Читать книгу Top Trails: Shenandoah National Park - Johnny Molloy - Страница 28
TRAIL SUMMARIES North District
ОглавлениеDay Hiking, Pets Prohibited
4.3 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Easy access, old farmsteads, and a good view sum up much of what Shenandoah National Park offers in one hike. Leave Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, and slip down to the old Fox Farm. Discover pioneer vestiges there, including a cemetery. Walk south on Dickey Ridge to Snead Farm site, and check out more human history. Catch a great view of the Shenandoah Valley on your way back, then enjoy more attractive ridgeline woodland.
Day Hiking
3.2 miles, Out-and-back
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
This hike takes a lesser-used approach to a mountaintop with two rewarding vistas from rock protrusions along its flanks. The Appalachian Trail climbs moderately to these panoramas. Along the way explore nature’s recovery and fire ecology, where the Smith Run Fire enveloped 1,710 acres of the park.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
5.0 miles, Out-and-back
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
This moderate hike leads to a great reward, with plenty of solitude along the way. The nearly level Bluff Trail leads to the Big Devils Stairs canyon rim for a deep view of the valley below and the mountains beyond. At the hike’s outset, pass a shelter used by long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
4.7 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Drop off the eastern side of Hogback Mountain into the upper Piney River Valley. Relish far-reaching views on the Appalachian Trail, then follow a moderate grade into the Piney River on the Sugarloaf Trail. A grassy flat beside the Piney River makes for a great resting spot. Return to the high country, soaking in more great views from Hogback Mountain before closing the loop.
Day Hiking
6.8 miles, Out-and-back
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Hike to the park’s highest falls and a grand vista beyond. Start with a mountaintop stroll on the Appalachian Trail, wending down the slopes of Hogback Mountain, crossing many flats. Find Twin Falls, then come to Overall Run Falls. From a rocky precipice, you can see the nearby cataract and the Appalachian splendor in the distance.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
5.4 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
This rewarding hike delivers with every step you take. You undertake the challenging part—ascending Little Devils Stairs Canyon—at the beginning. Absorb beauty everywhere you look in this rough canyon. After emerging from the upper canyon, take Keyser Run Fire Road to enjoy a highland vista, then view pioneer internment Bolen Cemetery along the way.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
9.2 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
This challenging loop drops more than 2,000 feet, and then climbs back up, every last foot. Join remote Beecher Ridge, making a glorious walk through lush forests before dropping to Overall Run. Work upstream in a rugged gorge, passing a superlative swimming hole. Come to Overall Run Falls, the park’s highest at 93 feet. Observe this cataract, and enjoy a mountain panorama before finishing the circuit.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
7.2 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
This Mathews Arm area trek has no single superlative feature to draw in hikers but offers solitude aplenty. Hike secluded Beecher Ridge, traveling the spine of this regally forested highland before picking up the Heiskell Hollow Trail. Plenty of pioneer evidence awaits a sharp-eyed hiker.
Day Hiking
5.6 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
This classic Shenandoah circuit first navigates a boulder field before making a pleasantly level highland track on the Blue Ridge. Eventually dip to Jeremys Run. Pick up the seldom-trod Knob Mountain Trail on a remarkably level track to finish the circuit.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
6.8 miles, Out-and-back
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
The scenery on this solitude-laden hike meets high Shenandoah standards, and the falls are a worthy destination. Gently wind your way through eye-pleasing, high-country woods to the Piney River Valley and the three-tier falls.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
13.1 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Knob Mountain and Jeremys Run Loop
This is a long yet rewarding loop exploring points high and low. Traverse Knob Mountain, soaking in views en route to Jeremys Run. Make your way up gorgeous Jeremys Run valley, crossing the stream more than a dozen times. Don’t expect company on Knob Mountain, though you may see a few people along Jeremys Run.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
14.0 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Neighbor Mountain and Jeremys Run Loop
This circuit leaves Elkwallow Picnic Ground, southbound on the Appalachian Trail, traversing a pleasant stretch of the world’s most famous pathway. Join secluded Neighbor Mountain Trail, and grab some views on your way to Jeremys Run, one of the prettiest and most productive trout streams in the park. Crisscross to the upper valley of Jeremys Run, then make a final climb, returning to the trailhead.
Day Hiking, Backpacking
7.9 miles, Loop
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5
Make a quiet, solitude-rich hike through history, combined with high-country trekking. Enter once-settled Thornton Hollow. Walk along the alluring North Fork Thornton River, wandering richly forested flats between creek crossings. Leave the lowlands on the Hull School Trail, crossing Skyline Drive. Trace the Appalachian Trail on a pleasant track back to the trailhead.
Even turtles love the trails of Shenandoah.
