Virginia

Bird Knob trail and aptly-named Emerald Pond are a not-so-well-kept secret worth sharing. Located just two hours away from Washington DC, this hike has everything: bouldering, views, and the perfect swimming hole.  Even the drive to reach the hike is scenic and enjoyable with mountain views and f...

From the parking area at Turk Gap (MP 94.1), cross over the Skyline Drive.  The Appalachian Trail (AT) intersects right here, and take the AT south by taking the trail on the left.  After 0.2 miles you will turn right off of the AT onto the blue-blazed Turk Mountain Trail.  The trail junctions me...

To get to the trailhead, pull into the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and park there. Proceed to the outdoor amphitheater behind the center. At the rear of the amphitheater there is a large sign showing Harkening Hill and other nearby trails, here the trail begins. Th...

From the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center, travel north up the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 3 miles, where you will come to small parking area for the Flat Top Trailhead. The parking area is quite tiny, and probably holds around 10 vehicles, but there was only one other car there when I went. It's p...

Skyline Caverns is located right off Stonewall Jackson Highway with plenty of parking.  The cave tour is about 60 minutes with little walking and minimal elevation gain. If you time it right you and your friends can get the whole tour to yourselves. The backstory the tour guide gives you, is inte...

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...

Unobstructed views with little hiking effort make Bald Knob one of the best locations to see the sunset in southwestern Virginia. Easy to access from US-460 in Giles County, take Mountain Lake Road (VA-700) for 7 miles and park in the gravel lot on the left by the intersection of VA-613 and Moun...

Explorers in Southwest Virginia run into a common problem: local hikes and waterfalls are often saturated with college students out enjoying a warm day. While it's wonderful to have so many people appreciating the beauty of the Jefferson National Forest, it can be difficult to find a remote, quie...

To get here, set your GPS to the address pinned below and park on the side curb in the Suntrust Bank lot. From here, walk opposite your car and follow the trail over the high walk and railroad tracks. This will bring you to a concrete railing, to the left is a wooden stair case and to the right i...

This hike begins in the parking lot for Cascade Falls. Keep left at the first and second intersections to stay on the Upper Trail. At the third intersection, stay straight (don't turn right) to stay on the Conservancy Trail.Follow the Conservancy Trail for 0.4 miles, and continue on it when it br...

After reaching the parking area, cross the road and continue up the trail for about 0.3 miles. At the kiosk, make sure to register in order to indicate that you are going into the cave. After passing the kiosk and some rocky portions of the trail, you will approach the cave entrance. The cave goe...

For an awesome 2-3 day trip, start hiking at the Massie Gap trailhead, which can be reached from Grayson Highlands State Park. Take the Rhododendron Trail up the ridge to connect with the AT, keeping an eye out for wild ponies in the Massie Gap area as they like to hang out here. Some of these po...

Just 25 minutes outside of Charlottesville, this is a great spot to take the family for the day and get some sunshine. If you are into mountain biking, you're in the right place. There are 13 miles of mountain bike trails that circle the lake. At the end of your ride, there are 2 beaches to stre...

The Roanoke Mountain Road is a 4 mile one-way loop accessed at mile post 120.3 off the Blueridge Parkway. It's a winding single-lane road, and I would certainly not venture up there with a trailer. There is a large parking area at the main overlook which provides an excellent view of the sunset. ...

The fly fishing on the Maury River is one of a kind through the Goshen Pass. The Pass is littered with huge boulders, which actually makes it possible to fish without waders, although it's much easier and more enjoyable with waders.From Lexington, VA, take Route 39 towards Goshen for approximatel...

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...