rocky

We knew we had about a four hour window of sunshine before clouds and rain moved in, so we chose a short hike in Shenandoah.  Compton Peak fit the bill nicely.

As we were getting situated, we saw a thru-hiker descending the trail.  I’m always struck by how fast they hike; so business-like.  We also passed a couple other backpackers and hikers coming off the trail.  We chatted with one older couple.  When we asked them “How was the view?”, they responded that they hadn’t made it that far.  Compton Peak is a really short hike, so I was really surprised they turned around before getting to the overlook.

The ascent was fairly gradual, but for some reason I was feeling completely drained on this particular morning.  My boots felt lead-lined and I didn’t have any energy.  It made me a little glad that we chose a short hike for a change!

I loved the western summit of Compton Peak!  The rock was nice and flat.  It gave me a perfect place to lie flat on my back and feel the breeze blow over my face.  The sky was absolutely gorgeous – deep blue and full of a variety of cloud formations.  The viewpoint had a lot of native azaleas in full bloom surrounding the rocky overlook.  It was really pretty.

Thruhiker Headed North
A thru-hiker heads north along the Appalachian Trail.

The eastern summit was underwhelming.  In fact, I didn’t bother to walk all the way out to the rock after Adam told me the view was obstructed.  The hike back was all downhill and took only 15-20 minutes.  It was a little odd being on such a short hike after doing so many longer hikes lately.  If I hadn’t been so tired, I probably would have felt like such a short hike was ‘incomplete’.

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 2.4 miles out and back. This includes the two spur hikes to the Peak views
  • Elevation Change – 835 feet.
  • Difficulty –2. This is a pleasant and easy section to hike.
  • Trail Conditions – 3. Very nicely maintained and easy to walk.  There are a few rocky sections.  The East trail at the top had water running on the trail and was quite slick on the descent.
  • Views – 3.5 The best views are from the West trail
  • Waterfalls/streams – 0. Non-existent.
  • Wildlife – 1.5. We didn’t see anything along the way, but the peaks should be a good spot to check out some birds of prey.
  • Ease to Navigate – 4. Follow the white blazes until you reach the top post.  There is a junction here that leads to blue-blazed trails to the east and west.
  • Solitude – 2. You will likely see people along the trail, due to the ease of hike.  The overlooks don’t have room for a lot of people, so you could be sharing the views with others.

Directions to trailhead: Park at mile 10.3 on Skyline Drive at the Compton Gap parking area.  The trail begins across the road from the parking lot.

Sky Meadows Loop

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This 5.5 mile loop through Sky Meadows State Park offers spectacular valley views and the opportunity to hike in high, open meadows.

Adam Takes in the View from the Piedmont Overlook
Adam takes in the view from the Piedmont Overlook.  Below: Mt. Bleak House was built in 1843 and is open for tours; An Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker makes his way down the trail (he is in the far left of the photo, beyond the dogwood trees); A cute village in the valley below.

Mt. Bleak House AT Thruhiker Cute Town in the Valley Below

Adam Says…

This hike was amazing!  I can’t believe that we had never been to Sky Meadows State Park until now.  Each year, Christine and I pull a list of hikes together that we want to try and cover.  When I was looking through the Falcon Guide Hiking Virginia book, they mentioned under “other hikes” to try the Sky Meadows State Park.  I am shocked that the authors didn’t feature a trail through this area rather than leaving it as a footnote.  I think this is one of the best hikes in Virginia for views.  I would liken the scenery and open views to those you would find at Cole Mountain or Grayson Highlands/Mount Rogers.  Put this on your list of “must hikes” – you won’t regret it!

Across from the Visitor Center, you will see the Park Office on the hillside.  Walk past the large board showing the map of hiking trails and walk up the gravel path that leads into the woods.  Once you reach the fork, take a left and continue down the gravel Boston Mill road.  Continue on this road, passing by the junction with the Gap Run trail, until you come to the junction with the South Ridge trail at .45 miles.

The Chimney at the Snowden Ruins
The Snowden House ruins. Below: We crossed this small stream early in the hike.  It’s probably dry most of the year;  Adam makes his way up the South Ridge Trail; Adam reads information about Snowden; Dogwoods were at their peak.

Stream South Ridge Trail Snowden Ruins Sign Big Dogwood

Take a right on to the yellow-blazed South Ridge Trail.  The trail begins to quickly climb up the steep hillside.  At .5 miles, there is a short spur trail to a nice view.  At .58 miles, you will come to the Snowden Ruins.  You’ll see the foundation of the old homestead along with what is left of a stone chimney.  Further up the trail, you will come to the South Ridge overlook which sits under a dogwood tree.  Continue along the trail which tends to ascend most of the way.  At 2.2 miles, you will reach a junction with the North Ridge trail.  Take a left up the blue-blazed North Ridge Trail.  At 2.6 miles, you will reach a junction with the white-blazed Appalachian trail.  Take a right, heading north on the Appalachian Trail.  At 3.5 miles, you will come to a fork.

Take a right at the fork to go on to the light blue-blazed Ambassador Whitehouse trail.  At 3.9 miles, you will come to the Paris overlook viewpoint, which also provides gorgeous panoramic views.  After this viewpoint, the trail descends back through the woods.  At 4.53 take a left back on to the North Ridge trail, but in just a few feet you will take a left up the red Piedmont Overlook trail.

Adam under the Dogwoods
Adam under the Dogwoods. Below: Hepatica; Tiger Swallowtail; Mayapple Flower

Hepatica Tiger Swallowtail Mayapple

The trail ascends through a steep section here, but you will climb up a few stairs and then reach a wider trail that leads to a few benches and the Upper Piedmont Overlook.  Enjoy the views here and as you climb down to the Lower Piedmont Overlook.  After passing by an old farm building, you will climb over a few stairs and then down until you come back to the Boston Mill Road at mile 5.1.   Take a left on the road and you should be making your way back to your vehicle and the Visitor Center.

The land that became Sky Meadows State Park was donated by Paul Mellon (son of Andrew Mellon – U.S. Secretary of State from 1921-1932), a famous philanthropist, art collector, and Kentucky Derby-winning horse owner.   He donated 1132 acres of the land in 1975 and later more donations (including the land for the Appalachian Trail) have taken it up to the current 1862 acres.  The history of the land also dates back to Lord Fairfax and previous owners had ties to Belle Grove.

This really was a perfect day to do this hike!  We started off the day with a trip through Shenandoah National Park to view some early morning wildlife and to take in some breakfast at Skyland.  We then made our way to Front Royal and headed to Sky Meadows State Park.  The weather was perfect for hiking with highs in the 70s and a breeze throughout.  The sky was very clear with a few clouds, but no threat of rain.  The views were extraordinary and I can’t wait to come back some time.

Adam find the Hiking Upward Cache
Adam find the Hiking Upward Cache.  Below:  Lunch on the trail; Turning onto the AT; Making our way across the high meadows.

Lunch High Meadows

If you are interested in geocaching, there are several geocaches to find on this loop:

Christine Says…

Last Saturday was a perfect spring day.  We got up before sunrise and drove through the central and north districts of Shenandoah National park en route to Sky Meadows State Park for a day of hiking. (Passing through Shenandoah, we saw a bear and had a good breakfast at Skyland!)

Sky Meadows was established in the early 1980s and is home to a beautiful restored Civil-war era farm and twelve miles of hiking trails – including a little snip of the Appalachian Trail.  Sky Meadows is unique in that its campground has no car access.  Anyone wishing to stay overnight has to hike in to their campsite.

We parked at Mt. Bleak House.  From there, we hiked down a gravel path leading to the park’s network of trails.  Finding the trail we wanted to start on was a little tricky, because park maps were not to scale.  After a little fumbling around, we were on our way up the South Ridge Trail.  The trail climbed slowly and steadily uphill, past the ruins of Snowden – another old farm within the park’s boundary.  All that’s left standing of Snowden is a crumbling chimney and a number of foundations from outbuildings.  The site has a plaque describing the house and the people that lived there many years ago.

From Snowden, the path ascended continually passing through open meadows and pretty forest.  The dogwoods and redbuds were all near their peak of spring glory.  The flowers on the trees were truly spectacular against the perfect blue sky.  The breeze kept bugs (and sweating) at bay!  It really was ideal weather to be outdoors.

Leaning Redbud
A Beautiful Redbud along the trail. Below: A view into the valley from the Piedmont Overlook;  More Views; A spectacular dogwood.

Piedmont Overlooks Piedmont Overlook Beautiful Dogwood

For a while, the trail was pretty level as it passed through thicker woods.  We startled a turkey and watched it fly off, chortling and gobbling in dismay at being disturbed.  I must say… turkeys look really funny in flight.  The trail in this area was lined with lots of tiny wildflowers – mostly violets and hepatica.

Eventually, we started climbing again and came to the junction of the North Ridge and South Ridge trails.  We contemplated stopping for lunch at this point, but decided to press on, following the North Ridge trail to where it meets Appalachian Trail.  Another nice thing about Sky Meadows… there are benches at most trail junctions and overlooks.  It’s nice to have a comfortable place to sit and eat lunch – away from ticks, poison ivy and other crawly things.  We ended up using the bench along the Appalachian Trail for our picnic spot.

For lunch, we feasted on sandwiches, brownies, grapes and cheese.   Adam was eating his cheese and looking especially contemplative, when he turned and asked me “What kind of cheese is this?”  I responded “It’s mozzarella and cheddar twisted together.  You don’t like it?”  He said “No, it’s really GOOD… it sort of tastes like lobster dipped in melted butter!”  It’s weird, but he was actually kind of right – something about the texture of warmish mozzarella blended with the flavor of sharper cheddar ended up tasting remarkably like lobster. We’ve taken to calling this particular cheese snack ‘Lobster Cheese’.

While we ate lunch, we watched several other groups of hikers pass by.  No one really seemed to know where they were going.  Someone asked us if Harper’s Ferry was where the Appalachian Trail began.  Someone asked if they were already in Shenandoah National Park.  Two guys with cigarettes, sodas and no hiking gear contemplated aloud to one another “Should we go to Shenandoah or Harper’s Ferry?” (they were 20+ miles from either destination.)

After lunch, we headed north along the Appalachian Trail for a short while.  Along the ridge, the forest completely opened up to high meadows with amazing views into the valley below.  We were walking along the trail, chatting, when a fast hiker snuck up and passed us from behind.  He turned out to be the first AT thru-hiker we’ve seen in Virginia this year.   He’s definitely ahead of the pack!

Old Barn
We passed this old farm building on the hike down the Piedmont Overlook Trail. Below: A pretty lone tree; Adam stands in the middle of a huge four-trunked tree.

Lone Tree  Giant Four Trunk Tree

We really enjoyed walking across the open meadow terrain.  Most hikes we do are through thick forest, so this was a welcome change of pace.

At the junction of the Ambassador House Trail, the Appalachian Trail continued north and we turned right to make our way across more meadows and downhill to the Piedmont Overlook Trail.  We dipped back into forested area and passed a really cool four-trunked tree.  It was big enough for Adam to stand inside between all the trunks.

We took the optional arm of the trail uphill to get to the actual Piedmont Overlook, which was beautiful!  I loved seeing all the little houses and farms below in the valley.  From the overlook, the remainder of the hike was steeply downhill across open meadow.

Mt. Bleak House Grounds
Mt. Bleak House Grounds.  Below: A couple other shots from the Mt. Bleak grounds.

Summer Kitchen Barn on Mt. Bleak Farm

We arrived back on the gravel road and made our way back to the Mt. Bleak House area.  We stopped in the gift shop and chatted with the ranger.  We overheard her asking everyone walking in “Did you hike today?” and pretty much everyone answered “No – we’re just here to picnic!”  So, I made a point to tell her that we had hiked, had a great time and thought the park’s trail system was fantastic and very nicely maintained.  Adam got his passport book stamped and got credit for finding the state park’s official geocache.  We took a few minutes to poke around the farm and talk to two historical interpreters – one of them in a wonderful Zouave uniform.

We enjoyed our day in Sky Meadows very much.  It’s definitely a park we’ll visit again.

On our way home, we stopped briefly in Linden, Va to buy apple butter-cinnamon donuts from the Apple House.  If you’re in the area – you should do the same – they’re delicious!

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 5.5 miles.
  • Elevation Change – 1100 feet with one large climb in the beginning of the hike.  It’s mostly downhill or flat afterwards.
  • Difficulty –2.5. The beginning section is the toughest and is not for every person, but if you take it slow most people will be fine.
  • Trail Conditions – 4. It is very well-maintained.  The only rocky section was the .3 mile section on the North Ridge Trail.  The trail is wide in most places for two people to walk side-by-side.  Some sections you are even walking on soft grass.
  • Views – 5. You have lots of views along this hike of the valley and farm below.  On a clear day, you can see for miles!
  • Waterfalls/streams – 1. You cross one small stream in the beginning. It’s probably dry most of the year.
  • Wildlife – 2. We only saw one wild turkey and some other birds (there are bluebird boxes along the road).  They have spotted golden eagles in the area recently.
  • Ease to Navigate – 3. There are many options and junctions with other trails and the trails are not that well marked along the way.  While I don’t think a lot of people get lost up here, I do think some people take wrong turns before deciding they may have not gone the best way.
  • Solitude – 2. You will likely see people along the trail.  However, I think most of these people will be within a mile of the visitor’s center.  While we did see several people, you should be able to find your peace along the trail to soak in the views.

Directions to trailhead: From Route 17, turn on to Edmonds Lane as you see the sign for Sky Meadows State Park.  Follow this road until you reach the parking lot in front of Mt. Bleak House.  Park your car here and then walk past the large billboard with hiking trails on the small gravel path near the Park Office House.  All of the hiking trails start once you reach the junction on the edge of the woods.  Take a left to start your hike.

Appalachian Trail – Skyland to Thornton Gap

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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.

The View from Stony Man The View from Little Stony Man The trail hugs the edge of the mountain The Pinnacle Looking Toward Marys Rock Mary's Rock View

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.

Jason checks out the lichen The trail was rocky in many places 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.

Adam rests on Mary's Rock View from Mary's Rock
Thornton Gap View Climbing up to the viewpoint

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.

Rolling Hills Near Sunset

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

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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.

Beagle Gap Trail Sign White Blaze Large Rocks

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.

Fence Pretty and Colorful Still barren in early spring

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.

Radio Towers Wookie 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.

Beat up AT sign Wookie Begging for Trail Mix End of the Park

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...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

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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.

Buck Leap Two Bucks Park Here

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.

Adam takes in the view Back View of Blackrock Big Meadows Lodge

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.  🙂

Cemetery
This cemetery is the largest weve seen within park boundaries. It sits along a park access road not generally open to the public. Below: The trail was icy between the cemetery and Milam Gap; the old split rail fence borders the parking area at Milam Gap; an interesting headstone in the cemetery.

Icy Trail Milam Gap Fence Horse Headstone

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.

Clif Bar Snack A View of Bearfence 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.

Duncan Knob

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Duncan Knob is a great 3.4 mile hike in George Washington National Forest, located near Kennedy Peak and Strickler Knob.  Reaching the summit requires negotiating a Class III rock scramble.

Wookie Enjoys the View from Duncan Knob
Wookie Enjoys the View from Duncan Knob.  Below: The foliage along the trail was pretty;  The scramble is a foreboding pile of boulders; Adam and Wookie make their way up the scramble.

Rocky Trail View of the Scramble from the Bottom Scrambling with Wookie

Christine Says…

On Friday, Adam and I both took a vacation day from work to get in some fall hiking. We decided Duncan Knob suited our plans perfectly.  We wanted to avoid hikes in the national park (the crowds are dreadful this time of year) and we didn’t want to drive more than an hour. We did a little online research to look at our route options, and found pretty much everyone did the hike as an 8.7 mile loop.  The common route passes by just one spot with a view and includes significant uphill climbs on both the outgoing and return arms of the loop.

We decided to look at our maps to see if there was a more direct route to Duncan Knob.  I know lots of people primarily hike for the exercise. They love anything that makes the trail longer, steeper and more challenging.  I am not one of those people.  I don’t mind distance or elevation as long as there is a payoff for it.  But if there’s a more direct route to get the same view, I usually opt to take it.  Needless to say, we were pleased to find a 3.4 mile, out-and-back route that involved just 900 feet of elevation gain.

Blue Blazed Trail Gap Creek Trail
The Blue Blazed Trail Gap Creek Trail.  Below: The Gap Creek trail is well-marked;  Near the beginning of the trail you cross a small stream; Wookie enjoyed running back and forth across the bridge.

Gap Creek Sign Trail Sign Small Stream Wookie Running Across Bridge

The hike starts at the Gap Creek trailhead on Crisman Hollow Road.  You’ll walk a short way up a blue-blazed fire road until you see a campsite on the left side of the road.  The road continues uphill from this point, but you’ll want to cut through the campsite and cross the small bridge over the stream.  After crossing the bridge, the trail climbs steadily uphill.  For the first mile, the elevation gain is very gentle and is punctuated by flat stretches.  The trail is extremely rocky the entire way.  At mile 1.2, the blue-blazed Gap Creek trail intersects the yellow-blazed Scothorn Gap trail.  Continue on the blue-blazed trail until you reach a level place near the top of the ridge at 1.5 miles.  There’s a great campsite at this spot.  It has a big stone fire pit ringed by log benches.  There are lots of flat places to pitch tents, too.

Directly across from the campsite, the Duncan Knob spur trail begins.  The trail is blazed white and climbs steeply uphill to the summit.  As you walk along, you’ll notice the rocks on the trail are getting larger and more abundant.  Eventually, you step out of the woods and find yourself facing an enormous pyramid-shaped summit of jumbled rocks and boulders.

More Scrambling
Wookie and Adam scramble upward.  Below: The trail becomes progressively rockier; Adam explore the boulders; Wookie spots Adam climbing back down from the geocache.

Trail gets even rockier Adam scrambles Wookie sees Adam

Climb the rock scramble any number of ways (we followed a rather informal series of cairns along the left side of the rock pile) and you’ll be treated to sweeping views in almost every direction.  The scrambling was fun and not difficult at all.  I found a nice rock “chair” to sit on while Adam found a geocache hidden at the summit.  It was freezing cold and blustery sitting on the rocks, so we didn’t stay too long.

On the way down, we stopped back by the campsite and had some water and a snack.  We even gave our dog, Wookie, some graham crackers and marshmallows from our trail mix.  He did a great job on the rock scramble – especially considering how small he is.  The hike back down was pretty uneventful and just retraced our steps.  What a great hike!  I told Adam it’s been one of my favorite recent hikes.

Adam Says…

Ever since we did the Strickler Knob hike (actually our very first post!), I had been hearing that Duncan Knob also had amazing views.  I believe we put off this hike for a while due to the long 8.7 mile length, combined with lots of elevation gain.  So, I pulled out my map of the area to see if there was a different way.  Sure enough, you can easily get up to Duncan Knob by just sticking to the Gap Creek Trail.  The hike may have a little steeper of an elevation than approaching it from the Scothorn Gap Trail, but the hike up the Gap Creek Trail is much shorter and you aren’t missing much scenery.

The trail does include a few switchbacks once you start the trail over the bridge which takes the pressure of the elevation off your leg muscles.  The hike is almost all uphill, but before you know it you’ve reached the ridge where the campsite is.  We took a break here to see if there was anything else to see along the ridge, before proceeding up the white-blazed trail to the summit of Duncan Knob.  This white-blazed trail is slightly overgrown and some of the white blazes are quite faded, but it wasn’t too hard to navigate.  After only about .2 miles on this trail, we saw the looming rock scramble in front of us.  We decided to approach the rock scramble on the left-hand side.  Once you begin to climb up a few rocks, the views really begin to open up around you.  The rocks weren’t too tough to navigate, but it was harder to help navigate a small dog on a leash.  From the top, you will have great views of Middle Mountain, Waterfall Mountain, Strickler Knob, and Kerns Mountain.  The color was very nice and we took some time to soak in the scenery.

Adam enjoys the view
Adam takes in the view from Duncan Knob.  Below: A nice campsite on the ridge; Adam and Wookie take a break on the climb down;  Wookie did surprisingly well on the scramble, but occasionally he had to be carried.

Nice Campsite View on the Way Down Climbing Down

I left Christine to keep climbing up to the summit of the rock scramble and found the Duncan Knob Geocache.  A few people before me were not able to find it before me, so the owner had taken the posting offline until he had time to investigate.  I’m glad I was able to save the owner a hike back.  This was my 499th find, so I need to do something special for my 500th geocache.

If you haven’t done any hiking off Crisman Hollow Road, I would highly recommend making this a stop in the near future.  With the Massanutten Story Book Trail, Strickler Knob, and Duncan Knob hikes all off this road, I feel this road leads to some amazing hiking gems that are unknown to many.

Wookie Says...Wookie Says…

I’m so glad that I finally got invited to go hiking again!  I really enjoyed most of this trail because there wasn’t any water for me to cross.  When we first started the trail, I did a few runs across the wooden bridge with my masters on both sides.  I was feeling frisky and I was ready to get moving.  We made our way up the trail and I felt it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.  When we got to the final rock scramble, I was a little worried.  I really enjoy climbing up on rocks, but I wouldn’t recommend it to my less-agile canine friends.  There were a couple of moments where I had to perform an iron cross and pull myself up some rocks, but Adam helped navigate me the right way through the maze of boulders.

Begging for Treats
Wookie enjoys trailmix!

The way down was a little more challenging, so Adam tucked me under his arm for most of the way down to make sure I didn’t get hurt.  I really enjoyed the views from the top of Duncan Knob and I enjoyed sniffing the air around me.  After our hike back down, my masters even let me sample a few pieces of trail mix.  I really liked the marshmallows best!  One time I dropped a marshmallow and when I picked it up again the dirt from the ground made it look like cookies and cream.  I look forward to my next time hiking and I’ll be sure to put on my pitiful, pleading face the next time Adam and Christine get ready to head out for a hike.

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 3.4 miles
    (Check out the stats from Map My Hike)*
  • Elevation Change –  900 feet
  • Difficulty – 2.5. The hike is squarely moderate – even with the rock scramble.
  • Trail Conditions –3. The trail is in good shape.  The rock scramble is not formally marked and there are some unbalanced rocks.
  • Views – 5. Beautiful views of the Massanutten Mountain area. The view looking toward Strickler Knob is awesome!
  • Waterfalls/streams –2. The stream is seasonal and may be dry part of the year.  When the stream is running, the area is popular with fishers.
  • Wildlife – 1.5. The area is popular with hunters, so animals tend to be reclusive.  We’ve heard of people spotting bears and deer in the general area, but we’ve never seen larger animals.
  • Ease to Navigate – 3.5. Trails are clearly blazed, but turns are not labeled and signed like they are in the national park.  It’s a good idea to have a map for this hike.
  • Solitude – 4.5. On a beautiful fall day, we saw just one other couple of hikers.

Download a trail map (PDF)

Directions to trailhead: From New Market, take 211 east.  In about 3 miles, take a left on Crisman Hollow Road. The road starts off paved, but turns to gravel.  At about 4.5 miles, park on the right at the Gap Creek trail.  Follow the fire road until you reach the first campsite on the left.  The trail starts behind the campsite at a wooden bridge.