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TRAIL 2 North District

Compton Peak

TRAIL USE

Day Hiking

LENGTH

3.2 miles, 2–3 hours

VERTICAL FEET

±560'

DIFFICULTY

–12 3 45+

TRAIL TYPE

Out-and-back

START & FINISH

N38° 48.395'

W78° 10.854'

FEATURES

Summit

Ridgeline

Autumn Colors

Great Views

Geological Interest

FACILITIES

None

This out-and-back day hike takes the lesser-used approach to a mountaintop, with two good vistas from rock protrusions along its flanks. The Appalachian Trail (AT) is your host along the way to these two outcrops.

Best Time

For this highland vista hike, the clearer the sky, the better the views.

Finding the Trail

From Front Royal, take Skyline Drive south 12.4 miles to the Jenkins Gap Parking Area, located on the right at milepost 12.4 on Skyline Drive, just before the Jenkins Gap Overlook, which is on the left (east). The hike starts on the Jenkins Gap Trail, which leaves from the parking area, not the overlook.

Trail Description

Autumn Colors

Begin this walk on the Jenkins Gap Trail. 1 The yellow-blazed pathway leaves from the parking area around auto-sized boulders to intersect the AT in 164 feet. Turn right, heading northbound. The walking is easy in a mixed forest of sassafras, pin cherry, locust, and ever-present oak, shading a brushy forest floor. The signs of a 2011 fire are becoming harder to spot, though brushy, even aged trees are an indicator. Plenty of tall trees survived the burn. Keep a level track through Jenkins Gap. Enjoy the easy cruise. Skyline Drive lies to your right. After a while you may begin to wonder about the climb to Compton Peak. Finally, after 0.5 mile, the trail veers left and ascends a mountainside of chestnut oak and mountain laurel. 2

Ridgeline

This climb to a first-rate vista isn’t too steep.

Swing around the southwest side of Compton Peak. Switchback on some elaborate stone steps built during a trail reroute. The trail regains the ridgecrest. Southward views of North Mount Marshall and South Mount Marshall open. Step over a little spring branch at 0.9 mile. 3 Look for apple trees persisting in the forest beyond the spring. These are remnants of an orchard on the north and south side of Jenkins Gap. I have seen a bear harvesting apples while hiking here during late summer. The AT curves past the head of the spring, angling higher.

Pass through a flat then climb a bit more to reach a four-way trail junction at 1.3 miles. 4 Both left and right lead to vistas. Head left on the blue-blazed trail, to the more popular and widespread view. Briefly continue climbing a stony track over a rock knob before dipping to an outcrop with a widespread vista at 1.5 miles. 5 Below, the track of Skyline Drive, including Gooney Run Overlook, is evident as it snakes downhill along Dickey Ridge. To the far left are the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and the Shenandoah Valley. Ahead, more mountains and the flatlands extend toward Washington, DC. This is a truly inspiring vista.

Summit

Great Views

Great Views

The second vista is more challenging to reach and less inspiring. If you have made it this far, go ahead and check out the second view. Backtrack to reach the AT and keep forward, now on the second blue-blazed path. The trail is fainter as it goes down, down, down on a rocky tread. Reach an outcrop where you might expect a vista, but keep hiking. Hike down the bluff, walk a few feet through the woods, and scramble up a rocky prominence at mile 1.9. 6 This prominence, an example of columnar jointing, offers worthy views of Mount Marshall in the foreground and lands east of the Blue Ridge.While thinking of the unfortunate people who skip this second view, as evidenced by its less-used trail, the return trip to the AT will get you huffing and puffing. The blue-blazed trail now leads to the base of this prominence and then dead-ends. From this overlook, it’s a simple backtrack to the trailhead. 7

MILESTONES

1	0.0	Jenkins Gap Trail Parking Area at milepost 12.4
2	0.5	Ascend from Jenkins Gap
3	0.9	Spring
4	1.3	Four-way split to vistas
5	1.5	Northwest vista
6	1.9	Southeast vista
7	3.2	Jenkins Gap Trail Parking Area at milepost 12.4