Dayton, Virginia

My husband is a runner and I am not. I hate to run and the entire time I am running I am exhausting myself thinking how much I hate running. However, I love hiking. I can hike all day and I can kick my runner husband's butt with a pack on going up a mountain trail. The problem with this though is...

The Pinnacle is a little-known outcrop on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park.  You will not find it marked on the park map, but that doesn’t make it any less-worthy of your time. The Pinnacle can be reached by a quick, easy hike with the family (and dog!), or you can combine it wit...

From the parking area at Reids Gap, start off on the white-blazed A.T heading south as the trail begins on the left side of a clearing. You will begin climbing Meadow Mountain shortly and in .8 miles arrive at the top of the ridge, where you will continue on downhill for another .8 miles until y...

Saint Mary's Wilderness is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a waterfall located near Vesuvius, Virginia.

Saint Mary's Wilderness is one of Virginia's largest designated wilderness areas and is an old iron ore mining area. There are two ways to get to Saint Mary's Falls and this Blue Ridge adventure will start you off at the parking area off Saint Mary's Road.  Once on Saint Mary's Road, you will dr...

Note: We usually get a chance to take this trip in the summer, so please pay attention to the weather and pack accordingly. This description is for a July/August hike and the temperatures were in the 80s during the day and 60s at night. During this time of year rain showers are always a possibili...

Park in The Slacks Overlook parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway, around milepost 20. From there exit the parking lot back onto the road and head left. About 300 feet from the parking lot there is the trail entrance. It isn't too hard to find if you are looking for it, but there aren't any marki...

White Rock Falls Trail is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a waterfall located near Montebello, Virginia.

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 ...

This hike is one of the lesser known hikes in Shenandoah. While everyone else is headed to Old Rag, hikers will find themselves on a peaceful hike to the summit of Mt. Robertson. Hikers should park in the Old Rag Parking lot and make sure to pay the daily fee ($25). If you have a yearly pass, be ...

Mary’s Rock is just south of the Thornton Gap Entrance in Shenandoah National Park’s Central District. This write-up details the hike from the Meadow Spring Parking area, but there are alternate routes starting from the Panorama parking area (3.7 miles round trip), Jewell Hollow Overlook (6 mile...

The trail to Hazel Falls may not be the most "wow" trail in Shenandoah but it is well worth it to reach the beautiful gorge where Hazel River falls over big boulders.  You should park at the Meadow Spring parking lot at mile 33 on Skyline Drive. You will see the trail post to the right of the par...

With warm weather, we couldn't wait to go camping so we drove a few miles south of us to Yokum's Vacationland to camp in a teepee. It was THE BEST! It was so cold and we forgot our air mattress pump so we ended up car camping but the whole adventure was so awesome. We were the only people camping...

Park at the Seneca Rocks visitor parking spot located just off Mountaineer Drive. Take the trail directly across from the lot, cross the bridge over the stream, and follow the trail about one mile until you see a rock stair trail on your left side (Seneca Rocks side). Follow this rock stair trail...

Seneca Rocks is probably one of the best known landmarks in West Virginia. This iconic formation sits 900 feet above the North Fork River. I highly recommend anyone interested in taking a trip to West Virginia take some time to visit Seneca Rocks. These rock formations are really an amazing site....

If you're driving south on Skyline Drive, park in the lot on the right side of Skyline Drive immediately after you cross Route 211/Thornton Gap entrance. If you're driving north on Skyline Drive, the lot will be on the left side immediately before the Thornton Gap entrance. The trailhead is at t...