This hike was a part of my 2023 effort to hike the trails in the Hidden Valley area of the Warm Springs Ranger District in the George Washington National Forest.   I've been coming to this part of Virginia for over thirty years now, and spent my honeymoon nearby.  But I've never hiked the trails in Hidden Valley, mainly because they are a couple hours drive away, the trails are not very tough, and I've had other hiking priorities. But now I'm working on all trails in this district, so I've been coming out here. The Hidden Valley Recreation Area has a really nice campground, and ..read more

Trails in the George Washington National Forest's Warm Springs District can be hit-or-miss. Sometimes, a trail is virtually non-existent.  Other times, a much more remote trail can be in really great shape.  I don't believe this has anything to do with the Forest Service or their oversight - I'm not even sure any Forest Service rangers exist in the Warm Springs District - emails and telephone messages to that district office go unanswered.  And there do not seem to be any viable hiking clubs that do trail maintenance in Bath County.  Trail maintenance out this way appears t ..read more

This hike in Southwest Virginia south of the New River takes advantage of a big curve in the Appalachian Trail to form a loop hike in a relatively uncrowded portion of the Virginia A.T.  The Ribble Trail is actually an earlier A.T. alignment, so hikers can experience both the present and former Appalachian Trail. You can hike this loop in either direction.  This description is for a clockwise hike, which allows you to get the major climb completed early in the hike.  Mile 0.0 – The trailhead is located at a large, unmarked parking area on a US Forestry Road just after the road t ..read more

The Wilhoite Wagon Trail (WWT) is located on the eastern end of Shenandoah National Park, south of Graves Mountain Lodge and north of the Rapidan River Fire Road.  Some maps may have the trail written as the Wilhite Wagon Trail.  The trail crosses through both the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) and the Rapidan Wildlife Management Area (RWMA) - crossing between the two types of tracts.  Parts of the trail are overgrown near the top of Doubletop Mountain as of this writing, though I have personally contributed to opening parts of it back up.  The SNP portion is in really good ..read more

This is an account of searching for and hiking a trail that the Forest Service discontinued some years ago, located on Crawford Mountain. For me, the best hiking is all about exploring, and I've already explored all of the current trails out this way.  I'm glad I finally checked the box so I know I've explored this area, but there is nothing Instagram-worthy in this account. About Crawford Mountain Crawford Mountain is located in the George Washington National Forest's North River Ranger District - the largest district in the GWNF and my favorite for hiking.  It is just north of  ..read more

This post details a 7 mile out-and-back hike on the southernmost section of the Shenandoah Mountain Trail in Bath County, Virginia.  This is a moderate hike with several short steep climbs and features a wonderful view at its northermmost point.  There is much solitude to be found on this trail - you may come across some mountain bikers, but your odds of finding another hiker are nearly nil. The Shenandoah Mountain Trail is one of the longest and oldest trails in the George Washington National Forest.  It stretches over 37 miles riding the ridge of Shenandoah Mountain and dates ..read more

I am providing guidance for a small group of folks who have a goal to finish the AT in Virginia.  Some of these folks are not backpackers.  Although we may backpack at some point, we haven’t stared doing it yet, and – as of this writing – the group has hiked 40 segments of the Virginia AT and completed over 388 miles of the 550+ Virginia AT.  We stared in June of 2019, and hike on weekends when the three main folks (including me) are available.  For a long time, day hikes were easy.  But as the unhiked portions of trail have gotten increasingly far from our Charlottesv ..read more

The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is located at the far southwestern point of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Cumberland Gap is a notch in the nearly 100 mile long Cumberland Mountain where three states meet: the southwestern tip of Virginia, the southeastern corner of Kentucky, and the northeastern corner of Tennessee. This relatively short hike, located within the park, has a number of interesting features that make it fun to explore.  Part of the journey on this hike is on the old Wilderness Trail, dating back to the 1700s, when it was blazed and hiked by Daniel Boone – one of ..read more

The Hanging Rock Observatory hike is a long way from my Charlottesville home - 150 miles and 2 hours, 40 minutes driving time via Interstate 64 to Covington, south to Paint Bank on Virginia Rt. 18, then local roads to the trailhead.  The hike is in the Jefferson National Forest, but in West Virginia, not Virginia.  The views from this trail are worth the trip!  This trail has some of the more awesome views I've encountered in the Virginias. This is actually the tale of two hikes.  The first, between the trailhead and the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory is locally very p ..read more

Have you ever taken a hike that, when you were done, you looked at your distance with disbelief because it took such a long time to complete a relatively short hike?  On paper, this loop does not seem like it is a challenge, but much of the time the trail is actually very rocky and steep.  My slow pace – about half of my normal speed - had me worried about completing this short loop before sunset for much of its length.  And I hiked it when dry!  Others say this trail is downright treacherous after rains or when the leaves are falling.  Heed the park’s warning sign and ..read more