Virginia

From the parking lot on RT311: Cross the road and pick up the white blazed AT headed north. In about .4 miles you will reach an information kiosk where you will continue on the AT. About half way through the hike you will pass Johns Spring Shelter first, then Catawba Mountain Shelter where there is a spring with a white pipe for the constant (and only) water source on the hike. About 1 mile fr...

The trail begin 0.1 miles north of Two Mile Run Overlook at milepost 76.2 on Skyline Drive. You can park at this overlook for the night, just make sure you fill out a (free) wilderness permit and walk the short way on Skyline Drive to the trailhead. Immediately climb a wooded knoll before heading northeast on a ridgeline. Reach a trail junction at 2.2 miles and take a left towards the summit o...

This little hike is one of the most popular in the area, and for good reason! It's a short and steep one mile to the top, but the views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park to the east, are some of the best around. It's somewhat of a tradition for students from the University of Virginia to hike up here for sunrise, but to live like a local, take a picnic and a beer from o...

Be prepared to deal with crowds, especially on the rock scrambles, which tend to cause a bottle neck on this trail in Shenandoah National Park. I would recommend starting out early on this loop hike, around 6 or 7 am to avoid the crowds. Definitely arrive no later than 9:30am, as the parking lot fills up quickly. From the Old Rag parking area, walk about a mile up SR600 following it as it veer...

The hike is part of the George Washington National Forest, and can easily be combined with nearby Crabtree Falls (300ft cascading waterfall with a hike to the top). The entire trip is 5.7 miles, and there are nice campsites at the base of the summit (no water source) if you want to add on this pretty overlook to a nearby longer hike. This is definitely a hike for locals, so it's never too crow...

The Devil’s Bathtub is a deep pool of blue-green water known for being a great swimming hole and a beautiful natural feature. This hike is a 3.2 mile out and back hike with 250 feet elevation gain. There are at least 15 stream crossings, so extreme caution should be taken during periods of medium-to-high flow as the stream crossings may be slippery and submerged. This hike has gotten very cro...

This is one of my favorite hikes in Shenandoah National Park for its views, easy access to the trail, and the option to combine it with a much further hike on the AT. There is also a really fun little rock scramble at the top that scares a lot of people away, but makes for a more secluded summit, especially during the week. There are 360 views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the top, and it's...

Just nine miles north of I-64, this viewpoint is not one to be missed if you’re in the area. According to the information post at the overlook, “The site was once visited by [Thomas] Jefferson to survey the falls and he mentions it in his manuscripts ‘Notes on the State of Virginia’ written in 1781, ‘The only remarkable cascade in this country is that of the Falling Spring in Augusta…it falls ...

First of all, who doesn't love wild ponies!  There are tons of ponies here, and although they are wild, they are not afraid of people and you can get pretty close (just don't feed them!).   Once you enter Grayson Highlands State Park, you will see a parking lot for Massie Gap a few miles in, park here. There is an obvious trail, the Rhododendron Trail, that you will follow for about .5 mile u...