The Virginia Creeper Trail is a picturesque rails-to-trails path that winds its way for thirty-four miles through the Mount Rogers recreational area. The trail starts in Whitetop and ends in Abingdon, with Damascus sitting right in the middle.
We biked the Creeper section from Whitetop to Damascus on a rainy day many years ago. We planned to do the whole thing that day, but the rain became a heavy downpour and it was too muddy to enjoy biking. We tried to come back a couple times to bike the second half, but were foiled by more rain and tornado damage. Last summer, we finally made it back to officially finish the remaining 16 miles between Abingdon and Damascus.
We have our own bikes, but they were badly in need of tune ups, so we left them home and rented from Blue Blaze Bike and Shuttle in Damascus, Va. Adam rented a mountain bike and I decided on a cool, purple cruiser. The trail’s terrain is generally smooth and covered with small gravel, so I decided to go with plush comfort rather than more rugged equipment. The rental shop was affordable and their bikes were impeccably maintained.
We booked seats on their first shuttle van of the day, and ended up being the only riders. Our driver was fun to talk to and was a regular hiker and biker. The shuttle took us from the shop back to mile zero in Abingdon, Va. From there, it was a mostly flat 16 mile ride back to their shop.
The section from Whitetop to Damascus is far more popular than the section we did this time – it’s a little more scenic and it’s all downhill, so it requires very little exertion. Our ride was still very easy, but we did have to pedal! The nice thing about biking the less popular half on a weekday was that we practically had the whole trail to ourselves. We saw just a handful of other runners and cyclists. The Creeper can get very crowded and congested, so this was a treat!
The main things to see along the Creeper Trail are beautiful waterways and railroad trestle bridges. The section we rode passed mostly through farmland, whereas the other half is more wooded. It was still really pretty, and the breeze from riding the bike made the heat bearable.
We stopped for a short snack and drink break at Alvarado Station about 8.5 miles into our ride. The station was once a railroad stop halfway between Abingdon and Damascus. It is the only stop for snacks and restrooms on this half of the trail. Across from the restroom building, there was a nice trailside park with a pavilion and porch swings. We sat by the river and enjoyed the view. We even saw a heron!
After our break we pedaled the remaining seven-ish miles into Damascus. The last mile or so follows the main road into town, so there are more road crossings and car noise. The nicest thing about trails like this is that the mostly keep car and bike traffic separated, so you always feel safe riding.
We got back into town, returned our rentals, got some lunch at Wicked Chicken Winghouse – another decent lunch stop in Damascus. Afterwards, we drove back to our AirBnB and picked up the dogs and took them for a two mile walk along the Creeper. After we got them nice and tired, we headed to Abingdon Vineyards to try some wine. The winery is dog friendly and has lots of outdoor tables along the stream. The day finished up with desserts from Anthony’s Desserts in Abingdon. If you’re in the area, this place has the most amazing sweets – don’t miss it!
More Photos
Trestle #1 on the Virginia Creeper
Biking on the Creeper
Crossing railroad trestles
Trestle #2 – they are all numbered and there are over 35!
Pretty farmland
Adam biking along
Taking a break in the shade
Alvarado Station park
Horses are welcome and common on the Creeper
My sweet purple cruiser
Some small rapids near Damascus
Pretty blooms along the trail
Bike selfie back in Damascus
Pugs on the Creeper!
Abingdon Vineyard
Wine flight
Don’t miss Anthony’s Desserts in Abingdon
Seriously – don’t miss Anthony’s Desserts! This is just half the case!
This 6.1 mile loop is located in Hungry Mother State Park. It follows the perimeter of the lake and has about 830′ of climbing along the loop. The developed side of the lake, where the hike begins, is flatter and often paved, while the backside of the lake is wooded and has more rugged terrain.
If you’re looking for a scenic-but-easy hike that’s longer than five miles, check out the Lake Loop at Hungry Mother State Park! We decided to tackle it as a bit of a recovery hike on our vacation to the area last June. The day before, we had hiked a piece of the Appalachian Trail from Damascus, VA to the Tennessee state line. It had been a significant uphill climb on a very hot day, so we wanted a hike that was a bit easier.
We’ve only visited Hungry Mother once before – to hike Molly’s Knob. If you’re interested in hiking Molly’s Knob as a longer loop with the Lake Trail, there are two junctions along the far side of the lake that will allow you to create this loop. You can download a copy of the Hungry Mother trail map from the park’s website.
For this Lake Loop hike, we paid our entrance fee at a self check-in station and parked in a large lot along the waterfront. The trail can be started in different places, but we set off counter-clockwise from the busy, developed part of the park, where picnic shelters, guarded swimming, boat rentals, a snack bar, and restrooms are all located. Because we visited on a Monday, the park was really quiet and lightly trafficked. We ended up only seeing several people along the entire loop.
The trail began on paved, flat walkway following closely along the shoreline. The entire loop is open to foot and bike traffic, but you’re probably most likely to see bikes on the flatter. easier developed side of the lake.
At the end of the lake, we passed a spillway/dam before reaching Camp Burson – the RV campground run by the state park. There is also a tent/yurt campground called Royal Oak at the other end of the park. After passing the campground, the trail crossed a bridge into the woods.
On the far side of the lake, the trail is a bit more rugged with many small ups and downs. The trail departs the lakeshore, and you only get glimpses of the lake through the trees for much of the way. On this side, we passed an old shed used by the CCC to store dynamite when the park was being built.
As we reached the end of the lake, the trail descended and began to follow the shoreline more closely, giving us lake views again. Eventually, we reached the park’s cabin area and found ourselves on flat footing back to our car.
All in all, this was a pleasant, easy walk in the woods. There are definitely more scenic and impressive hikes in the area, but this was a fun way to spend a recovery day.
More Photos
Spillway at Hungry Mother
Stream beyond the spillway at Hungry Mother
View from the top of the dam
Pretty blooms
Close up of pretty blooms
Leaving the campground area, There is a obstacle course/playground you can see in the far distance.
This 7.8 mile out-and-back is a section of trail we primarily did to work toward our completion of the entire Appalachian Trail in Virginia. This hike starts off in downtown Damascus and climbs 1,500 feet uphill to the Tennessee state line. There’s nothing in the way of views or noteworthy scenery – just a nice walk in the woods. We were lucky enough to have a great bear sighting on the trail.
Christine Says…
We seem to have a penchant for picking record-setting heat weeks for our vacations. I guess it’s not that unlikely when you’re limited to traveling in the summer, but man… this was an especially sweltering day to hike! Back in 2019, we did a week-long AT section hike that ended in Damascus at the parking lot across from Mount Rogers Outfitters. That left a 3.9 mile unhiked section between town and the Virginia/Tennessee border. As most of our regular readers know, we’re slowly section hiking our way across Virginia, so we had to fill in this little gap when we had a chance.
We parked in a public lot off of Laurel Street and picked up the AT where we left off in 2019. Headed south through town the trail is actually road walk, there are blazes on utility poles and AT logos built into the brick walkway. You can see people have made individual donations to have namesake bricks placed along the town section of trail. In a couple tenths of a mile, we turned left on Beaver Dam Ave. and walked through a little town park.
The park has an old train engine, a replica of an AT shelter, and the famous Damascus AT Welcome Arch. You’ve probably seen countless photos of hikers posing under the arch. We both took the obligatory photo for ourselves. After going through the park, the trail turns right onto Water Street, passing through a residential area before turning sharply uphill into the woods.
From there, the trail goes steadily uphill for 3.4 miles. About halfway up the climb, there’s a large campsite adjacent to a water source. I imagine some thru-hikers like the free camping right outside town the night before a resupply. Since we were hiking in late June, we had the trail all to ourselves, as most AT hikers are far north by then.
We plodded uphill until we finally reached the sign marking the state line! We both took a few steps into Tennessee, just for fun! We had a quick snack, and headed back down. The hike was naturally much easier going back downhill. We even saw a large, healthy-looking black bear about a mile south of town. Most of the bears we’re seeing in the Shenandoah are thin and mangy, so it was great to see a bear looking so fit. There had been a sign at the trailhead leaving Damascus warning of an aggressive bear further into Tennessee. I don’t think it was this bear, because this bear crashed away into the woods as soon as we saw him.
Pretty soon, we were back in town. It was even hotter in town as we walked the final third of a mile in the baking sun. After our hike, we went to Mojo’s Trailside Café for lunch and Off the Beaten Path for ice cream. Both are great stops post-hike!
This 56-mile backpacking trip traverses some of Virginia’s very best Appalachian Trail scenery! There are panoramic vistas, windswept balds, meadows full of wildflowers, pretty streams, and even wild ponies. We were lucky enough to have six days of nearly perfect weather and not a single drop of rain!
We hiked across an open pasture full of cattle. Below: Mt. Rogers Outfitters provided safe parking and shuttle service for our trip; Crossing the footbridge over the South Fork of the Holston River; Signing the log book as we begin our hike.
Day One – South Fork Holston River to Hurricane Creek Campground (9 miles) – Christine
Bright and early on Monday, May 20, we piled into our car and made the three and a half hour trip down to Damascus, Virginia. Town was busy with many thru-hikers still lingering after Trail Days (the huge, annual hiker festival and party hosted by the town.) Knowing we had six days of oatmeal and trail mix ahead of us, we enjoyed a fresh lunch at Mojo’s Trailside Cafe. Their food is excellent and the place has such a cool hiker vibe. After eating, we drove over to Mt. Rogers Outfitters to meet our ride. Our shuttle driver turned out to be a local woodworking artist named Matthew Newman (he has a gallery in town.) He was right on time and the trip to our start point flew by as he shared stories about the area’s history and geology. The Appalachian Trail crossing of the South Fork of the Holston River is in the middle of nowhere – just a tiny one-car pullout along a lonesome back road. We crawled out of his van, made sure we had all our stuff, and hit the trail. It was already 1:30 and we had nine miles to go before we reached our first camp stop.
We signed the wilderness-area logbook and crossed the wooden footbridge over the Holston River. We immediately started a gentle climb uphill through the woods. Eventually we reached a gravel road that paralleled a farm field. We climbed over a stile into a livestock pasture. The cows were completely indifferent to us, grazing and swinging their tails to swat flies away. The trail climbed steadily across the open terrain. We had some nice views of mountains behind us, but the sun felt hot and strong. We were glad to get to the stile on the south end of the pasture and duck back into the shade. After leaving the pasture, we had almost four miles of non-stop climbing. It wasn’t terrible uphill, but it was steady. Kris and I took a detour and visited Trimpi Shelter about a mile into the climb. It was a cute shelter with a center aisle, indoor stone fireplace, and abundant flat space for tenting around the shelter. Even though it was only a bit after 2:00, there were already a few hikers stopped for the day.
Comer Creek Falls was small but pretty. Below: Blooming Catawba Rhododendron; Abundant ferns along the trail; The AT is like a ribbon through the woods.
We climbed for another three miles. At the end of the ascent, we had a gorgeous, flat ridgewalk through lush fern. We trekked along until we reached the junction with a blue-blazed side trail that leads down to the forest service campground at Raccoon Branch. We stopped at the junction for a snack and gave Kris a chance to check on her feet. She was feeling a few hot spots in her new hiking boots and was dismayed to find several big blisters already forming just several miles into our hike! From there, we had a long meandering downhill to Dickey Gap. We passed lots of blooming flame azaleas and Catawba rhododendrons – and even a few early mountain laurels. We got to Dickey Gap a bit after 4:30. We chatted with a couple thru-hikers sitting in the shade under kiosk at the road crossing. They asked about the terrain headed north and indicated that they were going to try and make it to Marion (which was still 14 miles away!) You really have to admire thru-hikers’ ability to crush big miles like that.
The trail sign on the other side of the road said we had about 2.5 miles to go to reach our first campsite of the trip. About a mile later, we found ourselves at the base of Comer Creek Falls. The bridge across the creek was partially sealed off with yellow hazard tape. A sign indicated that the bridge was closed and hikers should backtrack and follow the detour indicated on the map. Well… we were all tired, Kris’s blisters were excruciating, and Adam was having back spasms. We just wanted to get to camp. We made a joint judgment that the bridge looked sturdy enough and decided to cross it one by one. Clearly, since I’m now writing this post — we lived! It really wasn’t all that dangerous. And, I guess sometimes you have to break the rules and live on the edge.
It’s nice to have a private campsite with your own picnic table. Then you’re free to spill your food and gear out everywhere and take up the whole table. When you’re at a shelter with others, you have to be nice and share space. Below: The bath-house at Hurricane Creek; One of many beautiful campsites at the campground.
A mile later, we found the spur trail down to Hurricane Creek Campground – one of the USFS campgrounds in the area. We had already paid for a site ahead of time, but found the entire campground pretty much empty. We easily could have claimed any of the walk-in, first-come-first-served sites. I chatted briefly with the campground host. He handed me a pamphlet and told me a bear had been opening car doors and stealing food. He recommended we store our food in the locked trunk of our vehicle. Hmmm… I guess he didn’t really notice that we all showed up on foot!
One of the perks of staying at the campground instead of an AT shelter was the fact that the campground had hot showers. I don’t need a shower every day on the trail, but any time I can get one, it’s a nice morale boost. It feels good to be clean when I crawl into my sleeping bag at night. We made a campfire, cooked dinner, and did our best to dodge the thick clouds of mosquitoes swarming around. Adam wrote a hilarious rap tune for our section hike, and each night during the trip he added and performed a new verse about our adventures for the day. After discussing the bear issues in the area, we ended up storing our food inside the vault toilet building across from our campsite. The door to the bathroom latched securely and the campground was empty, so it seemed like the best option. We ended up staying up until almost 10:00 – way past typical hiker midnight. Eventually, we headed to our tents and drifted off to sleep.
Download DAY ONE Maps and Elevation Profiles
Day Two – Hurricane Creek Campground to Old Orchard Shelter (8.7 miles) – Adam
Day two was completely in the green tunnel – no views. If you look closely, you can see Adam making his way uphill. Below: Hurricane Mountain Shelter; Taking a break from the heat and the strain of carrying packs; More trail scenery from the second day.
We started off day two from the campground, following the spur trail for about .7 mile back to the junction with the Appalachian Trail. Most of the day consisted of uphill climbing, but fortunately there were many water sources, so we didn’t have to carry a large (and heavy) amount of water.
About 1.5 miles into our walk, we passed through a beautiful section of trail surrounded by blooming rhododendron and azaleas. For a while, the trail was rolling and easy, but at the junction with the Hurricane Creek Trail, the trail took a turn steeply uphill along a wide, road-like section. Around the 3.9 mile mark, we took the .1 mile side trail on the right that led us to Hurricane Mountain Shelter. It was a nice place to eat a snack and stretch out our legs and backs (and tend to our feet). After the shelter, we had just over a mile more of steep climbing to reach an area known as Chestnut Flats. We had climbed about 1400 feet already; this wasn’t that bad over a long stretch, but there were some short steep sections along the way. At this top bump, the AT also reaches a junction with the Iron Mountain trail. We passed lots of hikers sitting trailside, using their phones. This was one of the few spots on the hike that actually had cell reception. Lots of people were catching up with texts, calls, and social media. We also came across a thru-hiker that told us there was some great trail magic ahead. That is always a motivator to any backpacker – you want to move quickly so you don’t miss out.
Trail Magic provided by Greybeard and Been There. Christine is eating a hot dog and Kris is using some of the first aid supplies to fix her feet. Below: The footbridge over Fox Creek; Our last climb of the day; Dropping packs at our selected campsite for the night.
It was a steep downhill for the next mile and a half, but we soon reached Fox Creek, VA 603. As soon as I crossed the road and parking lot, I saw a sign in the tree pointing to Trail Magic. When I walked into the area, I was blown away by the setup. There were two guys, Greybeard and Been There, that had set up a large trail magic area. They said all hikers – thru and section – were welcome. They had grilled hot dogs, marinated chicken, a tub of fruit, homemade pie, cold sodas, and tons of snacks to take with you. They had a table filled with medical supplies for the taking and a handwashing station. They even had camp chairs (with backrests – a true luxury) and a campfire. Greybeard has been setting up here for years on the week after Trail Days. He runs a GoFundMe page for contributions to buy all of the food and supplies. Been There was helping out with cooking and making sure everyone was in good health and spirits. It truly restores your faith in humanity to see people out there caring for other hikers and it was great to relax and talk trail with everyone there. Greybeard left camp while we were there because he found a stuff sack of food that one of the thru-hikers had left behind. He went further up the trail to leave it at a shelter the hiker would find – it would stink to leave days worth of food behind. They also told us the previous night they had a bear come into camp. After not getting food near the tents and campfire, he ambled over to the nearby parking area and broke into a trailer. Apparently, he made off with a full case of hot cocoa packets before moving on to steal feed from the horse camp across the road.
The nice people we shared a campfire with at Old Orchard. Below: Our lovely campsite under the shady tree canopy; Old Orchard Shelter; The privy at this shelter was huge and airy.
While it was tempting to stay near the trail magic camp, we pressed forward to our planned stop. We had another steep climb to reach our endpoint, but we felt renewed from our brief respite. At 8.7 miles, we reached Old Orchard Shelter. We were one of the first groups to arrive for the day, so we staked out a prime spot on in a flat grassy area – taking care to avoid the abundant poison ivy. Over the course of the evening, more than 20 people arrived and set up their own tent sites. The water source was a bit of a walk from the right side of the shelter, but was flowing nicely. We set up camp and then began to make some dinner – PackIt Gourmet Kickin’ Chicken Wraps. There was an odd-acting person at the shelter, so we ended up having about 14 people come sit at our campfire. We joked that we felt like the “cool kids” since everyone came to hang out with us. You always meet interesting people on these hikes. We met a Texas acupuncture doctor (who I discovered knew a mutual friend), a woman that was flying home to get married in just a few days, a woman from Germany out with a guide, a college professor hiking with her niece, and a couple of fire fighters from New York that drove down to do a section. It’s crazy how so many different people can come together over a fire that all share a passion for hiking. We had a great night talking with everyone and were excited about the next couple of days on the trail.
Download DAY TWO Maps and Elevation Profiles
Day Three – Old Orchard Shelter to Massie Gap (8.7 miles) – Christine
Adam climbs the Appalachian Trail leaving Old Orchard Shelter. Below: The gate at the top of Pine Mountain; Sunshine on Pine Mountain; Descending toward Scales Livestock Corral.
Our miles for the day started with a thousand foot climb to the summit of Pine Mountain. At the top of the mountain, we passed through a gate and followed the edge of a sunny meadow for a short distance before going through another gate where the trail went back into the woods. We descended through pretty forest for about a mile – there were pine roots, ferns, and abundant yellow flowers. As the trail leveled out, we found ourselves walking in a cloud. The sunshine we’d had back at the top of Pine Mountain had given way to low clouds settling between mountains. Through the mist, we could see a small building on a hillside off in the distance. At first I thought we were coming up on Wise Shelter, but I soon figured out the shelter was still miles away. What I actually saw was the vault toilet building at Scales Livestock corral. It has to be the most scenic privy in Virginia!
Adam hikes toward Scales Livestock Corral. Below: The prettiest pit toilet in Virginia; Fog on Stone Mountain; Flame Azalea.
After Scales, we had a short but steep uphill to the top of Stone Mountain – the four mile mark for our day. The long, pleasant ridge-walk should have offered beautiful views, but we were still socked in by heavy clouds. It was cold and windy along the summit walk. After a gradual descent of Stone Mountain, we entered Little Wilson Creek Wilderness. It was lovely and green. At 6.2 miles, we reached Big Wilson Creek and the junction with the horse trail. We crossed the stream on a wooden footbridge and went over another stile. I was paying close attention to my footing as I crossed a rocky area. Adam looked back at me from ahead and nonchalantly said, “Hey… I’m going to stop here and take photos of some ponies.” PONIES! I thought he was kidding at first. I didn’t expect to see ponies until day four. But sure enough… there was a band of six ponies grazing in marshland along the trail. Adam stepped slightly off trail to get a better view when suddenly a tiny black foal popped out of the deep grass. He couldn’t have been more than a week old and he was beautiful! The three of us all greatly enjoyed spending time watching these wonderful animals. The ponies eventually wandered deeper into the marsh, and we continued another .2 mile to Wise Shelter – our lunch stop for the day.
Our first Highlands ponies of the trip. We loved the tiny foal. Below: Little Wilson Creek Wilderness; Watching the rocky footing right before seeing ponies; What a gorgeous pony; Wise Shelter – our lunch stop.
We decided to take a long break and enjoy a hot lunch. We had some extra food to use up since we had a trail magic lunch the day before. Kris made a salmon pesto meal and Adam and I shared a package of Good To Go Mushroom Risotto (one of our favorites!). We had delightful lunch companions – two women from Sweden, a man from Kentucky, and a British guy – all thru-hikers. After they hiked on, we were joined by a man who was less-than-pleasant company, so we packed up and made our way into Grayson Highlands State Park. The park’s boundary is just south of the shelter.
From the shelter, we just had about 1.5 miles of climbing to reach the spur trail to the parking area at Massie Gap – our end point for day three. That 1.5 miles was incredibly scenic. The area is covered with only low shrubs and small pine trees, so the views are open in every direction. There are rock formations, wide meadows, ponies grazing, and (if you’re lucky like we were) blooming rhododendrons. We took tons of photos, watched ponies frolic, and enjoyed the magnificent views. It was everything we hoped the trip would be!
Approaching Grayson Highlands. Below: Adam is on top of the world; Blooming rhododendron; More beautiful ponies.
Around 2:30, we made our way down to Massie Gap where we were meeting the owner of the Grayson Highlands General Store and Inn. We had called him from the junction of the AT and the spur trail down to parking. After about 15 minutes of waiting, Dennis came along in a truck and whisked us away for a night of hiker-luxury. We had reserved the inn suite for the three of us. We also sent a resupply box with food for the second half of our trip. Carrying a full week of food is very heavy (backpackers typically carry 1 – 1.5 pounds of food per day), so it’s a treat to be able to resupply every 3-4 days. At the inn, we enjoyed pizza, beer/wine, and ice cream! Our suite had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and even a washer/dryer. We were all able to shower and wash our sweaty clothes. We spent most of the evening relaxing and repacking our bear canisters. It was nice to sleep in a queen size bed – so spacious compared to the floor space in our tiny tent! I would highly recommend the Grayson Highlands General Store for anyone who wants a night off-trail in the area. The accommodations are simple, but they’re very clean, affordable, and comfortable. Also, the staff at the inn takes great care of hikers! We really enjoyed our stay.
Waiting for our shuttle Below: Grayson Highlands General Store and Inn; Great hiker supplies; Cheers with a Wolf Hills ‘White Blaze Honey Cream Ale’!
Download DAY THREE Maps and Elevation Profiles
Day Four – Massie Gap to Whitetop (10 miles) – Adam
Day four was the highlight of the entire trip. It turned out to be the toughest day physically, but everything we saw helped make the pain bearable. We started off our morning with breakfast at the inn. Kris and I had french toast with bacon and Christine had a grilled bacon and cheese sandwich. We also got some deli sandwiches to pack for lunch on the trail. Dennis, the inn’s owner, gave us a shuttle ride back to Massie Gap parking. We had about a mile walk back up to where we rejoined the Appalachian Trail.
We started day four of our hike in Grayson Highlands State Park. Below: Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park; The rocky trail through Grayson Highlands; Storm clouds and windswept terrain.
We took a left and headed south on the AT. The climb was steep and slow going at the beginning, but we were soon greeted with expansive views all around. It was quite easy to just say that you were stopping to take photos when you really needed to catch your breath. The terrain was relentlessly rocky and rugged. The clouds that were hanging above the mountains added to the visual drama. We thought we were going to get stormed on, but luckily the rain held off all day. The one thing that amazes me about this area is how fitting the word “Highlands” is to describe the terrain – in this area you may feel like you are walking in Scottish Highlands.
The Grayson Highlands are like no other place in Virginia. Below: Kris scales a steep rocky section; Christine scrambles along the trail; The Fat Man Squeeze.
At about the 1.5 mile mark, we reached the southern edge of Grayson Highlands State Park, marked by a turnstile to an open field. From here we went back onto national forest land. The trail climbs up steeply and we reached a spot called ‘Fatman Squeeze’ at 2.2 miles. It is an interesting rock formation that you can climb through. It wasn’t that much of a squeeze, but if you don’t want to risk humiliation or don’t like the claustrophobic feel there is a path that loops around the feature.
After the Squeeze, we reached Wilburn Ridge at 2.5 miles. As we crossed over the bump, we spotted another band of ponies lounging next to the trail. While they call these “wild” ponies, they are accustomed to people and may try to grab some food from an unattended backpack. The ponies all have such interesting markings and we talked about which one was our favorite. The trail had another short uphill bump before we came to Rhododendron Gap and a junction with the Pine Mountain Trail. On the ground, someone had arranged rocks into “500” noting the 500 mile mark of the Appalachian Trail for northbound hikers. There is another bit of fairly easy walking on this ridgeline – and the views keep coming if you’re lucky to visit on a clear day.
This area is known as the crest zone. The views are open and the ponies like to hang out in this area. Below: PONIES, PONIES, PONIES!
At 4 miles, we reached the Thomas Knob shelter. As I approached the shelter, I paused to take a photo and startled a retired police officer eating lunch there. Just a minute before I arrived, a bear had come right up to the shelter where she was sitting. She thought I was the returning bear. We stopped to eat lunch and heard more from the woman about the bear. The shelter log said that at night, gleaming bear eyes can be seen in the nearby trees, watching the open shelter.
Adam hiking in one of Virginia’s most scenic places. Below: The crest zone is the open area all along the ridge leading to Mt. Rogers; Christine enjoys the majestic views; Thomas Knob Shelter.
The area has been extremely problematic for aggressive bears over the last couple years. In 2018, several miles of AT in this area were closed to camping after tents were shredded and over 70 hikers’ food bags were taken by a bear. Now, there are bear lockers installed near the shelter, so be sure to store food and other ‘smellables’ securely if you decide to stay near Thomas Knob. Despite the addition of bear lockers, some hikers are still continuing to sleep with food in their tents and in the shelter, so bear problems have persisted into the 2019 season. After lunch, we continued on and just a short distance along the trail we reached a junction with a spur trail that leads to the summit of Mt. Rogers (we wrote about this in another post – no views but something worth doing if you want to bag the highest peak in Virginia).
It was sad to leave the beautiful Mt. Rogers and Grayson Highlands. Below: This spur trail leads to the summit of Mt. Rogers – Virginia’s highest peak; As you descend from the Highlands, the forest changes quickly to pines; The descent from the crest zone was very rocky.
After the Mt. Rogers junction, the trail descends steeply over rocky terrain until you reach Deep Gap at 6 miles. We saw dozens and dozens of northbound thruhikers coming the opposite direction as we descended from Grayson Highlands. More than a few mentioned that they were not enjoying the big climb and asked if the scenery ahead was as amazing as reputed. We assured everyone that the big climb was totally worth the payoff at the summit.
We took off our packs for a break, but we knew we still had more miles to cover. Continuing on, we kept descending and reached the beautiful mustard fields of Elk Garden. It was hot in the open sun. We crossed VA 600 at 8 miles and ran into a grandfather that was hoping to meet his thru-hiking granddaughter along the trail. We hadn’t seen her yet (we would the next day), but we rested again for a bit as we reentered the woods.
Elk Garden was a meadow of golden flowers. Below: Christine and Adam pose for a photo in the meadow; The climb up Whitetop Mountain; The last uphill of the day.
The day had already been tough and we had a big climb ahead of us. We debated stopping there for the night, but decided to camp where we had originally planned. We summoned what little strength we had left and pressed on to the end. We had 2.4 miles of an uphill climb to make it to the end of our day and it was all fairly steep. We hiked separately, setting our own paces, with Christine in the lead.
When we got to the high point on Whitetop Mountain, almost all the campsites had been taken, but Christine managed to grab the last decent one when she arrived. It was probably the worst of the campsites that we had for the trip, but it was still fine. Lots of other hikers ended up squeezed into tilted rocky sites that couldn’t have been comfortable.
This soft glowy light was a true reward at the end of the day. Below: This sign made us all thankful because we knew the climb was ending; Kris filtering water at camp; More beautiful evening scenery.
Water was quite a distance from camp, but on our way to the source we enjoyed great views along an open ridge. The water source was a piped spring that came out of the mountainside. It gushed ice cold water and might be one of the nicest water sources we’ve ever seen. Christine and I both doused our heads and splashed our faces and rinsed away a lot of the day’s salty sweat. We made PackIt Gourmet All American Cheeseburger Wraps for dinner – maybe our new favorite backpacking meal. They were delicious! After brushing our teeth and finding a good place to wedge our bear canisters, we watched sunset from the open ridge, and then went to bed before 9:00. We were all exhausted. It had been an amazing, but tiring, day.
Download DAY FOUR Maps and Elevation Profiles
Day Five – Whitetop to the Virginia Creeper Junction (8.5 miles) – Christine
Day five dawned with our high-elevation campsite blanketed in fog. We hoped enough of the mist would lift to allow us to enjoy the views from Buzzard Rock, but with only a mile to cover, we were at the vista about twenty minutes after hiking out of camp. At the viewpoint, we found ourselves still standing in the middle of a cloud. Luckily, we could still make out faint views of the valley below. Even veiled, Buzzard Rock is a gorgeous spot – and also our last opportunity to enjoy the highlands on this trip. Shortly after the viewpoint, the trail takes a steady 3.8 mile downhill drop from 5,080′ all the way down to 3,160′. At the beginning of the descent, we saw the fading final red trillium of spring and at the bottom of the descent, we saw abundant pink lady’s slippers. The drop in elevation let us see both early and later bloomers on the same day!
Adam climbs through the fog to Buzzard Rock. Below: Buzzard Rock outcropping, Faint views into the valley below; Adam and Kris leave the Virginia high country for lower altitudes.
At the bottom of the descent, we crossed Route 58 and made our way back uphill for a mile to reach Lost Mountain Shelter. The lower elevation brought on the extra heat and humidity. Paired with the exertion of climbing, we were all pretty hot and tired when we arrived at the shelter for lunch. The area was crowded with a crew of volunteer maintainers from the local trail club and about ten thru-hikers in for a mid-day break. The trail club kindly carried out everyone’s garbage! It’s such a small thing, but to have a day hiker offer to take your trash out is true trail magic! We collected water and decided to make our PackIt Gourmet cheese spread for lunch. It’s a really delicious meal, but I think everyone was too hot to really be hungry. We couldn’t finish everything, so we passed our leftovers on to a thru-hiker from Colorado.
The terrain and trees changed vastly over the course of the day. Below: Lush green forest; A fading red trillium near the top of the day; Pink lady’s slippers near the low point of the day; Lost Mountain shelter; Descending toward camp; The trail followed a pretty stream at the end of the day.
After lunch, we had a tiny bit more uphill climbing before the trail switchbacked downhill for 1.8 miles to its junction with the Virginia Creeper Trail. The Creeper is and old railroad grade converted to a multi-use trail. It’s most heavily used by bikers, but also by equestrians, hikers, runners, and even the occasional dog-sledder in the winter! Kris was about fifteen minutes behind us, so Adam and I sat on the Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge and waited for her to catch up. While we waited, we noticed that there were several really nice streamside campsites under the bridge.
When Kris caught up, we had a team meeting and decided to camp under the bridge instead of hiking another 2.3 (mostly uphill) miles to our planned campsite. We were all hot and tired, and the campsite ahead sounded not-so-great (stagnant, mosquito-laden pond nearby) according to accounts in our Guthooks AT App. We set up camp, waded in the stream, played cards, and had a relaxing evening at camp. We even met a couple guys fishing nearby, and they kindly shared a couple cold beers with us.
The Luther Hassinger Bridge is where the AT and Virginia Creeper meet and share course for a while. Below: Our campsite for night five; Our water source was a lovely stream; We used the trestle bridge to bear hang a bag of garbage.
Over dinner, we discussed altering our plan for days six and seven. We tossed around the idea of finishing in one day instead of two and following the Creeper Trail instead of the AT. We agreed to sleep on the plan and make a decision in the morning. It was really a fantastic campsite and everyone slept so well with the sound of rushing water nearby.
Download DAY FIVE Maps and Elevation Profiles
Day Six – Virginia Creeper Junction to Damascus (11 miles) – Adam
We woke up early and discussed our plan for the day. Kris’ feet were in pain and we knew the elevation gain and rough terrain were going to be hard on her blisters. The initial thought was that I would stay on the AT, while Christine and Kris would walk back along the Creeper Trail, but meet up along a spur between the two trails to camp together. After looking at our AWOL guide and the Guthooks app, there was no solid information on how the spur trail would connect or how far it would be. I ultimately made the call to stick together and finish in one day via the Creeper Trail back to Damascus. I am probably more of an AT purest and want to hit every blaze, but Christine was fine just getting to Damascus another way. But, she promised to come back together and do the AT miles to appease my desire to see every white blaze. Sticking together was definitely the best call for everyone’s safety and peace of mind.
We started the final day of our trip on both the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Creeper Trail. Below: Adam crosses the Hassinger bridge; A beautiful cascade on Whitetop Laurel Creek; Easy terrain on the Virginia Creeper Trail.
The AT parallels the Creeper Trail for a good portion, but it is much higher in elevation and there aren’t really any easy access points between the two trails. Going back the way of the Creeper Trail also meant that the entire hike was either flat or downhill and the footing for trail conditions was much easier on injured feet (the AT section would have added about 1800 feet of climbing and a couple more miles).
We packed up camp and were on our way. We crossed the Hassinger bridge, where the AT and Creeper begin to share trail for about .7 miles until the AT takes a hard right up the mountainside. We stayed on the Creeper Trail, crossing 21 trestle bridges and enjoying gorgeous stream scenery along the way. When we biked this section many years ago, it was raining which forced us to rush along the trail, so it was nice to take in the sights at a leisurely pace. Much of the Creeper Trail follows Whitetop Laurel Creek – one of Virginia’s largest and most pristine trout streams.
There were a good number of bikers out for the Memorial Day weekend, so we got used to hearing “ON THE LEFT” as they sped past. A few cyclists paused and gawked at us carrying our gear. For some of these casual family bikers I guess we seemed like hardcore professional athletes. People randomly applauded and one woman said she was ‘in awe of us.’ It was funny!
Whitetop Laurel Creek is one of the best trout streams in Virginia. Below: One of the many bridges over the stream; Crossing open farmland; Rock walls along the stream.
Overall the Creeper Trail is fairly shady, but we also passed by farm houses and through wide pastures. The sun was quite hot in open areas. After finishing a long sunny stretch, we stopped in the shade along a roadside. A father and son were fishing nearby. When they saw us, they offered us a cold Mountain Dews and homemade cookies from their truck. We never stop being amazed by the kindness of strangers. We eventually managed to motivate ourselves to get back up and shoulder our heavy packs.
As we drew closer to town, there were billboards on the side of the trail advertising places to eat and drink in Damascus – they helped motivate us to finish. We ended up crossing US-58 on the outskirts of Damascus. The Appalachian Trail comes down a steep set of stairs on the right and rejoins the Creeper Trail again as it passes through town. We finished our hike walking alongside the road in the blazing sun. Kris had a near brush with danger as a kid on a bike carelessly ran her off the side of the trail. That was a real issue near the congested town section, since many bikers may not be as well-trained on etiquette or skilled enough to avoid others. We talked to another couple that had been hit twice by inexperienced cyclists on their run.
After eleven miles of hiking we made it back to Damascus. Below: Blooming mountain laurel along the trail; Billboards advertising food and drink along the trail; The Appalachian Trail rejoins the Creeper Trail just north of town; Our lunch stop and hike’s end… cheers!
We made it back into town and ate at Wicked Chicken Winghouse & Tavern. There was a guy outside singing and playing guitar and a ton of people enjoying the music, food, and ice cream. We ate inside the air-conditioned restaurant and had some great wings and beers from Damascus Brewery. When we were finished eating, I walked a few tenths of a mile back into town (following the Creeper Trail further into town and then going down Shady Ave to get back to Mount Rogers Outfitters) to pick up our car. Christine and Kris stayed at the restaurant and finished their beers before I picked them up. Before we headed home, we stopped and got some souvenirs from Sun Dog Outfitter.
We had an amazing trip and shared a lot of good memories together while covering a bunch of miles. Everything isn’t always easy when you do a longer section of trail like this, but we felt very accomplished and glad to have each other to help us get through.
Download DAY SIX Maps and Elevation Profiles
Trail Notes
Distance – 56 miles
Elevation Change – 11,095 ft. (daily gain is included on each profile download)
Difficulty – 3. Most of the terrain is moderate and uncomplicated.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was clear and easy to follow. Bridges and footing were mostly in passable condition. The bridge at Comer Creek Falls was technically closed when we hiked. We had one tough blowdown to negotiate in Little Wilson Creek Wilderness.
Views – 5. We had spectacular views on three of the six days of the trip.
Streams/Waterfalls – 4. There were many beautiful cascading streams along the route. Comer Creek Falls was small, but lovely.
Wildlife – 5. High chances of seeing bears along this section. Even though the ponies aren’t technically wild, we count them as wildlife.
Ease to Navigate – 5. The trail is well marked and easy to follow.
Solitude – 0. This is a very popular section of Appalachian Trail. We maximized crowds by 1)Joining the thru-hiker bubble 2) Starting the day Trail Days ended 3) Hiking over a holiday weekend. If you choose a different time of year, you might have significantly more solitude.
Directions to trailhead: We left a car in Damascus at Mt. Rogers Outfitters. We used their shuttle service to drop us off at the Appalachian Trail Crossing at the South Fork of the Holston River. GPS coordinates for our start point are: 36.7631, -81.4939.
This 20.5 mile Appalachian Trail segment crosses the most photographed spot on the entire trail – McAfee Knob. Even though the view from McAfee is fantastic, there are great views all along the section. In fact, we think the view from Tinker Cliffs rivals the majesty of McAfee.
Last fall, I told Adam I wanted to backpack McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs for my birthday. We planned our mileage, picked our meals, and hired a shuttle driver. When the Friday of our hike arrived, it was forecast to be blazing hot. The area was also experiencing a prolonged drought. The water sources along this stretch are typically reliable and we thought being on a high mountain ridge would cool things off a bit, so we loaded up and headed out.
On the way to our start point at Catawba, our shuttle driver (Homer Witcher – we’ve used him before and he’s a fantastic part of the Appalachian Trail community) told us that just a few days earlier, a woman and her daughter were crushed under a falling tree at one of the campsites along the route. He had assisted EMTs with the rescue operation. Fortunately, the daughter escaped with minor injuries and the mother recovered after a hospital stay. Scary!
The climb was a little steep and rocky in the beginning. Below: Parking on Route 311; Johns Spring Shelter; Catawba Mountain Shelter.
Homer dropped us off at Catawba parking around 9:30 a.m. Despite it being early(ish) on a Friday, there were already numerous cars in the lot. This is an extremely popular area for hiking and the lot frequently fills and overflows by mid-morning, especially on the weekends. There are strict regulations for where you can park, and cars are frequently towed from this area. Take these rules seriously! You can read more about parking issues in the Roanoke Times article.
The northbound Appalachian Trail starts on the other side of route 311. We crossed and immediately began an ascent over dry, dusty terrain. Just a mile into the hike, we passed Johns Spring Shelter. It’s a typical AT shelter and has space for six people. There are a few tent sites and a privy nearby. The water source near this shelter is usually small, but it was bone dry on the day we hiked.
In another mile, we passed the Catawba Mountain Shelter. It’s a similar set-up to Johns Spring in terms of space. There are also several nice campsites with metal fire pits just north of this shelter. After passing this shelter, there is a steady 1.7 mile climb to the view at McAfee Knob. On the way to the top, you’ll cross a fire road. Stay on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail. Near the top, you’ll pass through an impressive jumble of truck to cabin sized boulders. The overlook is a couple hundred feet to the left of the trail and is marked by a small sign.
The view from McAfee Knob is gorgeous! Below: Before you reach the knob you pass under powerlines; Rock formations before McAfee Knob; It’s a tradition to sit on the edge of the overhanging rock.
Views from the overlook are majestic and expansive. The long ridge on the the right carries the Appalachian Trail over to Tinker Cliffs. On a clear day, you’ll see the cliffs shimmering in the distance. When you’re at McAfee, don’t miss the opportunity to sit on the ledge with your feet dangling into the abyss. It’s a tradition and isn’t as scary as it looks.
After leaving the viewpoint, you’ll descend steeply into a maze of giant boulders. There are narrow openings in the maze, making it a fun place to explore. A half mile later, there is an open meadow under powerlines and a nice view of the distant mountains. The descent continues for about 1.2 miles. At the bottom, you’ll reach the Pig Farm Campsite and shortly after that – Campbell Shelter. The shelter is on an elevated platform and there is a privy, picnic table, and bear locker at the site. The water source, located about 150 yards to the left of the shelter, was also dry!
After leaving McAfee, you descend through a maze of boulders. There are many interesting rock formations on this section. Below: An eastern fence lizard; Campbell Shelter; The weeds were hip to shoulder high along the trail; A nice shady spot to rest; We got one distant look at the reservoir on the first day; After descending into this grassy area, you begin the tough climb to Tinker Cliffs.
After the shelter, the trail follows rolling terrain for 3.1 miles until you reach a grassy opening at Brickeys Gap. There is a trail to the left, but you’ll stay on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail and begin a steep uphill climb toward Tinker Cliffs. The ascent goes on for 1.8 miles. On this particular day, the climb was especially rough. We were both tired from the heat and running low on water.
Navigating the trail as it heads up Tinker Cliffs is a bit tricky. Look carefully for white blazes and arrows. There will be openings in the rocks that look like trail, but they’re not. Most of these openings are blocked by branches dragged across the ground, but if you’re not paying attention you might head the wrong way. When we finally made it to the top of the cliffs, the views made all the effort worthwhile. We had the entire overlook all to ourselves! I thought the views from Tinker Cliffs were even better than McAfee Knob. I took off my shoes and socks and let myself bake for a few minutes in the late afternoon sun. It was probably still in the low 90s – such a hot day for late September!
It was clear that many people had camped at the top of Tinker Cliffs, camping is strictly prohibited on top Tinker Cliffs. We made our way along the open cliffside for about half a mile before descending back into the trees.
The view from Tinker Cliffs was as nice as McAfee. Below: On the climb up you get a nice meadow view; The trail is a little tricky so pay attention to signage and look for logs blocking the wrong way; It was still around 90 degrees when we got to the top of Tinker (notice the beet red face); Adam walks along the cliffside; Descending beneath Tinker Cliffs; the final mile into camp was easy terrain.
The trail passes beneath the cliffs and then rambles downhill for about a mile until it reaches Scorched Earth Gap and the junction with the Andy Layne Trail. From there, we had an easy .6 mile stroll to our campsite at Lamberts Meadow Shelter. When we arrived, there was one other section hiker already there. We picked a campsite across the ‘stream’ from the shelter. Note, I put stream in quotes because when we visited it was nothing but a series of shallow muddy pools.
We got the tent set up and changed into camp clothes. It took us a full hour to filter four liters of water! First, we had to scoop water into our bucket. It was full of mud, pebbles, mosquito larvae, and algae, so we had to filter that water through a bandanna into our Sawyer bags. The we squeezed the water through the Sawyer into our Camelbaks. It was the color of weak tea, so I chose to treat it with Aquamira on top of the filtering. It was nasty!
We made it to camp at Lamberts Meadow Shelter! Below: We set up camp on the opposite side of the stream; The lousy, dank water source.
We set aside a couple cups of the water to make dinner, leaving us each with just under two liters of water for the next day. It took so long to deal with water, that it was almost dark when we headed up to the shelter to cook. By then, a couple other section hikers had arrived at the shelter. They were former military and had done a lot of the trail. We chatted about gear and favorite spots along the AT. They told us a tale about finding a body near Tinker Cliffs on a hike fifteen years earlier. They had become lost on the trail headed up the cliffs and found a body from the 1940s or 50s in the woods under the cliffs. It was a crazy story!
After dinner, we headed back down to the tent. It was still too hot to make a fire and we were both pretty tired, so we turned in early. It was a stuffy, fitful night in the tent. It’s hard to get comfortable when you’re sweaty and stuck to your sleeping pad. Still… it had been a beautiful day with lots of amazing scenery.
Day Two (9.5 miles)…
We woke up at daybreak and knew it was going to be a hot day. The temperature was already in the mid-70s. We didn’t have much water to drink or cook with, so we opted to eat some Little Debbie Peanut Butter Pies for breakfast. They are good calorie bombs for some fast energy and didn’t require any water. This was definitely the scariest water source we have had to use, so conserving water until we found something else was our plan. We packed up camp quickly and then made our way back on the Appalachian Trail, heading north to make our way back to our car.
In .3 miles, we came across the Lamberts Meadow Campsite, which also had no water in the stream next to the campsite. We saw the fallen tree that had smashed through the picnic table. Homer had told us that if that picnic table hadn’t been there, it would have likely fallen directly on the tent. He was planning in another week to build and bring another table down there to replace the one that had been smashed. Since there isn’t great access to this area except for a long hike, I can’t imagine hauling a big table through the woods like this, especially at Homer’s age (in his 70’s). Homer is the true definition of a trail angel and has helped so many AT thru-hikers and others along the way.
We set off early. The morning was already hot and humid. Below: This huge tree fell and injured two hikers the weekend before we hiked; A beautiful farmland view on day two; There was not a lot of climbing on day two, but the terrain was rockier.
From the campsite, we continued on the AT. At 2.5 miles, we reached a junction with a blue-blazed trail that led to a nice viewpoint to the west. The trail began to slope downwards and at 4.3 miles we reached Angels Gap. The heat continued to increase and we were already extremely thirsty. We drank when we felt we needed to, but we both were already running low on water. The sun was beating down since the area was more open. At 4.7 miles, we first heard the buzzing of a powerline and soon it came into view. At 5.5 miles, we reached Hay Rock. We skipped climbing up the rock, since we were already getting good views of Carvins Cove Reservoir all along the trail. Many people do Hay Rock as a day hike coming from Daleville.
The trail stayed relatively flat, but was rocky and exposed us to the sun for a bit. We crossed over an open field with tiny little seed pods that were blowing in the hot wind. It looked like snow that was coming down, but the temperature told us otherwise. We had just watched Stranger Things on Netflix and it reminded us of something supernatural or alien that was happening in this area. We came to another powerline at 6.7 miles, but this one gave us wonderful views. We didn’t stay long since we wanted to get out of the direct sun. Christine had run out of water, but I had saved a bit for her to have.
Christine enjoys a view on day two. Below: Adam approaches Hay Rock. There’s a nice view of the reservoir from the top, but we skipped climbing it; More rocky terrain; Carvins Cove reservoir.
Shortly after we left these views from the power lines, the trail finally ducked back into the woods and began a descent. We ran into a Ridge Runner on the trail that was talking to hikers and seeing if they were alright with the heat and lack of water. Ridge Runners are paid to monitor the trail and assist hikers. I would have loved some water, but we knew we could make it just a few more miles. We told him about the lack of water on the trail, so hopefully they came across others that were in bigger need. We crossed powerlines again at 7.5 miles, 8.3 miles, and 8.9 miles. Shortly after this last powerline, we crossed over some railroad tracks and a bridge. It was only a few more tenths of a mile and at 9.5 miles we made it back to our car exhausted and thirsty.
A beautiful view of the Carvins Cove Reservoir. Below: A lot of day two was unshaded; We passed through a meadow with seed pods flying everywhere in the breeze – it was like being in a snowglobe; The descent was welcome as the day got hotter; We crossed railroad tracks; A pretty section of pines; We met this blacksnake.
When we got back to our car, our first order of business was to get something to drink. We hopped in our car and jumped into a gas station across the street and downed some Gatorades in record time. We decided we wanted to eat some barbecue and drink some beer to celebrate. Since we had made an early start to our day, it was just a little after noon when we got off the trail. We made our way to Flying Mouse Brewery (this brewery closed at the end of 2018) and our Maps app on our phones said that it would be closed when we arrived. We thought we would give it a shot anyway in the off chance it was open. As we were driving up, I saw signs for Virginia Momentum and saw runners. Virginia Momentum is a company started by a friend of mine that holds races across Virginia that helps support local charities. When we got to Flying Mouse Brewery, they were hosting a brewery-to-brewery race there, so it was open. We felt that someone was looking out for us and went inside to get a flight of beer samples and enjoyed talking to our friends that were participating. While running these long races is impressive, we did earn some props by just having come off the trail carrying some heavy weight. After some tasty beverages, we made our way to Three Li’l Pigs BBQ, which always has amazing food and is perfect for a post-hike stop.
This backpacking trip had some other significance to us as well. While it was Christine’s birthday, McAfee Knob was one of the first posts that started Virginia Trail Guide. We’ve learned a lot along the way about how to tell our story of the trails. If you’re looking for one of Virginia’s most famous hikes to serve as a backpacking route, try this one out. McAfee Knob is the most photographed spot on the entire Appalachian Trail. We enjoyed taking the ceremonial pictures at the top. We even mimicked the A Walk in the Woods movie poster shot of Robert Redford and Nick Nolte to show how the scale was wrong for that poster. While we had hiked McAfee Knob before, this was our first trip to Tinker Cliffs and we both thought this was something not to be missed. This route makes up two-thirds of Virginia’s Triple Crown (with the other third being nearby Dragon’s Tooth) and it is definitely worth the hype. Just go on a cooler day and pray for better water sources.
You have to finish with a cold beverage!
Trail Notes
Distance – 20.5 miles Check out the stats from Map My Hike [Day 1] [Day 2]*
Elevation Change – 3400 ft.
Difficulty – 4. Day one is the tougher day with about 2500 feet of climbing. Day two is significantly easier with just over 900 feet of elevation gain.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was in great shape and beautifully maintained by the RATC (Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club).
Views – 5. The views here are iconic, magnificent, and they just keep coming!
Streams/Waterfalls – 1. There are small springs and streams adequate for a water source for cooking/filtering, but there was nothing really scenic.
Wildlife – 4. A yearling bear hung out between Lamberts Meadow shelter and Lamberts Meadow campsite for much of the evening. We also saw fence lizards and deer in a couple places.
Ease to Navigate – 4. The trail is well-marked and easy to follow.
Solitude – 1. This is one of the most popular stretches of trail in the area, so expect to see many people – especially if you go in fair weather. Campsites can be crowded and parking is an issue on the Catawba side. Note: Parking regulations were recently changed. Do not park along the road, or you will be towed.
Special regulations for this area:
Maximum group size, day hikes: 25
Maximum group size, backpacking/camping: 10
No alcohol
Dogs must be kept on leash at all times
No camping or campfires outside of seven designated areas (north of Va 624/Newport Rd, the only legal campsites are Johns Spring Shelter, Catawba Shelter and campsites, Pig Farm campsite, Campbell Shelter and Lambert’s Meadow Shelter and campsites)
No camping or campfires on McAfee Knob or Tinker Cliffs
* 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: GPS coordinates for the parking area to start this hike are 37.380125, -80.089694. You will park at the McAfee Knob trailhead parking area on Rt. 311 in Catawba. You must park in the lot. Roadside parking is prohibited and cars will be towed.
This 3.6 mile hike takes you over more than 15 water-crossings to see a series of small waterfalls and swimming holes. The main scenic draw of this hike is the visit to the Devils Bathtub – a beautiful sandstone formation in the streambed.
The Devils Bathtub is a perfectly clear, oval pit in the sandstone. It really does look like a bathtub! When we visited the water levels were very low. Normally the striated area above the tub forms an even larger pool. Below: Stairs at the beginning of the hike; First water crossing; Early part of the trail.
Christine Says…
The Devils Bathtub popped up on our radar after getting quite a bit of attention on the internet. Sometime after 2014, it started showing up on Pinterest, on Reddit, on lists of most beautiful places in each state – even the Weather Channel called it Virginia’s hidden gem. As dedicated hikers, we wondered how such an amazing place could have escaped our notice for so long.
As it turned out, this hike has been hiding in our plain sight for years. The route to the Devil’s Bathtub is fully outlined in Bill and Mary Burnham’s ‘Hiking Virginia’ guidebook as part of the larger Devil’s Fork loop. Burnham’s description of the scenery was far less dramatic than accounts we read on the internet. And, we’re rarely in the far southwest corner of Virginia, so we stayed in the dark like most outdoorsy Virginians.
However, on our summer trip to the Abingdon area, we finally had a chance to find out first-hand if the Devil’s Bathtub lived up to its internet hype.
First off, the Devil’s Bathtub is in the middle of nowhere in Scott County, Virginia. There isn’t a nearby gas station to ask for directions or use the restroom. You probably won’t have any cell service, so make sure you have good directions and all your trail information ahead of time. Second, the last bit of road to get to the trailhead parking is quite rugged with mud and deep potholes in the road bed. Our Subaru did fine, but it was a bumpy ride! Third, parking for this hike is extremely limited with room for just a few cars. We visited early in the morning on a quiet, overcast weekday, so there was just one other car when we arrived. We’ve heard parking can be a nightmare for this hike, so time your visit strategically.
We saw dozens and dozens of these efts. Below: Scenery along the stream
Once we got past the logistical challenges – location, road access, and parking, we were all set to see this spectacular beauty spot! The hike started at the top of a staircase at the top of the parking area. At the top of the stairs, follow the trail to the left, passing almost immediately under/around a locked metal gate. In just a quarter mile, you’ll have your first of many stream crossings. The first crossing was the widest and deepest we experienced on the hike – and we visited during drought conditions. During periods of heavier rain or snow melt, this stream crossing could be quite a bit deeper and wider.
Shortly after the first stream crossing, you’ll reach marked split in the trail. You’ll want to bear to the left, following the arrow in the direction of the Devils Bathtub. The sign says it’s 1.8 miles to the Bathtub, but our GPS calculated the hike at almost a full half mile shorter by the end of the round trip. This route is also the most direct way to the scenery and is an out-and-back hike. There is a full 7-mile loop of this area, but all recent accounts say that most of the trail is poorly blazed, covered with blowdowns, and beset by aggressive wasps.
After the junction, we continued along following the yellow blazes. Even though the trail doesn’t climb much in elevation, it still provides challenges with its sporadic blazing and 15+ water crossings. It was really easy to lose the yellow blazes, as the trail is eroded and appears to have been relocated several times. We made our way by carefully looking for yellow blazes any time the trail wasn’t abundantly clear. We were lucky to visit in a time of low water, so all of the water crossings were easily passable. I imagine the way could be really tricky when there is more rain.
We passed a neat cliff-side that looked like it was built out of block. It was set off the trail, about 20 feet into the woods. Shortly after the cliff, the trail dipped down along an eroded bank next to the stream. There was a rope fixed to the uphill side of the trail to make passage a little easier. At the end of the rope, we reached the beautiful sandstone streambed that makes this area so popular.
Rock Formations on the Devils Bathtub Hike. Below: More stream scenery; A rope assist along the eroded trail; Steep eroded bank
The trail crossed the stream one final time at the base of a large pool with a small waterfall. I imagine a lot of people reach this point and think it’s the Bathtub. It’s a pretty spot with deep, clear green water. But, to get to the Bathtub you should continue along the trail up a short but very steep scramble up the bankside.
At the top of the bank, a newer wooden sign indicates that you’ve reached the Devil’s Bathtub. If you follow the footpath down to the stream’s edge, you’ll find the formation at the base of another small waterfall. It’s a gorgeous spot, though smaller than I expected it to be. The water was low on our trip, so I’d say the tub was only about half full!
We explored and photographed the area for a while… dismayed by the enormous amount of garbage left behind by other hikers. We saw dirty diapers, Styrofoam cups, beer cans/bottles, tampon applicators, sodden socks, discarded t-shirts, empty pudding cups, a spent asthma inhaler, and countless cigarette butts. I simply can’t understand how a person can visit such a naturally lovely place, and feel alright about leaving their trash behind. Adam and I ended up carrying out three bags of garbage, and it didn’t even make a dent in what was still left behind.
After a while, a couple more groups of hikers joined us at the Bathtub, so we decided to pack up and make our way back to the car. To exit, we simply retraced our steps. On the way out, I kept thinking about all the litter we saw on our hike. If you choose to do this hike (and we hope you will) please bring a trash bag and help clean up along the way! This is a gorgeous area – but it’s overused and fragile.
Adam Says…
A friend of mine had asked me about a year ago if we had hiked Devil’s Bathtub yet. After checking out pictures online, I knew this is one we had to put on our radar. Living several hours away and the fact this is a short hike made our decision to incorporate this hike into a four-day trip to check out a bunch of hikes in southwest Virginia.
This hike does have some challenges involved – navigating to parking without reliable GPS signal, the bumpy drive on the fire road to get to parking, the often poor blazing on the trail, and the numerous stream crossings. But with a little determination, we found our way to this gorgeous spot.
Adam enjoys the Devils Bathtub. Below: Signage; Terrain around the Bathtub; The Bathtub
From the parking lot, we heading up the short flight of stairs where we met the trail. There are no signs to say which way to go, but we took a left at the top of the stairs and found we were correct. The yellow-blazed trail leads to a gate and passing through, the trail leads down to your first of about 15 stream crossings at .15 miles. When we went, the water was at a low level, so if you are hiking when there has been a lot of rain, expect your feet to get wet and plan to do a lot of rock hopping. At about .2 miles, you reach a junction with the straight fork ridge spur trail. Bear left to stay straight on the trail.
The Devils Pool. Below: Small cascades; Pools along the stream.
At .7 miles, we reached the first of the hard to navigate sections. We approached this larger creek section and saw some blazes straight ahead, but also to the right of us. We went straight ahead and up a steep bank that went down a steep, slick hill back to the creek, only to realize this section had been re-routed. We went back to the original spot to cross, bore right to the larger fire road and found the blaze to continue on the trail.
At .9 miles, at the fifth stream crossing, we had a hard time finding where the blazes continued. We reached the large stream bed and rock-hopped and walked ahead on the creek about 75 yards before finding the yellow blaze going up a steep bank to the other side. Our instincts led us the right way, but the lack of blazes made this an unnecessary challenge. We got back on the trail and just a little over a tenth of a mile, we were standing above a swimming hole, looking down to the left. From the trash and abandoned clothing left behind, we could tell many people have taken a dip in this spot before. Continue on the trail and continue to cross the stream several more times.
A beautiful green, waterfall-fed swimming hole. Below: A sampling of litter; Butterflies
At about 1.5 miles, the trail reaches a large rock formation and you scale the side of it on a narrow path, but with some assistance to an anchored rope that guides you along. You then climb down to a stream crossing and swimming hole before making your way up a very steep bank to continue on the trail. From here, the hike is relatively flat and at 1.7 miles, you reach the sign for Devil’s Bathtub. There is a small lookout over the bathtub from here, but if you want to see it up close, the best thing to do is continue past the sign and stay on the trail. When you reach the stream again, cross it and then navigate along the side (the rocks were very slippery here) until you make your way down to the bathtub at 1.8 miles. The water again was low, so we were expecting a deeper basin of water from what we have seen in some pictures. The rock around the bathtub was covered in algae and very slick, so be careful!!
It took us a while to just remove enough trash around the site to get some decent pictures. As Christine mentioned, please bring a trashbag and help pick up around the area. The devastation of litter here made me quite sad that people would treat such a picturesque spot with such disrespect. We made our way back the way we came and saw a few people on our way back.
The green water plunging over and into the Devil’s Bathtub makes for one of those truly magical places in Virginia. If you are ever down in the southwestern part of Virginia, put this on your must-hike list.
Trail Notes
Distance – 3.6 miles
(Check out the stats from Map My Hike)*
Elevation Change – 580 ft
Difficulty – 3. The climb is easy and very small/gradual. The challenge factor is increased by the number of water crossings you must negotiate.
Trail Conditions – 2.5 The trail is eroded in numerous places and there is a real issue with litter.
Views – 0. None on this hike.
Waterfalls/streams – 5. The stream scenery is gorgeous!
Wildlife – 2. We saw lots of newts.
Ease to Navigate – 2.5 The trail is poorly blazed and hard to follow in several spots.
Solitude– 2. We visited on a quiet weekday, and still saw multiple groups of people.
Directions to trailhead: Parking coordinates: 36.819106, -82.628852. This location is very isolated and not really close to anything. It’s best to use the GPS coordinates and navigate fro=m your home direction.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
The Great Channels Natural Area Preserve is one of Virginia’s most geologically fascinating areas. This 6.6 mile out-and-back takes you down into a network of maze-like crevices formed in soft sandstone. You won’t find any other hike in Virginia like this one!
Who would have thought there were slot canyons in Virginia? I have read about the slot canyons in the southwest of the US and thought it would be so cool to actually go hiking through these formations. It wasn’t until recently that we had heard about the Great Channels in the southwest of Virginia and we just had to take a trip and explore them. We decided to take a four-day trip down to Abingdon, Virginia and rented a house that served as a great launchpoint for some of those interesting hikes we have heard about in the area.
We left our car in the parking lot and then followed the Brumley Mountain Road up the fire road (blocked from cars by a gate) that went up the hill to the right of the parking lot. The initial part of the hike follows this wide fire road, making it nice to walk side-by-side with your hiking partner. The trail is mostly a gradual uphill climb to the top, with the first 1.5 miles being very little climbing at all. At about .6 miles, you reach a set of power lines that are cut in that may give you an obstructed view to the left of the trail of the valley below. At .75 miles, you reach a junction where the fire road takes a sharp turn to the right and goes uphill. Stay straight instead of veering to the right to stay on the trail. The trail continues along and at 1.0 miles, a cabin and picnic area appears to the right of the trail. This is private property, so stay on the trail. Continuing along the trail, at 1.5 miles, you reach Shallow Gap, which provides some obstructed ridgeline views to the right of the trail.
The trail to Great Channels climbs a bit, but the footing is all easy. Below: The trail follows an old road bed most of the way; A pretty cabin along the trail; Blooming rosebay rhododendron.
The trail becomes slightly steeper from this point and at 2.25 miles, you reach an outcrop of sandstone, which is what you will later see that forms the Great Channels themselves. You hit a few switchbacks shortly after that take away the steepness of the terrain. At 2.8 miles, you reach the junction where the Great Channels trail breaks off to the left of the Brumley Mountain Road. Take this trail to reach the summit of Middle Knob, which you should reach around 3.0 miles.
At the summit, you will find a shelter with rotted boards and exposed nails (it looks like quite the danger, so don’t explore). Behind the shelter you will see some exposed boulders that allow for some obstructed views around you. Straight ahead also is the incredibly tall fire tower that was once used to spot fires from a long distance. The rocks that you walk across near the fire tower will show you exposed cracks that travel deep below. Shortly past and to the right of the fire tower, you will see a blaze that enters into the woods. Take this trail as it leads down a steep, hillside. We found another rock on the way down that we could hoist ourselves up which gave us some nice views. While the views are nice, you do need to be extremely careful here, since there are gaps in the rocks below where you are looking from the top of the Great Channels down below. One slip could spell catastrophe here.
Rhododendron tunnel on the Great Channels Trail. Below: Hiking along the Brumley Mountain Trail; The junction of the Brumley Trail and the Channels Trail.
The trail descended the hillside until it led to the entrance of the Great Channels. I will say this is one of the most unique things I have ever seen. You walk down a path in between these sandstone formations that creates a maze of trails and rocks. You will feel like a kid again with your desire to explore this maze. Most of the paths between the rocks are passable (I did squeeze my body through one tight area just to see what was on the other side), but get your bearings early so you can remember the proper way back. We found you can get a little turned around as you explore these channels, which could create some panic from anyone claustrophobic. It was much darker in the Channels, but occasionally you would find a spot where the sun shined down to the bottom. The formations were so unique that you will want to take some time to explore down all the channels. The only real exit to the Channels is going back the way you came.
After we were done exploring, we climbed back to the top and ate a snack underneath the fire tower before finishing up our trip. We came across a few other families at the top, but we enjoyed having the Great Channels to ourselves. We made our way back the way we came, giving us about a 6.6 mile hike total. We were so glad we were given this hike recommendation. This is a true geological treasure that is surprisingly not as well known beyond the local community.
Look for the fire tower when you’re seeking the entrance to the Great Channels. Below: There is an old, burned out watcher’s hut; The descent into the maze; Moss covered walls.
Christine Says…
The idea to hike the Great Channels came from one of our readers (thanks, Dj!) We had never heard of the area and were excited to add this hike to our itinerary on a recent visit to Abingdon, Va. Since Adam has covered all the details and distances, I’d like to use my part of the post to share some of the fascinating history of this area.
The Channels has only been accessible to the public for a little over a decade. It’s really one of Virginia’s newer hikes! In 2004, The Nature Conservancy purchased the 5,000 acre tract land from a private owner. Then in 2008, through a partnership with the state, Channels State Forest was established.
In the early years of the new state forest, the route to the Channels formation was traversed only by the rugged Channels Trail. Marked in green on this map, the hike required an 11-mile round trip effort with about 2,600 feet of climbing.
There is nothing else in Virginia like the Great Channels. Below: As seen inside the Channels.
In 2012, the non-profit group Mountain Heritage opened the Brumley Mountain Trail. The trail was built over several years with the assistance of volunteers and labor supplied by inmates from the Appalachian Detention Center. All in all, the Brumley Mountain Trail covers 14 miles along the spine of Clinch Mountain from Hayters Gap on VA80 to Hidden Valley Lake. If you park in the new lot at Hayters Gap and follow the Brumley Trail, you can access the Channels formation via a moderate, well-graded trail – totaling six miles, round trip. The establishment of this trail made the Channels infinitely more accessible for hikers of all abilities!
The sandstone maze at the heart of Channels State Forest sits hidden at the top of Middle Knob – elevation 4208’. Formed 400 million years ago, the deep crevices and slots likely formed due to permafrost and ice wedging during the last ice age. The expanding ice fractured the sandstone and water slowly spread and smoothed the breaks over millions of years. What we’re left with now is a labyrinth of slots and crevices through the rocks. The pathways range from 20 to nearly 40 feet deep and wind their way through damp, moss-covered walls of stone. It stays shady and cool in the Channels – even on a hot mid-summer day.
The rock walls of the channels had lots of interesting textures. Below: More scenes from the Channels.
The entrance to the maze is located near one of the tallest and most rickety fire towers I’ve ever seen. You could not pay me a million dollars to climb that tower! However, when doing research for this post, I stumbled across the blog of another hiker who DID climb the tower in 2013 (despite the bottom two flights of stairs being removed and posted signs saying NOT to climb the tower.) We implore our readers to stay safe and stay off the tower. I will add that photos shared by this particular hiker showcased 360 degree views all the way to Mt. Rogers, Roan Mountain, and Grandfather Mountain. From the tower’s top, you can also down into the maze from above. His photos were pretty cool – but again – do not attempt to climb the tower. An article from the June 3, 2012 issue of the Bristol Herald Courier says that funding is being sought to renovate the old tower and turn it into an observation platform. Clearly, nothing has happened between 2012 and 2016!
I enjoyed exploring the labyrinth of passageways that make up Great Channels. The scale and size of the formation exceeded what I pictured before visiting. The maze covers about 20 acres. Some pathways loop around and connect to other paths and some just reach a dead end. There was plenty to explore, but the area is not so expansive that you feel you’ll get lost and not find your way out. I will add that after a suitable amount of exploration, I was ready to see the land from back ‘on top’. After a while, the maze started feeling eerie and close. I guess I’m more claustrophobic than I thought!
The fire tower is closed to climbing. It is very tall and rickety. Below: You do not want to climb this fire tower: Atop the maze
Another couple things I wanted to note about this hike! The first one is a big plus — there were TONS of sweet, ripe, juicy blueberries around the fire tower when we visited in late July. It was a treat to enjoy them with our packed lunch. The negative I wanted to remark on is the amount of litter left in the Channels. There were so many plastic water bottles, candy wrappers, and beer cans tucked into crevices in the rocks. It’s always a bummer to visit a beautiful, unique place and find it covered with garbage, and unfortunately that was the case with the Channels. If you think about it when you visit, bring a trash bag and try to carry some of the trash out with you.
Trail Notes
Distance – 6.6 miles
(Check out the stats from Map My Hike)*
Elevation Change – 1200 ft
Difficulty – 3. The hike isn’t as tough to approach the Middle Knob fire tower, but the climb down to the Channels may be a little steep for some.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail mostly follows a large fire road, so footing is easy.
Views – 2. There were some obstructed views along the way, but nothing overly dramatic.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. non-existent.
Wildlife – 3. This area is not as well populated and black bears have been spotted. We saw several deer along the trail.
Ease to Navigate – 4. There are only a few junctions that could lead to any confusion. Finding the trail down to the Great Channels was a little tough since there was no sign, but with our directions, you should have no trouble.
Solitude– 3. This is a popular spot for locals on nice days, but overall isn’t used heavily.
Directions to trailhead: GPS coordinates: 36.864640, -81.946982. Take exit 24 on I-81 and get on VA-80 W. In .2 miles, take a left on VA-80/609/Hillman Highway. Take a right shortly after the light to stay on VA-80/Lindell Road. Continue to follow VA-80 for 13.5 miles until you reach the parking lot on the left of the road. You will find the name for this road changes from Lindell Road to Hayters Gap Road. It takes a sharp left turn about 10.5 miles in on your 13.5 mile trip and the road winds up very steeply until you reach the crest and the parking lot on the left.
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
This five mile loop features a fun rock scramble and a view from atop one of Virginia’s most interesting rock formations. It’s considered part of the ‘Triple Crown’ of Virginia hiking that also includes McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs.
Adam climbs on Dragons Tooth. Below: Trail signage; The trail starts off as a wide, gentle path; Most of the climb to the junction with the AT is moderate.
Christine Says…
When Adam proposed doing Dragons Tooth, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I eventually want to hike every bit of the Appalachian Trail – especially the most famous and scenic parts. But, I’m a bit fearful on rock scrambles and precipitous drops. From reputation, Dragons Tooth is called by some ‘the toughest mile’ of AT south of Mahoosuc Notch. The section includes slick stone slabs, narrow ledges, and even iron rungs affixed to the rocks to aid with the traverse. With my come-and-go vertigo, terrain like that typically isn’t my cup of tea. I also heard the trail was extremely crowded and nothing feels worse that freaking out on a rock scramble with a huge crowd of people watching you and waiting to traverse behind you. In the end, I psyched myself up and we chose a quiet cloudy Wednesday to visit this well-known landmark.
We got an early start and arrived at the parking lot around 9:00 a.m. It was practically empty, just a couple cars and a forest service truck. We started up the blue-blazed Dragons Tooth Trail. About a quarter mile in, we passed the junction with the Boy Scout Trail. Bearing right, we continued a 1.2 mile moderate ascent of the Dragons Tooth Trail.
When we gained the ridge, we found ourselves at a beautiful, large (dry) campsite at Lost Spectacles Gap. This is where the Dragons Tooth Trail meets up with the Appalachian Trail. We turned right and continued south on the Appalachian Trail. We soon passed a sign warning ‘CAUTION: The next mile of trail is rocky and steep’.
The climb to Dragons Tooth has quite a bit of rock scrambling. Below: The campsite at Lost Spectacles Gap (right before the scramble begins); A warning sign about the terrain; Christine scrambles.
They were not kidding! Almost immediately, we found ourselves climbing stone stairs and clambering over roots. As we climbed, the rocks turned to boulders and the hike turned to a scramble. White blazes and directional arrows were painted onto the rocks to direct your route through the jumble. Every now and then, we would get a nice view of the valley through the trees. We came to one spot that was basically a sheer 20 foot cliff-face to climb. There were ledges, each several inches wide, that traversed the cliff and could be used as toe holds. (see a detailed shot of this cliff – notice the arrow pointing straight up!) I definitely panicked and hyperventilated a little bit at this pass, but I made it through with minimal drama.
After the cliff face, there were lots more rocks and a couple sections with iron rungs fastened to the rocks, but nothing as fear-inducing as that cliff. Finally we made it to the top of Cove Mountain and were just a short easy stroll from the actual Dragons Tooth.
The ‘Tooth’ is an impressive quartzite monolith that juts from a clearing in the woods. The views from the bottom are nice, but to enjoy Dragons Tooth in all its glory, you need to climb to the top. Of course, if you don’t feel physically able or have a fear of heights, it’s probably better to skip the crawl to the top. But, I thought the climb was easier than it looked, and was glad I did it.
Some of the rocks had iron rungs to help with climbing. Below: Scenery along the scramble.
To get to the top, look for a footpath that circles behind the Tooth. There is a large crack in the middle that allows you to make your way up a fin of rock that leads up the backside of the Tooth. You’ll duck under a boulder that’s wedged in the crack and then pull yourself up to the top. Once at the top, we enjoyed magnificent views! The nice thing about hiking it on a weekday was that we had the entire place to ourselves. We saw very few people the entire day and sat atop Dragons Tooth alone for almost half an hour.
After we sufficiently enjoyed the view, we made our way back down. At first, the hike back follows the same route. This meant doing the entire rock scramble again! Going down, I felt much more confident and didn’t have any problems. However, not everyone was feeling as secure and happy as me. Near the top of the scramble, we came across a mother/daughter pair of section hikers. They had started in Georgia and were aiming to make it to Pennsylvania. The mother had suffered a bad fall with injuries earlier on the trail, and was paralyzed with fear on the first set of iron rungs. I’ll let Adam share the story in his write-up, but I will say that he played the role of a true Trail Angel for them that day.
The tooth sits like a solitary fang rising from the ground. Below: The path leads behind the Tooth and to a crack in the rock; An opening in the rocks on the climb up Dragons Tooth; A boulder to cli,b under.
We eventually arrived back at Lost Spectacles Gap. Instead of taking the Dragons Tooth Trail back down to the parking lot, we continued north on the Appalachian Trail. This involved a little more climbing, but gave us access to several more beautiful views. We followed the AT for almost a mile until it met up with the yellow-blazed Boy Scout Trail. We took a left onto the Boy Scout Trail and followed it for about a quarter mile where it crossed the blue-blazed Dragons Tooth trail. It was just another quarter mile back to the parking area. What a great hike! Even though I’m not a fan of rock scrambles, I thought this hike was fun and very rewarding.
Adam Says…
Well, Christine has pointed out some of the rough parts and why this hike may be scary for some people. Part of the reason that we both do write-ups for each post is because we have different perspectives. I would probably put Dragons Tooth in my Top 10 Favorite View Hikes in Virginia That Everyone Should Do. What else makes that list (in no particular order), you ask? Mt. Rogers, Old Rag, Three Ridges, The Priest, Sharp Top, McAfee Knob, Mary’s Rock, Strickler Knob, and Big Schloss. I remember hiking Dragons Tooth when I was in my later high school years and I have been bugging Christine to do it for years. Christine has some real vertigo issues and nobody likes to see their spouse go through fearful moments, but I knew she could get through this. We had planned to do a week of AT hiking in June, but our dogs have been getting older and leaving them behind for a week is getting harder and harder to do. So, I did a stay-cation that week at home and Christine took a day off work to join me for this day hike, we drove down in the morning and were back home in time for dinner.
For our plans for a week on the AT, we had thought about hiking the section that included Virginia’s Triple Crown, which includes Dragons Tooth, Tinker Cliffs, and McAfee Knob. Since we changed our plans, we picked out this loop which provided us with Dragons Tooth, but also gave us some time to try out a few of the side trails that connect close to the summit of Dragons Tooth.
Nice views from the top of Dragons Tooth. Below: More scenes from the top of Dragons Tooth.
We arrived before 9AM and during the week, so I’m sure this parking lot gets packed on beautiful weekends. We made a pit stop at the toilets located at the elevated section above the parking lot and then proceeded to the trailhead, located by a kiosk at the back end of the parking lot. The beginning of this blue-blazed section of trail is very level and flat. At .25 miles, we crossed a small bridge and came to an intersection with the Boy Scout Trail (your return trip on the loop). We noticed a few nice spots for camping on this section of trail. You cross the creek bed a few times, but the next 1.4 mile section is a very gradual, uphill climb. At 1.65 miles, you reach the Lost Spectacles campsite and the junction with the white-blazed Appalachian Trail . Take a right (heading south on the AT) to start your climb up to the top. Christine talked a lot about this terrain. I agree that it is an extremely tough stretch of trail. You will find yourself watching where you place every foot and it will be slow-going as you have to scramble up a few rocky sections. The roughest spot was the one Christine mentioned where you have to zigzag up a cliff-face on rock that is only as wide as your feet. You have to be very careful through navigating these rocks at times, so if you are not comfortable with this type of terrain this may not be the best choice of hike for you.
Eventually we got to the top of the ridge around 2.25 miles up. There is a nice viewpoint a few feet to the right of the trail, but you will head left to take the side summit trail to reach Dragons Tooth. There are a few side trails to the left that lead to other views, but the best view is at Dragons Tooth. At 2.4 miles, you reach Dragons Tooth. You will see a cleared-out area and a small view between Dragons Tooth and a lesser tooth. There aren’t any good signs pointing how to climb up to the top, but if you head to the right side, you will see a small trail that leads to the base on the right side of the tooth. The fun part for me was trying to figure out how to climb up this. At 45, I am not the most flexible of human beings and I tried climbing up other ways, feeling like I needed to do the splits to get up one way. I then ducked under the small rock “pedal” Christine is pictured under below. Ducking under that, I was then able to stand up and using rock holds, pull myself up to the top. The views from the summit were phenomenal. I told Christine I could help her figure out how to navigate and I am proud of her for summoning the courage to do it. We took some pictures from the top and enjoyed the views for a few minutes before climbing down. We found it hard to believe we had this Virginia treasure all to ourselves. We climbed down and ate a snack at the area between the two teeth and enjoyed the views from a less precarious spot. Another couple arrived at the summit and we made our way back down to allow them the privacy we enjoyed.
To climb up and down, you have to duck under this boulder. Below: Scenery at the base of Dragons Tooth; Views near the top; Adam carries an extra pack.
As soon as we were descending down from the ridge at the AT junction, we came across a thru-hiking mother and daughter. They were incredibly cautious on the trail and after talking to them a bit, the mother told us about how she had fallen in Tennessee and this terrain was making her terrified. They had to take a few weeks off for her to recover. The mother had talked about quitting the trail, but they decided to press on. The mother developed the trailname of “Bad Ass” after her ability to keep fighting. After seeing Bad Ass’ apprehension and tears on the easier parts of the hike down from Dragons Tooth, we began to wonder how she would get through the next .7 miles. I turned around and did the only thing I could think of and offered to carry her pack down to the Lost Spectacles camp. I can understand this terrain would be scary with a lot of extra weight. She eventually agreed this was a good idea, so I hoisted on her backpack (probably about 35 pounds) and then wore my backpack on my chest, making it a little difficult to see over the top where my feet were at all times. I pressed on quickly while Christine stayed with them for a while on the trail. There were a few times I struggled as well with both packs on, but I was able to keep my feet under me and navigate through some of the tough sections. I arrived at the Lost Spectacles camping area at 3.3 miles and waited. Christine came down about 15 minutes later and it was probably another 15-20 minutes before Bad Ass and her daughter met up. They thanked me profusely, but I was just glad to help out. We all have to lift each other up when we have down times, so hopefully I was able to give them a bright spot in a tough day.
From the Lost Spectacles site, we continued along the Appalachian Trail heading north. This section started off steep as well and did have just a couple small scrambles around some more rocky sections. But there were several nice views along this section of the AT and I’m so glad we did this as a loop instead of an out-and-back hike. This section of the AT, walks along a ridge and descends slightly, but you will have several opportunities to take in more views. Eventually the trail descends into the woods. At around 4.3 miles, we arrived at a junction with the Boy Scout Trail. We took this yellow-blazed trail and found it very steep as you are basically going straight down without any switchbacks. The trail didn’t have anything overly scenic on it worth mentioning, but it provided a quick return to the Dragons Tooth trail at 4.7 miles. We took a right at the junction and were back at our car around 5 miles.
There are several more nice views along the Appalachian Trail portion of the hike. Below: Following the AT north; Climbing some of the rock slabs on the Appalachian Trail; Berries
Once we got back to our car, we got on the interstate and headed north. We had heard about Three Li’l Pigs Barbecue in Daleville, VA as being a favorite spot for thru-hikers so we decided to check it out. The food there was magnificent and we saw a couple of thru-hikers there enjoying the big quantities of food. After stuffing my face, I was tempted into also ordering some banana pudding for dessert but I found a way to fit it all in. As we were leaving, we quickly saw some fast-moving thunderstorms moving in quickly. Near Three Li’l Pigs in the same shopping center we stopped in Outdoor Trails – an outdoor outfitter store. This shopping center had the bulk of what every thru-hiker would need for a zero day (a day where they would do zero miles). A barbecue spot, an outfitter, a grocery store, a coffee shop, and a hotel directly across the street. If you’re doing a section of the Appalachian Trail, Daleville would be a great place to stop and resupply.
We got stuck in terrible thunderstorms on our drive home. We were thankful that we did the hike earlier and weren’t stuck in the deluge. While some of the hiking was a bit frightening for Christine, we ultimately had a wonderful day on the hike! If you are comfortable with rock scrambles and open ledges and haven’t done this hike yet, put it on your must-do list and it may make your top 10 list for Virginia as well.
This section of Appalachian Trail has such varied terrain. Below: More views along the AT; The Boy Scout Trail; Three Li’l Pigs BBQ.
Difficulty – 3.5. The rock scramble provides a bit of challenge on an otherwise solidly moderate hike.
Trail Conditions – 2. The scramble is mostly sandstone, so it can be slick with grit/sand. It’s also very slippery when there’s been recent rain.
Views – 5. There are viewpoints all along the hike and you can’t beat the view from the top of the tooth!
Streams/Waterfalls – 1. There is a small stream that could be used as a water source near the trailhead.
Wildlife – 1. The trail is heavily traveled and wildlife seems to steer mostly clear of the area.
Ease to Navigate – 4. The trail signs are easy to follow and blazes are abundant.
Solitude – 1. We hiked this early on an overcast weekday morning, so we enjoyed quite a bit of solitude. However, expect crowds and significant trail traffic at more popular times.
Special regulations for this area:
Maximum group size, day hikes: 25
Maximum group size, backpacking/camping: 10
No alcohol
Dogs must be kept on leash at all times
No camping or campfires outside of seven designated areas (north of Va 624/Newport Rd, the only legal campsites are Johns Spring Shelter, Catawba Shelter and campsites, Pig Farm campsite, Campbell Shelter and Lambert’s Meadow Shelter and campsites)
No camping or campfires on McAfee Knob or Tinker Cliffs
* 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: GPS coordinates for the parking area are: 37°22’44.5″N 80°09’22.1″W.From I-81, take exit 141. Turn left onto VA-419 N. Follow for .4 mile. Turn right onto VA-311 N. Follow for 9.5 miles. The parking area will be on the left.
This four mile hike takes you by one of Virginia’s most beautiful waterfalls. The trail is engineered and mostly flat, so this hike is suitable for hikers of all levels.
Cascade Falls is one of those must-do hikes in Virginia, featuring one of the most picturesque scenes of a waterfall that you’ll get. We had been meaning to do this hike under more pleasant circumstances, but life doesn’t always work out that way. We were picking up our pug, Wookie (who many of you may remember has contributed his thoughts to some of our posts) from the Virginia Tech Veterinary Hospital. He has been suffering from chronic bronchitis – which is like COPD in humans – and had to have surgery to remove two of his lung lobes. We had a late afternoon pick-up for him, so we decided to go on a hike that morning while we were in the area.
There was tons of stream scenery along the hike. Below: The parking lot was packed; There were several wooden bridges along the hike; The trail was well-developed and engineered.
We arrived around 10:30 in the morning and found ourselves in a line of cars that were waiting for parking spaces. The tobacco-spitting parking lot attendant said it wasn’t like this a few years ago, but since Virginia Tech added this hike to a bucket-list during orientation for all of their incoming freshman, the place has been packed. Of course, we were doing this hike on the weekend before classes started at Virginia Tech, so there were students by the carload here. Only about eight cars back in line, we still had to wait about 45 minutes before we could park. I can only imagine that people that arrived around 11:00 would be waiting an eternity for a parking spot.
The trail starts at the end of the parking lot behind the information center and restrooms. Soon, you arrive at a bridge. The trail splits for an upper trail and lower trail. The attendant had suggested that we approach from the lower trail and then make a loop and return on the upper trail. We started on the lower trail, which hugs closely to Little Stony Creek the entire trip. Little Stony Creek has tons of spots to enjoy the views of the creek. You may even see a few paths that crossed the creek that were wiped out during a flood in 1996. The trail has been re-routed since then on the path you take now. There are some ups and downs as you go along the creek, but overall you are climbing along the trail.
Adam enjoys the stream.
At 2.0 miles, you will reach the large Cascade Falls. The water plunges 69 feet from the top over a large, wide wall making for an impressive scene. We saw probably over 100 Virginia Tech students at the falls, some were swimming in the always-cold water while others were climbing on the rocks (or the large rock slide to the right of the falls). It was nearly impossible to get any pictures without someone in it, but the shots do provide the sense of scale of the scene. We enjoyed watching the falls for a while and then proceeded up the stairs to the left. One path leads to another vantage point from next to the top of the falls, but this was more obstructed. We ended up taking the trail from the top of the steps, heading to the left, which came to a junction in a short distance. To the right, the trail continues on to Barney’s Wall, but we decided to just descend the upper trail since we were out of time. The upper trail consists of mostly a large fire road, making for much easier footing than the lower trail; however, you don’t get the views of Little Stony Creek like you did on the lower trail. The return trip was a nice walk through the woods on the trail until we reached our car back at 4.0 miles.
Adam makes the final approach. You can see the falls and the crowds if you look closely. Below: Some of the big trees from past flood damage still lay across the stream; Passing through dense mountain laurel and rhododendron; Virginia Tech students swimming in the plunge pool.
We hopped in our car quickly to allow for the next waiting person to be able to take our spot. The line of cars was quite long by this point.
Christine Says…
Cascade Falls – known better as ‘The Cascades’ – is a beautiful, easy hike to one of the nicest waterfalls I’ve seen! The parking lot and trail were both insanely crowded, but I think we were probably there on one of the year’s busiest days. It was a weekend, the weather was cool and sunny for August, and the new school year was about to start at nearby Virginia Tech.
I’ve never hiked anywhere that I’ve had to wait in line for a parking spot, but that was the case here! Fortunately, we had all day to wait before our dog was discharged from the hospital, so we weren’t in any rush.
People love to stand at the bottom on the falls. Below: Crowds at the falls.
We walked the lower trail on our way to the falls. It was more of an engineered pathway than a classic, dirt hiking trail. There were paved walkways, stone stairs, and bridges most of the way to the falls. All along the way, the trail followed a scenic stream. There were tons of small waterfalls and cascading rapids to enjoy along the route.
A couple tenths of a mile before we reached the main waterfall, the trail passed through a dense mountain laurel and rhododendron thicket. After that, the path opened up onto a lovely grotto like scene. The falls cascades over a cliff into a large plunge pool. There were MANY kids swimming and sunbathing around the falls. I think I still managed to get a couple decent photos.
A vertical view – without people! Below: The upper trail is accessed by a staircase above the falls; The hike back passed a cliff formation; Most of the hike back was on wide fire road.
On the way back, we took the upper trail. It was basically a wide, gentle fire road that led back to the parking area. After the hike, I cleaned up in the parking area restroom. It was nice! Instead of a pit toilet, it had flush toilets, running water, and soap! We stopped for beers and lunch at Bull & Bones Brewhaus, while we waited on the call to pick Wookie up from the vet.
I’d like to do this hike again sometime on a quieter day. I’d also like to hike it when my mind isn’t preoccupied with worrying about my dog. It was really a beautiful spot!
Trail Notes
Distance – 4.0 miles
(Check out the stats from Map My Hike)*
Elevation Change – 742 feet
Difficulty – 1.5 Not much climbing and most people can make this. This is a great family hike.
Trail Conditions – 3.5 There are spots where things can be quite rocky/muddy. Due to the traffic, some of the rocks are quite slick.
Views – 1.5 The one path to the top of the waterfall gives a nice view of the scene below, but not the best view of the waterfall.
Waterfalls/streams – 5 The waterfall is amazing and one of Virginia’s best. The views along Little Stony Creek are great also.
Wildlife – 1 Due to the popularity, you will likely only see birds in the trees.
Ease to Navigate – 3.5 There aren’t any blazes on the trail, but the trail is evident. We were a little confused trying to find our way to the upper trail since there are no signs marking the way.
Solitude– .5 Due to the popularity, you will likely see a lot of people on this trail and especially at the waterfall. Time your trip for a weekday, overcast or rainy day, or very early in the morning to beat the crowds.
Directions to trailhead: Take exit 118A-B-C on I-81. Take US-460W. After 25.9 miles turn right onto Mill Road. In .6 miles, take a right onto Cascade Dr (SR-T623) in Pembroke. The parking lot is in 2.9 miles. Parking is $3 and cash is required (they noted they do not give back change). Coordinates: 37.353523, -80.599566
* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.
Adam takes in the view from Bluff Mountain. Below: The pond at Punchbowl Mountain Shelter; The shelter itself has seen better days; The Ottie Cline Memorial – put it place for a child lost in the mountains in the late 1800s.
Christine Says…
When Adam and I first started hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail, we focused on the trail through Shenandoah National Park. The park is close to our home, making it easy for us to bring two cars for a shuttle. We did short sections – most of our day hikes ranged from 6 to 8 miles. We did a couple sections as overnights, covering 10-12 miles total over two days. When we first started, those hikes really challenged me – but they also made me want more!
We’re now traveling further from home to complete sections, so we push to complete bigger miles to make the travel time more worthwhile. We’ve also found friends and businesses to help us shuttle along the way.
We met Lynchburg friends, Dennis and Tina to do this AT section from Punchbowl Mountain down to the James River. We’d never met them in person, but we’d chatted online about hiking and the Appalachian Trail for almost a year. We were really thankful for their good company on this hike!
We met early Saturday morning at the Foot Footbridge across the James River. ‘Foot Footbridge’ isn’t a typo. The bridge is named after hiking enthusiast, Bill Foot, who worked tirelessly (while also fighting cancer) to see that the bridge was built. It’s a beautiful and impressive bridge across the James River, and there is nothing else like it along the Appalachian Trail.
After Adam and I got acquainted with Dennis and Tina in the parking lot, we hopped in our car and made our way along the Blue Ridge Parkway to our start point – the Punchbowl Mountain Overlook. We left off here last fall after completing a 17 mile section from Hog Camp Gap.
The morning began with our only significant climb of the day- about 1400 feet over two miles to the summit of Bluff Mountain. About half a mile into our ascent, we detoured to visit the Punch Bowl Shelter. The shelter is a little bit run down and sits next to a murky, muddy, mosquito-haven of a pond. The shelters to the north and south of Punch Bowl (Brown Mountain Creek and Johns Hollow) are both much nicer places to stay the night.
The wildflower display was in full force when we hiked this section of trail. We saw dwarf irises, pink lady’s slippers; native pinxter azaleas, wild geraniums, rhododendron, mountain laurel; wild bleeding hearts; scarlet flycatch (in the full album), and spiderwort (in the full album). It was gorgeous!
After our short stop, we continued our climb to the spectacular open top of Bluff Mountain. We were swarmed by no-see-ums and gnats, but we still enjoyed the (almost) 360 views and watching the morning fog burn off the valley. The remains of a fire tower foundation still sit on the summit. Immediately upon leaving the summit, we stopped at the Ottie Cline Powell memorial. The marker tells the sad tale of a little 4-year old boy lost in the mountains in 1891.
From there, we had four miles of gentle downhill or practically flat ridge walking. It was delightful! Wildflowers were blooming like crazy! The woods smelled fresh, green, and earthy. Even though it was a warm, humid day, the cool mountain breezes made for perfect hiking weather. Along the ridge, we passed junctions with a couple trails – Saltlog Gap and Saddle Gap. I’ve heard these trails are pretty overgrown and don’t know much about them. From there, we enjoyed several great views along the ridge. The views far exceeded my expectations for hike, and I really enjoyed the bird’s eye view of the James River. About 7 miles into the hike, we passed the junction with the Little Rocky Row trail, and reached Fuller Rocks – another lovely view point.
After that view, we descended the mountain along 21 switchbacks. At first the descent was pretty steep, but eventually it moderated and entered a stand of enormous old trees. Dennis even took the time to hug a couple of them.
At 9.2 miles, we took the short side trail to visit Johns Hollow Shelter. The camp is located in a peaceful, open spot in the woods. The shelter is typical, but the tent area behind the shelter is especially nice. There was lots of flat, grassy space to pitch
Walking along the trail lined with yellow flowers. Below: Everything was turning brilliant spring green, Views from the ridge; Descending toward the James River.
After leaving Johns Hollow, we hiked about another half mile in the woods before crossing a gravel forest road. After the road, we quickly reached Rocky Row Run – a beautiful mountain stream that eventually feeds into the James.
The stream was very scenic and we all enjoyed the sound of the flowing water. There were lots of blooming wildflowers and rhododendron along the creek. We crossed a couple small wooden bridges along the way, before popping out on the side of Route 501. From there, we crossed the highway and returned back to the Foot Bridge and parking area at 10.6 miles (11 if you include mileage from shelter visits).
We all decided to walk across the bridge to check out views of the James! It was a beautiful view – especially looking back to all the distant rocky outcroppings we had stood upon earlier in the day. Standing on the bridge, my mind drifted to the next section south – wondering what it would be like and what challenges and gifts would lie ahead on the trail.
Dennis and Tina – thanks for hiking with us! Can’t wait to meet up again.
Adam Says…
This section of the Appalachian Trail was one we had contemplated doing for a while. We have covered now a section of contiguous miles that includes from this point up to Front Royal. It is easier to say, “We have walked from Front Royal to the James River” than to say “We have walked from Front Royal to a place off the Blue Ridge Parkway north of the James River”.
As Christine mentioned, when traveling further away from home the next concern is wondering if we need to bring two cars or figuring out if we can get someone to help us shuttle. It can be hard to find some friends that want to go trekking in the woods for over 10 miles. So, we were very glad to meet Dennis and Tina. They have done this section a number of times before but were willing to do it again with us.
This section was a surprise to us. We hadn’t seen enough nice pictures from these overlooks to know if it would be worthwhile to check. But, we hiked on a very clear day that made the scenery gorgeous.
A nice view of the James River looking in the direction of Apple Orchard Mountain. Below: Dennis points out landmarks from above; This fallen was perfectly balanced across several other standing trees. It looked like the mast of a ship; Tree hugger!
After meeting up, we drove to our starting point on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We met a few guys in the parking lot that were doing a multi-day backpack as well. We crossed the parkway and headed up the white-blazed Appalachian Trail, heading southbound. The beginning of the trail started a steep ascent. It was already a warm, muggy day, so with the extra work of going uphill I got sweaty very early in the hike. In .4 miles, we reached the side trail to the Punchbowl Shelter. The side trail was mostly downhill to the shelter. When we arrived, there was nobody staying there. The shelter is in a nice shady spot, but we could tell the insects were swarming near the pond. We checked out the trail log in the shelter and then made our way back up to the Appalachian Trail.
The trail continues to be mostly a steep climb until you reach the top of Bluff Mountain at 2.0 miles. There were great views to the west from the trail. The bugs were relentless (at least to me) from this open area, so while I would have liked to stay up there longer, I wanted to quickly get back into the woods and away from the bugs. We saw a brilliant indigo bunting flying around the treetops from the overlook. As soon as you get out of the clearing and back into the woods, you see the memorial for Ottie Cline Powell on the ground to the left.
Lovely Rocky Row Run ran along the last mile of the trail. Below: Johns Hollow shelter has a large, grassy field suitable for pitching multiple tents; An interesting cliff face along the trail.
The trail then begins a steep, downward descent. At 3.5 miles, you reach a junction with the Saltlog Gap Trail, but stay on the AT. The trail mostly levels out as you walk along a ridge for a while. At 4.6 miles, you reach a junction with the Saddle Gap Trail. Staying on the AT, the trail begins to climb a more gradual ascent until you reach Big Rocky Row at 6.1 miles. The views from this area were my favorite, as you got to see the James River below snaking through the landscape of mountains.
From here, the trail descends and you reach Little Rocky Row at 7.3 miles, also giving you nice views along the way as you walk down the ridge line. The rest of the hike is basically all downhill from this point until you reach the James River. At 9.2 miles, we reached the a short side trail that took a very sharp turn to Johns Hollow Shelter. We checked out this shelter and came across another two section hikers that were enjoying a week along the AT. There was a nearby stream for replenishing water and a privy. After eating a quick snack, we returned to join the AT again.
The trail again was mostly flat or downhill. We crossed the stream at 9.4 miles and then crossed the gravel VA 812 road to continue on the AT. As we were walking along, Dennis started talking about black snakes and within minutes we saw one directly on the trail as if he had summoned it. The forest through this section had many larger trees along the way and then opened up to beautiful rhododendron plants that were aligning the stream on both sides. It was such a serene setting. At 10.3 miles, we reached the Lower Rocky Row Run bridge. We crossed the run and then at 10.6 miles we were back at US 501. We crossed the road which had the trail lead us right to the parking lot where we started.
We already plan to get back together sometime with Dennis and Tina for a backpack trip sometime in the near future. It is always great to find like-minded people to experience the outdoors together!
Our hike concluded on the northern side of the James River. Below: Kayakers on the river; The Appalachian Trail crosses the James on a long footbridge.
Difficulty – 3.5. 11 miles is a little on the long side, but after climbing to the summit of Bluff Mountain early in the hike, the rest of the terrain is easy to moderate.
Trail Conditions – 4. Consistently well-maintained trail. Some parts of the trail are narrow along a steep hillside, but still easily passable.
Views – 5. Super views from Bluff Mountain, nice views along the ridge, and then amazing views of the James River.
Streams/Waterfalls – 3.5. The final stretch of this hike follows pretty Rocky Row Run, and of course – you end at the James!
Wildlife – 1. We saw a black snake.
Ease to Navigate – 4.5. Just keep following those white blazes south. The trail is easy to follow and well-marked.
Solitude – 3. We saw a fair number of hikers along the way, including quite a few northbound thru-hikers, but you never feel like the trail is crowded.
Directions to trailhead: To drop off first car: From I-81, take exit 188A to merge on to US-60E towards Buena Vista. Go 3.9 miles and then take a right on to US-501S at the Hardee’s. Follow 501S for 14.9 miles until you reach the parking lot on the right for the Appalachian Trial crossing. To get to your start point: Leaving the parking lot, turn right on to US-501S. Go .8 miles and continue straight to take VA-130 E. Go 2.8 miles and then turn left on to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Turn right on to the Blue Ridge Parkway and go 9.8 miles until you reach the small parking lot for Punchbowl Mountain where the Appalachian Trail crosses the parkway. Cross the road and you will see the Appalachian Trail marker which has the trail leading uphill.
Virginia Trail Guide 
