The South Valley Trail is a part of the 35 miles of hiking trails in Prince William Forest Park. It is a nice stroll that takes you along the Quantico Creek.
Even though the foliage was past peak on our hike, there were still some pretty spots along Quantico Creek.
Adam Says…
We went up this past weekend to visit Christine’s parents. Her dad’s birthday is on Halloween and he usually likes to do something active to help celebrate. He suggested a possible bike and hike in Prince William Forest Park. We were expecting a lot of rain that weekend, so we decided to just do a hike. While it was raining a little before we got there, we managed to do the hike with only a light drizzle at the end of the hike.
The South Valley Trail runs in a large loop around the park. Pictured below: The hike starts off on Mawavi Road; A bridge over Quantico Creek; Adam checks out evidence of beaver activity.
Many people do not realize that Prince William Forest Park is part of the National Park Service. The land was given this protection to find a new use for the land under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. It was used as a training school for the military during World War II, but was turned back over to the Park Service in 1946.
While the overall South Valley Trail is about nine miles, we decided to do the portion that highlighted the South Fork of Quantico Creek. Her dad dropped a bike off at parking lot “I” and then we proceeded to lot “G” to start our trip. Christine’s father used the bike as a shuttle at the end of the hike. Upon reaching lot “I” at the end of the hike, he biked back to the car and then returned to pick the rest of us up.
We began by walking on Mawavi Road. In about .4 mile, it intersects with the South Valley Trail. We took a left on this trail. The trail runs along Quantico Creek for the majority of the rest of this hike. Shortly after joining the South Valley Trail, you will see a very narrow lake. There are a couple of cabin camps on the opposite side of the lake, which are often used by Boy Scouts. In 1.6 miles from the start, you will reach a junction with the High Meadows Trail. Continue straight on the South Valley Trail until you reach the Scenic Drive. Take a right and head down the road to your other vehicle at parking lot I, just about a tenth of a mile ahead.
Part of Quantico Creek has been dammed to create a lake. There is a group camp on the lakeshore.
We were expecting to see more color in the leaves this year, but it seems that things near the creek were a little past peak. We did see lots of signs of beavers in the area, but we didn’t see any actual beavers. The bridge and lake were interesting to view along the way, but this was more of a nice stroll through the woods than a momentous hike. The grade during this hike was a mix of hills and flats, so most people could attempt this hike without much difficulty. What amazes me most about this area is that it doesn’t seem to be heavily used. You would think with the proximity to D.C. and the hordes of Northern Virginians, that it would be crawling with people. But, we’ve been here several times and there doesn’t seem to be that many visitors.
Christine Says…
I’ve hiked along the South Valley trail many times over the years. When I was a Girl Scout, we camped in the park frequently. We took many day hikes along this trail. As an adult, we’ve hiked it as a family several times. In fact, it was the first trail we hiked after my younger brother returned from his first tour of duty in Iraq. Like Adam said, the South Valley trail is nothing spectacular. There are no grand vistas or thundering waterfalls. Instead, it’s simply a place to enjoy a quiet and peaceful walk through the woods.
There wasn’t much colorful foliage left on the hike. Pictured below: A pretty spot along the creek.
The foliage was about a week or two past peak when we hiked this year. There were a few ginkgo and beech trees still holding onto golden leaves, but most of the trees were bare or brown. The last time I hiked this area was fall of 2007. Even though it was much later in the season, the color lingered until almost December that year. The photos below were taken on November 17, 2007. I guess this is even more evidence that fall came and went early this year.
The foliage along this hike was much prettier in 2007. Pictured below: A couple more shots from fall 2007.
The terrain of this hike is very easy. Since Prince William County doesn’t really have mountains, the park lacks tough grades and long climbs. I would describe the trail as crossing rolling terrains. You’re almost always walking uphill or downhill, but ascents and descents are never steep or long. Quantico Creek is a lovely and lazy waterway along the trail. There are a few places where the water forms small rapids and cascades, but most of the time it’s just a quiet, smooth ribbon of water through the woods.
The morning in Prince William Forest was a nice way to spend some time as a family.
Trail Notes
Distance – 3.1 miles
Elevation Change – Negligible
Difficulty – 1. Not much uphill the way we traveled.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is narrow, but in great condition.
Views –0. No views to really see.
Waterfalls/streams – 3. You will constantly get views of the stream nearby, but the water is usually fairly still.
Wildlife – 1. You’re likely to only see deer around here. However, gnawed trees lead to the belief that there are beavers in the area.
Ease to Navigate – 3.5. A few turns, but easy to follow.
Solitude – 3. It’s Northern Virginia, so expect some people, but you should still have decent solitude.
Directions to trailhead: From I-95, take exit 150 on to 619 heading west. The Prince William Forest Park entrance is on the right. Once you pass the gate, take a left at the first fork. Once you pass parking lot C, take your next left. To do the trail as a shuttle as we did, leave a vehicle or bike at lot I and then proceed to lot G. Walk down the Mawavi Road to start the trip.
The Doyles River-Jones Run loop is a nice six-mile hike that takes you past three sizable waterfalls and a lot of beautiful stream scenery.
There are three significant waterfalls along the Doyles River – Jones Run trail.
Christine Says…
Although, the wind, rain and (yes!) snow stripped the fall color from Shenandoah rather early this year, Adam and I still wanted to get out and hike on at least one glorious, sunny autumn day. There was still a little bit of colorful foliage hanging on in the south district of Shenandoah National Park, so we decided to hike the Doyles River- Jones Run loop on Sunday morning.
Parking is available at Brown Gap. Pictured Below: The fire road leading down from the parking lot is one of the prettiest in the park; the Shenandoah area has tons of Civil War history. We passed the grave of confederate solder, William Howard, along the way.
We got to the trailhead at Brown Gap right as the sun was coming up. It was f-f-freezing and windy. I carelessly left my hat and gloves at home, so I flipped up the collar of my fleece and retracted my hands into my sleeves. We set out down the Brown Gap fire road, which is one of Shenandoah’s prettier fire roads. It’s also where I used to ride my horse, “Friday”, whenever we trailed to the park. The morning sun was filtering through the golden leaves, and soon the activity of walking warmed me up enough that I didn’t miss my gloves at all. The fire road was really muddy, so I took that as a good sign that there would be plenty of water flowing in the three waterfalls we’d be passing along the route.
In fact, I was so sure that the waterfalls would be impressive, that I carried all the “big guns” in my photography arsenal – two camera bodies, three lenses, a shutter remote, a collection of neutral density and polarizing filters, extra batteries, memory card and my tripod (the one that feels like it weighs close to 100 pounds when I carry it on long hikes). I also brought my new tripod bag (by Kinesis) that allows me to carry the tripod backpack style – evenly centering the weight on my back. The sling style carrier I’ve been using for the past few years twists my neck and shoulders, so I try not to carry it on long hikes. The new bag was really nice, but it perfectly lined up the camera mount lock lever with my butt. Every step I took, the lever poked me quite rudely. I ended up giving the tripod to Adam. He’s taller, so he escaped the constant prodding. I ended up carrying the bag with the rest of the gear. It was much heavier, but still more comfortable.
When we reached the bridge at the junction of the fire road and the Doyles River trail, I groaned in dismay at the dry stream before us. We walked along the river, or at least where the river should have been for another .3 miles to get to the base of Upper Doyles River Falls. Normally, there are pretty little cascades leading down to the main double-terraced waterfall. This time the waterfall was barely a trickle. We ate our breakfast at the base of “Disappointment Falls” and headed on to the lower falls.
The photo above shows Upper Doyles Falls is October 2009 (left) compared to January 2009 (right).
Surprisingly, the lower falls were running quite a bit more than the upper falls. I think narrower chasm through the rocks allows the second falls to hold onto more water flow. The second falls is thin and almost chute-like. Even though the second waterfall had more water, it still wasn’t anything spectacular. When you’re a photographer hiking with 40+ pounds of gear and realizing the shots you had planned aren’t going to happen, the gear instantly feels twice as heavy. I think this is the point that I started to feel like Atlas with the world resting on my shoulders. 🙂
Lower Doyles Falls was a bit nicer than the upper falls.
Leaving the lower falls, the trail became incredibly beautiful. It followed a babbling brook through near-peak foliage. The trees were a spectacular mix of gold, orange and red – all set off by the brilliant blue sky above. This was, without a doubt, my favorite section of the trail.
So far, the hike had been relatively easy – just gentle up-and-down grades along the stream. At the junction of the Jones Run Trail, the real work started. In just under 2 miles, we picked up most of the elevation gain on the whole hike. It was steep, hard climbing to reach Jones Run Falls.
The foliage along the Jones Run Trail was spectacular. Pictured Below: Jones Run and Jones Run Falls.
The waterfall on Jones Run was running low, but it was still really pretty. From the waterfall back up to Skyline Drive, the grade of the trail moderates a bit. It’s still a lot of uphill mixed with periods of flat terrain. Eventually, you reach the junction with the Appalachian trail and follow it north for a little over a mile back to the Brown’s Gap parking lot. This section of the AT follows closely to the road, so you constantly hear cars and smell exhaust. The walk along this section is easy, but rather uneventful.
Overall, I think this was a great hike. I’m so glad we had a chance to be outdoors on a beautiful fall day, but I wish the waterfalls had been nicer. We’ll have to try hiking it again in the spring after heavier, more sustained rains.
Adam Says…
While we’ve hiked Doyles River a number of times, this was the first time that we had made a loop of the hike and added Jones Run. When we have done this before, we parked at the Doyles River parking lot around mile marker 81. We would normally hike down to both of the falls and then head back.
On this hike, we parked around mile marker 83 at the Brown Gap lot. We crossed the road and headed down the Brown Gap fire road. At about .4 miles, you see a short path leading up to the gravesite pictured above. In about 1.7 miles you will reach the junction with the Doyles River Trail. Take a right on this trail. After about two tenths of a mile, you will reach the Upper Doyles River Falls. There is a short spur path to lead down to the base of the falls. Once you rejoin the trail, you will then see the Lower Doyles River Falls after a tenth of the mile. Don’t try to blaze down off the trail to reach the falls. The trail loops around to bring you closer to the falls. When you reach near the base of the falls, there is a short, treacherous climb down to the base of these falls. When you join back to the trail, continue south down the Doyles River Trail. You will reach the Junction with the Jones Run Trail in about .6 miles from leaving the Lower Doyles River Falls. You begin your hike up to the Jones Run Falls and will reach them about .7 miles on this trail. After the falls, you will have a 1.2 mile hike up to the Jones Run Parking lot. Before you enter the parking lot, there will be a junction with the Appalachian Trail. Take a right on the AT, heading north until you reach the Brown Gap parking lot. The AT portion is about 1.3 miles back to your car, leading you to this overall hike of 6 miles.
The woods were very colorful at the lower elevations. Pictured Below: One downed tree we came across was so large that Adam could climb inside.
The hike is not that long being only six miles, but there is a lot of elevation gain from the base of the Doyles River Trail, leading up to the Jones Run Parking lot. Christine felt that it may be better to do this hike in reverse, but based on contours, I think either hike has a tough trip back at the end.
The waterfalls along the way on normal days are really some of the nicer waterfalls in Shenandoah National Park. The water flow didn’t allow us to see them at their best today, but we enjoyed them nonetheless. The Upper Doyles River Falls stands at 28 feet; the Lower Doyles River Falls plummets 63 feet.; the Jones Run Falls plunges 42 feet. If you’re looking for a hike to see multiple falls, this is the best one to do in Shenandoah.
More golden foliage along the trail.
On our way back to the car on the AT, we ran into a woman doing the trail in the opposite way. She had two pugs with her on the hike, named Titan and Zoot. They were eager to greet us, since they must have known we had three pugs of our own. They were very energetic to begin their hike to the falls, but we wondered how they fared on the steep way back. We wish we had taken some pictures of these boys, because they looked like they were ready for a great adventure that day.
There was a very long line of cars waiting to get into Shenandoah National Park
The foliage was just slightly after peak today. We decided to exit the south entrance of the park to reward ourselves with some frozen treats from Sonic. On our way out, we saw the longest line of cars we’ve ever witnessed trying to enter the park at the south gate. Cars were at a stand-still all the way down to the interstate. Three rangers were walking down the line, handing out information to make the fee stations handle things quickly. I guess everyone felt that it would be a nice day to see color in the park and hopefully they weren’t too disappointed in the color.
Trail Notes
Distance – 6 miles – loop.
Elevation Change –1875 feet
Difficulty – 4. The climb up from the bottom of Jones Run is tough!
Trail Conditions – 3.5 The trail is well-maintained and traveled.
Views –0. You might get a few glimpses of vistas through the woods along the fire road.
Waterfalls/streams –4. The waterfalls and streams along this trail are beautiful, especially when there is plenty of rain.
Wildlife – 1. Just a couple deer.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Trails are well marked and easy to follow.
Solitude – 3. You will likely see several other groups of hikers along the way, but it’s not as heavily trafficked as other waterfall trails in the park.
Directions to trailhead: From Skyline Drive, follow the drive to Brown Gap (near mile marker 83). The parking lot is on the west side of the drive. To begin the hike, walk across Skyline Drive and follow the Brown Gap fire road downhill.
The summit of Mount Rogers, Virginia’s highest peak, can be reached via a nine mile (total, out-and-back) hike starting from Grayson Highlands State Park. The hike follows the Appalachian Trail for most of the way and crosses into Jefferson National Forest.
Mount Rogers has beautiful and rugged terrain. The area is home to several herds of wild ponies.
Christine Says…
Mount Rogers has long been on my list of must-do hikes. The peak’s status as the state’s highest point was one draw, but personally, I wanted a chance to see the feral highland ponies that roam the area.
Our trip started under rather inauspicious conditions. We missed a turn on our way to the park, and ended up an hour out of the way. The weather had been forecast to be sunny, but the morning dawned with a thick, wet, windy cloud of bleakness blanketing the entire area. But when you have driven almost four hours to do a long-anticipated hike, you’re going to do it regardless of minor complications like gloominess and getting lost.
The trail starts out from Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park.
We parked at Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park. From there, we walked across a wide pasture, passed a sign warning of extremely erratic weather in the area and went through a horse gate. The trail climbed upward along a wide, gravel path.
We almost immediately saw our first small group of wild ponies, clustered under the trees on a hillside next to the trail. The fog was so thick; they looked like silhouettes in the mist. I quickly got my camera out and started snapping shots. The ponies were so small and rugged looking. Their coats were thick and their manes long and wavy. Some were solid colored and some were spotted. They also turned out to be incredibly inquisitive and gentle. While I was squatting down to take photos, a dark brown pony walked up to me and nuzzled her soft nose onto the back of my hand. I know she was looking for food, but I had nothing to offer. We lingered with the ponies for a while, and then moved on.
(note: The park rules prohibit feeding the ponies.)
The ponies are very friendly. They come right up to you, especially if they think you have food. Although it may look like Adam is feeding the pony, he’s actually just unzipping his backpack. Pictured Below: More ponies; State park rules!
We soon reached the junction with the Appalachian Trail, followed the white blazes and headed south. The fog was such a transformative element on the morning of our hike. Instead of the amazing mountain views we’d heard about, the thick mist made the scenery feel closer and more intimate. I told Adam several times that I didn’t feel like I was in Virginia at all. I felt like I was walking through some storybook version of the Scottish Highlands. It was so quiet and mysterious-feeling – no people, no tall trees rustling in the wind, no birds chirping. The terrain was open, studded with rocks and covered with scrubby low-lying brush.
The Wilburn Rock scramble was slippery, but fun.
The Appalachian Trail exits Grayson Highlands State Park at around the 1.5 mile mark. The trail becomes increasingly rugged and rocky at this point. There are a couple route options for the middle section of the trail. Hikers can continue along the AT, or choose to branch off on the Wilburn Ridge Trail for a short rock scramble (and nice views on a clear day). We chose to scramble. In retrospect, we probably should have stuck to the AT. The boulders on Wilburn Ridge were quite slippery. After we finished scrambling, we passed through a thick tunnel of rhododendron that spilled us back out into another open pasture area.
When we rejoined the AT, we started to see signs of the sun burning through the cloud layer. We soon reached a horse camp next to an enormous rock outcropping . When we climbed to the top of the rocks, we both gasped in awe at the view. The valley below us had been mostly cleared of clouds and fog, and a blanket of fall color spread out before us, as far as the eye could see. Only a few wisps of mist were left hanging on the ridges below. We sat on the rocks and took a break from walking. A couple backpackers passed below, and we overheard them talking about hearing coyotes howling in the night before. Instead of coyotes, we heard the distant squeal of ponies whinnying ahead on the trail.
We got our first clear view from atop a huge rocky outcropping. Pictured Below: fog and clouds lift off the colorful mountainside; the ferns along the trail were turning gold; one of the pony stallions we saw along the way.
After a short break atop the rocks, we continued along, passing through another thicket of rhododendron. The area was completely shaded and nearly ankle deep in mud. My trekking poles came in very handy traversing the sloppy footing. This section of the trail runs almost parallel to the Mount Rogers horse trail. There are many beautiful backcountry campgrounds nestled into the trees along this stretch. We saw about a dozen more wild ponies near the campsites, including a couple stallions.
This gorgeous gray was hanging out near the campsites. Pictured Below: More ponies – they are everywhere along the trail through Rhododendron Gap.
By this point in the hike, all the fog and clouds had blown off the mountain, giving us a great look at the gentle rolling terrain and spectacular open views. You can’t help but feel like you’re on top of the world walking along this ridge. The fall color was amazing! We stopped for lunch at the Thomas Knob Appalachian Trail hut. We shared the picnic table with several groups of day hikers and backpackers. We read the logbook, stretched a bit and then made our final push for the summit.
The spur to the summit departs the AT and heads into a dense, rainforest-like grove of spruce-fir trees. It was damp and green and draped with moss. It reminded Adam and I of the forests in the Pacific Northwest. The summit of Mt. Rogers is rather anticlimactic after passing by so many sweeping panoramic views and rocky pinnacles. The marker lays set in stone, tucked into a shady spot in the woods. There is no view to speak of, just a quiet little spot under the trees.
We only stayed at the summit for a few minutes, as there were quite a few people there. We hiked the return trip to Massie Gap fairly quickly, stopping briefly along the way to admire ponies and take in views that had been obscured by fog earlier in the day. The hike almost felt like a loop because the weather changed so dramatically between the hike up and the hike down. My final treat along the hike came less than a mile from the end, when a young foal came bounding out of the brush, nickering loudly for his mother. The foal was absolutely adorable. I wanted to pack him up and take him home with me! (Incidentally, the wild ponies are periodically rounded up and sold to keep the herd at a sustainable size. Although, I don’t think our property owners association would appreciate me bringing a miniature horse home, so I’ll just have to keep the pony ownership idea in the realm of fantasy for now.)
We had beautiful autumn views hiking back down Mount Rogers. Pictured Below: A foal is curious; View from the trail on our return.
We got back to our car, tired and happy. The entire hike took around six hours – even with lots of breaks and dawdling along the way. For its nine mile length, it’s a surprisingly easy hike.
I really can’t fully put into words how much I loved this hike. I went to sleep that night dreaming of wild ponies and gorgeous fall views. I know I’ll revisit Mt. Rogers often in my mind until I have a chance to hike it again.
Adam Says…
We had such a great hike up Mount Rogers! A co-worker that had previously hiked the mountain had described the scenery as God’s country and I couldn’t agree more. While walking across the highlands, you can’t help but feel reflective about the beauty before you. The land around you is vast and I guarantee you will be humbled by the nature.
The trail along the top of Mt. Rogers is surprisingly level.
Mount Rogers was originally named Balsam Mountain, but the name was changed to honor Virginia’s first state geologist and first president of MIT, William B. Rogers. With the peak being the highest in Virginia at 5,729 feet, this is quite an honor.
One thing that does make this a special hike is the ponies. Another co-worker of mine didn’t believe that there were wild ponies here (even with photographic evidence). The ponies were originally placed here by the park service in 1974, but are currently maintained by the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association. The ponies help protect the area from wildfires by eating grasses and underbrush. The Wilburn Ridge Pony Association takes care of their veterinary needs and provides supplements of salt and hay in winter months. There are close to 150 ponies, that are separated into three herds – some are in Grayson Highlands State Park, more are in the Scales area of Pine Mountain, and the most are near Rhododendron Gap on the Mount Rogers trail. The proceeds from the sale of the ponies at the end of September supports the vet and winter feed costs.
Adam points out the only sign of humans he can see for miles from Mt. Rogers. Picture Below: a pair of palominos; beautiful clouds and blue skies over the rocky vista.
The geology of Mount Rogers provides an interesting tale of how things were formed over the years. Geologists will be able to see evidence of gneiss, sandstone, rhyolite, and shale on their hike along the trail.
For people that like a little more direction for the route that we took, here are some points of interest along the way:
Cross the field at the Massie Gap parking lot and go through the gate to start the trail.
You will now be on the Rhododendron Trail for .8 mile until it intersects the Virginia Highlands Connector Trail. Take a left on this trail for just .2 miles.
When you reach the junction with the Appalachian trail, head south. You will shortly leave Grayson Highlands State Park and enter Mount Rogers National Recreation Area through a gate – continue straight on the AT at this point. After another .25 mile, you will have the option to stay straight on the Appalachian Trail or turn left and proceed on the Wilburn Ridge Trail. The distance is about 1 mile either way. The Wilburn Ridge Trail does join back to the AT. It is a tougher rock scramble, but I would recommend doing it on the way up rather than the way down.
Once you are back on the AT, proceed for another mile until you reach a junction of trails. This area is known as Rhododendron Gap and comes to an elevation of 5526 feet. At this junction, there is a large pinnacle rock. Climbing up the rock will give you gorgeous panoramic views that are a must-see of the hike. This area joins the AT with the Pine Mountain Trail and Crest Trail. Once you enjoy the view, make sure you follow the white blazes to stay on the AT.
You will then proceed on the AT for about 1.5 miles, walking through the bald area known as the Crest Zone, until you reach the Thomas Knob Shelter, protected by gates on both sides. This is a great place to grab a snack. There are also great views behind the cabin. This cabin sleeps plenty, since there is a ladder that goes to a second floor, allowing a little light through two small windows on the side.
Once you leave the shelter through the gate, you will be entering Lewis Fork Wilderness. Shortly after this point, to reach the summit you will need to leave the AT and proceed to the summit by taking the Mount Rogers Spur Trail for .5 mile straight ahead. The summit is marked by a simple USGS benchmark in the stone. There are two within 100 feet of each other, so make sure you find the correct one for any of you peakbaggers.
The Summit of Mt. Rogers resembles a rainforest. Pictured Below: the Thomas Knob Appalachian Trail Shelter; Adam on the summit.
Overall, the trail was really quite manageable for a 9-mile hike. The terrain is very nice in some points walking across flat lands, but there are some rocky parts, especially around the Wilburn Ridge Trail. My back and feet were in pain from having too much weight on my pack, but my muscles didn’t feel sore at all the next day.
There are just a few geocaches that you can find along the way. A couple of them are earthcaches, which do not have you finding a physical cache, but it teaches you about the geology of the area.
Christine told me that this hike has been her favorite ever. While there are a lot of contenders for me, this would definitely be a strong candidate for me as well. I feel that anyone interested in hiking in Virginia should make this a trail you must do. It is a day you will remember forever.
Trail Notes
Distance – 9 miles the way we went making a partial loop in the middle with the Wilburn Ridge Trail.
Elevation Change –About 1100 feet
Difficulty – 4. The actual trail wasn’t too tough, but due to the length we upped the difficulty. The Wilburn Ridge Trail does include a few rock scrambles, but is also manageable for most people that are the slightest bit nimble.
Trail Conditions – 3.5 The trail is well-maintained and traveled. There are muddy spots, especially through the Mount Rogers Spur Trail. The hike on the AT and Wilburn Ridge before the Rhododendron Gap area is quite rocky, causing you to watch your feet.
Views –5. Great views walking along the trail in all directions. The views from Rhododendron Gap are especially beautiful.
Waterfalls/streams –0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 5. It doesn’t get much better than wild ponies. Bears and coyotes have been spotted also. Lots of bird-watching available also.
Ease to Navigate – 3. It is easy to get a little confused at Rhododendron Gap, but overall things are very well-maintained. Make sure you grab a map to have a backup plan.
Solitude – 2. You will get good spacing due to the length, but you will see other people due to the backpackers, AT hikers, and day visitors. It is the highest summit, which is going to draw crowds, especially at the shelter and summit.
Directions to trailhead: From Abingdon, take 58 East until you reachGrayson Highlands State Park on the left through SR 362. Continue for three miles to reach the Massie Gap parking area. The start of the trail at the gate is across the field to the north.
Molly’s Knob is the best known hike in Hungry Mother State Park. On a clear day, views of Mount Rogers can be seen from the summit.
Adam takes a look at Molly’s Knob from the viewing platform lower on the trail.
Adam Says
On our way down to Abingdon for a weekend of hiking and biking in the Highlands, we decided to stop by Hungry Mother State Park. There is an interesting legend surrounding the origin of the park’s name. Native Americans destroyed many settlements south of this park on the New River. Molly Marley and her child survived the raid and were taken captive. Eventually they escaped the raiders. They wandered through the wilderness until Molly finally collapsed. Her child wandered away, hungry and alone. Eventually the child was found by residents of a small settlement near where the park stands today. All the child would say was “Hungry Mother”. A search party went out to find Molly, but they were too late. There are some variations to this legend, but it is an interesting tale.
The colors of the fall leaves were really quite gorgeous in the park, so we decided walk around a bit. Of course, the hiking enthusiasts that we are, we decided to try the hike up Molly’s Knob.
We parked in a small lot on the northeast side of Hungry Mother Lake. We left the car and began walking the Lake Trail Loop, giving us glimpses of the beauty of the lake. After .5 miles, this joined the blue-blazed Ridge Trail. We continued on this up a steady uphill grade for .2 miles until we reached the viewing platform pictured below. With the beautiful colors on the mountain of Molly’s Knob in view, we decided to take the remaining trip to the summit. We continued up the white-blazed Molly’s Knob Trail for .9 miles. The trail was marked as a black diamond trail, but we didn’t find this portion to be too difficult. After the .9 miles, we began the fuchsia-blazed Vista Trail. This was the steepest portion of the hike, but once we got to the top, we were quite impressed by the view. While I scurried around looking for a geocache, Christine enjoyed taking a few pictures of the views. We shortened the trip back by just following the Molly’s Knob Trail to our car. We were worried about the hike taking too much out of us for our trip to Mount Rogers the next day, but it was worth the risk to see these views.
There are several geocaches to find in Hungry Mother State Park, but here are the few that I located on the trail:
The forest was filled with foliage of every color. Pictured Below: The golden foliage along this trail was especially spectacular. Adam even found several geocaches along the way.
Christine Says…
Going on this hike was completely unintentional. We wanted to drive through Hungry Mother State Park just to see what the park had to offer. But the foliage along the lake was so pretty, that we felt compelled to get out of the car and walk a bit. I thought a short stroll along the level Lake Trail would be pleasant and scenic.
After a short bit of walking, we reached the junction of the Ridge Trail, and decided to turn there to make a short 1 mile loop back to the car. At the top of the ridge, we saw the platform overlooking Molly’s Knob off in the distance. Next to the platform, a sign indicated that the summit was only 1.3 miles further. The short distance made the summit far too tempting, and we were on our way. I kind of regretted not changing clothes before we hiked. The impromptu nature of this hike had me wearing jeans, a dressy shirt and my hair was down. About halfway up the steep climb, I would have traded just about anything for a ponytail holder. As luck would have it, someone left a pack of hair elastics in one of the geocache boxes Adam found. I was much more comfortable with my hair up, but hiking in jeans is never fun.
The view from the top was obscured by fog and clouds, but it was still beautiful with all the fall color. Pictured Below: You get some nice views of the lake along the trail.
There were some steep sections of trail, but the fall colors were so beautiful I hardly noticed the climb. We had almost the entire trail to ourselves, too. We saw just two other solo hikers near the beginning of the hike, but after that we didn’t encounter a single soul. The wind was rustling through the treetops, sending colored leaves falling down all around us. Plumes of fog curled around the folds of the mountains. Off in the distance, we could hear a pileated woodpecker cackling. In no time, we reached the summit and its beautiful view of the valley. There were two benches built into the summit, so it was a perfect place to rest before hiking back down.
The trail down was so steep in some places, that momentum had us practically running downhill. The final stretch back gave us a very pretty view of the lake and the beach below. This hike turned out to be a great surprise!
Trail Notes
Distance – 3.8 miles the way we went making a partial loop. You can shed .4 miles off, by cutting out the Lake Trail Loop trail and Ridge Trail
Elevation Change –1000 feet
Difficulty – 3. The steepest parts were the Ridge Trail portion and the Vista Trail, but we found it to be a moderate hike.
Trail Conditions – 4 The trail is well-maintained and traveled. We found the Vista Trail to be a little slippery during the rain due to some clay surface.
Views –3.5. Great views from the summit and Hungry Mother Lake. On a clear day, you should be able to see Mount Rogers.
Waterfalls/streams –2. You do get some nice views of the lake. Since it used to be a stream before it was dammed, we thought it was worth mentioning.
Wildlife – 1. We saw a pileated woodpecker, but nothing else. There is some good birding in the area.
Ease to Navigate – 4. There are a few switches in trails during the path we chose, but everything was well-marked.
Solitude – 4. We only saw two people on the trail on a Saturday afternoon, so I’m guessing it is not very well-traveled. During heavy camping weekends, I would expect more traffic.
Directions to trailhead:
On I-81, take exit 47 and then take 11 South. After a little over a mile, take a right on to 16. Follow this into Hungry Mother State Park (fee required of $2-$3). Take a right immediately after the P6 lot and continue on the road until you reach a cul-de-sac parking lot. The sign for the Lake Trail Loop is at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Millers Head is a beautiful little hike that starts out from the amphitheater at Skyland Resort. There are three nice overlook spots along the way.
The view from a small rock outcropping before the observatory was prettier than the actual Millers Head
Christine Says…
Millers Head is a perfect leg-stretcher with wonderful scenic payoffs. It’s also a bit of an oddity for Shenandoah hiking. One unusual thing about this hike is that the trail is mostly downhill as you walk out to the observatory. In Shenandoah, it’s very uncommon to have a steady descent on hikes that offer panoramic vistas. In fact, I can’t think of a single other “view hike” that goes downhill quite as much as Millers Head. Another interesting fact about this trail; it’s one of only three places in the park that are authorized launch points for hang gliders. If you’re lucky, you might get to see some gliders taking off and sailing over the valley.
The first of the viewpoints comes atop Brushytop Mountain, just .2 miles into the hike. There is a lovely shady spot with large boulders to sit and take in the view. Near Brushytop, you’ll also get a nice look at Skyland Resort built into the mountainside to the east. In the afternoon, the sun hits the lodge beautifully and Stony Man looms impressively over the resort area.
Brushytop offers a nice view of the valley. Below: the signpost at the trailhead, view of Skyland Resort looking back from the trail
I wasn’t so lucky with the lighting conditions for photography on the day we hiked. The clouds were dark and moving quickly across the sky. Whenever the sun came out, it was fleeting. I missed the afternoon light on Skyland by mere moments.
In my opinion, there are two viewpoints even nicer than Brushytop on this hike. One is an unnamed rock ledge close to the Millers Head observatory. It’s not marked, but you can’t miss the well worn footpath up to the rocks. It looks back to the east. The other is right at the end of the trail and includes a stone observatory deck built by the CCC. The observatory is starting to crumble and the handrail is loose and rusty. Nonetheless, the views are wonderful from this spot. If you’re into photography, I’d recommend (unlike us) doing this hike in the morning. I had to shoot right into the sun on this particular day, and didn’t really get any nice photos at Millers Head.
On the hike back, I was really cold! I can’t remember ever being cold on a September hike before. We’re having such odd weather this fall, but odd in a good way. I love the crisp snap in the air after the heat of summer. Without a doubt, this is my favorite time of year to hike.
Adam Says
This was a great hike that we combined with the Traces Trail in the North District to get a couple of short hikes in one afternoon. For the shortness of the hike, you really do get some nice views.
The fall leaves provided a gorgeous blanket of color on the trail. Fall hiking is some of the prettiest hiking when you have a nice clear day for views. However, leaves can also cover trails easily, so you have to be aware of where you are. I don’t think anyone could get lost on this particular trail, but it is something to keep in mind while hiking.
The trail was covered with fall leaves. Below: A couple views from the Millers Head Observatory. The clouds were changing so quickly.
Once you start the hike, you will go up a short distance until you reach a building that I think was either a radio tower or weather station. Shortly after that at .2 miles, you will come to a cement post. Heading straight ahead for a few feet will lead you to the Brushytop overlook. From here, you will get nice views of farmlands and small communities in the Shenandoah Valley. Backtrack to the post and head down. You will pass by a few boulder falls along the side. There are a few views off to both sides of the trail along the way before you reach the observation outpost at .8 miles. We had some overhanging clouds from the storm front that was slowly moving through, but we still were able to get gorgeous 180 degree views to the east. We were also fortunate enough to see a peregrine falcon swoop by, reminding us of our Hawksbill Summit Loop hike.
This is another good hike for families or with pets. While the trip back from the observation outpost was more uphill, it was easier to do than we thought it would be. I would recommend this hike to anyone looking for a short hike with a decent payoff for views.
Trail Notes
Distance – 1.6 miles out and back
Elevation Change –475 feet
Difficulty – 1.5. There are some rolling ups and downs on this trail, but overall it’s an easy walk.
Trail Conditions – 3. The trail is well-maintained, but rocky. When we hiked the trail, it was covered by a lot of wet, slippery leaves.
Views –3.5 The view from Millers Head is beautiful. You also get a pretty view of the valley and Skyland Resort from atop Bushytop Mountain, located .2 miles into the hike.
Waterfalls/streams –0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 0 We didn’t see anything.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Just stay straight on the trail.
Solitude – 2. This trail’s short length and proximity to Skyland Resort make it quite popular.
Directions to trailhead:
Follow Skyline Drive to the Skyland Resort area, between mile markers 42 and 43. Pass the Skyland stables and continue up the road until you reach the amphitheater. You’ll see a sign for the Millers Head Observatory next to the theater.
The Traces Trail is a short, easy stroll through the woods. Located near Mathews Arm Campground in Shenandoah National Park, this hike is perfectly suited for families with young children and novice hikers.
The Traces Trail has some hints of the area’s bygone mountain people.
Adam Says…
We decided to do a couple of short hikes on a Sunday afternoon. Since we had just been pounded with rain the last few days, we were worried that hiking would be a little muddy, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
We had read about the Traces Trail in the North District of Shenandoah National Park in a hiking guide we had at home. The write-up in the book seemed to make this out to be a wonderful hiking trail where you would see glimpses of life from a bygone era and hints of mountainous views. You do get to see a few stone walls along the way and a glimpse or two of views through thick tree growth, but the overall hike doesn’t have much of a payoff.
I would recommend this hike if you just want to enjoy a nice walk through the woods, but there is not a lot to see here.
You start the hike from the eastern side of the parking lot (the post is painted with Traces Trail on it). You’ll pass a few concrete posts that mark where the trail intersects with other trails, but just stay on the Traces Trail throughout.
One interesting thing on the trail is you will eventually come to a sign in front of a fenced-in area. The area is being fenced to determine if white-tailed deer are damaging local flora. The fences are high enough that deer can not jump them. We didn’t see much difference from the fenced-in area and where we were, so it will be interesting to see if the research leads to any findings.
We didn’t see much wildlife on the hike.
Christine Says
There really aren’t too many things to say about this trail. It was short and pleasant, but had little in the way of scenery or unique features. On the day we walked this trail, a big storm system was just leaving the area, so the weather was cool and very breezy. I actually remember the sound of the wind rustling in the trees more than I remember anything about the trail. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors.
The ferns are already going to gold.
As Adam mentioned, there were some historical artifacts along the trail. We saw crumbling stone walls, overgrown old roads and remnant apple trees mixed in with newer growth. The cultural history of the park is interesting and still somewhat controversial. Many people aren’t aware that Shenandoah’s land was essentially stolen from the mountain people who had lived there long before the idea for this national park was born. The park was authorized in 1926. From that point on, government officials systematically (and often forcefully) removed families from their land. The mountain people were portrayed in the media as ignorant and uneducated. Newspaper articles made it sound like the government was doing these people a favor by relocating them to settlements outside the park. If you read the history and letters from the original park residents, you’ll see that these people were not country bumpkins who needed the government’s care. They were mostly hardworking families who loved the land they had long called home.
Trail Notes
Distance – 1.7 miles loop
Elevation Change – Maybe a couple hundred feet
Difficulty – 1. Other than two short climbs near the beginning of the trail, this hike is relatively level.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is well-maintained and easy to walk.
Views –1. You get a few glimpses of a view through the trees, but mostly this is just a pleasant walk through the woods.
Waterfalls/streams –0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 1 A few birds and squirrels.
Ease to Navigate – 3. There are a few junctions along this trail, but if you keep following the markers for the Traces Trail, you can’t go wrong.
Solitude – 2. This trail’s easy terrain, short distance and location next to Mathews Arm Campground make this a popular trail, especially for families.
Directions to trailhead:
Follow Skyline Drive to the Mathews Arm Campground at mile marker 22. Park at the amphitheater and follow the blue-blazed Traces Trail that departs from the east end of the parking lot.
Big Schloss is a moderate 4 mile hike with gorgeous views at the top. Located in George Washington National Forest’s Lee Ranger District, this trail is one of our favorite re-hikes due to great views and beauty of the trail.
Christine’s dad and Adam at the Big Schloss overlook.
Adam says…
Since Christine’s birthday is this week, her parents wanted to do something to celebrate. So, we decided to take them on a hike to Big Schloss and have a picnic. We’ve done this hike on numerous occasions, but this was the first time for her parents.
German settlers to this area named this rock outcropping “Big Schloss” due to its resemblance to a castle. “Schloss” means “castle” in German.
We parked at the Wolf Gap Campground. There are outhouses near the parking lot in case you need to make a pit stop before the hike. The Mill Mountain trailhead starts out from campsite #9. You’ll see the trail marker indicating a distance of two miles to Big Schloss.
Christine’s mom climbs the Mill Mountain Trail. Below: We saw lots of red and yellow in the trees already, the first panoramic view after the initial ascent, Christine’s Mom and Dad check out the small cave
The hike starts off with a fairly steep and steady uphill. However, you are getting this portion of the hike done with first, which is a nice bonus. After .66 miles, your climb ends. When you reach the ridge, the trail takes a sharp turn to the left. For most of the remainder of this hike, you will be walking on the top of the ridge, with occasional views through the trees to your left of the Long Mountain ridge and better views to your right.
At .78 miles, you will come to your first overlook. We noticed quite a bit of tree color on the trail and at the overlooks, which gets us both excited for some fall hiking. You’ll continue walking on the ridge, going slightly up and down, but not a lot of elevation change. At 1.75 miles, you will reach a signpost leading you to take a right to take the Big Schloss spur trail to the summit just .25 miles ahead. At 1.9 miles, you will see a campsite off to the left of the main trail and a small rock outcrop that holds a small cave.
You access the Big Schloss overlook via a small wood footbridge.
Shortly after this, you will cross a wooden footbridge and then reach the summit for the best views. There is not a ton of room on the rocks to view the summit, but you will likely have a spot to enjoy the view and eat a snack.
At the summit, we ate a small handful of trailmix and then made our way back to the parking lot for a picnic lunch. Christine’s mother went overboard on packing for the picnic. She brought about 15 pieces of fried chicken, various pasta salads, pineapple, grapes, cheese & crackers, three different bags of potato chips, assorted beverages, and two birthday cakes (lemon blueberry cake and coconut cake). We ate way more than should have, but we had a wonderful morning for a hike.
Adam and our friend Shannon found the Big Schloss Cache back in 2007.
If you are into geocaching, there is one that you can find not too far from the summit.
Big Schloss is one of my favorite hikes in the Lee District. It’s a beautiful hike in every season! Springtime brings a trail lined with mountain laurel and rhododendron. In the fall, the changing foliage colors spread across the valley below like a colorful tapestry (photo from Fall ’08). Summer brings fog in the valley and dense green foliage all around (photo from May 2007). In the winter, views are crystal clear and unobstructed for miles and miles.
Big Schloss offers beautiful, panoramic views – especially to the west.
The area is popular with central Virginians. The Wolf Gap campground is often full, and you’ll see hiking groups – especially on weekends. We’ve seen everything from hardcore mountain bikers to ultra-distance trail runners on the Mill Mountain trail. A couple years ago, we even met a team of competitive cyclists helping an injured teammate off the mountain. The terrain is very rugged, so I imagine you’d have to be an experienced mountain biker to travel this route.
On this particular day, we hiked with my Mom & Dad to celebrate my birthday. In addition to their wonderful company, I also got the gift of a new hiking gadget before starting the hike. My parents gave me a pair of Komperdell trekking poles. I’ve been wanting to get a set of poles for quite some time now, so I was thrilled with the present. I don’t really have the best of balance, so I loved the added stability the poles gave me hiking down the loose, rocky trail on the return trip. I was also amazed with how much strain they took off my knees. The model they gave me has cork handles, which are apparently cooler and chafe less than other handle types.
We were surprised to see how many colorful leaves had already fallen.
When we started out on our hike, the sky was brilliant blue with just an occasional cloud passing by overhead. By the time we got to the overlook, the sky was mostly cloudy and hazy. It wasn’t the best view that we’ve ever had from Big Schloss, but it was beautiful nonetheless. I loved seeing the hints of autumn starting to appear in the forest. The Virginia creeper was crimson. A lot of maples and dogwoods were starting to change, too. At every open viewpoint, we could see distant ridges with red, yellow and orange trees peppered into the greenness. Fall is definitely on its way, and I think it might be coming early this year.
We really didn’t stay too long at the summit, especially since we had a big picnic lunch waiting for us at the campground. As Adam mentioned, my mom went nuts with quantity and selection. I’m not complaining, but seriously… who brings two birthday cakes to a picnic lunch for four people?
My mom even brought birthday candles along. My family “sang” Happy Birthday to me while the breeze repeatedly blew out the candles. You’ll notice “sang” is in quote marks. I have to tell you, my family cannot sing – not a single note. They’re so bad, it’s become a family joke to make “Happy Birthday to You” sound like the saddest, most off-key, howl-inducing dirge you might ever imagine. Since we were in a public place, my dad and Adam put extra effort into singing it loudly and badly. I think I heard babies crying, dogs barking and campers exclaiming “What is that noise?”
After lunch, we parted ways with my parents and headed home. It was a great hike.
Note: There is another great trail starting out from the Wolf Gap Campground. If you have a couple days in the area, check out the Tibbet Knob trail.
Trail Notes
Distance – 4 milesout-and-back. Add another .1 mile to get to your car.
Elevation Change –1000 feet
Difficulty – 2. After a rather steep .7 mile climb at the beginning, the trail is mostly level and follows a ridge. There is one other short climb after the Mill Mountain Trail meets up with the Big Schloss spur.
Trail Conditions – 2.5. The trail is well-maintained but it’s rocky and has lots of loose footing in the first .7 mile.
Views –4.5. The view are pretty spectacular – especially on a clear day.
Waterfalls/streams –0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 0 We didn’t see anything beyond chipmunks, birds and squirrels. We did see a fawn near the Wolf Gap campground.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Just stay straight on the trail.
Solitude – 2. This trail doesn’t see the same crowds as trails in Shenandoah National Park, but it is a popular hike with the local crowd.
Directions to trailhead:
From I-81, take exit 279. Follow Rte. 675 until it meets Route 42. Turn right on 42 and then take almost an immediate left on 675 (Wolf Gap Road). Follow Wolf Gap Road (you will have to make a few turns so keep an eye at road junctions) until you come to the Wolf Gap Campground (right on the Hardy County Line.)
Amherst County’s Cole Mountain Loop is a moderate 6 mile hike with serious payoffs at the summit. Situated in George Washington National Forest’s Pedlar Ranger District, this trail (also know as “Cold Mountain”) is one of Central Virginia’s only hikes to cross a bald, pasture-like summit. Views of the valley from the saddle and summit are open in every direction.
The Cole Mountain summit is open and offers panoramic views in every direction. In this shot you can see the white Appalachian Trail blaze and the USGS benchmark.
Christine Says…
Despite the busyness of our weekend, Adam and I made time to hike the Cole Mountain loop on Sunday morning. We had read a description of the trail on another hiking site. Their reviewer compared the summit to Scotland or Switzerland. I don’t know about that, but it was definitely some of the prettiest Virginia summit scenery I’ve ever seen.
We started out from home at 5:30 in the morning. It was still dark, but we wanted to hike before the crowds and heat got too bad. We made a short detour before the hike to visit Statons Creek Falls. It was just a couple miles from the trailhead, and was well worth a look.
The Appalachian Trail crossing is well-marked. Park across from this sign in a small lot.
The forest service road to the Cole Mountain trailhead is unpaved and bumpy. There is only room for five or six cars at the parking area, which is located right at an Appalachian Trail crossing.
The hike starts out downhill along the forest service road for a couple tenths of a mile. You’ll soon pick up the blue-blazed Hotel Trail on the right side of the road. The route follows the Hotel Trail for about 3.5 miles until a junction with the Appalachian Trail (AT). The AT takes you up a series of switchbacks, across the Cole Mountain summit and eventually back down to the parking lot where you started out.
Just a few of the gorgeous wildflowers on display in the meadow. Pictured below: The old hog wall, the open meadow along the Hotel Trail, a beautiful tree sheltering one of the loveliest backcountry campgrounds in Virginia.
The thing I loved about this hike was the ever-changing landscape along the way. It was a perfect sampling of Virginia’s varied scenery. The trail started off winding its way down through lush, green beds of ferns sheltered by old hardwoods. After passing through a short tunnel of pines, the forest gave way to a wide meadow-like clearing filled with shoulder high wildflowers in every shade of pink, purple, yellow and white. Descending back into the forest, we saw numerous remnants from a bygone mountain farm. Crumbling stone “hog walls” and errant apple trees were easily spotted along the trail.
The Cow Camp Gap Shelter. Pictured below: a checkerboard is painted onto the shelter floor, Adam enjoys reading the shelter journal
We took a snack break along a small stream just before the 3 mile mark. There was a fire pit and log seats that made a perfect place to enjoy some trail mix and water. We ended up taking another break a few tenths of a mile down the trail when we arrived at the Cow Camp Gap Shelter. This shelter is just one of many three-sided huts located along (or near) the Appalachian Trail. This one was especially nice. There was a checkerboard painted on the floor, with acorn cap and twig game pieces. The shelter had a newer log book, so there weren’t many entries to enjoy this time. The site also had the biggest picnic table I’ve ever seen. It made Adam look like he was hobbit-sized.
The shelter marks the beginning of the only serious uphill climb on this hike. About a half mile after leaving the shelter, you meet up with the Appalachian Trail and head north. Along the way, the forest begins to thin out, giving you glimpses of a view from rocky ledges along the trail.
Upon reaching the saddle of Cole Mountain, the terrain changes radically and instantly. The trees disappear and a wide, pasture-like alley appears across the summit. The field is dotted with giant boulders and speckled with wildflowers. It’s a great place for a picnic lunch. You certainly can’t beat the sweeping views in every direction.
Adam Says…
This truly was a wonderful hike! I don’t think this hike is very well known to those that don’t live in Central Virginia, but it is a true gem and definitely worth a trip no matter where you live. We had absolutely perfect hiking weather with beautiful blue skies, dappled with an occasional cloud. We plan on coming back down to this area soon to try the nearby hike of Mount Pleasant.
Cole Mountain is also commonly known as Cold Mountain (and is listed as such on Hiking Upward), but when we saw its official name through the USGS was Cole Mountain, we are sticking with their name. I know when I told my family about hiking Cold Mountain, they thought about the movie with Nicole Kidman and Jude Law. That Cold Mountain is actually in North Carolina, along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The first lookout point along the Appalachian Trail was already showing some signs of fall.
To begin the circuit that we chose, we took the Hotel Trail. The origin of the name is supposedly derived from the landowner Joseph Richeson, whose house was known as The Hotel, due to the number of frequent guests.
Once you start the Hotel Trail, you will almost immediately come to a horse gate. Go through the horse gate and continue to follow the blue blazes. You will follow these blue blazes until you reach the junction with the Appalachian Trail. At .9 miles, you will reach the beautiful field of wildflowers on your left that Christine mentioned. At around 1.3 miles, you will reach a gorgeous spot for an overnight camp. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is planning on doing a backpacking trip. There is a large firepit formed with logs to sit and enjoy some S’mores over an open fire.
From the firepit, look to the northeast and you will see the blue blazes continue. At 1.7 miles, you will come across the “hog wall”, which is neat to think about people that used this area in the past. Continue down the trail until you reach the bottom of Cow Camp Gap at 2.9 miles. On our way down, I heard some strong howling off in the distant which sounded like coyotes. Since we’ve heard of this from other hikers, there must be some nearby. You will see on the other side of a small stream, the Cow Camp Gap Shelter. This is a great spot for any thru-hikers or people that just want to have a packed lunch, rest, or fill up water from the spring. We always enjoy reading the logs that thru-hikers and backpackers leave during their trips there. Once you see the shelter on the right, just stay on the trail until you reach the junction just ahead. The path to the right will take you to the shelter and the spring, but after your stop, you will take the path to the left. I imagine that during rainier times, this would be a nice spot to hear a trickling stream, but it was dried out when we were there.
From the junction at the shelter, you will have another .5 miles to reach the junction with the Appalachian Trail. At 3.5 miles, take a right (North) on the Appalachian trail. You will continue your ascent through a few switchbacks. At 3.7 miles, you will reach the first of two nice spots for an overlook at the edge of the switchback. Continue on the trail until you reach the large meadow with the summit. You will see a few vertical 4 foot high rocks sticking out of the ground. On the ground in the rock, you will see the USGS benchmark which marks the summit of Cole Mountain at 4,033 feet. Take a moment to enjoy the views at the summit and continue to follow the AT white blazes going north. You will see many gorgeous panoramic 360 degree views as you cross along the highlands for a few tenths of a mile. The scenery was truly breathtaking as we trekked across the highlands of the saddle, across the bald summit. (Note: camping and/or fires are not allowed on the bald of Cold Mountain.) At the end of the meadow at 5.2 miles, you will begin your descent into the woods and back to your vehicle. You will cross over a fire road, but stay on the white-blazed trail until you reach your vehicle.
Adam makes his way across the bald summit of Cole Mountain. Pictured below: this bush was heavy with berries.
If you are into geocaching, there are a two that you can find along the way. The first is at the “hog wall” and the second is near the summit. There was also another at Statons Creek Falls, which I feel is one of the prettiest waterfalls in Virginia. Here are links to the sites for those that are interested:
As a slightly humorous aside, we did see a couple of guys hiking that came over from another mountain. They had already hiked for about 8 miles, making this hike their second summit. They were planning on going back the way they came and making it a 17 mile hike to do in one day. We saw them around noon and they were hoping to make it back to their car around dinner time. They had a poor map and we tried to show them directions, but they were off quickly. However, they ended up going the opposite way away from their vehicle. We thought we should probably check the news to see if they became lost. I hope they got back safely, but I’m sure they had to reheat their dinner.
I would definitely say that this hike is one of my favorites in Virginia. The views were exceptional and the scenery along the entire trail was magnificent. Make this a “must-do” hike in your future planning! You won’t regret it.
Trail Notes
Distance – 6 miles loop
(Check out the stats from Map My Hike)* Note – the MapMyHike stats show the loop in reverse. When we rehiked the route on 6/25/16, we did it the opposite way so we hit the meadow views first.
Elevation Change – 1490 feet – The trail starts out both up and down, but the ascent to the summit is about 1.5 miles uphill.
Difficulty – 3. The trail starts with some ascents and descents. Once you meet the AT, you have about a steady uphill for 1.5 miles, but it wasn’t too tough.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is well-maintained and not too hard on the feet. There are some downhill portions that have some loose rock.
Views – 5. It doesn’t get better than panoramic 360 degree mountain views. We felt the scenery throughout the trail was gorgeous.
Waterfalls/streams – 0.5. There is a stream near the Cow Camp Gap shelter, but it was down to a trickle for us.
Wildlife – 1.5. We only saw a deer around here.
Ease to Navigate – 3. There aren’t a lot of turns here, but you may feel a little confused starting off.
Solitude –3.5. We did encounter a few people, but we had a lot of beauty to ourselves. Expect to see a few people along the highlands at the top, but there is a ton of room to enjoy the scenery privately.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
Directions to trailhead: Take Exit 188A off of Interstate-81, merging on to US-60 towards Buena Vista. After going through Buena Vista, take a left at Coffeytown Road/Rte 634. After 1.6 miles, take a right on to Wiggins Spring Road/Rte 755. While four-wheel drive isn’t necessary, I would recommend it since it is a rough gravel road. Stay on this for about 2.5 miles until you reach parking on the left side of the road. (GPS Coordinates for parking: 37.759652, -79.195336) Park your vehicle and then proceed further down the road for .2 miles. Before the road splits, you will see two posts marked with blue blazes which will begin the Hotel Trail.
Hightop Mountain is a nice hike along the Appalachian Trail in the Southern District of Shenandoah National Park. It features a super view and you can take a short spur trail to view an Appalachian Trail shelter.
It wasn’t the prettiest day for hiking, but the view from Hightop was still impressive. Hightop is the tallest peak in the south district of the park.
Adam Says…
Wow, it’s been a while. Sorry for the delay in posting anything new for a while, but life has just gotten in the way. We did get to go for a week in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and our annual trip to Acadia National Park in Maine, but we haven’t hiked in Virginia for a while. We’re just now getting back into the swing of things. We had a limited time on Sunday to do a hike, so we decided to pick something close by and relatively short. It was great to get back on the trails!
The hike was very nice. The trail had a steady uphill the entire way up, but it felt very manageable. We noticed that the trail was a little more overgrown than normal. This year has seemed to be great for weeds growing early on in the summer. Usually we have better views along the side of Skyline Drive and the trails, but things seem to have grown wilder this year. I’m sure the rain and cooler summer temps have caused this. The grass and weeds along the way tended to tickle our legs. The hike didn’t have a lot to view along the way, but it was nice to take a side trip and view the AT cabin and log. Around 1.2 miles, you will reach the intersection with the Smith Roach Gap Fire Road. Just cross the road to continue on the AT. You can reach the AT cabin by taking the spur trail shortly after the intersection with the Smith Roach Gap Fire Road. I always enjoy reading through the logs of those that have passed through. In this logbook there was some entries about people bringing the thru-hikers food, some card game scores, and a tale about how a bunch of them danced naked in the evening.
The views at the top really do show you a lot of mountains to the south and you can get nice glimpses of Skyline Drive. On a nice fall day, this could be a great photo opportunity when the leaves change color.
On the way back after .6 miles, you can take the option of taking the Smith Roach Gap Fire Road back to your car by taking a left, but the fire road looked very overgrown, so we opted to just go back the way we came.
Hightop Hut offers a nice rest stop for weary hikers and backpackers. Below: The hut has a trail journal. They are always a lot of fun to read.
Christine Says…
It was so great to get back out on the trail again! I loved lacing my boots up, feeling the trail crunching under my soles and hearing the sounds of late summer bees buzzing lazily through the wild flowers. I’ve been out of the woods for far too long.
The hike up Hightop is one we’ve done several times now, but we’ve always approached the summit as an out-and-back from the northern end of the trail. It’s shorter and steeper, but gets you to the same viewpoint. I actually enjoyed this southern approach quite a bit more. The grade was very gentle and gradual. This route also gave us the opportunity to visit the Hightop Hut. I always like to stop by the AT shelters and read the trail journals.
This cute little toad was one of the few wildlife specimens we saw along our walk.
The view from the summit of Hightop was beautiful. The sky may have been cloudy, but we could still see ten layers of mountain ridges fading into the distant southwest. We also got a nice view of our “home” mountain – Massanutten.
After the hike, Adam and I started casually tossing around the idea of doing a long backpacking trip next summer. We might try to hike the 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park sometime next spring. The more we talk about it, the less casual the idea seems. We’ll see…
Trail Notes
Distance –3.8 miles out-and-back which includes an optional .2 mile trip to an AT shelter
Elevation Change –967 feet
Difficulty – 2. While it is a steady uphill the way up, it’s not too steep of a grade.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is well-traveled and well-maintained.
Views –3. At the summit, you do have a chance to get some nice views of Skyline Drive and beyond. We counted a series of 10 ridges of depth at the top.
Waterfalls/streams –0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – .5 Other than a toad, we only saw one doe. There also didn’t appear to be a lot of birds on this trail.
Ease to Navigate – 4. Just stay straight on the trail.
Solitude – 3.5 This trail doesn’t see a lot of traffic, but would be busier during the AT thru-hiking in the summer.
Directions to trailhead:
Park on the east side of Skyline Drive at Smith Roach Gap (around mile marker 68.5). At the end of the parking lot, go on the fire road. The trail takes off about 10 yards on the left.
We started this trail from the amphitheater at Big Meadows. You can also take off from the Big Meadows Campground, adding an extra .8 miles to your trip, but we feel this is the best way to see what is necessary. From the parking lot, you’ll go down a very short spur to connect with the Appalachian Trail. After a short distance, there is a cement post to let you know to leave the AT and proceed on the trail to the right for the Lewis Spring Falls.
The Barred Owl
Shortly after we started the Lewis Spring Falls trail, we had a great barred owl viewing. We heard a bunch of birds causing quite a racket. We stopped to try to identify the birds, when I spotted the barred owl on the tree. There were at least six chickadees that were dive-bombing the owl. Our guess is that they were trying to protect chicks nearby. As the owl looked in one direction, the chickadees took turns diving down to snip on the owl’s back. It reminded me of the old elementary school trick, when you would tap on someone’s shoulder to make them look behind their shoulder when nobody was there. We got to watch this interaction for several minutes before the owl finally flew away to a different tree, giving the chickadees a moment of victory. However, the owl may ultimately win the war when the sun sets.
The trail down to the falls is quite rocky. While it is well-traveled, the trail is very steep downhill. This will make you constantly have to watch where you are placing your feet, as rocks and gravel are very loose. Once you have traveled 1.2 miles, you will come to a post showing that the viewpoint is shortly ahead. This post also includes the junction of the trail for your return loop. You will cross a stream but there are tons of rocks in the trail to make this an easy crossing.
On your return trip from the viewpoint, shortly after crossing the stream, you will take the spur trail to the right that connects to the Appalachian Trail. This is a constant uphill through more rocky terrain for .7 miles. You will come to a gravel road and a cement post showing that the AT trail junction is up ahead 70 yards. Take the AT to the left (north) to get back to the parking lot. The AT is definitely easier to walk, but the trail stays uphill at a slightly lesser grade. You will eventually come up behind the Big Meadows Lodge. There is a nice viewpoint to the west from a rocky overlook, which may give you a nice place to view a sunset and still be close to the parking lot.
Along with the owl, lots of birds and several deer – we saw lots of chipmunks along the way.
One side note is that before you reach the Lodge, there is a side trail to Blackrock, another popular trail to view a sunset. This has been closed until further notice due to Peregrine Falcons nesting.
Christine Says…
I told Adam I was going to write a one word entry for this hike and that word was going to be “lame”! Maybe I was in a crabby mood on this particular evening, but I still think there are so many nicer waterfall hikes in the park. We hadn’t hiked to Lewis Spring Falls in three or four years. I had remembered the falls being substantially more impressive than what we encountered on this particular night. Even with all the wet weather we’ve had this spring/summer, the waterfall was down to a trickle. When we got to the viewing point, I told Adam that the faucet in our bathtub has a more impressive flow. My other problem was the light. Even in late evening, the sun was still high enough in the western sky to put the waterfall in direct sunlight – so, alas – no nice photos of the falls.
Lewis Spring Falls
The terrain on the trail down to the falls is tough going – steep, scrabbly rocks that force you to look down and pay attention to every step you take. I always prefer to hike places where I can look around and enjoy the trail-side scenery instead of constantly following every move of my hiking boots.
We only saw one other pair of hikers along the trail – a couple guys trying to find their way down to the base of the falls. Another drawback to the Lewis Spring Falls is the fact that there is no good, safe way to reach the base of the falls. Our hiking book advises explicitly not to attempt to climb down – there is no trail and there have actually been fatalities at this waterfall. I do know a few people who have climbed to the bottom, none of them said it was worthwhile. We watched the two guys make a couple unsuccessful attempts to descend before they eventually gave up.
The hike back up is on the long arm of the loop, so it’s a long, steady uphill back to the amphitheater. By the time we got back, I was pretty tired and hungry. I’m definitely a morning person through and through. Evening hikes, even the short and easy ones, really have a tendency to kick my butt. If I was pressed to share my favorite thing about this hike, it would have to be the owl sighting. That was pretty cool.
Trail Notes
Distance – 3.0 mile loop trail (longer options are also possible depending on how you connect to the trail)
Elevation Change – 990 feet.
Difficulty – 3. The route we hiked was moderate.
Trail Conditions – 2. The AT section is nice footing, but the trail down to the falls and back up is quite treacherous.
Views –2. There are views from the overlook near the falls, but the nicest mountain views are near the end of the hike.
Waterfalls/streams –3. Decent waterfall views, but because you can’t get to the bottom easily, you can only appreciate it from afar.
Wildlife –3. We have heard a bear on this trail before. We saw a barred owl and several deer near the Big Meadows area.
Ease to Navigate – 4. The trail is easy to follow and marked with blue blazes.
Solitude – 2. You’re likely to see some people here since the close proximity to Big Meadows.
Directions to trailhead:
Follow Skyline Drive to the Big Meadows Area near mile 51.2. Follow the signs to the amphitheater. At the parking lot near the amphitheater, you will see the post marking the trailhead.
Virginia Trail Guide 
