medium hike – Page 7 – Virginia Trail Guide

High Knob & Hoover Ridge

April 22, 2013May 20, 2018Leave a comment

This 5.75 mile hike takes you to an old fire tower sitting atop a high peak on the border of West Virginia and Virginia. After visiting the tower, you can either head back to the parking area (which would cut the distance and make this a 3 mile total round-trip hike), or continue to explore the Shenandoah Mountain trail with a walk over to Hoover Ridge.

SPECIAL NOTES: Please be conscientious and respectful when hiking in this area. Hiking trails near High Knob are adjacent to private land. Please honor posted ‘no trespassing’ signs and stay on official forest service trails. Please do not tamper with posted private land signage.

View a 30 second video of the panoramic view from the High Knob fire tower.

Christine Says…

First of all, I’m not sure whether to call this a Virginia hike or a West Virginia hike. While you park in West Virginia, the Shenandoah Mountain trail meanders right along the states’ borderline. I believe the High Knob fire tower sits on the Virginia side of the line, but views look out into both states. This is definitely a hike worth doing!

Our first attempt to hike High Knob was on April 7th, 2013. That hike started off well enough, but within the first half mile the trail turned into a veritable luge track. It was a smooth, slick, well-polished chute of ice! Had we planned more extensively, we would have packed Yaktrax, but after a week of warm, sunny weather, we simply didn’t expect to see so much ice! We watched a couple on the trail ahead of us falling down, over and over and over again. The girl literally fell ten times in about two minutes. She couldn’t make a single step of forward progress. Adam and I looked at each other and said ‘Nah… we’ll come back and do this some other time.”

Mountain Laurel is Getting Ready to Blook — Fetterbush is blooming! Below: Trails are marked with a double yellow blaze; Occasionally views opened up through the trees.

The very next weekend, we headed back and ended up with much better hiking conditions. The trail to High Knob is pretty basic – it follows the Shenandoah Mountain trail until a junction with a spur trail that leads directly to the tower. The way is well marked with double yellow blazes and has nice footing. The path passes through dense stands of mountain laurel. From the number of flower buds on the laurel, it looks like it’s going to be a spectacular bloom this year!

About .8 mile into the hike, we reached the junction – hikers can turn uphill and take the spur trail to the fire tower, continue on the Shenandoah Mountain trail, or head downhill to the Brandywine Recreation Area. We decided to visit the fire tower first, mainly because it was early and we wanted to avoid Sunday afternoon hiking crowds. The spur to the High Knob tower is probably the steepest climbing of the entire hike. While the section is steep, it’s also fairly short. At the top of the climb, the trail comes out on a fire road that leads pretty much the rest of the way up to the tower. We were surprised how heavily the area was marked with ‘Private Land – No Trespassing’ warnings. There were dozens of signs and trees spray-painted red. I’m guessing the public land abuts private land that is heavily used for hunting, and the landowners are trying to protect hikers/bikers from getting shot. Regardless, the area is very thoroughly and clearly marked – you shall not pass!

As we arrived at the fire tower, we passed a foursome of hikers headed down. We had the tower all to ourselves for about twenty minutes. We enjoyed the views in every direction! I especially enjoyed looking down on Switzer Lake. It brought back lots of memories from my days as a college student at JMU. On warm spring days, my sorority would load up in cars and make the drive to Switzer for an afternoon of swimming (and perhaps some beverage consumption). Swimming is no longer allowed in the lake (maybe it was never allowed?), as it’s used as a public water source. Even though you can’t swim in the lake, it’s still a great place for scenery and birding. A friend of mine has even seen bald eagles at Switzer!

Steep Climb on High Knob Spur Trail — Adam makes the steep climb between the Shenandoah Mountain trail and the fire road that leads to the High Knob Fire Tower. Below: Private land in the area is very thoroughly and clearly marked. A bird’s eye view of the private land from the fire tower. I think those might be hunting camps/blinds.

After enjoying the views and eating a snack, we climbed back down to the junction. It was around 11:15 a.m. and we were torn – do we continue to explore Shenandoah Mountain or do we call it a day and get a nice lunch in Harrisonburg? We didn’t have a coin, so Adam flipped his pass-case – card side up, we hike on – card side down, we go home. The pass-case dictated a longer hike.

We followed the Shenandoah Mountain trail over to Hoover Ridge. If I were to make a recommendation, I would tell people to skip this part of the hike. In the end, the views weren’t worth the climb. The trail is narrow – too narrow to ever be level. You hike most of the way with your uphill foot much higher than your downhill foot. It’s also covered with tons of loose stone and slate that shifts under every step. On the early spring day we hiked, the trail was still under a foot of dry leaves. The footing was treacherous. I was so glad for my trekking poles.

There are several steep climbs on the way to Hoover Ridge. Once the trail meets the ridge walking along is pretty pleasant. The terrain is open and grassy and there are obstructed views of mountains in every direction. You can even catch a glimpse of the fire tower off in the distance. On Hoover Ridge, we decided we’d hiked enough for the day and turned back to make our return to the parking area.

Since it was mostly downhill, the walk went quickly. We were back at our car by 1:15 and back in Harrisonburg for lunch a half hour later. It was a great day to be out hiking after such a cold and snowy March! We’ll definitely make a return hike to the fire tower… Hoover Ridge, not so much.

Adam Says…

As Christine mentioned, this was a second attempt at High Knob, since it was too ice-covered to walk up previously. We hate having to bail on a hike, but we want to feel that it is something we can accomplish and still enjoy. We’re glad that we waited for the snow to melt to enjoy this trek up to the fire tower. Our friends at Hiking Upward covered this hike from the Brandywine Recreation Area, but this is a shorter way to accomplish the hike up to the top. If you’ve purchased National Geographic’s Staunton/Shenandoah Mountain Trails Illustrated Map 791, you will see High Knob Fire Tower on the cover.

Christine Enjoys the Fire Tower View — Views from the fire tower look out in every direction. Below: You can see Switzer Lake from the fire tower; More views; Adam enjoys a snack (Trader Joe’s Monkey Business trail mix) on the fire tower.

From the parking lot on 33, we took off down the stone steps. The parking lot and surrounding areas has a lot of trash thrown around, so if you can, bring a trashbag and help to carry out some of the litter. Once you join the Shenandoah Mountain trail at the bottom of the stone steps, the trail will be clear of litter. The trail starts off fairly level and then gradually ascends up the mountain. In .85 miles, you do reach a large junction that includes the spur trail to the High Knob Tower. Take this spur trail up the mountain. At about 1.1 miles, you will reach a forest road. Take a right on the road (taking a left will put you on private land) and continue to follow the signs to the High Knob Tower. Continue your ascent up the fire road until you reach the High Knob Tower at 1.4 miles.

We retraced our steps until we returned back to the junction of the Shenandoah Mountain Trail and High Knob Trail at 2.0 miles. At this point, we took a left to get back on the Shenandoah Mountain trail. This part of the trail was not well-maintained and we were constantly worried about turning our ankles on loose rocks that were hidden underneath the leaf-covered trail, crossing over tree blowdowns, or catching ourselves from falling off the narrow trail with our trekking poles. The trail in most places along this section felt more like a narrow animal path than an actual trail. The rough trail and the steepness in some sections really made us question how far we were going and if it was worth it. We made our way a little further uphill but we weren’t fighting rough terrain the whole way. We reached the crest of Hoover Ridge at 3.5 miles, which gave us some obstructed views of the areas to the south. After taking a few minutes to explore the open fields and campsites on Hoover Ridge, we made our way back.

Shenandoah Mountain Trail Cairn — One of the few tricky spots on the Shenandoah Mountain trail. The cairn indicates that hikers should take the lower trail, and not follow the trail partially blocked by branches. Below: Sign on Hoover Ridge

As Christine stated, I would agree that I probably wouldn’t add on Hoover Ridge to this hike unless you would like to get some extra hiking accomplished. However, this was also the area that we saw the best wildlife. We saw a deer in the distance take off when we were spotted and a grouse jumped out of some brush when we were walking by that caused us both to nearly jump out of our hiking shoes.

The hike up to High Knob is one that I think would be a perfect hike if your goal was to see great views from all directions. On a clear day, you should be able to see several layers of mountain ranges. I’m sure the foliage scenery in the fall is breathtaking. I can see this being a great hike to take some out-of-town visitors to show the splendor of the rolling Virginia and West Virginia mountains.

Trail Notes

Distance – About 5.75 miles
Elevation Change – 1168 ft
Difficulty – 3.5. This is a moderate hike in terms of elevation change. On the day we hiked, the Shenandoah Mountain trail was still covered with deep, slick leaves and quite a few fallen trees. These challenges increased the difficulty level somewhat.
Trail Conditions – 3. The trail to High Knob is in great shape, but the Shenandoah Mountain trail is narrow and rocky.
Views – 5. Views from the High Knob fire tower are spectacular and panoramic. Views from Hoover Ridge are obstructed.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. There are no streams on this hike.
Wildlife – 2. We saw a deer and a grouse, but I think hunters scare off most wildlife in this area.
Ease to Navigate –3. Trails are generally well-marked/blazed, but there are a few mildly confusing spots on the walk to Hoover Ridge. There were a few worn paths in the woods that looked like old trails or animal paths. As long as you still to the most well-worn pathway, you should be fine. Take care to observe posted signs for private land.
Solitude –2. You will likely see quite a few people on the walk to the fire tower, but few along the way to Hoover Ridge.

Directions to trailhead:

Head on 33 West from Harrisonburg, VA. In about 10 miles, you will enter into George Washington National Forest. In 12 more miles, you will reach the parking lot on the left right after you see the “Welcome to West Virginia” sign. A large kiosk with a map of the area gives some general information and you will see a break in the girders that will lead down to start your hike.

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

Snowshoeing: Bald Knob from White Grass (WV)

March 3, 2013September 4, 20181 Comment

If you’re looking for a great place to enjoy snowshoeing or cross-country skiing in the mid-Atlantic, don’t miss a visit to White Grass! Their extensive network of trails offer something for every skill level. Their terrain is beautifully groomed and the people who run the resort are so friendly and helpful.

If you don’t own snowshoes/cross-country skis, White Grass has them available to rent!

Christine at Summit of Bald Knob — Christine enjoys the view from Bald Knob. Below: The morning started off cloudy; Learning about winter trees with the naturalist; Lots of old cross country skis.

Adam Says…

It has been over a year since we went snowshoeing. Our area of Virginia was robbed of any meaningful snow for the past two years, so we decided to cross the border to West Virginia to catch the elusive snow. Christine’s parents had bought us each a pair of Tubbs Frontier snowshoes for Christmas over a year ago, but it wasn’t until now that we were able to break them in. We were both very pleased with how they felt on our feet. They felt lighter than many I had tried before and were a little more sleek than some others I had tried. This enabled me to not feel too fatigued using them and I also didn’t feel like I had to walk like a cowboy in fear they would cross over and cause me to trip.

We had heard great things about White Grass from other friends of ours that had been there for cross-country skiing. White Grass maintains a great website where they will post weather conditions, snowfall, pictures, and trail maps. Check it out to get the best up-to-date information. They will typically be open December-early March to access their 40km of trails.

When we first arrived at White Grass, we checked in at the lodge. They informed us they were having a naturalist from the Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge take a group out in about five minutes for a free snowshoe trail talk. We grabbed our shoes and met up with him. We were part of a small group of about 7 (including two little children). The goal of the walk was to teach us about the different trees that can be found in Canaan Valley, how to identify them, and threats to their future. We spent about an hour walking. The naturalist did a great job of teaching us many things about trees that I didn’t know before. After the walk, we decided to make make our way over to Hellbender Burritos for two Gendarme burrito bowls to power us up for our big snowshoe trip in the afternoon.

Spring Orchard Trail — We started out along the Springer Orchard Trail. Below: Trail junction; Warming huts along the trail; Adam snowshoes along groomed trails.

We returned to White Grass and paid our $20 trail use fee. We asked the woman in the shop for some trail suggestions, and she kindly mapped out a route that would take us to the top of Bald Knob. The trails criss-cross often and the maps, posted at each junction, a little confusing. We found ourselves asking other skiers and snowshoers where they had been to help us navigate through the labyrinth of junctions. We left the lodge and started on the Springer Orchard Trail, on the opposite side of the large Weiss Knob Slope that heads directly down the mountain. We stayed on this trail for about .35 miles, passing the Plum Orchard trail, until we reached the Highland View trail. We took a left on this trail and continued upward, crossing past several other confusing junctions. We stayed on the Highland View Trail for about .35 miles, until we made it up to its end at the Sawmill Flats shelter at .8 miles. The shelter was a small warming hut. There were a few ammo boxes that included snacks and there were some containers of bird seed that you could throw out to chickadees. From this point we made our way following the signs for the Double Trouble trail. We reached the junction at 1.0 miles, took a right, and headed up the Double Trouble trail. At 1.3 miles, we reached the Weiss Knob Ascent trail, took another right and made our way to the Roundtop shelter.

The shelter here was also filled with snacks and bird seed. The birds here were more accustomed to people and would actually eat the seed out of your hand if you wait patiently. We were also told that someone had left a Gatorade bottle of moonshine at the shelter. I picked it up and saw some stuff floating in the bottle and decided to pass. I find it is a good rule of thumb to at least know the person that has made the moonshine for you. There’s no need to go blind without anyone to blame. 🙂

Christine and Adam at Roundtop Hut. Below: Adam feeds a chickadee; Deeper snow as we climb upward; Snow draped on evergreens.

We continued from this point following the signs to Bald Knob. You will cross a Boundary trail and then make a right on the Bald Knob Trail to wind up the mountain. The trail then takes a sharp right and a junction where you can continue to hike up the Bald Knob Trail. We reached the summit at around 2.1 miles. The scenery was breathtaking and you could see skiers on the Canaan Valley Ski slopes and mountains off in the distance covered in snow. The wind is strong here at the top, so we didn’t stay incredibly long, but made our way back down. We returned down the Bald Knob Trail to the Roundtop shelter and back down the Double Trouble trail. However, instead of heading back to the Sawmill Flats shelter, we followed Double Trouble until it led us to the Lift Shack, crossing over the Weiss Knob slope. Right behind the Lift Shack, we then took the Barton’s Bend Trail until we reached the Falls Overlook trail. We took a left on the Falls Overlook Trail and then a left on the Three Mile Trail until it brought us back to the White Grass lodge. Our return trip was around 2 miles, taking our snowshoe hike to be around 4.2 miles.

I had three big highlights on this trail. Feeding birds out of my hand, the peaceful scenery through the spruce on the Bald Knob trail leading to great views, and looking back and seeing my wife smile. I told her that her face was going to be sore from all the smiling she was doing. We really had a wonderful time at White Grass and we can’t wait to return. We will probably take the Three Mile Trail all the way up to the Roundtop Shelter next time.

Christine Says…

I love some parts of winter – the snow (too bad there can’t be snow without cold), the potential for workplace closures, and most of all snowshoeing! For Christmas of 2011, my parents bought us snowshoes. And well… many of you will remember winter of 2011-12 as ‘the winter that never happened’ in Virginia. The only measureable snow we had was in October. The rest of the season passed – mostly warm and sunny – leaving our snowshoes to gather dust in the garage. This winter hasn’t been much better, but thankfully we live just a couple hours from Canaan Valley. Even though the areas lies less than 90 miles away as the crow flies, they have vastly different weather. It’s almost like a small chunk of Canada dropped into a bowl located in the mid-Atlantic.

Christine and a Chickadee — Christine feeds a chickadee.

We got up early on a Sunday morning and drove over to White Grass – one of the only big Nordic centers in our region. The entire drive, we saw nothing but bare grass and muddy fields. I’ll admit that I was a little worried that we were driving over for nothing. But as we grew closer, bare fields gave way to a dusting of snow and then smooth, billowing drifts. On the final drive up to White Grass, the road was not even cleared. As we pulled in to the parking area, an exuberant, bearded man gesticulated dramatically, guiding us to a parking spot. Every employee of the resort that we talked to during the day was super friendly and full of information happily shared about the area.

We headed into the lodge to get information and pay our trail use fees. The lodge is warm, cluttered and cozy, lacking the slick, commercial feel of most ski operations. Even though it wasn’t yet 10:00 a.m., it was packed with people chatting and enjoying hot beverages. The woman at the cash register told us we had arrived just in time to go on a free snowshoe walk with a naturalist. We had about five minutes to gear up and meet the group. She told us to run on ahead and to pay our trail fee later on. We ran back to the car, grabbed our snowshoes/poles, put on our layers, got the camera gear packed up and made it back just in time for the walk. The walk was more talking than active snowshoeing, but I enjoyed learning more about the areas fragile ecosystem.

The snowshoe walk finished up a little after 11:00, so we decided to drive into Davis for an early lunch before our longer snowshoe trek. At lunch, we learned something interesting – you can’t buy a beer in West Virginia on Sunday until 1:00 p.m. The restaurant was pretty crowded, and I don’t think I saw a single table not try to order a beer. I guess everyone was visiting from out of town and didn’t know the law.

Christine Snowshoeing — Christine snowshoes uphill. Below: Approaching Bald Knob, Bald Knob View, Enjoying the Summit

After lunch, we headed back to Whitegrass. With our trail feed paid and our route mapped out, we headed up the trail. When I heard that we were walking up to the summit of Bald Knob, I was a little hesitant at first. Hiking up to the summit of Bald Knob didn’t necessarily conjure pleasant feelings; rather I remembered the last time I attempted to climb that peak. It was probably about 15 years ago when I was not a regular hiker and generally quite out of shape. Adam and I had hiked Bald Knob from the Canaan Valley Ski Resort side. We made it to the top, but it involved tears and suffering on my part. I remember the trail being unbearably steep and thought it was going to kill me.

However, this time, I found the terrain easy, pleasant and totally manageable – even on snowshoes! One of the nice things about White Grass is that the trail grooming takes some of the exertion out of snowshoeing. When you snowshoe on fresh, unpacked powder, the shoes do keep you aloft on the snow — but only to a degree. In fresh powder, you sink down and a certain level of ‘slogging’ is required. At White Grass, most of the trails are packed and machine-groomed. There are usually a pair of cross-country ski tracks worn into the snow, and then smooth packed trail alongside. As snowshoers, we’re careful to stay off of the ski tracks, as the blades on the bottom of shoes can easily chew up the established tracks.

Walking the trail system at White Grass was so fun! As Adam mentioned, I smiled the entire way! I loved chatting with other people we met along the way. I was enthralled by the gorgeous, snow-draped scenery. I had a blast hand-feeding the chickadees at the warming up. I have a slight phobia of flying things (bad experience with a bat and several moths over the years), so at first I looked away and closed my eyes as the chickadees fluttered down. But after a few landings, I opened my eyes and watched the birds perch. When they land, they are weightless; the only thing you feel is a slight pinch from their gripping feet. One chickadee sat on my hand long enough to eat several seeds. So fun!

When we made it to the summit of Bald Knob, I stood in awe of the beautiful, snowy valley laid out before me. The wind was whipping and clouds were moving in, so we didn’t stay long. The walk down went by so quickly — all downhill. We were back at the main lodge within an hour.

Expansive View — Even though Whitegrass is popular and heavily used, you never feel like it’s crowded. Below: Adam checks out the old, abandoned ski lift apparatus; Adam says hello to a friendly Whitegrass dog.

I’m hoping that we’ll get another chance to visit White Grass one more time this season. If we do get to go again, I definitely want to plan a meal at the White Grass Cafe. The food people were eating in the lodge looked amazing! We would have eaten there, but we already had plans to eat at another local favorite – Sirianni’s. We love their pizza and can’t visit the area without going there to eat.

If we make a return trip, I’ll also be sure to take a few photos of the actual facilities – the lodge, the cafe, etc. In the rush to meet the naturalist on time and my eagerness to spend as much time as possible on the trail, I neglected to take any photos of the facilities. They are really cute, so I feel bad that I forgot.

Trail Notes

Distance – 4.2 miles. This is approximate. It was hard to gauge mileage when the trails crossed each other so frequently and were labeled on the maps in kilometers.
Elevation Change – 973 feet
Difficulty – 2. The trail did go uphill most of the way up, but the grade was only seriously steep in a few spots.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was in excellent shape. They spend a lot of time grooming the trails, so it was fine to have both snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on the same trails.
Views – 4. The views from Bald Knob are some of the best you’ll see of Canaan Valley.
Waterfalls/streams – 1. Only a few streams that you pass on the trail.
Wildlife – 2. Red squirrels, Chickadees, and pileated woodpeckers were spotted.
Ease to Navigate –1.5. You have to pay very close attention to the trails and maps at the junctions to keep your bearings.
Solitude –2. The trails in this area are heavily trafficked, so expect to see others. We still felt that we had plenty of room for ourselves though as people are spread across all the distance of trails.

Directions to trailhead: The best directions can be found here. From Route 32 at Canaan Valley, take Freeland Road. Follow the signs to White Grass.

Big Flat Mountain Loop

February 5, 2013April 24, 20221 Comment

This 4.7 mile hike makes a wide circle around the entire Loft Mountain complex. It starts at the wayside and makes use of three different trails in the area – the campground path, the Appalachian Trail and the Frazier Discovery Trail.

Christine and Wookie enjoy a view along the AT. Below: Wookie enjoyed his outing.

Christine Says…

So… it’s been a while since our last post. We’ve been sitting on photos and information about our Thanksgiving hike for over two months now. Things got a bit chaotic with the holidays (travel/family obligations), I was sick for a full six weeks, and worst of all we lost one of our pugs (13-year old Mojo) after a short, tough, twelve-week battle with cancer. Things finally feel like they’re getting back to normal again, and we’re hoping to spend some more time on the trail this winter. Maybe even a snowshoeing trip?

Thanksgiving this year was a warm, delightful, sunny day. I was at the tail end of being sick , so I waffled back and forth – relax on the couch watching the parade and dog show; or get up, get dressed and go for a hike. In the end, the beauty of the day pushed me in the direction of Shenandoah National Park. I wanted a shorter/easier hike without much climbing, so we settled on the Big Flat Mountain Loop. This loop encircles the Loft Mountain complex. Here’s a bit of trivia – the campground complex is not actually on Loft Mountain – it’s on Big Flat Mountain – hence the name we’ve given this hike. It’s also the same hike I chose for my annual Father’s Day hike last June.

We started off at the wayside and made our way up the crumbling, but still (technically) paved, campground path. The path parallels the road, about 10-15 feet into the woods. There were lots of downed trees and branches across the path that had fallen recently. Wookie enjoyed getting his leash tangled in just about every obstacle.

The camp store stands quiet during the off season. Below: The view from behind the amphitheater; The Loft Mountain Campground Amphitheater.

We eventually came up to the camp store/laundry, which was closed for the season. We let Wookie eat some snow and took a few minutes to consult our map to make a few more route decisions. From there, we crossed the road and made our way toward the amphitheater. The amphitheater has a fabulous view of the valley below. It’s definitely worth a short stop along the way.

Near the amphitheater, we picked up the access trail for the AT. After a short walk, we turned onto the Appalachian Trail, heading north. The trail makes its way behind the Loft Mountain campground. There are wonderful cliff-side views to the east and several spur trails lead to campsites and the camp store. After passing the campground, there is a short downhill followed by the one semi-steep climb of the loop. This climb, which normally would have been quite easy, almost killed me with my diminished aerobic capacity It always amazes me how quickly one can get out of shape!

At the top of the climb, you’ll pass the first junction of the Frazier Discovery Trail. If you take this junction, you miss two of the nicest views on the hike. Continue a short way north, passing two spectacular views to the west. The prominent sloping peak in the distance is Massanutten. At the last view, you’ll see the other arm of the Frazier Discovery Trail. Follow this trail (unless you have a dog with you!) back to the bottom of the mountain and the wayside. If you do have a dog with you, you should continue north on the Appalachian Trail for almost another mile until you reach the spur trail to the Ivy Creek maintenance hut. Follow that trail back down to the road/wayside.

I bring the issue of dogs up primarily because we got in trouble for using a short section of the Frazier Discovery Trail on the return arm of the loop. The trail was marked ‘no pets’ – but only at the bottom of the mountain. The spot we entered, at the top of the mountain – along the ridge, was not marked. A ranger stopped us in the wayside parking lot and gave us a warning.

It was a nice way to spend the holiday!

Adam Says…

Christine and I both handle our festivities for Thanksgiving differently than most people. We don’t do a large Thanksgiving dinner with the huge bird, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and all the other side dishes. There is no pumpkin pie or a pulling of a ceremonial wishbone. Instead, we have homemade pizza. Christine isn’t a huge fan of turkey, so we have decided to have something that we both enjoy. We also have started the tradition the last few years of starting the day off with a hike. I definitely feel the touch of a higher presence when I’m communing with nature and there is no better setting to reflect on what I am thankful for in my life.

There were quite a few trees fallen across the trail. Below: Adam walks along the Appalachian Trail; Views along the hike.

With pug in tow, we parked at the Lost Mountain wayside and restaurant. There were only a few cars up here, which is typical of Thanksgiving and some of the colder months, so we knew we were in for a quiet hike. We crossed the road and on the northern end of the parking lot and made our way on the paved walk . After .1 mile, you reach a junction with the Frazier Discovery Trail, but stay on the paved walk. The path is mostly paved or gravel. We did have to hurdle or duck under a few blown trees across the path. Around 1.6 miles, you reach the Loft Mountain Camp Store. From here, we crossed the road and continued on the walkway for .1 mile to reach the Amphitheater. They really picked a gorgeous spot for this structure, since you’ll have marvelous views. I can only imagine watching the sunset during a ranger program for all the people camping overnight.

From the Amphitheater, the path begins to go downhill. At 2.1 miles, you’ll reach a junction with the white-blazed Appalachian Trail. Head left (going north) from this junction, going uphill along the AT. At 2.4 miles, the AT begins to level out somewhat as you will navigate around the Loft Mountain campground. You may smell hotdogs cooking and see glimpses of people and tents through the trees. You will pass a few spur trails that serve as access for campers to the AT, but stay on the trail. The trail stays fairly level for a while. At 3.6 miles, you will reach the first junction with the Frazier Discovery Trail. Stay straight on the AT and you will come to your first great view past the junction. Continue on the AT and at 3.8 miles, you will reach the second junction with the Frazier Discovery Trail. Take a left on this trail and you will immediately come up to another view. Follow this steep downhill path and at 4.6 miles, you will reach the junction again with the paved walk. Take a right and you will return to your vehicle at 4.7 miles.

Thanksgiving day view in Shenandoah National Park. Below: Cliffside on the Frazier Discovery Trail.

So, as we were hiking along, we typically like to reflect with one another for what we are thankful for. We both were reflecting how thankful we were for each other, our family, our dogs, our jobs, our health, and our ability to share our love for the outdoors together. Our hearts were a little more somber this day, since we had just recently received the bad prognosis for Mojo. We’ve had him for most of the time we’ve been married and we give so much love to our pets, that are key members of our family. We have lost Mojo since then, but he is forever in our hearts and we know he is in a more pleasant place now. Hiking is a large metaphor for life, as you have some steps that are harder than others and stumbles along the way. We have our love in our hearts to serve as our trekking poles to keep us balanced and help us reach the vistas along the way.

Wookie Says…

I have to say… this was not one of my better hikes. I accidentally broke SNP’s rules, and I feel really bad about it. But, in my defense, if the park doesn’t want dogs on a certain trail, they really should mark it ‘No Pets’ at both the start and the end of the trail. Because I entered the Frazier Discovery from the AT, I had no idea I wasn’t allowed to be there. The only sign indicating the rules was posted at the bottom of the mountain – way at the other end of the trail. Thankfully, the park ranger at the Loft Mountain wayside let me go with a warning. I also came home with THIRTEEN ticks, even though I use a preventative. Hopefully, I won’t get Lyme disease again. Despite the challenges and pitfalls, I still enjoyed being out on the trail.

Trail Notes

Distance – 4.7 miles.
Elevation Change – 675 feet
Difficulty – 1.5. The trail is gentle and rolling with only a couple very moderate climbs and descents.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was in excellent shape. There was a little snow still on the ground in a few spots, but nothing that caused us trouble.
Views – 4. There are many excellent views to both the east and west along this hike.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. None
Wildlife – 3. We didn’t see anything on this hike, but there are bears, deer, birds and other small creatures in the vicinity.
Ease to Navigate –3. You’ll have several different options for turns on this loop, but as long as you don’t go south instead of north on the Appalachian Trail, you shouldn’t get lost.
Solitude –2. The trails in this area are heavily trafficked, so expect to see other hikers.

Directions to trailhead:

Park at the Loft Mountain Wayside at Skyline Drive mile marker 79.5. Walk north along the drive for a 150 yard and then cross the drive to pick up the fire road. The trailhead is almost directly across the drive from the Patterson Ridge trail.

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

MacRae Peak – Grandfather Mountain (NC)

November 30, 2012September 4, 20186 Comments

North Carolina Hikes

This hike follows the Grandfather Trail across series of ladders and cables to the summit of MacRae Peak. After climbing MacRae peak, we continued a little way along the trail before turning back right after Attic Window Peak. It’s a truly amazing hike with phenomenal views.

View the full photo album from this hike on Flickr

Top of MacRae Peak — Christine and Adam enjoy the view atop MacRae Peak. Below: Adam checks out the sign at the beginning of the Swinging Bridge Trail; A view of the bridge from the trail; the valley from the bridge.

Adam Says…

Hiking up Grandfather Mountain is nothing short of an adventure and one that I will not forget. This will challenge you as much mentally as it will physically as you have to decide how far you can go. Choosing to navigate up ladders on the side of a mountainside with nothing to save you from a nasty fall makes this hike one not for the faint of heart. I have a fear of heights, but especially when it comes to trusting in man-made things that tested me a few times on this hike. But Christine and I kept saying, “I can’t believe we just did that” when we passed through these obstacles and the adrenaline kept us going.

We drove into Grandfather Mountain through the main entrance off 221. If you are planning on doing any hiking on Grandfather Mountain, I would recommend starting as early as possible. Starting later than when the park opens could lead to an extremely long line of cars waiting to enter on a weekend or pretty summer/fall day. There is an admissions fee to get into the park ($18/adult with discounts for seniors and children at press time). Another reason to start early is this hike does take a while. While it is only a relatively short distance, you will want to take time to enjoy the numerous views and you will need to take time going up the ladders. With a lot of people on the trail, there could be a bottleneck through some of these passes. The park closes before nightfall and they do have rangers hiking along the trail to make sure that people get off the mountain in time. If you don’t get back to your car by nightfall, they post they will send out a search.

Adam Crosses the Swinging Bridge — Adam crosses the Swinging Bridge. Below: A look back at the Top Shop from the beginning of the Grandfather Trail; Adam looks at MacRae Peak

At the entrance to the park, the ranger warned us that the winds were between over 30 mph at the top. We made our way up the drive and stopped by Split Rock, a picnic spot and witnessed the drop in temperatures and wind firsthand. We then made our way to the Nature Museum and wildlife habitat. We walked around briefly and picked up a hiking trail map from the Nature Museum cashier. We continued our drive along the curvy road up until we reached a parking lot attendant. Since we were hiking, he instructed us to park in the lower lot to begin our hike.

From the parking lot, we took the Bridge Trail, a non-blazed trail that includes switchbacks through a hardwood forest. After a short distance, we started hearing a mechanical, whistling sound. This was the sound of wind whipping through the Mile High Swinging Bridge that lay above us. At .4 miles, we reached the Mile High Swinging Bridge and visitor center. The wind was blowing so hard up here. I felt that I didn’t have warm enough clothes, so we went inside the visitor center to buy a hat and gloves to replace the ones I’d forgotten back at our hotel. The wind was blowing much harder than 30-40mph. I would guess that it was closer to 60mph. My pants sounded like flags beaten by high winds and it was hard to even take a step ahead of you. From the visitor center, we went up the stairs to reach the bridge. Christine was eager to go across, but I had a lot of trepidation. The bridge was “singing” more than “swinging”, but I was wondering if it was safe to cross. Christine made her way across and per an earlier agreement, if I was going to make her hike up Grandfather Mountain, I had to hold my end of the bargain and walk across this 228 foot bridge. Being 6 feet tall, the side railings barely reached my hips and I was worried that a strong enough wind would have blown me off. The bridge has its name because the elevation here is 5280 feet above sea level making it a mile high. The bridge actually only spans two rock formations that has an 80 foot drop, but it is still unnerving. After making it across the bridge and back, we continued the hike.

Climbing Up the Grandfather Trail — Most of the way was steep and rocky.

Christine was having a difficult time making her way across the parking lot to the trailhead. I would see her take one step forward and the wind blew her two steps to the side. We made it to the other side and debated on if we could do this hike with such high winds. I convinced Christine to go a little further, hoping that the brush would slow the wind and after a short distance we didn’t feel the affect of the wind. We began the hike up using the Grandfather Trail, a blue diamond-blazed trail. At .8 miles (including the hike from the parking lot), we reached a junction with the Grandfather Extension trail. We kept going forward on the Grandfather Trail and at .9 miles, we reached Grandfather Gap, an open area that gives you great views. Continuing on at 1.4 miles, we reached a junction with the Underwood Trail. We stayed again on the Grandfather Trail and in a short distance the first ladder appeared. This was a long ladder (the first of nine total) that helped you navigate through a tight gorge between two rocks, but was not that scary. Shortly after this ladder, the real fun started where we had to do some rock scrambling, sometimes with the assistance of cables before coming up to a series of ladders. These ladders were definitely more frightening as you had to often climb up one ladder and then take a step to the left and climb up another ladder. We saw several people that got to the ladders and then wisely turned around as they didn’t think they can handle it. Knowing your limitations is definitely important. These ladders eventually led up to to one area that you were climbing up ladders on the side of the mountain with an insane drop to the side. We made it up this final ladder and took a moment to reflect on what we did and take in the views from the side of the mountain. We continued on the trail for a short distance and at 1.4 miles we reached a ladder on the side of the rock leading to the summit of MacRae Peak at 5845 feet. You climb up this 20 foot ladder and then grab a cable at the top of the ladder to pull yourself up the rock. You can find the benchmark for the peak at the top of the rock, giving you 360 degree views all around you, including the bridge to the southwest.

Christine Climbs a Ladder — Christine climbs a ladder on the Grandfather Trail. Below: One ladder went between two giant slabs of rock; Adam pulls himself up a sheer rock face; More ladders along steep, cliffside terrain.

We climbed back down the ladder and then continued on the Grandfather Trail to the next peak. At 1.5 miles, we reached another junction with the Underwood trail. Continuing on the Grandfather Trail, we went up to The Chute, a rock scramble that leads to the top of Attic Window Peak. The scramble wasn’t too tough, but did require you to climb up on all fours at some points. We reached the top at 1.7 miles and passed the overnight Attic Window campsite. Continuing on the trail, we reached a junction with the Indian House Cave, a short but steep side trail that leads to a cave wall that was a shelter to Native Americans back in the day as artifacts were found here when it was first discovered. We continued back on the Grandfather Trail and the trail here begins to be more of a ridge walk. We took some time to find some nice spots to take in the views, eat some snacks, and then made our way back. At the junction with the Underwood Trail at 2.2 miles, we ended up taking this Yellow Diamond blazed trail to avoid the ladders on the return. This was a steep and rocky trail back without much to see and there is still one large ladder to climb down on the way, but it feels safer than the ones leading to MacRae Peak. At 2.7 miles, we reached the opposite end of the Underwood Trail, rejoining the Grandfather Trail, by taking a right. At 2.9 miles, we reached the junction with the Grandfather Extension trail and then took this Red Diamond blazed trail downhill through some switchbacks for .6 miles (with some more views along the way) until we reached our car at 3.5. miles.

Many people just drive to the upper parking lot to experience the Mile High Swinging Bridge and then return. It is definitely a highlight of Grandfather Mountain, but we were so glad that we hiked past this feature. The bridge used to be a wooden suspension bridge (erected in 1952) and used to sway more in the wind, but the side rails and floorboards were replaced with steel in 1999.

Adam Enjoying the View Near the Top of MacRae — Adam enjoys the view near the top of MacRae. Below: The Blue Ridge Parkway winds its way through forest below Grandfather Mountain; the last ladder to the top of MacRae; Beautiful rugged scenery on Grandfather Mountain.

Grandfather Mountain was originally named Tanawha Mountain by the Cherokee, meaning “glorious hawk or eagle”. It was named Grandfather Mountain by pioneers as one view of the mountain does look like an old man’s face staring up into the sky. Daniel Boone once hunted in this area and John Muir after climbing Grandfather Mountain in 1898 proclaimed that the air during his climb had healed him of a bronchial cough.

Overall, I will say this has been one of my favorite and most memorable hikes that I have ever done. The views are absolutely gorgeous around you, as you can see for miles around on a clear day. Once you reached a viewpoint, you thought that it couldn’t get any better; but then you would take a few more steps and be even more impressed. We definitely plan on returning to tackle the hike all the way to Calloway Peak, the tallest peak at 5946 feet.

Christine Says…

It’s kind of ironic that John Muir proclaimed that Grandfather Mountain’s air cured him of bronchitis. I was sick as a dog when I hiked this trail, and the air did not have any magical curative properties for me! In fact, I think it may have helped precipitate my garden-variety bronchitis into a full-blown, month-long battle with pneumonia.

Some readers might wonder why I didn’t do the sensible thing and actually rest while I was sick. I wish I had been smarter, but we had planned this trip several months earlier and were there to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. There was no way I was going to miss it. So… stupidly, I pushed myself mercilessly so that I could see and do all the things we had planned. I had a great time on the trip, and especially this hike – but I definitely paid a high price for all that fun.

More Ladders Near the Chute — Adam approaches the rock scramble known as The Chute. Below: The Chute

Illness aside, this hike is probably near the top of my list of all-time favorite hikes. The scenery was breathtaking. Every boulder I rounded, every opening I stepped into; I practically gasped with disbelief at how truly beautiful nature can be. The ladders and cables were a perfect balance of scary and fun. I felt challenged and rewarded in equal measures.

Our adventure started off in the hiker parking area on Grandfather Mountain. The trail from the parking lot to the bridge was short and easy. Almost immediately, we could hear the harmonic hum of the wind whipping through the bridge. Evidently, the ‘singing bridge’ is a more accurate moniker than ‘swinging bridge’. We spent a little time at the ‘Top Shop’. We both crossed the bridge. I was very proud of Adam for crossing. He does not like heights and the bridge was not a happy place for him!

The bridge didn’t scare me at all, but the wind’s strength did! The main trail system on Grandfather Mountain starts directly above the parking area. The sign marking the trailhead is loaded with many, many warnings and cautionary tales. On the way over the the trailhead, the wind literally blew me off my feet! I rolled like a tumbleweed across the parking area – pretty remarkable for a full-grown, adult woman! It was the strongest wind I’ve ever encountered — even topping the weather we experienced on Mt. Washington. I told Adam that I thought it was stupid to hike in such strong wind, but he encouraged me to hike a little along the trail, in hopes that the trees and other obstacles would shelter us from the wind. Thankfully, he was right and the wind wasn’t bad for most of the hike.

All of the ladders and cables were sturdy and securely fixed to the rock, so I never felt like I was in any real danger. They greatly aided us in traversing some very steep terrain. When you look at MacRae peak from a distance, it looks so steep and practically unscalable. When you finally climb the last ladder to the highest point of the peak, you truly feel on top of the world! We shared the peak with a group of Boy Scouts and a group of Amish men. Quite an interesting mix of folks!

Beautiful views from Attic Window Peak. Below: Tent site on Attic Window Peak; More gorgeous vistas

After leaving MacRae, we continued along the Grandfather Trail in the direction of Calloway peak. The trail took us through a fun and challenging rock scramble called ‘The Chute’. Near there, we met one of the Grandfather Mountain rangers. He was out hiking the trail to sweep for hikers in trouble and for people who might be cutting time short to make it back to the parking area by 5:00.

After the Chute, we passed the Attic Window Peak backcountry tent site. After that, we walked a short way along an open, razorback ridge or rock. We had more spectacular views looking toward Banner Elk and in the direction of Calloway Peak. Along this ridge, we stopped for a snack. While I was eating my Luna bar, I measured up the distance to Calloway peak. I wasn’t feeling any better. I was cold, stuffy, achy and exhausted. As much as I wanted to reach Calloway peak, I wanted some soup and a hot bath even more. I apologetically told Adam that I couldn’t go any further. I could tell he was disappointed, but he willingly turned back.

Cliffside View — Adam enjoys cliffside views. Below: Fall foliage from Grandfather Mountain; Our last ladder down the Underwood Trail, Fall Foliage; Rocky and rooty footing on the Underwood Trail.

On the return, we took the Underwood Trail. It was quite steep and rocky, but only required one downward ladder climb. Eventually, we reached the junction of the Grandfather Trail and the Grandfather Extension. The extension led us back down to the hiker parking area without having to cross the Swinging Bridge parking lot again. That little section of trail had one pretty view from a bridge and lots of fall color. We got back to the car and made our way back down the mountain. I could not believe the line of cars waiting to get into Grandfather Mountain. It stretched for several miles! Insane! I guess it’s a good idea to get an early start when you visit Grandfather. All in all, it was a super day and a great hike. I can’t wait to go back sometime when I’m not sick!

Trail Notes

Distance – about 3.5 miles
Elevation Change – about 1600 feet
Difficulty – 4.5. The ladders and cables make this a tough hike. The climbs over the mountains make this hike take a lot longer than you would normally on this distance.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail was in good condition. Ladders and cables were sturdy and secure, but rainy/icy/snowy weather will make the rock climbing treacherous. If you have a fear of heights, ladders or precipitous edges, this hike might not be for you.
Views – 5. AMAZING!
Waterfalls/streams – 0. There are no streams on this hike.
Wildlife – 0. This area is heavily traveled, so it’s unlikely you’ll see wildlife.
Ease to Navigate –4. The junctions at all the trails are well-marked. We got a little turned around through one of the rock scrambles.
Solitude – 1.5. Expect to see lots of people on this trail unless you go at an off time. But we never felt too crowded where we couldn’t enjoy things by ourselves.

Directions to trailhead: The entrance to Grandfather Mountain is located on US 221, two miles north of Linville, North Carolina, and one mile south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305. Signs for the entrance are well-marked and an entrance station is right off the road with large gates. Travel up the road by car until you reach the parking lot designated for hiking trails. The trailhead for the Bridge Trail is on the left side of the parking lot as you are driving up. Coordinates for the hiker parking area are 36.096145, -81.831802.

Blackbird Knob – Dolly Sods (WV)

October 4, 2012September 4, 20186 Comments

This 5.8 mile out-and-back hike along the Blackbird Knob trail gives you a sampling of many of the beauties offered by the Dolly Sods Wilderness area. While you don’t get any high-up, panoramic vistas, you still get amazing views across the high plateau.

Adam and Wookie in Dolly Sods — Dolly Sods is spectacular in the Fall. Below: Trailhead along the forest road; Off to a chilly start! The morning was breezy and in the 30s; Dolly Sods is famous for turning crimson in the fall.

Adam Says…

Fall is here! At least it has arrived in Dolly Sods. For those that haven’t been to visit out this wilderness area on the eastern side of West Virginia, you will be impressed by the terrain. I have read many times that the terrain and climate up here is more similar to Canada than the surrounding areas of West Virginia and Virginia. You will quickly notice that the vegetation is just different here – you’ll see spruce and conifers in one direction and blueberry bushes and boggy areas in another.

After hyper-extending my knee on our last backpacking trip, I was thinking another trip the next weekend would be a little too much of a re-injury risk. But, we wanted to do something fun since it was Christine’s birthday, so I suggested that we spend the weekend in Canaan Valley to enjoy some of the early fall color. The last weekend of September is usually the Leaf Peepers Festival in Canaan Valley, but we were hoping for some fall color the week before and we weren’t disappointed.

Wilderness Wookie Enjoys Dolly Sods — Wookie rests on a warm rock in the sun. Below: Christine checks out a trail marker. There are very few signs and no blazes in Dolly Sods; Fall color is starting to pop; Walking past a colorful maple.

I feel it is necessary to put out a few warnings about Dolly Sods. First, the trails are not well-marked. They typically will have some trails marked at intersections, but there are no blazes on the trails and if you wander off on something that looks like a trail, you could become lost. Second, the road to get to and through Dolly Sods is very rough. You won’t see many Toyota Prius-like cars on this road. We approached it from Canaan Valley and there are some scary roads to drive up. You are on a road barely able to fit two cars with a large drop-off on the side. We were almost hit by some locals barreling down a blind curve on the road and they only missed hitting us by a couple of inches. The road through Dolly Sods is also extremely rough and filled with potholes. We’ve gotten a flat tire up here before and hope to never experience that again. You’ll need to drive very slowly and steer away from any potholes or sharp rocks sticking up. Four-wheel drive is not completely necessary, but it may give you ease of mind. Third, good maps are hard to find. As I mentioned on our Rohrbaugh Plains post, probably the best maps are available online. If you are looking for printed maps, we’ve bought quadrant maps of the Dolly Sods area from the nearby Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, but I’ve found some flaws with these marking trails properly (the quad for Blackbird Knob showed the knob on the wrong side of the trail). The online maps area also from 2006 and the quads are mostly from 1995.

For the hike to Blackbird Knob, we parked on the eastern side of the road just north of the Red Creek Campground area. You should see the large trailhead sign on the western side of the road just past the campground area. You quickly cross a boardwalk over a boggy area and then you will pass a large open area of pine forest to the right. In .3 miles, you will come to a grey sign that shows the trail goes to the left deeper into the woods. You may not see a trail to the left, but follow the sign and you will begin to see cairns that will lead you back to where the trail is more apparent. At .5 miles, the trail opens up to a larger field with nice views around you. The trail begins to descend at this point, but you will still see some views as you are walking through an open field. At mile 1.1, you reach Alder Run, which requires a small rock-hop to get across. You will then go slightly uphill through the forest again, but it will soon open up to more views. The trail then goes back into the woods and you will arrive at Red Creek at 1.6 miles. You will need to do more substantial rock-hopping to get across, but we didn’t have any trouble. The trail goes steeply uphill at this point. At 1.8 miles, the trail again opens up to spectacular views. You will shortly come across a junction with the Upper Red Creek Trail at 1.9 miles. Stay straight on the trail and you’ll duck back into forest. At 2.1 miles, you’ll reach another junction with the Red Creek Trail, which leads back to the campground. Stay straight again and it will finally open up to spectacular views. You are then making your way along the circumference of Blackbird Knob. Gorgeous fields with ridge views to the left give you many options to take in the sites. There are boulders on the hillside that seem to be placed by nature as auditorium seats to enjoy this area of wilderness. We continued along the trail until about 2.9 miles, when the trail was going to continue back into the woods. We turned back and returned the way we came.

Berry Bushes — Color everywhere! Below: Fall foliage scenery along the Blackbird Knob Trail. Below: Enjoying the fall color.

Time for a few confessions. We had packed our bags fairly quickly to head out for our hike. I forgot to pack the lunch that we were going to eat on the hike. All that I brought with us was a small bag of nut-heavy trail mix. Christine has a mild nut allergy, so we were a little concerned about food. I remembered that I left some Combos in the car, so we were saved with that. But, I need to learn to be a little better prepared when going into this area. As I mentioned before, maps of Dolly Sods are hard to find and trails are not marked very well. We were surprised how many people just came out here and were hiking without maps. We ran into a few guys that were unsure of where they were going. I showed them where we were on our map and they said they would just go on ahead and hope they can catch a trail that will eventually loop them back to where they were. Not the smartest strategy.

We really enjoyed our trip to Dolly Sods to explore this area. Since we hadn’t received much fall color yet in Virginia, it felt like we had a private advanced screening of the color that we’ll experience here in a few weeks.

Christine Says…

Dolly Sods is somewhat of a phoenix that has risen from the ashes. Its rugged beauty is actually a mask that belies years of abuse and damage. Until 1930, Dolly Sods was heavily logged. Entire mountainsides were stripped bare of their pristine, old-growth forest. The largest tree ever harvested in West Virginia came from this area – a magnificent white oak – about 1000 years old and nearly as big as a Giant Sequoia. Once the hillsides were barren, woodchips, fallen pine needles and small trees dried in the sun and became perfect fodder for catastrophic fires. Flames consumed more than 24,000 acres, scorching the earth down to bare rock. After the logging industry closed up, the government purchased the land. In the 1940s, Dolly Sods was used as a training range for the military. As recently as 2006, a significant amount of unexploded ordnance was still being found along trails.

Red Creek gets its red color from tannins. Below: Adam and Wookie cross; Fall color and a rocky stream bed; Trail marker in Dolly Sods.

Despite all the damage the land has endured, it is still one of the most breathtaking places in the entire mid-Atlantic. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that there is nothing else like it. We were lucky enough to visit this fall on one of those perfect, technicolor, early fall days. The sunshine was sparkling, the sky was crystal clear and deep blue. Already, maples were turning to flame-color and entire hillsides of fern were glowing and golden. While Dolly Sods is rugged as a whole, the Blackbird Knob Trail is gentle and without much change in elevation. Because it was an easy hike, we decided to bring Wookie along. He was so excited to finally be on a hike!

We started out along a clear path through the woods, but at the first trail sign, we became a little confused. The obvious, worn path led in the opposite direction of the directional marker on the trail sign. We sat and pondered for a moment. We consulted a map. We didn’t see any sign at all of a trail leading in the arrow’s direction, so we assumed a prankster had turned the sign. We took the trail a short way uphill before it dead-ended in a thicket of laurels. We backtracked and followed the arrow’s direction. For a short while, we were just walking through the woods, but eventually we spotted the cairn and then finally we were back on worn trail. This is very typical of Dolly Sods!

The first open view came shortly after our brief detour. From a pile of rocks, we could see all across the high plateau. Distant hillsides were already covered with red foliage. The open meadows were covered with crimson berry bushes and tall, tawny grass. We all stopped to enjoy the perfect fall day – I snapped photos and Wookie stretched out on a warm rock. After a brief stop, we continued along. A few minutes later, we passed a pair of backpackers. Then we passed three more. Then we passed five more. Passing backpackers became pretty much the ‘norm’ for the rest of the hike. All in all, I’m sure we saw thirty or more people out for the weekend. Typically, I think of Dolly Sods as being rather remote and isolated. On this particular weekend, it was not the case. People were everywhere!

Ferns and Fall Color — It was a technicolor day in Dolly Sods. Below: Adam hikes across the open terrain; Fall color all along the hillside; Christine enjoys the fall color.

Throughout the hike, the trail passed in and out of trees and open spaces. We crossed Alder Creek and Red Creek. Both were running, but on the low side. I’ve heard that streams are often uncrossable in Dolly Sods in the spring. It’s hard to imagine that when you see them running so meagerly in the early fall. Red Creek was especially lovely. Tannins give the water a rich, reddish color. I suppose the name ‘Red Creek’ is very well-suited for this body of water!

When we reached the end-point of the hike, we stopped for a snack. As Adam mentioned, he forgot our lunches. So, he ate peanuts and cashews, while I picked all of the remaining M&Ms out of the trail mix. It was enough to tide me over for the walk back to the car. Honestly, it was such an easy hike that it really didn’t require that much energy. It also left me nice and hungry for an early dinner at Hellbender Burritos. For a tiny town, Davis, WV has two very good restaurants (the other is Sirianni’s Pizza Cafe). At Hellbender, I got my favorite Gendarme burrito. It’s basically a steak and cheese in a bowl – medium rare chunks of steak, smothered with grilled onions and peppers and then doused with queso. Yum! And even better (or worse… depends on how I look at it), I discovered Harpoon Pumpkin Cider. I’m a very picky beer person, but I really like most hard cider, and this seasonal pumpkin cider might be the best thing I’ve ever had to drink! Sadly, it’s very, very hard to find in our area. Even the local beverage shop can’t special order it and it’s nowhere to be found in stores.

Wookie Says…

Sometimes the tail says it all. What I mean by that is that on this hike for most of the way, my tail stayed nice and curled. When I get tired, it tends to start drooping like a flag slowly being brought down the pole. But I really enjoyed myself in Dolly Sods Wilderness. This was my first trip out there. Christine and Adam often call me, “Wilderness Wookie”, but this was the first time I have been in true designated wilderness area.

Wookie Crossing Red Creek — Wookie crosses the stream. Below: Adam and Wookie hike on the return leg of the out-and-back; Adam enjoys fall color; Don’t miss a visit to Bear Rocks when you’re in Dolly Sods.

My highlights of the trip were when first reached the open field around .5 miles. I spread out on a nice rock, sniffed the brisk, fall air and enjoyed the views. I also really enjoyed eating a few cashews from the base of Blackbird Knob. Christine poured a little rock in a natural bowl in the rock and Adam gave me some nuts to help me re-energize for the return trip.

My lowlights of the trip were crossing Red Creek and the initial boardwalk. The boardwalk made me a little uncomfortable since there were spaces where my paws could have slipped through. Crossing Red Creek was a little more troublesome. I really don’t like getting my feet wet. But, I took a wrong step and got my front paws wet. I jumped back away from the water and then made a successful second pass. My tail immediately went down to let Adam and Christine know that I didn’t like getting wet. I don’t mind mud as much and my feet did get quite muddy along the trail. But by the time that we got back to the car, most of the mud had come off.

Going almost six miles is a little taxing for a pug. For some reason, I don’t see a lot of other hiking pugs out there. When we got to the car, I immediately fell asleep and was snoring loudly by the time that we got moving. Of course, when we got back home I had to strut my stuff and tell my brothers, Yoda and Mojo, that I went on a great hike. I’m glad it’s finally getting a little cooler again so I can get back on the trails. Wilderness Wookie is ready to do some more fall hiking!

Trail Notes

Distance – 5.8 miles.
(Check out the stats from MapMyHike)*
Elevation Change – 440 feet
Difficulty – 1.5. The trail is not that steep at all, so most people should be able to handle it.
Trail Conditions – 3. The trail was in decent condition and was not overly rocky or muddy today. I do think mud could be a problem after larger rainfalls though.
Views – 3. While you don’t get views from a big overlook, the scenery along the way is quite gorgeous. Open fields and views of mountain ridges in the distance give you a lot to see.
Waterfalls/streams – 4. Red Creek gives you a reliable water source and picturesque stream views. There are plenty of backcountry campsites near the stream if you are planning an overnight backpack trip.
Wildlife – 3. While we didn’t see any large wildlife on this trip, the area has plenty of wildlife.
Ease to Navigate –2.5. As we’ve mentioned, trails are not blazed and only some junctions are marked with signage.
Solitude –2. We saw over 30 people on the trail. Most of these were backpacking groups. If you go on a nice weekend from Spring-Fall, expect to see others.

Directions to trailhead: From Seneca Rocks, go North on WV 28 for 12 miles. Take a left on Jordan Run Road. Go one mile up Jordan Run Road and take a left on to Forest Road 19. In 6 miles, Forest Road 19 comes to a T on to Forest Road 75. Take a right, heading north on the gravel Forest Road 75. Drive for five miles until you pass the Red Creek Campground parking on the left. Park on the opposite side of the road where the grey trailhead marker is located.

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

Overall Run

September 17, 2012August 26, 20159 Comments

There are longer loops that include Overall Run, but this 4.8 mile route hits the key notes with fairly minimal effort. Overall Run Falls is the tallest waterfall in Shenandoah National Park (93 feet), but the best part of this hike is actually the spectacular view overlooking a gorge with open vistas facing west.

Adam Enjoys the View at Overall Run — Adam enjoys the western view from Overall Run. Below: Adam walks along the Tuscarora Trail; The first waterfall on Overall Run was pretty much non-existent; The return route on the hike took us through Mathews Arm Campground.

Christine Says…

Well… here we are – finally back to Virginia hiking! For a website that focuses on Virginia hikes, we really haven’t done many ‘home-state’ hikes lately. Part of it was finding time to hike with a busy schedule, but even more at fault was the dreadfully hot and stormy summer. I’ll admit, I’m not a summer person. I wither in the heat and humidity. I loathe bugs, especially mosquitoes and ticks. There were so many days that we passed on hiking just because we didn’t want to endure the heat.

Fortunately, over the last few weeks, summer seems to be fading away. There’s been a snap of fall in the air. Summer haze is evaporating, leaving skies crisper and clearer. Nights are dipping down into the fifties (we hit the forties a couple times last week). Even the ridgelines atop the taller peaks are started to fade to a rusty green. Autumn is just around the corner, and I couldn’t be happier!

On one of the first ‘fall-ish’ days in September, we decided to hike down to see the tallest waterfall in Shenandoah National Park. I’ve hiked just about every trail in the park, but somehow I’ve never gotten around to hiking Overall Run. It’s one of those hikes that’s been on our to-do list forever, but keeps getting bumped for other hikes. Overall Run is notorious for slowing to a trickle during dry periods, but we were coming off a very rainy/stormy week, so we figured it was a good time to see the falls with a decent volume of water.

Steep Section on the Tuscarora Trail — Adam climbs down the one steep section of the hike. Below: This gorge is home to Shenandoah’s tallest waterfall – Overall Run. When we visited, there was almost no water running; Christine enjoys the view; We enjoyed the view with LOTS of other people.

We started out at Mathews Arm, in the parking lot adjacent to the campsite check-in station. We followed the Traces Trail for a short distance until it met the Tuscarora/Overall Run trail. The trail descended gently through the woods. There was nothing exceptional along the way – just pretty, quiet forest scenery.

Eventually, the trail dropped steeply down a set of log steps set into the trail. Right before the descent, we saw a shirtless guy sitting in a tent, about ten feet off the trail. Seriously… if you camp in the park, shouldn’t you be far enough off the trail that everyone passing by can’t see you? At the bottom of the initial descent, we came to the first (and smaller) of the falls. It was just a thin ribbon of water through the canyon, so we quickly moved along. After one more short descent, we reached the large falls on Overall Run. It was barely a trickle, just a sheer film of water running down the canyon wall. While the waterfalls were seriously disappointing, the view was not! It was spectacular and expansive, offering gorgeous views to the west.

We shared the view with lots of other people. Besides Dark Hollow Falls, I’ve never seen so many people at a Shenandoah waterfall at once. It was a little surprising. I had no idea Overall Run was so popular! We stayed for a while, enjoying the beautiful day and the wonderful view.

On the way back, we intended to return the same way we arrived, but at the top of the climb after the falls, we saw a trail junction that pointed 1.5 miles to Mathews Arm Campground, so we decided to go that way. The trail took us over to Beecher Ridge, which turned into a fire road, then back into a trail, which eventually led to the back side of Mathews Arm campground. We walked through the campground and back to our car.

All in all, it was a pretty hike made worthwhile by the awesome view! I’d like to see Overall Run falls running generously someday, but after doing a little digging on a couple photo sites, it seems to take seriously heavy rain or snowmelt to make the falls truly impressive. If we do this hike again, we’ll do it in the spring after there has been lots of rain!

Adam Says…

Overall Run was definitely a pleasant surprise to me. I knew about the large waterfall here, but I had no idea that the views would be so impressive.

We started off our day with a big breakfast at Skyland Resort. I hit the breakfast buffet, which had eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, fresh fruit, oatmeal, and biscuits. It was a good way to get some energy in my system for a hike, but I did feel the need to do some exercise to “earn my bacon”. After leaving breakfast, we made our way to the trailhead at the Mathews Arm campground, seeing a coyote and bobcat on the way there. We didn’t get any pictures, since both of these animals are typically very skittish and darted off Skyline Drive as soon as we spotted them.

We pulled into the Mathews Arms campground, passing the fee station for overnight camping and taking a right to the large parking lot. From the parking lot, we began our hike on the Traces Trail, which led into the woods. We stayed on the Traces Trail until we reached the junction with the Tuscarora/Overall Run trail at .6 miles. Take a left on this trail. At 2.0 miles, you reach a junction with the Mathews Arm trail, which will be your return route for the loop. We continued on the Tuscarora Trail until we reached the overlook area at 2.5 miles. For the return, we went back the way we came. At 3.0 miles, we took a right on the Mathews Arm trail towards the campground. At 3.5 miles, we reached a junction with the yellow-blazed Beecher Ridge trail (more like a fire road) and took a left towards the campground. At 3.9 miles, you will reach a junction with the Weddlewood Trail, but stay straight. You will reach the campground around 4.5 miles near a restroom. Follow the road to the right making your way back to the amphitheater and parking area for your vehicle at 4.8 miles.

Adam Walks the Trail Toward Mathews Arm — Adam walks the trail toward Mathews Arm. Below: We came to a trail junction that pointed us back toward Mathews Arm – we decided to take it; Adam crosses a rocky section of trail near the start of the stream that feeds Overall Run; A pretty clearing along the Beecher Ridge trail.

The definite highlight of the hike was the views from the overlook and I wasn’t the only one to think so. We would see people that would say, “Oh, that’s the waterfall?”, but then camp themselves on the rocks to soak in the views. There are a few different spots to enjoy the views from the overlook, but not a ton of room. The northern district in the park tends to get a lot of visitors from the northern Virginia area and since this trail is accessible from the northern most campground, you will likely see lots of people on your hike. I climbed up some precipitous rocks and sat looking out into the canyon with views of mountain ridges for miles.

Of interesting note about this hike is when you start your hike from the Traces Trail and reach the intersection with the Tuscarora Trail, the trail splits into two. If you head to the right, you will reach the eastern terminus of the Tuscarora Trail in just a few tenths of a mile. The other terminus of the trail is 252 miles away. The area in Virginia and West Virginia was once known as the Big Blue trail. Originally designed as an alternative to the Appalachian Trail (since it connects to the Appalachian Trail at both ends), it will one day become a part of the Great Eastern Trail, connecting Alabama to New York.

Trail Notes

Distance – 4.8 miles
(Check out the stats from MapMyHike)*
Elevation Change – About 850 feet
Difficulty – 2 This hike has only one steep section leading down to the waterfalls, the rest of the trail is flat or requires only moderate climbing/descending.
Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is well-maintained and relatively easy to walk.
Views– 4. The view at the gorge next to the waterfall is spectacular!
Streams/Waterfalls – 2. There are two primary falls on Overall Run. The second waterfall is the largest in the park, measuring 93′, however, it’s not terribly impressive in volume. We started this hike to see the waterfalls, but found the view far more rewarding.
Wildlife –2. We didn’t see anything on the hike, probably because the heavy hiker volume, but we did see a coyote and a bobcat on the drive to the trailhead.
Ease to Navigate – 4. There are few trail options to take, but most of them lead back to the start point. As long as you pay attention, you shouldn’t get lost.
Solitude – 1. We were on the trail before 9:00 a.m., but still found the trail exceedingly crowded. The overlook at the point of the largest falls had about a dozen people when we arrived. We saw many more people on the way back. We even saw one group camped less than ten feet off the trail.

Directions to trailhead: Follow Skyline Drive to the Mathews Arm Campground at mile marker 22. Park at the amphitheater and follow the blue-blazed Traces Trail that departs from the east end of the parking lot.

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

St. Sauveur Trail – Acadia National Park (ME)

August 25, 2012September 4, 20185 Comments

Special: Acadia Edition

Virginia Trail Guide is back in Acadia National Park for three new hikes! It feels like we’ve been hiking everywhere but Virginia lately! 🙂

The 3.2 mile out-and-back St. Sauveur Trail gives you a ridge walk to a tree-covered summit. From the summit of Sauveur, a short lollipop loop takes you out to Valley Peak for views of Somes Sound, Northeast Harbor, and the Cranberry Islands.

View from Valley Peak on the St. Sauveur Trail — A beautiful view from Valley Peak on the St. Sauveur Trail.

Adam Says…

We made it to Acadia National Park, but we had a rough start of things. Our biggest adversary on vacation always seems to be Mother Nature. Weather in New England tends to change often and weather on Mount Desert Island is even more unpredictable. When we were viewing projected online 10-day forecasts for the area, we would see a week full of rain one day and then see a week of sunshine the next day. As the departure day for us got closer, the weather tended to look more bleak. We even debated canceling the trip, since a week full of rain would definitely make it hard to do the things we enjoy.

The drive up was filled with torrential rain. Then, the first two days after we arrived were also rainy. Finally, on Monday, it looked like we would have almost a full day of sunshine so we prepared to run ourselves ragged with fun. Now, a 3.2 mile hike doesn’t sound like it should be tough, but it was the last thing we were to do that day.

Before we hiked the St. Sauveur trail, we decided to rent bikes and do our favorite loop of a bike ride around Witch Hole, Eagle Lake, Jordan Pond and Bubble Pond. We walked from our hotel about 1.5 miles to the town of Bar Harbor to rent bikes. We took the Island Explorer shuttle to Eagle Lake and started our ride. We ended up biking about 20 miles on the carriage roads and back into Bar Harbor. We arrived back to the bike rental shop and walked back to the hotel. After already covering 23 miles, we decided we needed to make the most of things – and what better way than to head out on another hike. The person that rented our bikes to us recommended the St. Sauveur trail. He said after traveling all over the country he found the views from here to be the best he has ever seen. Convinced, we decided to pursue his recommendation.

The Sauveur Trailhead — The trailhead for this route starts across from Echo Lake at the parking area for Acadia Mountain. There is another parking area further down the road for St. Sauveur, but it follows a different route to the summit. Below: The trail quickly splits in two directions, one takes you to Acadia Mountain, the other goes to Sauveur and Valley Peak; The ridge walk was pleasant; Everything in Acadia seems to be covered with granite and pines.

We drove towards Southwest Harbor and began our hike at the Acadia Mountain parking lot. There were tons of cars in the parking lot, but most of the people here were swimming in Echo Lake across the road (one of the few lakes that allow for swimming in the area). We climbed up the stairs that mark the beginning of the trail into the woods.

In .1 miles, up the trail, you come across a junction with the St. Sauveur Trail. Take a right at this intersection and continue up the gradual trail. The trail does take some tricky turns up the mountain at some points, so be on the lookout for blue blazes and cairns which will help you to navigate the trail. Since the St. Sauveur Trail is not used as heavily on this stretch, there were a few areas where we were making our way through low bushes to follow the trail.

At .7 miles, you reach another junction with the Ledge Trail, but continue straight. At 1.2 miles, you reach the peak of 679 ft. St. Sauveur Mountain, marked with a summit post. Continuing past the summit marker, you can follow the Valley Peak trail. This is a loop trail, but we took the path to the right first. This leads to the 521 ft. Valley Peak at 1.6 miles, providing great views of Somes Sound, Greening Island, Northeast Harbor, and the distant Cranberry Islands. We went back to the St. Sauveur Trail through the other branch of the loop from Valley Peak. We were immediately given even better views before making our way up a steeper path up to the St. Sauveur Trail and return trip back to the parking lot for our 3.2 mile trip.

Red Squirrel — Red squirrels are much cuter than Virginia’s gray squirrels, and they’re everywhere in Acadia. Whenever you hike, you’ll hear them chattering and even ‘yelling’ at you from the trees. Below: The summit of St. Sauveur is tucked into the trees. For the view, you must proceed to Valley Peak; Some parts of the trail dip into deeper woods. One section even crosses a short section of boardwalk.

The St. Sauveur Mountain was named after the St .Sauveur mission that was established in the nearby area.in 1613. The French established several Jesuit missions in Maine to try to convert and the Wabanaki Native Americans to Catholicism, while providing refuge from the British. The British destroyed the mission within 13 weeks of it being established, starting wars between the British and French with the Wabanaki caught in the middle. There were 150 years of battles over these types of territories as the French wanted this area to be New France while the British wanted this area to be New England.

There was a definite moment on the trail (probably just a quarter of a mile from the end) where I just felt too exhausted to continue. I laid my trekking poles on the ground and sprawled across the trail. I collapsed there for a few minutes but found it within myself to just finish the last bit of downhill. Needless to say, I slept well that night.

Christine Says…

After three straight days of rain, I was really looking forward to our first nice, sunny day in Maine. When I woke up in our hotel room Monday morning, I crept out of bed and peeked through the side of the curtain… hoping to be greeted with brilliant sunshine. What I actually saw was drizzly fog, but I felt pretty confident that it was going to dry up and burn off.

We went for an early breakfast at Café This Way, which is another one of our favorite breakfast spots on the island. It has a cozy, eclectic décor and really delicious coffee and food. After breakfast, we went back to the hotel to plan the day.

We decided to rent bikes and ride around the carriage trails. Parking in Bar Harbor and throughout Acadia is very limited – there are few spaces and most of them (especially those in town) are limited to 2-3 hours. So, we decided to leave the car at the hotel and walk into town. From the Village Green, we were able to catch a bike shuttle into the park – for FREE! The Island Explorer makes it so easy to get around the island.

Our bike ride was so fun! I always enjoy this loop so much that we ride it almost every year we visit the area. We enjoyed lunch and popovers at Jordan Pond House. We saw Martha Stewart riding a stunning Fresian horse. We saw four deer – including three fawns. And we thoroughly enjoyed all the pond views and the smell of pine on the breeze.

We rode our bikes all the way back into town instead of taking the shuttle, returned our rentals and walked back to the hotel. We refilled our water bottles and headed right back out – to hike St. Sauveur and Valley Peak. We found a parking spot right along Rt. 102, next to trailhead. As soon as I got out of the car, I saw a man hiking down the trail – with a ferret! Weird…

Adam Enjoys the View from Valley Peak — Adam enjoys the view from Valley Peak. Below: Various views from Valley Peak.

When I first stepped onto the blocky granite steps at the trailhead, I questioned the wisdom of our decision to continue the active portion of our day. After 23 miles of biking and walking, my quadriceps were pretty tired! But when you have nice weather in Acadia, you are obligated to GO until you can go no more.

The early part of the St. Sauveur trail climbed steadily and gradually upward. We scrambled over and between granite boulders, stepping carefully across the root and pine needle covered trail. The low blueberry and huckleberry bushes scraped our legs along the narrow trail. I could hear red squirrel chattering angrily at us from the trees overhead. One hid under a boulder and then went scampering underfoot when we passed. Red squirrels are infinitely cuter than the gray squirrels we typically see in the mid-Atlantic.

After climbing uphill for a while, the grade of the trail became gentler. We walked along the ridgeline, occasionally dipping into thicker forest, until we eventually reached the tree-covered summit of St. Sauveur. I snapped a quick photo of the summit marker before we continued on to take in view from Valley Peak.

Looking back into Somes Sound. Below: Christine enjoys the views; Adam is exhausted.

The summit of Valley Peak is mostly downhill from the St. Sauveur. You’ll know you’ve reached it when you see views opening to the sea. From rocky outcroppings and cliffsides, you’ll take in stunning views of Somes Sound and the bay. I always enjoy naming the islands, watching the sailboats and looking at the impressive homes (they call them cottages) along the coastline.

We stayed on Valley Peak for a while, enjoying the views and the cool breezes. On the return trip, we took the other side of the lollipop loop. It was more open and offered more views than the way we had come. I was glad for more chances to take in views of the sound.

The return arm contained one steep climb back up to the summit of Sauveur. From there, the remainder of the hike was either flat or downhill. Close to the end, we even had one more nice view across the island, overlooking Echo Lake.

Somewhere on the downhill climb, I noticed that I didn’t hear footsteps behind me anymore. I turned to check on Adam, and found him lying across the trail, arms and legs splayed. I asked if he was OK. He responded ‘I’m just so exhausted. I can’t go anymore’. But, somehow he managed to prevail and eventually made it back to the car. It felt so good to get back to the hotel and shower! We finished the day with a big dinner at a new restaurant called Cherrystones and an early night to bed. With sunshine in the forecast for the next two days, we definitely needed to rest up for more adventures!

Trail Notes

Distance – 3.2 miles out-and-back with a lollipop trail out to Valley Peak.
Elevation Change – about 650 feet
Difficulty – 2.
Trail Conditions – 3. The trail goes over a lot of pink granite native to the area. The first .7 miles were a little overgrown, but once you reach the ridge top, the conditions are great.
Views– 4. The best views are from Valley Peak, which on a clear day will provide gorgeous, panoramic views for miles.
Streams/Waterfalls – 0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 2. We saw a cute red squirrel and some juncos along the trail, but not much else. You may be able to see some gulls and vultures from the viewpoint or other birds of prey if you are lucky.
Ease to Navigate – 3. There were some tricky spots along the first .7 miles and there could be a few more blue blazes and cairns to help navigate the way. Signs are only at the junctions.
Solitude – 3. We did find a few people at the Valley Peak overlook. Most people seem to choose Acadia Mountain over this trail, but the views are better here.

Directions to trailhead: From Somesville, ME head south towards Southwest Harbor on Route 102 for 3 miles. The parking lot for the Acadia Mountain trail is on the left, across from Echo Lake.

A Birthday on North Fork Mountain

August 8, 20125 Comments

We initially intended Adam’s birthday hike on North Fork Mountain (West Virginia) to be the subject of a standard blog post. However, once we finished the hike, reviewed a couple maps and discussed the post, we decided that we’re going to hike it again in the next month or so with a different (and better!) route in mind. To tide everyone over for the time being, please enjoy a couple photos of the views along the hike. Trust us… these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scenery!

Adam Enjoys the View — Adam enjoys his birthday view!

Tuscorora Cliff — Tuscarora quartzite makes up the cliffs along the crest of North Fork Mountain.

Little Devils Stairs

July 8, 2012August 26, 201510 Comments

We hope you enjoyed our special Great Smoky Mountains Edition! Now we’re back to Virginia! Although… honestly, the heat has kept us mostly off the trail lately.

The 5.5 mile Little Devils Stairs hike climbs through an impressive gorge along Keyser Run and loops back past a family cemetery that pre-dates the park.

Canyon Walls Along Little Devils Stairs Hike — it is Adam makes his way past rugged canyon walls on the Little Devils Stairs hike. Below: The parking lot at the end of Keyser Run Rd. provides access to the fire road and the Little Devils Stairs trail; When we hiked in early June, water was still flowing in the stream (but not much); Red columbine bloomed abundantly.

Adam Says…

To try and beat afternoon rain in the forecast, we decided to hike Little Devils Stairs early in the morning. To cut back a little on the distance along fire roads, we decided to start the hike from the perimeter of the park (near Sperryville) rather than from Skyline drive.

The trail begins immediately going into the forest from the parking lot and is a very gradual ascent along Keyser Run. After about .9 miles, the trail then begins to climb more steeply as you are climbing up the “stairs” along the gorge. The climbing can be quite steep, at times requiring you to use your hands to also help balance or pull yourself up. Over the next mile, you gain 1000 feet of elevation on your climb. Along the way up the climb, you will come across several smaller waterfalls and will have to cross over the stream in a few places. At 1.75 miles, the climb tapers off and the trail moves away from the gorge. At 2.1 miles, you reach the junction with the Keyser Run Fire Road. Take a left on this fire road and begin your descent. The road was fairly uneventful, but it is a good place to spot butterflies and you may see a snake sunning itself on a part of the road. At 3.9 miles, the road begins to enter the forest again and you will see some more old-growth hemlocks along the road that create a canopy over the road. At 4.2 miles, you will reach the Bolen family cemetery. Just ahead is the junction with the Hull School Trail, but stay on the fire road veering to the left. At 5.4 miles, you will reach the park boundary and at 5.5 miles, you will return back to your vehicle in the small parking lot.

Steep Uphill on Little Devils Stairs — Adam climbs up the steepest part of the Little Devils Stairs hike. Below: There are many tiny waterfalls along the Little Devils Stairs hike; Christine contemplates the rocky climb through the gorge; Adam makes one of the many stream crossings.

The highlight of this hike is definitely the gorge that was created along this geological fault line that eroded quickly. At one point along the trail, you can see a sheer cliff face of rock. I can easily imagine people rock climbing up this gorge wall with the proper technical gear. I have seen Little Devils Stairs and Big Devils Stairs listed in a book about rock climbing in Virginia, so you may luck out and see some people navigating up to the top.

A sadder note along the trail is the Bolen family cemetery. While we may enjoy the national park that is here, there were many families that were forced to uproot their lives and move out of the area as the government took over the land. The cemetery of the family still stands and was rededicated in 2002.

Waterfall at the Top of Keyser Run — The largest of the falls was at the very top of the gorge. Below: There are many fallen trees, especially hemlocks in the gorge; We saw a lot of these flowers along the trail; After exiting the gorge, most of the remainder of the trail is along the Keyser Run Fire Road.

Christine Says…

Little Devil Stairs is another hike we’ve had on our list of trails we wanted to add to the website for quite a while. We’ve hiked it before – the last time was probably about a year before we started this website. It’s a decent hike, but I’ll admit it’s not one of my favorites in the park. The section of the hike that passes through the gorge is fun, tough and interesting – but that’s only a little over one mile of the entire five and a half miles. Way more than half of the hike is along a fire road. And if you’ve read our site with any regularity, you know how I feel about fire roads (they’re boring!)

The drive to the trailhead was really pretty. We passed by Luray, over Thornton Gap and down past Sperryville. There were lots of winding country roads, meadow views and meandering stone walls on the way to the parking area. When we got there, we were the only car. I absolutely LOVE having a trail all to myself!

We started off climbing gently uphill through the woods, crossing several spots of dry streambed. The insect activity on this particular day was insane. I alternated walking like a normal person with walking like a crazy person, arms flailing all around my face, trying to bat away the clouds of gnats and midges. Between the bugs, the humidity and the heat – summer hiking can be really tough.

Adam reads headstones in the Bolen Cemetery. Below: The gate leading to the cemetery; A memorial poem from the cemetery’s re-dedication; We saw lots of indian pipes along the hike.

I had been pretty concerned about the dry streambed crossings, but once we reached the gorge, the water flow picked up a bit. Little Devil Stairs is definitely a hike you want to do when there has been a significant amount of recent rain. The primary appeal of the gorge is the constant string of small waterfalls and rapids that pours down the ‘stairs’. When the weather has been wet, Little Devils Stairs is lovely and wild. The sound of running water hemmed in by stone walls constantly surrounds you. However, when the weather has been dry, the hike is nothing but steep uphill through a rugged, overgrown and brushy gorge. The towering rock walls are still impressive, but without running water, something is missing from this hike.

With a thousand feet of elevation gain in just under a mile, the path up can be a real quad-burner if you’re not in decent shape. It’s mostly walking along trail, but there are several sections where you must scramble up over giant stair-like rocks. The top of the gorge is marked by the largest of all the waterfalls along Keyser Run. After you pass the final fall, the trail grade becomes more gentle and passes through pretty, quiet forest. In a short time, you’ll reach the Fourway Junction. People hiking Little Devil Stairs from Skyline Drive will come down the trail at this junction. For us, it was the point where the ‘hike’ ended and the fire road walking began.

Frittilary — We saw lots of butterflies on this hike! Below: I’ve never seen a yellow moth like this one before. I think it’s an Io moth because it had the ‘eye’ marking on it’s wings, though you can’t see them in the photograph; On the drive back through the park we spotted a pair of black bears mid-courtship (this is the male);While eating lunch at Big Meadows we met this cute biker dog.

We considered jogging down the trail to make the distance pass more quickly, but I wanted to keep my camera and telephoto out in case we saw wild flowers, butterflies or bears! The heavy camera kept bouncing on my hipbone, so I had to slow to a walk (I got a huge bruise anyhow). And indeed – there were plenty of butterflies and wildflowers to photograph along the way. We didn’t see a bear on the trail, but we did see one later as we drove back through the park.

The last point of interest along the fire road was the stop at the Bolen Cemetary. It’s a beautiful spot for a final resting place – surrounded by a stone wall and shaded by elegant maple trees planted by the original property owner. It’s one of the more meticulously maintained cemeteries in the park. If you walk amongst the headstones, you can’t help but notice how young most people died. So many babies, children and young adults rest under these markers. When I was researching information about this trail, I came across a wonderful feature article from Blue Ridge Country magazine about the family reunions that still take place at the cemetery. I enjoyed reading all the recollections of Beulah and Mary Bolen about their life in the area before the park existed.

After leaving the cemetery, the remaining distance along the fire road went steeply downhill. We arrived back at our car fairly quickly and headed to Big Meadows to have some lunch in the park. After lunch, the skies opened up and it poured down rain the rest of the day. I’m glad we got a chance to get out before the weather changed!

Trail Notes

Distance – 5.5 miles
Elevation Change – About 1650 feet
Difficulty – 3. The climb up Little Devils Stairs can be strenuous in parts, but the fire road is easy walking.
Trail Conditions – 3. The climb up the stairs is rocky and you do have to cross Keyser Run as the trail criss-crosses over in several places.
Views– 1. From near the top of the gorge, you may get an obstructed view, but nothing spectacular.
Streams/Waterfalls – 3.5. You are walking along Keyser Run through the first couple of miles of the hike. The waterfalls are mostly small, but still nice to see.
Wildlife – 2. There are signs of bear scat in the area, but we didn’t see much wildlife other than a snake along the fire road. You will hear lots of warblers and other birds as you enter the hemlock forest near the end of the hike.
Ease to Navigate – 3.5. The blue blazes for the Little Devils Stairs hike are not as prevalent in some places and may require you to look around for the next one, especially in the fall when leaves cover the trail. Posts at the trail junctions provide some great direction.
Solitude – 3. Except on weekends, I wouldn’t expect to see a lot of people on this trail.

Directions to trailhead: Off of 211 north of Sperryville, take a left on County Road 622/Gidbrown Hollow Road. Follow this road for a few miles and then take a left on County Road 614/Keyser Run Road. At the end of this road, you will reach a small parking lot. The trailhead starts to the right of the parking lot, marked by a concrete post.

Chimney Tops (TN)

June 16, 2012September 4, 20184 Comments

Introductory Guide to Visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Chimney Tops is a steep four-mile hike that leads to great views from a pinnacle. Rock scrambling and climbing are required to reach the view.

The Climb Up Chimney Tops — Photos don’t do the steepness of Chimney Tops justice. If you look closely, you’ll see tiny people about two-thirds of the way up. Below: The parking lots was overflowing. We had to park at an overlook further up Newfound Gap Road and walk back to the trail; When we visited, the trail up Chimney Tops was undergoing rehabilitation; A bridge over the river -much of this hike followed flowing water.

Adam Says…

After we made our hike to Laurel Falls, we decided to add another hike to Chimney Tops. There were signs up on both sides of the park stating that the Chimney Tops trail was closed on Monday-Thursday for trail maintenance from late April through Mid October. The Trails Forever crew (which is a partnership of the park and Friends of the Smokies) is working on improving the trail conditions. Since it was a Friday and the first day that week the trail was open, we expected a lot of people on this trail.

The parking lot for the trail was full, so we had to drive further up the road until we reached an overlook that provided space to park. We made it back down to the trailhead and began our hike. At the entrance, there is a large sign that shows a description of the trail and also demonstrates the steepness of the climb at the top and that it will require rock scrambling. The sign is not a joke at all and should deter people that aren’t able to handle the steep incline of the trail.

The hike starts off going downhill and quickly comes to a wooden bridge over the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. The first half mile of the trail gives you many spots to view the rapidly flowing waters of the Road Prong of the Little Pigeon River. The trail continues to ascend steadily and leads away from the Road Prong. At .9 miles, the trail intersects with the Road Prong trail. Take a right and head up the Chimney Tops trail. The trail will become very steep at this point and not stop until you are near the top. You will witness some very tough climbing for the next 1.1 miles that will have you taking regular breaks to keep your heart from pounding out of your chest as you navigate up a rocky slope up the mountain. You gain about 1000 feet of elevation in this distance. Eventually, the trail flattens at 1.8 miles and even goes slightly downhill before rising again to reach the slate pinnacles of Chimney Tops in 2.0 miles.

Pretty Cascades — There were lots of pretty cascades to view along the hike. Below: Another pretty, tiny waterfall; Adam spotted this newt/salamander on the bridge. We nudged him to safety so he wouldn’t get stepped on; The trail was very rocky and steep (although this photo doesn’t look it)

Signs warn visitors again to be cautious and not venture past the first pinnacle. You can only imagine how hazardous this rock scramble is, since it is a sheer drop if you make a mistake. The slate had a lot of handholds and footholds to grab onto and help propel yourself up the rock face. In the mid-day sun, the black surface was quite hot and I didn’t want to keep my hands in one place too long. We made our way up about 75% of the way and then felt that we didn’t want to risk things any further. The views were simply astounding though. We scooted back down on our butts very carefully. Most people decided on not going all the way to the top but there were a few brave souls that pushed themselves up to the peak.

I will say that this hike did have wonderful views and a fun rock scramble at the end. However, the Chimney Tops trail climb was quite brutal. I’m sure a lot of people are not able to make it all the way up due to the steep incline.

Christine Says…

Chimney Tops is another trail that seemingly everyone visiting the Smokies wants to hike. Although it’s only four miles, the route to the top is deceptively steep and challenging.

The four-days-a-week closure of the trail definitely causes more people to queue up for the hike on Friday through Sunday. The parking lot was completely full when we arrived around 10:15. But it was well worth the wait and facing the crowds. The trail rehabilitation being done in the Smokies is amazing! We had seen the work done recently on Forney Ridge, and are sure Chimney Tops will be just as nice when it’s completed. Friends of the Smokies is a large part of the effort to maintain and rebuild trails. They are a non-profit organization to help protect and maintain the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The trail starts off crossing a number of small bridges over rushing streams. The water in the Smokies is truly spectacular! I’ve never seen a place with so many cascades, rapids and waterfalls. I enjoyed stopping and photographing a few spots along the water. Whenever I found a spot in the shade, I got out my mini-tripod and played around with long exposures. We even spotted a newt/salamander on one of the footbridges. That was neat to see!

The View from Chimney Tops — The view from the pinnacle on Chimney Tops. Below: We saw a few red squirrels in the Smokies. They are way cuter than our grey squirrels; Adam carefully climbs the pinnacle; People scoot back down on their rear ends. Falling here could possibly be fatal.

After a short descent from the parking lot, the first bit of the trail is uphill, but for the large part is gradual with decent trail conditions. The middle mile of the hike is pretty tough! Although this was one of the shortest hikes we did during our week in the Smokies, this section of climbing was doubtlessly the steepest. Much of it traversed wet, slick, muddy, rocky, rooty terrain and it was relentlessly uphill. Terrain like this is the reason I became a dedicated trekking pole user. Poles take so much strain off your knees and make traversing trail like this much safer and easier.

After a short section of tough climbing, the trail became more moderate and continued to climb uphill via a series of switchbacks. At the top of the ridge, the trail became nearly level and passed through gorgeous stands of blooming Catawba rhododendron. A warning sign threatening injury and/or death let us know that we had arrived at the pinnacles on Chimney Tops. This sign is 100% serious. The pinnacle of Chimney Tops is steep, slick and long enough for a fall to result in death.

We stashed our trekking poles behind a tree because we knew we’d need all four limbs free and available to climb the rock face. I looked at the pinnacle for a while, debating on whether or not I was going to climb up to the top. I knew if I didn’t climb up, I would miss the views and would have done all that uphill hiking for nothing. But, a view isn’t worth getting hurt (or worse). Some long-time readers of this blog might remember that I have vertigo and really struggle with maintaining my sense of balance and equilibrium on terrain like this.

In the end, I decided I was feeling pretty secure. The rock face, while steep and precipitous, had plenty of solid toe and hand holds. I climbed up the rocks, sticking close to the ground and testing every single toe and handhold before committing to my next move. Eventually, I reached a perch that offered a beautiful view of distant mountains and decided that I had climbed high enough. I probably stopped about three quarters of the way up.

I snapped a few photos and told Adam it was time for me to climb down. I was starting to feel dizzy and a little uneasy. I had been sitting facing downwards on the rock, and I think looking at the sheerness of the descent made my head spin a bit.

A View of Chimney Tops from the Road — A view of Chimney Tops from the road.

I sort of crab-crawled and slid down the pinnacle on my rear end, carefully placing my toes and hands into sturdy grips. After a minute, I realized that the downward going was actually pretty easy and secure. That allowed me to pick up my pace a bit.

At the bottom, we saw quite a few people who hiked up and then decided not to tackle the pinnacle. While they missed a spectacular view, it’s definitely smart to not push beyond what you feel is safe.

The hike downhill went pretty quickly – again, thanks to the trekking poles’ added support and balance. We saw so many people hiking up that were clearly not regular hikers – skinny jeans, sandals, no water, etc. A lot of people stopped us to ask ‘How much farther?’ I salute all of the hiking newbies who make it to the summit of Chimney Tops. While the hike is on the shorter side, it definitely provides some more technical terrain and some serious elevation gain over a short distance. If I were to recommend hikes for beginners, Chimney Tops would probably not be one of them.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun, rewarding hike with excellent views and beautiful streams and cascades, but I think there are probably better hikes for people just starting out. I think that newcomers often look at total distance and think ‘Oh… I can walk four miles’, when in reality an eight mile hike with easier terrain and less climbing would probably be more suitable and enjoyable.

Trail Notes

Distance – 4.0 miles
Elevation Change – 1300 feet
Difficulty – 4. The second mile of the hike is very steep.
Trail Conditions – 3. There is some loose rock on the steep climb. Use caution on how secure your footing is going up and down. The trail is very worn due to its popularity.
Views– 4. From the peak of Chimney Tops, you will get great views of mountains for miles.
Streams/Waterfalls – 3.5. The prongs of the Little Pigeon River give you lots of opportunities to watch the water flow rapidly.
Wildlife – 2.5. You will not see larger fauna up here normally due to the popularity of the trail, but we did see a cute red squirrel, heard the cackling of a pileated woodpecker, and many other birds.
Ease to Navigate – 4. There is only one trail junction to turn, so this should be very easy to follow.
Solitude – 0. One of the most popular trails in the Smokies. In 2012, with a limitation on the days it is open, it will likely be even more crowded.

Directions to trailhead: The parking lot is 6.7 miles south of the Sugarlands Visitor Center on Newfound Gap Road. Park in the large parking lot and you should see the opening to start the hike.