Rich Creek, Virginia

Starting at the trailhead, follow signs for the falls. After a short walk, hikers will reach the walkway bridge where they can snap a couple shots of the minor Sandstone Falls to the right. Many hikers stop here, thinking these falls are the final destination. Do not make this mistake—the best is...

The hike to High Rocks begins at a gravel parking lot up a long winding road, seems like forever but really is only mile or two past the quarry when your turn onto the road.  The out-and-back hike begins by passing through the two large boulders near the back of the parking lot. The trail leads d...

From I-81: Exit 140 and take Highway 311 north for 11 miles towards New Castle. Dragon’s Tooth parking lot is on the left, just past Catawba Grocery. LAT 37.3787 LONG -80.1563 Ready to tackle the Dragon? This 4.6 mile, out and back, trail provides one with a true hiking experience. The hike wil...

The Virginia Triple Crown is a combination of three of the most spectacular and popular hikes in the region. It combines the Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee’s Knob, and Tinker Cliffs hikes into one long multi-day hike along the Appalachian Trail. It makes for an excellent 2 day backpacking trip, with many...

Park at the Alta Mons camp parking lot, and start walking the gravel road. There will be signs throughout the trail that lead to the waterfall. Continue down the trail for 1.5 miles. Look out for the white trail markers that indicate the Stiles Falls trail. After 1.5 miles, you will reach the wat...

Intro McAfee Knob is one of the most photographed and picturesque locations along the Appalachian Trail. Once you reach McAfee Knob, you'll have almost 270 degree views of the the Roanoke Valley to the East, Catawba Valley and North Mountain to the West, and Tinker Cliffs to the North. Due to t...

To reach the trailhead, park at the main parking area near Glade Creek Grist Mill. Cross the bridge toward the grist mill, and the trailhead is directly behind the mill. Even though the Island in the Sky trail is only a mile long out and back, it is lined almost the whole way with rhododendron bu...

The skyline trail is a 4 mile out and back trail that allows you to start from either end. I prefer to start from the lower trail head near Cabin 5. To get to this trailhead: enter the park, and follow the narrow road the leads to cabins 1-6. Drive down the road until you reach cabin 5, and find ...

Babcock State Park is one of 36 state parks in West Virginia and is located just Southeast of Fayetteville, WV.  Babcock State Park has over 4,000 acres, making it a great place to camp while you explore the beautiful area.  The campground has 51 campsites for tents and is open from the last week...

Looking for a day trip? Look no further than Tinker Cliffs, tucked away in Virginia. This trail provides a workout that is loaded with flowers, bridges, rocks, and views that will leave you inspired to explore more! The Trail There are no restrooms located at the parking lot or along the trail....

A short 1.0 mile hike to the summit with 700’ elevation gain, the trail switchbacks steeply up to the exposed rocky summit. To the north you can see Sharp Top and Flat Top at the Peaks of Otter, and to the south you can see Pilot Mountain in North Carolina. The summit has many places to spread o...

This 10.8 mile loop is a very demanding, but very rewarding hike that will take most of the day to complete. The hike can be started from many different locations but in this write-up it starts at the Saddle Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the loop is in the counter-clockwise direction.Fro...

The Beauty Mountain Trail Head is located less than 10 miles form Fayetteville, WV.  To reach the trail head, you will have to travel down some very narrow roads, and I recommend going old school and printing out the directions because cell service in the area is not the best.  Once at the trail ...

**The road to Nuttallburg is part gravel and only wide enough for one car. Take caution driving along this road-you may have to back up some if you meet another car. Nuttallburg is an old coal mining town that once thrived in the early 1900's, but fell into ruin and then was restored by the Natio...

With minimal elevation gain, this 3.2 mile hike can be done in a short amount of time. From the parking lot, take the trail to the right of the bathroom. There will be two trail intersections at 0.4 miles and 0.7 miles, both of which are well marked. Stay straight at both intersections to remain ...

Kaymoor was on old West Virginia coal mining town that thrived in the early 1900's until it was abandoned in the 1950's. Along this trail you will see remnants of the old mine entrance, mining cars, a coal processing plant, and coke ovens, among other structures. This trail, although short, is qu...