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All Outing Critiques
Name: Dave
Eccleston
Hike:
Dolly Sods Circumnavigation
Date: Sept 10-12, 2009
Rating: 4.8
Critique: Magnificent hike. Did it as a 3 day backpacking trip.
Weather was perfect. The variety of terrain in this trip makes
it really interesting: high plains, deep forests, rocky paths,
beautiful streams. Wonderful swimming hole at the south end of
Red Creek, hit that about noon and made for a nice break.
Navigation was a little tricky because of the lack of
signs/blazes. Saw some wildlife: newt, turkey, and deer. Camped
next to the out and back to Lion's Head so I could do it
unencumbered, was definitely worth the trip.

Name: Dave Eccleston
Hike:
Saint Mary's Wilderness
Date: July 23-25 2010
Rating: 3.5
Critique: This hike had a couple of highlights, notably the
falls on the Saint Mary's River (nice swimming), and the
overlook at Flint Mountain. We also came across a few of the old
mine sites, which was pretty interesting. We did the backpacking
loop, but found that a lot of this trip is in really thick
forest and it's hard to catch a glimpse of any overlooks. Also,
take the advice to heart: once you leave the river and ascend to
Green Pond there's no water for a *long* time! It was very hot,
and we were getting really low on water by the time we descended
to a barely running creek near Bald Mountain.

Name: Pasquale
Hike:
Kelly's Run
Date: 8/23/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: We started opposite because when we arrived there were
fellow hikers coming out so, unfortunately, we ended up getting
confused towards the end. Where we suppose to technically get to
the overlook (which unfortunately did not see due to our
confusion) we didn't see any blazes until we got to a sign for
kelly's run which is where the blazes ended.
All in all, what we saw was gorgeous. There was this little
waterfall in the stream that I splashed myself with to cool off
and, wow, it was simply amazing. SO refreshing.
Next time, I will be bringing a print out!

Name: Tyler S.
Hike:
Rocky Knob-Quarry Gap Backpack
Date: 08/6 - 7/2010
Rating: 3
Critique: My girlfriend and I did the full hike, including one night at
the Birch Run campsite, on a Friday/Saturday in early August. It took us
about 8 hours. Our cell phone calculated more like 20 miles, as opposed
to the 14.7 miles, but I'm not sure which is more accurate. It was a
largely flat terrain with only a few areas of elevation. The lake was
pretty, and the wooded areas were pleasant enough with the trees
providing a cooling shade during the hot summer sun. We hardly passed
anyone else, although there was another couple using the shelter at
Birch Run. There were multiple camping opportunities along the way,
although we stuck with Birch Run because there were a few sites further
from the trail and because there was a bear pole. Note that there are no
clean water sources along this route, only some streams (so you will
need to have iodine tablets or boil the water). The water spigots on the
map were misleading! You do pass a few gravel roads along the way, which
do take away from the seclusion factor of the hike a bit. No sweeping
views or vistas. Overall, a decent relatively easy hike, probably more
beautiful in the spring (due to all the Rhododendrons) or the fall.

Name: Kristin Wilcox
Hike:
Little Devils Staircase
Date: 8/7/10
Rating: 4
Critique: I did this as a solo hike, staying on the blue-blazed trail to
complete the longer loop. About half a mile after passing the
yellow-blazed loop, I saw a black bear and a cub crossing the trail
about 50 feet in front of me. They disappeared up the embankment into
the woods, and I yelled loudly and clapped, hoping to scare them further
into the forest. As I continued down the trail, though, I realized they
were just 20 feet or so off of the path and the mama bear was standing
her ground. She ROARED at me as I passed her! I don't think I'd complete
this hike again without bear spray. Other than that, it was a beautiful
hike, although trees had fallen across the path in several places and
proved difficult to maneuver around.

Name: Brett
Hike:
Little Devils Staircase
Date: 08/07/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: We did the short route and it was pretty fun. Lots of steep
rocky climbs. The fireroad back is sort of boring but gets you back
fairly quick.

Name: Tristan (Adirondackiteer)
Hike:
Dolly Sods Wilderness Via Rohrbaugh
Date: 7/29/10
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Let me start by saying our trip was a hybrid between this
trail map (Dolly Sods Wilderness Backpack) and Rohrbaugh Plains/Dolly
Sods Shuttle. What we did is start on the Rohrbaugh Plains Tr and then a
loop around Red Creek, Breathed Mnt Tr, Big Stone Coal, Rocky Point Tr,
back to Red Creek, back to Rohrbaugh Plains Tr. My friend was familiar
with the Rohrbaugh Tr so we started there, and it was a fairly easy (it
was late in afternoon when we arrived) hike in to the great overlook for
the first nights camp. I think this is a great view and too bad it is
only incorporated into one of the hikes on this website and not more. On
a Thursday night we had the place to ourselves.
Red Creek was great and even at the low water levels there were still
swimming holes in a few spots.
My favorite night's camp along the route was at The Forks, even though
according to my friend we didn't get the best spot right on the fork.
Our site was just upstream of it and still right on the edge of the bank
of Red Creek. The Forks was the first spot we saw other hikers.
Breathed Mt Tr was a nice change of scenery and lots of blueberries
everywhere. The ascent is pretty steep and rocky.
The campsite on the 'beach' of Big Stonecoal was nice but unfortunately
the water was very low. There wasn't barely a trickle noise to be heard.
It would be beautiful at higher water levels though.
As others have said Rocky Pt Tr is incredibly rocky. And mainly little
rocks, I was not expecting that part. I can handle climbing over
boulders and such but these are smallish rocks like softball to
cantaloupe sized and nearly impossible to get a good footing anywhere
without sliding of the sides of them and such. Not recommended for those
with bad ankles! That part of the trail we didn't do as an out-and-back,
but rather as part of our main loop back to Red Creek. The Lions Head
was nice but I still like the un-named vista the best. We did not come
across a large cairn on the left to guide us up to the Lions Head, we
did come across a small one on both sides but kept going looking for
just a large one on the left. After gps showed we were at the big point
on the trail we decided just to climb up.
Overall we didn't keep up nearly the pace of the hikes here, averaging
5mi per day, for a few reasons. But it was a nice pace, we slept in,
played around in the creek for a few hours a couple of different days,
etc. There was no need to rush, especially with the rocky areas of the
trails. It was a fantastic trip, and in 5 days (2 of them being very
short trips in and out) we still covered ~19mi, 2 vistas, and the
wonderful Red Creek. This was actually my first hike in WV and also the
first in a 10+ year absence for me.
Also, if there are any Amateur Radio Operators out there we were able to
talk clearly on the Davis repeater both times we tried, from the beach
campsite on Big Stonecoal and the un-named vista. This was a big relief
to us, since neither of us had cell phone reception.
A special thanks to MrHyker for putting this all together. The
information and trail maps, notes, and gps info were invaluable.

Name: Moonshine
Hike:
Otter Creek - SE
Date: 7/24-7/25/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: I hiked all Shavers Mtn Tr from Alpena Gap picnic area and
camped at the old logging camp area near the intersection of Green Mt
and Possession Camp trails. I have not seen anyone on the trail all day,
but the trail was always easy to follow. The water source near the
former shelter site was disappointing. Even after filtering the water
stank.
A little below the intersection of Otter Creek, More Run and
Possession Camp trails is one of the best swimming holes of the
area.
If you have water shoes, exploring Devil's Gulch creek bed can be
fun. I wonder how this stream got such an unusual name.

Name: Trillium
Hike:
Green Brier SP
Date: 7-10-10
Rating: 3
Critique: If criteria include opportunities for interacting with
nature, think again. I saw a doe and twin spotted fawns, heard a
wood thrush's gorgeous song, identified five species of native
ferns and various fungi--including enchanting pixie cups,
photographed a glittering teardrop shaped spider web backlit by
the setting sun, and snacked on ripe red raspberries.

Name: Icebeard
Hike:
Kelly's run/Pinnacle Overlook
Date: 7/24/10
Rating: 5
Critique: Hiked this one @sunrise to beat the heat! {supposed to
be 103 today} Great hike, beautiful scenery. I like to do this
one to keep myself in shape for my Appalachian Trail section
hikes. Good climb up the pinnacle. Entire loop takes about 2.5
hours including breaks. Highly recommended!

Name: Kevin
Hike:
Ricketts Glen Falls Trail Loop
Date: 6/24/10
Rating: 5
Critique: My son and I hiked the full 7.2 mile Falls Trail Loop
in June 2010. We started at the parking lot on Rt. 118 and
proceeded up Red Rock Mt. A little bit of a boring walk to the
first waterfall but that is what we get for not taking the
easier 3.2 mile loop. We figured if we were going to do it we
had to do it all.
Once we hit the first fall the walk was worth it. The water
level was not as high as I had seen in some pics, due to lack of
recent rain, but beautiful just the same.
We took a right at Waters Meet so we would be able to see Ganoga
Falls from the front. This is the biggest falls in the park.
There are some pretty steep stone steps so be prepared to climb.
When we reached the top of Gonaga Glen we were ready for the
easy stretch on the Highland Trail section of the hike.
Our decent down Glen Leigh was just as beautiful as our assent
up Gonaga Glen. The power of water to carve never ceases to
amaze me.
By the time we reached the car, a little over 4 hrs after we
started, we were tired and hungry. We headed straight for the
Trails End Restaurant a few miles down Rt. 118. Nothing fancy
here but good food at good prices to feed the hungry hiker.
I highly recommend trekking poles for this hike and don't forget
your camera.

Name: Moonshine
Hike:
Rocky Knob-Quarry Gap Loop
Date: 7/17/2010
Rating: 5
Critique: This time I left the car in Caledonia SP and took AT all
the way to the turn on Rocky Knob Tr. There were quite a lot of
hikers on AT, so if you are looking for solitude and/or
bear-watching it is not the place. There are blueberries and
huckleberries everywhere, and the lake is just beautiful.

Name: Bill Harvit
Hike:
Cranberry Wilderness
Date: July 16, 2010
Rating: 4
Critique: First, let me say thank you very much to the person who posted
the description of the hike on this website. Quite frankly, the
description was as valuable as the map. Additionally, I would caution
anyone doing this hike to make sure they are proficient with a compass
or GPS. Many of the trails have no markings and even some of the trail
junctions are not marked.
The plants and trees were magnificent! Some of the prettiest scenery I
have ever seen. I could spend an hour describing the beauty. However,
the trails are VERY ROUGH and we had to work hard to complete the loop,
which left little time for anything else. In fact, we had taken
telescopic fishing poles in hopes of fishing, but simply did not have
enough time.
Aside from seeing numerous bear tracks, we saw no wildlife whatsoever.
In fact, there were few birds. Moreover, I was surprised that the
streams were all a burnt orange color. What is going on? I have heard of
acid rain, but have not seen its affects until now. At the risk of
sounding political, I believe something must be done to address the acid
rain problem.
In any event, I would recommend this hike to anyone who is experienced
and wants the challenge of hiking in true wilderness. Also, this hike
would be much more enjoyable over a four day period rather than a
weekend.

Name: Allen Keeney
Hike:
Little Devil's Stairs
Date: 07/18/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: We did the Piney Branch version, which is definitely nicer
than walking on the fire road, but adds not only distance but also
another uphill section. We found this trail to be less strenuous than
described here; although it is clearly steep at the 1 to 1.5 mile point.
The canyon on Little Devil's Stairs is impressive and nice. Piney Branch
was hidden most of the time and the water was low, but still a nice
hike. The only issue was a swarm of annoying gnats on the bottom 0.5
mile of the Piney Branch trail before turning onto the Hull School
trail. A big plus: only saw 1 other hiker on the trip, even though it
was a summer Sunday.

Name: Allen Keeney
Hike:
Beartown Rocks
Date: 06/08/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: Very nice trail. Cool to walk around on the rocks. Pretty
Stream. I'd recommend this trail if you are in the area

Name: Chris
Hike:
Black Forest Trail - South
Date: 7/2-3/10
Rating: 5
Critique: I hiked the southern loop of the Black Forest Trail over two
days, 7/2-3/10, starting from the northern parking area where the
Blackberry trail crosses Rt. 44. My friend Jesse had started the day
before on the northern loop from Slate Run and hiked down the west side
of the Sentiero Di Shay trail. We started our hike there at 9:00am. We
hiked around 13 miles the first day, and the balance the second.
Stopping at Callahan Run, we got enough water for dinner and breakfast,
and camped on the top of Hemlock Mountain in hammocks --sharing the
campsite with a family. I agree with the other review, this was a
beautiful place to camp. The view of the sunset, as well as the sunrise,
on the Pine Creek valley was extraordinary. The trail was everything it
was supposed to be --the climbs and descents were challenging and the
vistas were beautiful and worth the effort. We didn't see any bears but
saw plenty of sign and met a hiker going the opposite way that had seen
one an hour earlier. We did see one really big rattler, three grouse,
and deer. I thought the trail was well marked with one exception, we
could not find where the BFT crossed Naval Run; we ended up hiking east
on the logging road till we found a yellow set of double blazes that
took us across Naval Run and back up to the BFT. I am looking forward to
going back in the fall to do the northern loop. Thank you Mike for doing
such a good job with the website.

Name: mark
Hike:
Ramsey's Draft East
Date: July 3-4 2010
Rating: 1
Critique: I've been using this site since moving to DC 3 years ago and
it has been a real blessing and a fantastic resource. Until today I had
not reviewed a trail, finding most of the trips to be quite pleasant and
worth pursuing....that is, until today.
The Ramsey's draft east trail is probably the worst I have done in the
Mid-Atlantic region. Extremely overgrown in places, and hard to follow I
often had my compass out to confirm we were walking in the correct
direction, that alone is not a huge problem as I tend to enjoy
navigational challenges, it becomes tedious when you are fighting dense
bush consisting of lots of stinging nettles and briar making it very
painful. My wife and I ended up putting on our sleeping long underwear
to avoid the burning from the plants and suffering the heat rather than
itching. Now that you are no longer walking amongst giant Hemlocks (for
the east coast) and do without too many views (at this time of year) it
has little to recommend it. It is sad to see the Hemlocks all dead, this
was probably a beautiful hike in the past when the trail was clear
This weekend the draft was mostly dry. We camped before the spring
afraid it would be too crowded up there, so we had fairly nice solitary
campsite with a bit of running water. The spring site was very buggy,
swampy and the spring looked kind of nasty when we walked by this
morning. We were glad we stayed lower down even though it made for a
longer day out today.
Maybe once the restoration work is done and in the fall when the foliage
is less dense so there might be a few views of fall colors it might be
worth it, but there are far better places to go in the Mid-Atlantic.

Name: GaliWalker
Hike:
Otter Creek Backpack (Day hike)
Date: 06/20/10
Rating: 3.5
Critique: A Fathers Day hike. My last hike had taken me to West
Virginias Otter Creek Wilderness, where I had been enthralled by the
scenic creek. Enthralled enough to make the region my destination of
choice, despite the longish drive from Pittsburgh. I decided to put
together a loop hike that would allow me to spend most of my time in the
mountainous terrain above the valley, but would also take in enough of
the main attraction, that is Otter Creek.
Out of the house by 2:45am and on the trail by 6:00am...these early
starts are never easy. I took off on the Mylius Trail, portal to the
wilderness, through a pretty forest. Steady, though gentle, climbing
took me up increasingly nicer terrain until I intersected the Shaver
Mountain trail at a pass. I headed north along the Shaver Mountain
trail, hoping to get most of the climbing out of the way early. Some
side-hilling got me to the ridge crest where an open forest greeted me,
carpeted wall-to-wall by ferns, rhododendrons and mountain laurel.
The Shaver Mountain ridge undulated gracefully before me. I had hoped to
catch the rhododendrons in bloom; the big show was only just beginning,
but it was still a wonderful sight. Without the blooming laurel and
rhododendron this section might have been ordinary (since views were
obscured by trees, laden with summer's bounty), but with the flowers it
was quite special. Eventually, I intersected the Green Mountain trail,
but not before I second-guessed myself and needlessly doubled back, to
the tune of an additional 2mi...but whats 2mi between rhododendrons?
A short stint west along the Green Mountain trail took me to my next
junction with the Possession Camp trail. Here I headed southwest on a
beautiful trail. Sandstone cliffs, pretty streams, fern fields, a
variety of mushrooms, rhododendrons and mountain laurel had me
engrossed...which is when I rounded a kink in the trail and observed a
black bear doing the same about 50 yards ahead. I stopped but the bear
didn't: without pausing it turned around and scampered off. So, after
numerous years of hiking, this is how my first bear encounter happened.
Curiously un-dramatic.
I kept dropping down towards Otter Creek, to eventually intersect it at
a lovely waterfall complex. It was extremely pretty there, with mountain
laurel flowers decorating the boulders, as well as some pools amongst
the rocks. I continued south along Otter Creek (I had already explored
the northern section on a previous hike), rock-hopping to cross-over to
the other side. Fast, level hiking soon had me at the junction with the
Mylius Trail, which took me back up to the pass, where I had left it for
the Shaver Mountain trail 6hrs earlier, and then back down to my car.
Stats: ~15mi, 8.5hrs.
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shahiddurrani/sets/72157624199143175/

Name: Mark
Hike:
Roaring Plains Base Camp and Day Hike
Date: 6/26-27/10
Rating: 4
Critique: Due to time restraints and the omission of packing a lunch, we
just made a short day hike after staying at the base camp the night
before. We didn't go off South Prong trail, so I can't comment on the
other trails, but this was very easy to navigate. The camp was nice, but
there aren't any others with water that we could find (within .25
miles), so make sure you get there early.

Name: Moonshine
Hike:
Knob
Mt/Jeremy's Run Loop
Date: 6/20/2010
Rating: 3.5
Critique: Compared to the sister hike it is just a good workout on a hot
summer day. If you continue downstream from the junction of Jeremys Run
and Knob Mtn trails there will be a small but deep swimming hole. Watch
for a footpath to the stream where the trail climbs up. Jeremys Run Tr
crosses the park boundary and continues to Vaughn Summit Rd across
private land. No official parking spots there, but the shoulders of the
road are wide.

Name: WoodbridgeVa
Hike:
Rocky Top - Big Run Loop
Date: June 19, 2010
Rating: 5
Critique: Good hike and not quite as strenuous as advertised. I started
from Brown's Gap about 6:30 am on the fire road, then up the horse trail
to the Rocky Top trail, continued as described in trail guide. The trail
surface was actually quite good every where except the far northern
section of the Rocky top trail and the descent to Big Run, which is as
steep as described. Saw 3 bears and 3 people the entire hike; but the
bears ran off before I could get pictures. Lower part of Big Run is one
of the most scenic sections of SNP I've been in yet. The climb out was
not as tough as I expected and I completed the hike by 4:30 pm.

Name: Bob Handelsman
Hike:
Old Loggers Path
Date: June 7-10, 2010
Rating: 5
Critique: On June 7-10, a companion and I hiked the northern part of the
OLP loop, counter clockwise from Masten to Pleasant Stream.
Pleasant Stream Road east from PA 14 was closed when we were there and
appearances are that it will be closed for quite a while. (The closure
is between Long Run and Masten.) To get to Masten, go north on PA 14 to
Grover Road which is about 3 miles south of Canton. Go east about one
block on Grover Road to Ellenton Mountain Road. Turn right and follow
Ellenton Mountain Road about 6 miles into Ellenton. Make a right at the
white Ellenton Church. Keep left at the fork in the road: a sign points
to Masten.
The road is passable but go slow. We had an all day rain the day before
we drove out and a sandy part of the road was difficult to navigate. But
it was drivable with an ordinary automobile if one was careful.
There is a small parking area at Masten with signs. There is a fork in
the road near the parking area. The trailhead to hike counter-clockwise
is about 50 yards west on the right fork.
The trail is generally well blazed and arrows point to turns. Just pay
attention to the blazes and arrows. If you are walking for 5-10 minutes
without seeing any blazes, you have missed a turn.
The trail climbs about 500 feet in the first mile. I am 62 years old and
managed it well (I have a regular and strenuous workout at home and take
a martial arts class) with a number of stops to catch my breath.
Thereafter, it is level or descends gradually to Yellow Dog Run. We made
it from Masten to the Yellow Dog Run/Rock Run junction in 3 1/2 hours.
There are two very nice campsites right at the Rock Run/Yellow Dog Run
junction. We saw at least one other campsite before getting to the
junction but access to water appeared to be a problem. We took the
campsite on the north bank of Yellow Dog Run. There is another campsite
about 10 yards from the south bank which appeared to be almost as good
as the site on the north bank. Yellow Dog Run is easy to cross under low
water conditions.
The trail out of the junction ascends about 500-600 feet in about a
mile. I managed it well with a number of stops to catch my breath. There
is a 20 foot waterfall on Yellow Dog Run which is barely visible through
the trees. Someone propped up a large branch at the spot where the
waterfall can be glimpsed.
Up on the plateau, about 2 1/2 miles from the Yellow Dog Run/Rock Run
junction, there is a short spur, marked by blue blazes, to a beautiful
overlook. Watch for it as the view is amazing.
We intended to camp at Buck Run the second night but missed the turn off
at Doe Run. (We made it from the Yellow Dog Run/Rock Run junction to Doe
Run in 2 1/2 hours which included about a 20 minute stop at the
overlook.) By the time we got ourselves back to the trail, we felt it
was too late to go on to Buck Run and camped at Doe Run. There are 3
campsites at Doe Run. We took the first one approaching from the north
which was a very good one. There is another campsite where the OLP
crosses Doe Run which has room for only one tent and another site after
one crosses Doe Run headed south. This latter site is very nice but one
must walk a little farther for water.
A note about water. Before leaving, I called state forest personnel and
was told that water levels were low. We found enough water in Doe Run
near our campsite to fill a collapsible bucket but it appeared that that
spot would dry up in a week or two. Unless you like carrying all of your
water, camping dry or intend to camp only at Pleasant Stream and Rock
Run (both of which appear to be perpetual streams), check with forest
personnel about water conditions before you go. Despite what is written
in Jeff Mitchell's book, "Backpacking Pennsylvania", about water along
the OLP, there will not be much in dry seasons.
Of all the online and offline trip reports I have seen, only one, the
Mitchell book, mentions a campsite at Buck Run. There is a campsite with
a fire ring on the south side of Buck Run. There is a large grassy area
next to the fire ring about the width of a residential city street which
can accommodate several tents. However, there appeared to be less water
in Buck Run than there was in Doe Run.
Because it was raining and very cloudy and foggy, we took the bypass
around Sullivan Mountain. About several hundred yards past Buck Run,
there is a yellow barrier on the left with a faded sign which says "Crandalltown
Trail." We followed it for about 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile before we picked
up the OLP again. Be careful and watch for it so you don't miss it.
Once you get back on the OLP, it picks up an old two-track which is
UGLY. Once you leave the two track, you begin a steep descent to Long
Run.
Long Run is a pretty stream. It has two channels where the OLP crosses
it with a campsite between the two channels. The campsite has room for
one or maybe two small tents. To find the OLP when it crosses Long Run,
walk through the north end of the campsite. This can be problematic if
someone is camping there: I would avoid camping there if possible
because, to cross the Run, one must walk right through a campsite.
The OLP crosses to the west side of Long Run only once. It is easy to
miss the turn off so watch for it. There is a nice campsite not shown on
any maps on the east bank of Long Run where the OLP crosses it.
We made it from Doe Run to the Pleasant Stream crossing (with the
Sullivan Mountain cutoff) in 4 hours in a continuous rain.
There are 3 campsites at Pleasant Stream. There is a nice one about 25
yards from Pleasant Stream when one approaches the Stream from the
north. The one right on the Stream (when approaching from the north) is
small and was flooded due to the all day rain. We crossed Pleasant
Stream without removing our boots. A few yards downstream from the OLP,
there is a tree with roots growing over the Stream. You can use the
roots as a ladder to go down and cross the first channel of the Stream.
To cross the main channel, use the series of rocks which some
considerate people have placed in the channel. Just be careful as they
can be slippery.
There is a very nice campsite about 20 yards south of Pleasant Stream
which we used.
The next day, we crossed Pleasant Stream again, hiked up the embankment
(very steep about 40 yards) and took Pleasant Stream Road back to our
car, an hour's walk about 3 miles.
Definitely recommend this hike. If you do it during the week, you will
probably find far fewer people than on week ends.

Name: Tim
Hike:
Jeremy's Run
Date: 12-13 June 2010
Rating: 4
Critique: Terrific hike. Took a Boy Scout Troop of 9 scouts and
4 adults on an overnight hike. First day did 10 miles in about 6
hours, the second day about 5 miles in 3 hours. It is a
challenging hike, but worth it. We took one 5th grader that
struggled with a backpack...the older Scouts were fine.
Directions were fine, creek crossings easily done going from
rock to rock. Agree with the counter clockwise hike for an
overnight...allow the longest hike on the first day.

Name: Moonshine
Hike:
Long Pond Trail
Date: 6/12/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: I hiked from the HQ via blue-blazed trail and fancy
bridge to the beginning of official red-blazed trail and ran out
of steam once I reached Oldtown Rd. On the way back I largely
waded through the creek and explored the steep left bank. IMO
hiking in Green Ridge is easy: not a lot of dead wood, pretty
grassy clearings, ready supply of drinking water and not a lot
of people. The official trails are freshly blazed, so it is hard
to get lost even in the dark.

Name: Matthew
Culbertson
Hike:
Austin Mountain - Furnace Mountain Loop
Date: May 8, 2010
Rating: 4
his is a really
beautiful hike filled with many magnificent views of the Page
and Shenandoah Valleys, Masanutten Mountain, the Madison Run
watershed, the mountains named in the hike, and of course the
main line of the Blue Ridge as you get far away from Skyline
Drive.
I enjoyed the plotting of the hike along very narrow ridge tops,
which were often in quite a bit of shade. The routing through
the talus areas on Austin Mountain was also a really interesting
experience. I liked resting on Madison Run, where I saw the only
motor vehicle on my hike - an NPS utility pickup truck. This was
the only place to refill my water, so you should be sure to
carry quite a lot! I do wish there were more stream crossings,
though I suppose that it's not possible in this particular area
of the park.
After Madison Run, I had to pay the park back for the long
descent I had made from the hike's start. This portion was often
very exposed to the sun, though even in early May quite a lot of
blooming mountain laurel made up for it. It did seem endless, so
I took many breaks here.
Part of the way up, the side trail to the Furnace Mountain
summit branches off. It's an interesting big rock ledge, and the
views are nice, though the perspective from Black Rock is much
better. It is a good way to break up the long climb, though it
adds another mile to the trip.
I found the view from Black Rock to be the best of the entire
hike, and climbing through the enormous boulders was great. It
should be noted that quite a few spiderwebs are among the rocks,
so tread carefully.
After the huge climb, the rolling AT ended the hike. This was a
merciful end to a great but strenuous hike. I don't hike
long-distance often, but I was able to finish this hike in seven
hours with a good number of breaks. It did really take it out of
me though!
Highlights: mountain and valley views, rock fields, many
wildflowers, mountain laurel
Recommendations for warm weather: strong bug repellant, trekking
poles for the many steep parts, three liters of water (plus a
filtering method), a hat, and lots of sunblock!
Photo link to a panorama from Black Rock, showing much of the
route covered by the hike:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjculbertson/4683977024/in/set-72157618806650971

Name: Dave L.
Hike:
Big Run-Seneca Creek-Lost Meadows Backpack
Date: 5/27-30/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: This is a great backpacking loop with lots of changing
scenery. We hiked this during the Memorial Day Weekend and
started hiking Thursday afternoon.
Thursday we only went as far as the campsite in the pines just
before the North Prong Trail. This campsite is very nice and has
water nearby. It's also only about a half hour hike in from the
trailhead so if arriving late this would be a great site to camp
at.
Friday we woke up around 6 AM and headed out towards Seneca
Creek with hopes of camping near the falls. Leaving our camp
from the pines we encountered a very wet and muddy trail along
the creeks and small meadows that we passed (North
Prong/Allegheny Trail). A portion of this hike is a bit dull as
we were hiking on a seldom used forest road. Leaving the forest
road we got on a steep foot path down to Seneca Creek where we
had to ford the creek by taking our boots off due to high water.
Once crossing the creek we passed three occupied campsites
including the one we wanted to stay at under Seneca Falls. Due
to occupied campsites we decided to hike up the Seneca Creek
trail to a large campsite along the creek just before the old
Judy Springs Campground. We stayed at this site for our last two
nights.
The third day was our day hike day through the meadows and to
the lost meadow. This was one of the best hikes of the trip for
me. The hike reminded me of Mount Rogers with the numerous open
meadows and vistas that we encountered. While exploring the lost
meadows portion of this hike we encountered a black bear and
enjoyed watching it hunt for insects in the grassy meadow. After
spending all day exploring the meadows we hiked back down to
camp along the creek and called it a day.
Sunday was day four for us and it was our last day. After taking
our time enjoying the morning along the creek we broke camp and
headed down the popular Seneca Creek trail. While hiking this
trail we saw soooo many people. However, after leaving the trail
via the Tom Lick Trail we saw nobody. That was pretty much the
story of the trip. While hiking and camping along Seneca Creek
we saw saw at least 2 or 3 dozen people (which is to be expected
on Memorial Day Weekend and at such a scenic trail) however, off
the Seneca Creek Trail we saw a total of 4 people and that was
along the High Meadows Trail. I believe there is solitude to be
found on this hike if one avoids the Seneca Creek Trail and
hiking on Memorial Day Weekend (Though fighting the crowds along
Seneca Creek is worth it due to how spectacular this creek
system is).
In total we hiked over 26 miles but that is mostly due to
exploring the high meadows.

Name: Casual Hiker
Hike:
Allegheny Mountain-Seneca Creek Loop
Date: 05-29 to 31-2010
Rating: 4
Critique: I'm adding comments to the Alleghany Mountain-Seneca
Creek loop description, even though I didn't do the complete
loop, to describe a beginner backpacker's alternative. My
husband and I didn't trust ourselves to be able to get all the
way to Seneca Falls by way of Allegheny-Horton with our packs in
one day, so we did an out-and-back on Seneca Creek trail, with a
day hike to High Meadows in between (see day hike description
under "Big
Run-Seneca Creek-Lost Meadow Backpack" elsewhere on this
awesome site). This is a great option for beginners, as (a)
Seneca Creek trail is mostly flat, (b) a water source (the
creek) is readily available, and (c) there are numerous, and
beautiful, campsites all along the trail on the way to Seneca
Falls. An all around beautiful weekend. I took off 1 point for
(a) the popularity of the trail (but that's to be expected given
the waterworks) and (b) the condition of the trail. Horses are
permitted on Seneca Creek, and manure was liberal
ly strewn across the trail when we were there over Memorial Day
weekend. As you purify your drinking water from the creek, I
would suggest keeping in mind that the trail includes multiple
stream crossings (and the trail proceeds downstream from the
trailhead).
This website is the go-to source for hiking in the mid-Atlantic
region. Thanks Mr. Hyker!

Name: Dwight
Maskew
Hike:
Saint Mary's Wilderness
Date: Early June 2009
Rating: 4.5
Critique: This is an excellent hike. Super fun and full of
interesting things to see along the way. I took my sister and
nephew out on this short over-nighter in early June last year
and we had a great time. We encountered a number of different
mushrooms and a variety of small falls as we descended to the
creek. Mountain laurel increases a bit further down the gorge.
Campsites were easy to find and well isolated from the trail.
Watch out for copperheads in the summer, I almost stepped on one
on our dusk hike towards the falls. We really enjoyed this hike.

Name: Galen
Hike:
White Rocks Circuit
Date: 5/29/10
Rating: 3.5
Critique: We did the full circuit on Memorial Day weekend and
only saw two other hikers, so I'd imagine this is an uncrowded
trail most of the year. That's a plus. This is your standard
walk in the woods with not much in the way of views except for
the obvious rocky precipice. Regardless, the scenery and
elevation changes enough to keep things interesting. You get
dense tree canopy, grassy clearings, steep climbs, level trail,
and so on. And for the first half, you are always within earshot
of a stream. (Look out for mud.) Oh, and the overlook is pretty
cool.
Side note: the campsites look spacious and well-located. Side
note 2: Thanks to MidAtlanticHikes. There's no way anyone would
be able to find this trail otherwise.

Name: Tim C
Hike:
Old Loggers Path
Date: 5/28/10 - 5/30/10
Rating: 4
Critique: Great hike; clockwise is the way to go! First day was
heavy rain, but on the plus side all the creeks were running. No
problems finding water at all. Rock run is amazing.
Warning: 5/28/10 Pleasant Stream Road is CLOSED 2.3 miles west
of Masten. Looks like the cliffside road is giving way. Had to
park at the barrier and hike the extra miles to the trailhead.
Recommend approaching from East if you're heading to Masten.

Name: Big Dog
David
Hike:
Old Loggers Path-13
Mile Loop
Date: 5/24/10
Rating: 4
Critique: I started at the parking area in Masten, crossed the
bridge & did the southern loop. Problem is that once I got to
the place to take the old RR grade across to the parking area to
complete the loop - it really wasn't there. I turned right on
the RR grade & started heading to my car. About 200 yds up
there's a well worn foot path & the old RR grade just kinda
disappears ahead. Well I took the path well traveled (left) & it
took me back to the dirt road - the closed one. I took a right &
followed that back to the parking area - about a 60 minute road
hike. About 3/4 of the way back I ran into the ranger & asked
him if he knew of a "foot path" instead of having to hike the
road back - he didn't. Overall a good hike. Quite easy. I did
the whole thing in about 6 hrs & that was stopping for vista's,
stream crossing & of course lunch!

Name: Ryan
Hike:
AT / Sunset Rocks
Date: May 22, 2010
Rating: 4
Critique: This hike is about par-for-the-course for central
Pennsylvania. As previously mentioned, the first part is rather
dull. The only exciting part is the rocky part on the "Sunset
Rocks" portion of the hike. Definitely do not take small
children on this section or anyone who is unable to traverse
extremely rocky terrain - ie, the elderly. My 2 year old Irish
Setter made it over all but 1 section, where I needed to give
her a slight boost. If you can't assist your dog and/or pick
them up for certain sections, consider leaving them at home or
avoiding this part of the hike.

Name: John
Hike:
Loyalsock-Link Loop
Date: 5/17-18 2010
Rating: 4
Critique: A good two day loop. We stayed the night at Haystacks, and the
World's End ranger asked us to call the state forest service to inform
them first, as they monitor the area closely for mischief. Supposedly
permits are not required, yet the forest service staffer gave me a hard
time for not having one. I recommend calling them before planning to
camp at this locale, and I would anticipate that in the summer, when the
water is warm, that it gets crowded.
No fires at Haystacks, ever.
The water was high, so our return on the Link trail along the water was
a little tight, and this section is not marked well. Just follow the
creek and a blaze will appear sending you back into the woods.
The trail around the deer enclosure was soupy, as it rained for most of
the trip. With heads down, rock-hopping, we missed the turn-off and had
to backtrack. All in all, a great trip-- only saw two other hikers,
enjoyed PA's beautiful streams, and camped at a sweet spot.

Name: Tiauna Rodgers
Hike:
Billy Goat Trail-A
Date: 05/13/10
Rating: 5
Critique: I hiked the BGT-A with my daughter's 4th grade class.
Now mind you playing in the rough outdoors was something I have
not done since I was in the fourth grade. So i took a step out
side the box. (** wondering why I was the only parent in
attendance**) As we started the kids were excited and full of
energy, so I was feeling the same. As we entered the trail, I
was saying what a piece of cake this was. But I spoke to soon,
me being a regular of the local gym I figured this would be a
long walk with minimal climbing. Boy was I wrong, as we got
further into the trail I realized I bit off more than i could
chew. The cliffs and the climb up the diagonal summit (which I
consider a mountain since its the biggest thing I have ever
climbed) had me praying and swearing at the same time. Once to
the top I felt I could accomplish anything, and I did I
completed BGT-A without any broken bones or scars and I kept up
with a bunch of fourth graders. This was a great experience and
my daughter and I plan to go back and walk more trails. Doing
this brought out a side in me I did not know existed and I had
fun. ("Now just paying for it in Pain"....LOL) I will return.

Name: Dan D.
Hike:
Rocky Knob-Quarry Gap Loop
Date: 05/06/2010
Rating: 5
Critique: Beautiful, long day hike. I initially planned for an
overnight trip staying at the specified shelter, but after arriving
there at 2:15pm (started at 11am), decided to head south on the
Appalachian Trail. Finished the 14.7 mile loop in 6 and a half
hours. Fantastic views if you take the right fork of the Rocky Knob
trail once past the lake. Will hike again!

Name: John
Hike:
Old Loggers Path
Date: 5-7; 5-8 2010
Rating: 4
Critique: Just a few things to add to the trail notes.
1) You can do this trip over two long days, which is what I did,
heading clockwise from the western point where the trail intersects
with Pleasant Stream Road (opposite of Masten). 12.26 miles the
first day to a campsite where the trail meets the sharp-shinned
cross country ski loop (blue blaze) along a small unnamed run. Not
as nice as sites on Yellow and Rock Runs, but still good. Day two
was 15.05 miles back to my car along Pleasant Run.
2) Pleasant Run Road is closed before you get to Masten coming from
the west, which is why I started where I did. To park where I did,
cross the OLP and small bridge and then turn right, following the
orange blazes, and there are parking spots by the stream. This is
not a marked parking spot on the DCNR map but it should be.
3) The map on this site is possibly better than the DCNR one, but
you can get the DCNR map for free by calling the Loyalsock State
Forest Office and they will send it to you if want.
4) The trail is not marked very well at crucial intersections.
5) No campfires were permitted when I did this hike in early May. It
seems they are prohibited from March-May, so leave the fire starter
at home if you hike then.
6) Once you complete the loop, you can buy an Old Loggers Path patch
from the Keystone Trails Association website to flaunt your success.

Name: Sal
Hike:
Mason-Dixon Shuttle trail
Date: 5/8/2010
Rating: 4.5
Critique: This was a great hike. We made it a 10mile hike going out
and back. Great views of the river and lake. And wonderful scenery
of creeks and waterfalls. The last part of the hike and the portion
on the road was uneventful and wished it was re-routed thru the
trees. We saw baby snakes and a bird of prey nest in the electrical
towers with baby birds chirping.

Name: pEtE
Hike:
Hemlock Natural Area
Date: a few months ago
Rating: 4
Critique: Hiked this with a friend a few months ago. It was a good
hike but it should be noted that the first section of this hike has
been hit hard by storm damage. It took much longer for us to get
through the first section than anticipated so we had to take the
shorter 10 mile version of the hike due to time restraints. The
bushwhack was not a problem, although it was probably thornier than
when the hike was posted.

Name: pEtE
Hike: Catoctin
Mountain Loop
Date: 4/17/10
Rating: 4
Critique: A very pleasant hike over well established trails, except
for the fishing trails at the start. It was a beautiful, healthy
forest, with almost no storm or insect damage that seems to be so
common everywhere else I go lately. It was far from secluded but not
crowded either. A few decent vistas. I wish I hadn't climbed up wolf
rocks because you can't see anything past the trees when you get up
there.

Name: Kris Herbst
Hike:
Ramsey's Draft Wilderness
Date: April 30, 2010
Rating: 4
Critique: Following the trail up Ramsey's Draft from the
Mountain Home trail head, there are 6 crossings before you reach
the intersection with the Jerry's Run trail and 6 more to the
point where the Left and Right Prongs of Ramsey's Draft merge
and you head up the little valley of the Right Prong. The water
was low for us and crossings were easy, leaving hiking boots dry
as we crossed on stepping stones. Downed trees slowed us down
slightly but they are marked for clearing by trail crews soon.
On the other hand, the Jerry's Run Trail is heavily obstructed
by large downed trees - forcing us to crawl under and around
them - not pleasant and slow going.
The Right Prong stream is small enough that the three crossings
are just a hop across. What was once a notable virgin hemlock
grove in the Right Prong is now a sad graveyard of hemlocks -
easily 90%+ are dead now (they have been wiped out by the the
hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect introduced from Asia) and with
their shade gone, the ground is exposed to sun and the trail is
crowded by yellow birch sapling branches - making this part of
the trail a hot, brushy slog. This had been perhaps the most
beautiful place to camp in Ramsey's Draft - it isn't anymore.
We filled water bottles at Hiner Spring at the top of the Right
Prong - a good thing because it was the last potable water we
saw as we completed a loop back via the Hiner Spring, Wild Oak,
Bald Ridge and Bridge Hollow trails (walking the eastern ridge
above Ramsey's Draft). These trails have not suffered storm
damage and were clear. The small wildlife pond at the
intersection of the Wild Oak and Bald Ridge trails - between Big
Bald Knob and Gordon's Peak - had some murky water in it. This
section has fantastic views, at least before all the leaves are
out.

Name: Michele
Hike:
Otter Creek/Mason Dixion
Date: 5/1/2010
Rating: 3
Critique: I decided to do this trip backwards so I could see the
overlook last, kind of a grand finale. As said before the
parking lot is closed. There is actually a for sale sign on it.
When we started out things went fine, clear markings, good
views. But eventually we realized there were no more
markings...anywhere. We ended up on a small, mostly gravel road
and followed that for some time. Eventually we picked up the
blue path again. But less then 1/2 mile later there were no more
markings. We had our dog with us and she was getting hot and
tired so we heading down hill to where we could hear water. This
was on a trail, but no color to speak of. All I know is that it
was near the game lands. After cooling her off we followed the
creek. We thought we were close to the camp, turns out we were
no where near to where the map given to us by the campground
picks up.
But we continued on enjoying the view and following what was
probably a deer path. It was very difficult to stay near the
creek so we were forced uphill many times. Eventually we found
the part of the creek that makes a very sharp turn and realized
we were very close to 425. We abandoned the creek and ran up
hill to the road. From there we went north to pick up the blue
trail again to the overlook.
We found a total of 6 ticks between me, my fiance, and the dog.
Went through 8 bottles of water, and 10 granola bars. When we
got back home and took a look at another map to see where we had
really gone it looked like we traveled between 5 and 6 miles,
with very steep areas.
It was a great work out, with great memories, but the trails may
need a little more upkeep.

Name: Ryan
Hike:
Ramsey's Draft Wilderness
Date: May 1-2, 2010
Rating: 3
Critique: We did this hike over a Saturday and Sunday, camping
at a nice spot at the trailhead on Friday. We took the eastern
route, going up Bald Ridge Trail to Tearjacket Trail, and then
down Ramsey's Draft Trail. The Bald Ridge section had some nice
views and the trail conditions were good for the most part.
There were some nice campsites along the ridge, but be aware
that this section of the hike is very dry---the "pond" at the
junction of Dividing Ridge was completely stagnant and I
wouldn't pump from it unless you really had to. We ended up
getting a bit dehydrated as the temperature and humidity were
high that day.
Hiner Spring was also very nice, though a bit crowded when we
arrived. We hiked down the draft a bit to good campsite (there
are several along the draft) and were able to cover about 11
miles the first day without trouble. Sadly, the hemlocks along
the draft are almost completely dead, and downed limbs and trees
made trail conditions difficult at times, though by no means
impossible. The draft was also fairly low for us so the stream
crossing weren't too difficult, though I certainly see how they
could be with high water. Many portions of Ramsey's Draft Trail
were very smooth and clear and made for easy hiking. I would saw
the overall difficulty when we were out was moderate.
We saw some wildlife (a turkey, bear, and some dear) and
wildflowers were in bloom. We also spotted blueberry and
blackberry bushes that would be a nice treat when in season.
Without the hemlocks, though, I'd say that this was a pleasant
but unremarkable hike. You can definitely get a sense of how big
they are from the remains left behind but it isn't quite the
same as seeing a live forest. But overall a good trip with very
nice camping.

Name: Siva
Srikanth
Hike:
Big Run Loop Trail
Date: 05/01/10
Rating: 5
Critique: This trail is the best maintained trail that I have
been on in the Shenandoah National Park. We started at the Big
Run Overlook and went counter clockwise. The descent down is
like walk in the park, literally, as you are walking on a smooth
trail between bushes. No rocks to deal with. As you are going
uphill on the Big Run Portal trail you realize how far you have
gone down (maybe 1000 feet). This part of the trail had good
vistas and rich in wild flowers - wild azaleas and irises. We
continued to Madison Run Fire Road and got on the AT at Brown's
Gap parking towards Doyles River Parking. It took us 2hours 31
minutes for the loop which is close to 7 miles. The reason for
this good timing was the bugs. My friend and I forgot our bug
spray and paid for it. I consider this hike "a must do".

Name: Harry
Hike:
Chimney Rock
Date: 4/24/10
Rating: 4
Critique: This is a good hike, especially considering that it is
not too far from metropolitan areas (about 30 min. north of
Frederick). I really like the tough steep part of the climb, but
wished that wasn't it in terms of tough climbs (it definitely
got the heart going though). I agree with others that the area
near the water at the end is very nice/quiet/pretty/serene,
albeit not much in the way of a workout. I found the directions
to the parking lot on the website very confusing (and possibly
wrong). Suggest telling folks to just take 16 West from 15; turn
right in Waynesboro and take Old Forge Road directly to the
parking area. It might be marginally longer but the directions
make life so much easier and might avoid getting lost in the car
like I did. Same for the trail...I made it down fine without any
wrong turns, but was very confused by the directions and would
not have made it if not for the critiques, which mentioned the
wooden bridge and stream you pass on the way down at the end.
Overall, one good view, one 30-40 min. steep climb, 3 hrs. or so
total time, and some good quiet stream walking.

Name: Kathryn
Hike:
Mason-Dixon Shuttle
Date: 4/18/10
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Great hike! We also did this one out and back as we
are training for a trip to Yosemite in June. We enjoyed the
challenge very much and there are so many beautiful places to
stop and enjoy along the way. We only saw a few other people,
but pretty much had the trail to ourselves. We were lucky enough
to see a couple of hawks and a woodchuck. The streams and
waterfalls really are beautiful and worth the hike.
We didn't think it was too hard, though the gradual rise at the
end did seem to go on forever! All in all, it was a good day!

Name: Keith Robertson
Hike:
Jones Run- Doyles River (short) Loop
Date: 4-18-10
Rating: 5
Critique: My wife, a friend of ours, and I recently did the short
version of this loop (taking the fire road back to Browns Gap.) We
went during National Park Week (meaning free admission,) but despite
that we still had the trail almost entirely to ourselves- I think we
saw maybe 3 or 4 other hikers in 4 hours.
This is probably the best trail that I've taken in Shenandoah so
far. The views and terrain are nicely varied (ridgeline at the top,
and nicely sheltered streams at the bottom.) The fact that the
ridgelines were still winter-like in appearance, with very few
leaves, and the area in the valley was lush and green, added to this
effect.
Aside from the named falls on the trail, there are many smaller
cascades and ripples, so for the majority of the time one spends
near the rivers, there is whitewater in view or within earshot. The
main fall on Jones Run is a good place to stop- it's very scenic,
and there are a number of large flat boulders right near the falls
that you can rest on.
Aside from the scenery, the other highlight of our particular hike
was sighting the first black bear that any of us had seen in the
wild. It was a mid-sized bear, about the size of a very large dog. I
heard it first when it moved (twig crack,) and then spotted it about
100ft away in some underbrush. I had enough time to point and say
"there's a bear," before it looked up at me for a few moments, and
then ran off into the brush.

Name: Chris Uttenweiler
Hike:
Piney Ridge - Piney Branch Loop
Date: 04/18/2010
Rating: 3.5
Critique: A mentally relaxing, physically stimulating hike. It was a
cold (35) and windy (10-15mph+) morning when I left the parking lot
and made my way down the ridge. Though given some cover by the
trees, this hike is along a common wind current that hits the park;
having a wind layer in your bag is almost always a good idea in this
part of the ridge line. There were a number of cars at the parking
area from overnighters - but I only saw 4 groups of people the
entire day.
There is much evidence of past habitation along this route; Stone
fences, a cemetery with reminders of how short life could be on the
mountain, old foundations, road beds, old piles of harvested lumber,
and even a few metal artifacts - interesting fodder for day dreams
and speculation.
This time of year there are lots of blooming wild flowers (Wild
Geraniums, Star & Plain Chickweed) and song birds. The new leaves
just drooping from the trees lays a bright green fog over the woods
that contrasts severely with the dark tree trunks. The geology of
the hike is primary weathered greenstone, but if you keep a keen eye
out, you can discover some limestone chunks with fossil prints in
them.
The hike up Piney Branch was torturing me: I was on a tight
timetable and couldn't explore/photograph the numerous cascades and
waterfalls. Piney Branch has a "personality" much like the Hughes
River, just smaller.
All in all a beautiful hike that stands on its own without sweeping
vistas.

Name: Matt "Fever" Swenson
Hike:
Spruce Knob-Seneca Creek (reverse)
Date: 4/17/2010 - 4/19/2010
Rating: 4.3
Critique: I just took a few friends on this route over the weekend.
We started hiking down the Seneca Creek Trail and found a really
nice campsite along the creek. Unfortunately, the wind was gusting
through the valley, and we had a failure on a tent pole, so we were
left sleeping under the stars. The second day, we continued down the
Seneca Creek Trail and saw some amazing waterfalls. We then took the
High Meadows Trail which impressed us all, especially the first
timer. After reaching the top of that trail, we used the Lumberjack
Trail to meet up with the Huckleberry Trail. The Lumberjack Trail is
an easy grade; however, it was VERY muddy. We then hiked up the
Huckleberry Trail and made camp in a small clearing, protected from
the wind this time, at the top of the steep accent. The last day, we
hiked the remaining 4 miles to the summit of Spruce Knob.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip; however, the trails were
a bit steep for the first timers. At times, the trail seems to go
straight up the mountains and meadows, rather than switch back and
forth. I will definitely hit this trail up again in the future,
after I have hit the high points in NY, NH, and ME.

Name: Jim
Hike:
Gunpowder Falls West
Date: April 17, 2010
Rating: 4
Critique: Excellent hike ... we had a cool spring day, did all but
the out-and-back to the reservoir. Fisherman's trail (red) at the
end was tough going, but all was well described. The 4 of us were
wearing full packs in preparation for a coming trip, so getting
over/under some of the fallen trees took some creativity. I guess
about 6 miles total, done in 4 hrs 15 mins. Difficulty ranged from a
stroll down the road to pretty strenuous along the fisherman's trail
Thanks so much for the detailed description.

Name: Paul
Hike:
Dolly Sods Wilderness Backpack
Date: 2-4 Oct 2009
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Other than slipping off a rock while boulder hopping
the last crossing of Red Creek, this was an absolutely wonderful
trip! Even getting a little wet didn't make it too bad. If I
were to do this particular trip again, I'd try and arrive a
little earlier in the day and camp at the Forks if possible.
Beautiful area!!!
My father-in-law and I did this trip. He has much more
experience than I and said this was easily the worst terrain
he's traversed, not that he didn't enjoy it...
Great trip!

Name: Lou
Hike:
Chimney Rock 4.5 Miles
Date: 4/10/2010
Rating: 5
Critique: So far this is my favorite hike. The best part is from
crossing Old Forge Rd up to the peak via the AT. Its a very good
workout without being too difficult. Great views from the peak
and we had good weather as well; cool air and warm sunshine.
Thanks again to Mike for all his information on this hike.

Name: Kim
Hike:
Fair Hill NRMA - 2
Date: 4/11/2010
Rating: 3.5
Critique: This is an easy hike with lots to see and take
pictures of. My son really enjoyed the ruins and the horses. The
old farmhouse is a nice spot for a snack or lunch. With the
exception of the wooded areas, most of the trails are
gravel-covered, which was pretty uncomfortable to walk on. I
think it must have been graveled recently. We found ourselves
looking for the old footpaths in the grass next to the main
path. Overall, this is a nice stroll and the trail notes are
easy to follow.

Name: Javaslinger
Hike:
Ramsey's Draft
Date: April 11, 2010
Rating: 5
Critique: I did the other version as well. Hiked up Bald Ridge
and then back down the draft. I planned to do the hike in a
single day so I hoofed the Bald Ridge trail planning to take it
easy on the downhill run along the draft.
Unfortunately, the winter was not kind to the draft. There were
dozens upon dozens of recently downed and MASSIVE tree's across
the trail and the draft. It was sad to see such terrible damage.
And it made the 'easy' downhill trip and grueling monster.
According to my GPS it added nearly 1 1/2 miles to the trip with
all the detours the tree falls necessitated.
Fortunately someone had recently surveyed the trail for
restoration leaving well over a hundred stakes and flags for the
work to be done. Without those guiding me it could have taken
perhaps a few more hours and dangerously into the evening.
In all it was 17.2 miles and took me over 11 hours without a
single break. I believe the hike is normally closer to 16. I
recommend a two day backpack. Doing this as a day hike leaves
little room to enjoy it.

Name: Bryan
Hike:
Rocky Top/Big Run Loop
Date: 4/7 and 4/8/10
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Great hike! Great views for the first half as you slowly
descend along the ridge tops to the western edge of the mountains to a
point where you can see a large swath of the Shenandoah valley below and
the Alleghenies in the background. Views for me were amplified because
the trees at this elevation hadn't leafed out much yet. When leaves are
in full form, I imagine the views will be less abundant, but still
pretty amazing. I've been spoiled hiking out west in the Rockies, and I
felt like I was in the Rockies at some points along this hike. I found
the description on this website to be very accurate and easy to follow.
The only reason I can't give this hike a 5 is because I didn't see much
wildlife. :(
Make sure to hang your food if you go!

Name: Jim Kirk
Hike:
Tea
Creek-Tea Creek Mt (modified)
Date: 4/10&11/10
Rating: 5
Critique: I went up Tea Creek and camped at the shelter.
Instead of turning off North Face I stuck on it.
That is a truly awesome trail especially the remnants of the 2 logging
camps with what look like the frames of old bunk beds, piles of metal
eating plates and at the second camp an old crosscut sticking up out of
the ground with a hand cranked blacksmiths' forge laying by it.

Name: Gregory St. Clair
Hike:
AFT, Western Loop
Date: 4/6/10- 4/7/10
Rating: 5
Critique: AWESOME, thanks for posting this web site. I did the
hike in one night. Seems the first half is much tougher then the
second half. The second half begins with many quick hiking pine
forests. Lots and Lots of water. I carried my "Steripen" and it
worked great since all the water is crystal clear. The last five
miles or so on Mosshanon Trail is very wet! I kept my feet dry
for the most part.
Updates:
Shingle Mill Trail now starts with a Yellow blaze, but returns
to blue about half way through.
When you hit the grassy gas right away trail and turn left at
the green pipes in the ground the trail runs with red blazes
until "Clay Mine Road" this confused me a tad. I first figured
it was a cross country ski trail. Many ski trails in the Laurel
Highlands are blazed red. After "Clay Mine Road", it returns to
orange.
The Moss-Hanne Tr is being converted from Orange Triangles to
yellow blazes. Take note here too.
Thanks again,
greg :)

Name: Gregory
St. Clair
Hike:
Dolly Sods Circumnavigation
Date: 11/09
Rating: 4.5
Critique: I really enjoyed the loop you have shown here. I spent
some time manually inputting the GPS waypoints since I was
traveling solo. I found the trails pretty easy to follow and
navigate.
I found the area very interesting with a different feel in the
Northern Section. There is plenty of water and camping areas.. I
cant wait to go back. I packed light and did almost the entire
loop in the 1st day. Next time I will spend some time exploring
more of the side trails.

Name: Brandon
Hike:
Pond Run - White Rocks Loop
Date: 4/3-4/4/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: Well in reality the Pond Run & White Rocks sections
were only half of the hike I did. Instead of using the Tuscarora
Trail to connect the two (my loop was clockwise), I instead went
south down the Little Sluice Mountain Trail, connected to FR92,
turned onto the Big Schloss Cutoff Trail, and went north on the
Mill Mtn Trail, and connected back to the Tuscarora. It was
about 24 miles, with 4,600' of ascent. I had it split 10/14
miles over 2 days, camping out near Little Schloss. You get 3
grand views of 3 different valleys, but follow only 1 stream,
Pond Run, at the end.
It was a busy Saturday at the Pond Run trailhead, but there's
actually plenty of parking there, thankfully. I saw over a dozen
people the first day, but only 2 people the second day.
If you do the Pond Run loop clockwise, so you're heading
downstream, pay attention to the blue blazes at the end.
Apparently the trail must climb the side of the mountain at some
point, because I missed it and instead forded Waites Run, which
probably isn't recommended most of the time, but I survived.

Name: Kim
Hike:
Lost Pond Circuit
Date: 4/4/10
Rating: 4
Critique: This is a nice short hike. I went with my 12 year old
on Easter Sunday morning. There were only a few cars in the
parking lot when we got there around 8:30 but both lots were
full when we were finished around 11:00. The trails weren't
crowded though...I don't think many people were hiking past pot
rocks. Trail notes are very good and the trails are well blazed.

Name: michelle
Hike:
Chimney Rock
Date: 4/3/2010
Rating: 5
Critique: This is one of the best hiking spots. The climb to the
top is worth it to relax at Chimney Rocks. The bridge by
Hermitage relaxing with my sweetie was the best. Thanks!

Name: BaldBear
Hike:
Gifford Pinchot SP
Date: 3/27/10
Rating: 3
Critique: Trail is relatively flat and easy. The most challenging part
(elevation-wise) is just past the dam, fording the stream and then
meandering up and down.
As others have said, the markings could be better. I found myself either
fording my own way or off on a horse trail.
There are many muddy/boggy spots that you must traverse. Early in the
season, no wasps were to be found, but I imagine come warmer weather
they would be in the mud in droves.
Fun hike though.

Name: Tim Marshall
Hike:
BFT
(total loop - 42 miles)
Date: numerous dates in the past
Rating: 5
Critique: I have hiked this trail numerous times in the past,
going back 12 years. My backpacking bud, Jeff, and I have not been
back for several years but are planning a return trip this spring.
We have hiked this trail both fast and slow taking as many as 5 days
to do the entire loop. The slower pace has allowed for a good deal
of exploring trailess areas and spending maximum time at prime
vistas. We would recommend the Hemlock mountain overlook area for a
vista campsite. Great morning sunshine for those "cold" AM hours. I
agree about the numerous climbs...they are challenging but do not
fail to reward with great vistas. You need to make certain that you
are in relatively good shape, however. Rattlesnakes have proven to
be regular residents of the rock outcrops and upper flat areas. If
you take a dog, just keep this in mind.

Name: Keith Robertson
Hike:
Cat Rock Circuit
Date: 3/21/10
Rating: 4
Critique: A friend and I recently hiked this trail. We did not
do the entire loop as described, instead opting to start at the
trailhead for the yellow-blazed trail at the parking lot on Rt.
77 for an in-and-out of 7.5 miles. The first mile or so was
fairly strenuous until just past the power line cut, right
before Cat Rock. The rest of the trail leading to Bob's Hill
mostly follows the ridgeline, and was easy. Cat Rock is a great
little scramble with decent views, and the views looking south
from Bob's Hill were excellent (from the north overlook, not so
much.)
We also found several dead trees that had very recent signs of a
bear clawing them apart to look for insects. We didn't see the
bear(s), but I'd recommend that anyone else who goes out there
to keep an eye out.

Name: Moonshine
Hike:
Jones Mountain-Staunton River Loop
03/21 - 22/2010
Rating: 5
Critique: Did it as an easy BP, starting from the parking at the
end of Rt 622, visiting Camp Hoover and camping on Hazel Top.
Staunton River valley is beautiful and not popular yet. All the
visitors were within 2 mi from the park boundary.

Name: PP
Hike:
Iron Horse Trail
Date: 03/20/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: We started at near the Epy's cemetery and hiked to Big
Springs and back, near Epy's there were a lot of downed trees
and it was sloppy wet but otherwise the trail is well marked, we
did lose the blazes in Big Springs when we had to cross the
road, also watch close in the clear cut area where it leaves the
logging road. We had a great day and a good hike. We are looking
forward to logging more miles in the Tuscarora State Forest
area.

Name: Dustin
Hike:
Gambrill State Park
Date: Almost
Every Weekend in summer Rating: 4
Critique: We live nearby to Gambril and try to hike the trials
every weekend. It is especially beautiful after a fresh
snowfall. There is a lot of active wildlife along white trail
and you can often see a group of deer. We have hiked every trail
except for Yellow and found that we enjoy Green the most and Red
the least. Red has too many overgrown bushes so you are
constantly trying to get out of them and not being able to enjoy
the view. We suggest parking at the lower level gravel lot and
work your way up the mountain to the overlooks. The trails are
typically not very busy year round.

Name: Bill (aka
Juanvaldz)
Hike:
White Oak Canyon/ Cedar Run
Date: 1/30/2010
Rating: 4
Critique: This was the first winter hike for the "Stanley Adventure
Hiking Team"
Conditions at the White Oak Canyon Trail head parking lot: 12
degrees, 3 inches of fresh snow. Wind: none (thankfully)
White Oak canyon is pretty consistent uphill trek. The conditions
made it MUCH less than ideal. The snow and ice cover required every
step to be planned in the rough areas. The falls in the winter are a
site to see. Ice covering everywhere the water was splashing,
freezing things in place.
We took a
lunch break near upper falls where the bridge crosses the stream
(Robinson River) Caution, there are two trails at this point, The
White Oak Canyon trail, and the White Oak Fire Road. The published
White Oak Canyon-Cedar Run hike requires you to take the left at
this intersection onto the fire road. (Don't ask us how we know
this, we wont tell) The fire road is wide and much better suited for
a winter hike than the rocky trail. You continue to gain elevation
until you come within view on Skyline drive, where you turn south
onto the Cedar Run trail.
At the 5
hour mark we start the downhill leg of the hike. At times the trail
is VERY narrow and in the winter conditions, trekking poles are a
must. A number of times, the poles were the only thing that stopped
a slide in to the icy waters of Cedar Run. Its surprising how few
pictures you take when you are worried about taking an unwanted
winter swim. To say it was adventure coming down is an
understatement. There are two stream crossings, and you study every
step you are going to take, because mistakes here are unforgiving.
We averaged
1.1 mph for the entire hike with rest breaks and lunch. Could we
have done it faster, sure, but safety was more of a concern, rather
than speed.
I cant wait
to take this hike again in the spring. Would I do it again in the
winter??? I think so, but my brain may have frozen a little too!

Name: Moonshine
Hike:
Rocky Knob-Quarry Gap
Date: 1/23/2010
Rating: 5
Critique: The trails are freshly blazed, well-maintained and easy. The
right fork of Rocky Knob Tr has very good views and provides opportunity
to climb the knob. On the last stretch we turned left from AT on Hosack
Run Tr. Will definitely visit this area in summer.

Name: Dave
Hike:
Bull Run Mountain Conservancy
Date: 1-20-2010
Rating: 5
Critique: A very nice, moderate, short hike. The old historic sites are
really interesting and worth seeing, and the trip up to High Point is
the highlight of this hike. I would advise skipping the out and back
section of the quarry trail, the trail is really quite hard to follow
and there isn't much there. However, if you like looking at old
foundational ruins the author is correct that there are some ruins
further north up the stream on the West side, though again the trail is
very hard to follow.
The trail marking system in the conservancy was really disappointing.
Most all of the old blazes are worn away, so in some of the parts of the
system where the trail is hard to follow you're not exactly sure if
you're still on the right trail. Definitely bring the park map with you
on the hike-it labels all of the intersections with the numbers that the
conservancy uses on the trails. There should be one at the main kiosk,
but if not you can get on here:
http://www.brmconservancy.org/trail_map.html.
Overall a good hike that I would recommend for a a fun afternoon.

Name: Steve
(hikingff77)
Hike:
Old Loggers Path
Date: 12/05-12/06/09
Rating: 5
Critique: We started out at the SGL gate just north of Masten on
Ellentown Road and hiking counterclockwise on the OLP. Very beautiful
area with lots of water in the creeks and streams. For the most part I
felt as though we were hiking downhill on a nice grade. The trail was
wide for the most part and it did have plenty of boggy and muddy
sections. Saw a few hunters and there was another group backpacking,
never saw them on the trail, just at the TH. Lots of downed trees in the
woods and some blowdowns across the trail. Nothing we couldn't navigate.
Got cold, 15* at one point in the night. Thank god for down.
We hiked out to the Jeep road and then took that to the Ellentown Road
and road walked it back to the car. The road walking sucked but it was
snow covered and the only way we could make a loop out of it for the
short time we had.
All in all an awesome place. We'll def. go back in the summer to play in
the creeks.

Name: Susan Neill
Hike:
Billy Goat Trails A&B
Date: 11/21/09
Rating: 3
Critique: I have to give BGT-A a 3 because of the high volume of
human traffic. I like peace and solitude on my hikes (too much to
ask for so close to D.C.), and the endless parade of boy scouts, cub
scouts and hiking clubs made this a noisy hike, to say the least.
The trail itself is an exciting one, and Mike is right: hikers with
balance problems - of whom I am one - should come prepared. It's
full of places that require hopping from one narrow boulder ledge to
another, and several deep, water-filled potholes that must be gotten
around along ledges. I went up the cliff, which seemed easier than
going down (to begin the hike so you'll approach the rock face from
its base rather than summit, begin the hike at the trail head
closest to the Park's entrance). It is a rather shear rock face, but
foot holds are fairly easy.
The next time I hike the BGT-A will have to be on a weekday.

Name: Chris
Hike:
Bull Run Mountain Conservancy
Date: 11-19-09
Rating: 5
Critique: Hike in, cross the tracks, follow mountain road trail,
(across wooed walkway) turn left at marker one and parallel the
tracks, you will see the ice house, (Cemetery on right marked by box
on park map) the bottom of the trench, the mill and the old house.
Follow trail to the marker 4. You will see the old home site and
secondary mill site. Follow fern hollow trail to marker 9, turn
left, follow ridge trail. You will see summit points on the left. At
the end is a fence barricade showing the park boundary, turn right
and follow down. At marker 13, turn right. At marker 10, left turn.
At marker 11, turn right on to damsons trail. On Dawson's, old home
site on right (its an old "clearing" you will miss it if you arent
diligent) and the trail to the Dawson graveyard on left. VERY OLD.
Follow Dawson to the intersection with markers 6 and seven. You can
come back in on alternate trail or the mountain trail. (We smelled
bear while on the mountain road trail on our afternoon hike as the
sun went down!) Both are nice ends, alternate will rise back up,
mountain road steadily declines. Cant tell you the distance but is a
good hike. I'll hike with a pedometer and get back to you. I hiked
it with my nine year old son in 2 hours. This is a nice historical
hike and a nice stretch of the legs with views thrown in.
DOWNSIDE-city folk bringing in dogs when they shouldn't.

Name: Wayne Reno
Hike:
Mason - Dixon Trail/Otter Creek Loop
Date: 11/21/2009
Rating: 4.0
Critique: I really enjoyed this hike having never been to the Urey
Overlook before or the upper portion of Otter Creek from the
bushwhack section on down.
I did have a problem finding the path on the red, Otter Creek Trail
where the blazes seemed to disappear on the East side shortly after
the Mason-Dixon trail ascends from the creek up to 425 (this is not
the route recommended in this hike but serves as a reference point).
I continued downstream past the stone foundation of an old cabin and
found a red blaze. I continued to the sharp right turn in the creek
approximately here.
39.884136°, -76.385277°
At the creek edge there's no apparent trail or red blazes. I
bushwhacked along the creek for awhile and then ascended the steep
hill on the left without finding any red blazes. Instead of
bushwhacking back to the campground, I continued over the ridge and
down to reconnect with the blue blazes of the MDT.
Questions: While following the red Otter Creek trail on the map, was
I on the correct side of the creek (East) and did I just miss the
red trail by staying by the creek to the sharp bend?
M.R.Hyker's note: You need to ford
the stream and bushwhack down the south-west bank.

Name: GaliWalker
Hike:
North Fork Mountain
Date: 10/11 and 11/21/2009
Rating: 4
Critique:
An early start from Pittsburgh had me at the north trailhead by first
light. It was pretty gloomy, but just bright enough to notice that the
trees were clad in full fall finery. 50yds into the hike and a beautiful
stand of trees stalled forward progress almost before I even got
started.
After regaining focus I headed upward on a consistent, but relatively
gentle slope. The light improved steadily and I knew that it was going
to be a glorious day. Not much happened until I crested the ridge. The
views were quite spectacular. Fog still hung in the valley below thought
it was burning away quite quickly. Shadows nestled in the various folds
of Shroud Ridge, across the Potomac River valley. It was all quite
peaceful.
Well not completely peaceful: a goodly amount of elevation gain still
remained. Thankfully though, it was all in the open now, and I didn't
even notice the climb up to Chimney Top. I had initially thought that Id
travel further along the ridge, but my camera developed various issues,
so I decided that enough was enough and headed back down.
Stats (round-trip): 5.7mi, 2000ft (cumulative) gain:
Photos
---
North Fork Mountain: Landis Trail North Fork (Nov 21, 2009)
A month earlier I had been stymied by camera problems and had had to cut
my hike along North Fork Mountains ridge crest short. It was time for a
return. Another early start (3:30am from the house) had me at the Landis
Trail trailhead and on my way by 7:30am.
I was immediately struck by the change in scenery: it seemed that fall
had moved its magic from the trees to the ground. Leaves, leaves and
more leaves. The trail was thick with crunchy goodness, at times ankle
deep. In no time at all I was rolling around on the ground taking
photos. Chestnut and Red Oak leaves, intermixed with beech (I believe)
created pretty patterns and color contrasts. Quite heavenly.
I reached the ridge crest and decided to head south since Chimney Rocks,
which I had visited earlier, were just north of me. One spectacularly
craggy viewpoint after another made an appearance (though none quite as
nice as Chimney Top). Eventually, I reached the 3653ft North Fork
high-point, where I turned around.
Stats (round-trip): 7.5mi, 2000ft (cumulative) gain:
Photos

Name: Bob
Hike:
Middle Creek WMA
Date: 11/17/09
Rating: 2.5
Critique: I did this hike on a beautiful Tuesday in November, and
followed the directions as outlined in the trail notes. The visitor
center was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday morning. It's an interesting
layout, with a wall of windows looking out over the lake and binoculars
provided for bird watching. However, the water is presently contaminated
with E Coli, so bring your own drinking water.
Conservation Trail is nice low-key start to this trek. At one point I
stopped along a low stone wall and could see 5 or 6 very active
woodpeckers. The direction in the trail notes to head off trail at 0.70
miles was difficult to assess without GPS. I figured out (later) that
this was the first of two left-pointing trail markers on posts. The
other side of the post had a "hiking trail" sign. If you get to the
second, and can see the picnic tables, just go straight to the road,
turn right, and right again at the intersection, rejoining the gravel
road in the trail notes to Game Lands #46.
Elder's Run trail is basically a gradual descent on a road, but the
spring house and foundation with chimney are interesting. The Middle
Creek Trail is an almost straight gradual ascent, but with a few
ankle-breakers, just as the trail notes say. The creek is very scenic,
however.
After ascending up the Horseshoe Trail, when it turns right, follow the
large yellow circles to the left on a connecter to the white blazed
Millstone Trail. Go right on the Millstone Trail, because the scenic
overlook is not to be missed!
I really enjoyed the Horseshoe Trail sections, the Millstone Trail, and
the Valley View Trail for their general remoteness and overall "trail"
feel. The other sections were a little developed for my tastes, feeling
more like a "nature walk," paralleling roads, or on roads, with a fair
amount of traffic. My overall rating is based on the fact that the
directions do an excellent job of putting together a scenic hike of
reasonable distance without a lot of backtracking, but it takes a fair
amount of road walking to piece the trails together, largely because the
trails are limited by their geographic location.

Name: Matt Swenson
Hike:
Mount Rogers Backpack
Date: October 24th and 25th 2009
Rating: 5
Critique: I did most of this hike a few weeks ago. The first day was a
let down because we had less than one hundred feet of visibility. The
second day was great though. The clouds and fog lifted, and we had great
views. We almost missed the highest point though because we summited
before sunrise. While we were waiting for the sun to come up, we thought
that we were at the peak because we saw the marker on the rock in the
opening. However, after a few minutes, we noticed another marker, off to
the right of the opening, in the woods, on a rock that was a few feet
taller than the one in the opening. Luckily we found it, because a 6
hour drive to NOT hit the high point, would've been a real bummer.
Definitely an awesome hike though.

Name: Jim Leo
Hike:
Otter Creek Backpack
Date: 10/25-26/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Mike, Thanks so much for providing the trail
descriptions and waypoints. The GPS really does make wilderness
hiking a more carefree adventure. Our trek was Mylius to
Shavers, Green Mnt, Possession Camp, Otter Creek and back to
Mylius. Camped at the intersection of Green Mnt. And Possession
Camp, nice camps sites here. Dropped to the low 20's. First time
for me in about 12 years and first time for my girlfriend. I
would highly recommend not reading " A Walk in the Woods" (Bill
Bryson) while out on the trail. She was up half the night scared
out of her wits and of course everything was fine. It's a
comedic but true slant on wilderness experiences. Possession
Camp is the most beautiful trail, lots of Hemlock and
rhododendron along most of the trail and little tributaries and
springs along the way. The section of Otter Creek is equally
beautiful. Some of the best camp sites are right along the the
Otter creek trail just after the intersection of Possession
Camp, Moore Run and Otter Creek. I hope she'll try it again.
You're doing great work, Mike.

Name: The Tick
Hike:
Duncan Knob/ Strickler Knob
Date: 10/25/09
Rating: 4
Critique: This was a very nice hike. Started the hike at about
11:30 and headed up the Scothorn Trail which is more steep than
is to be expected as soon as you get out of the car. After
stretching the legs on the uphill for a few minutes, it became
much easier. Got to the intersection of the Massanutten trail
and took that to the intersection of the Strickler Knob trail
and Massanutten trail. Went to Strickler Knob which was the
highlight of the trip and well worth the 1.5 miles out to the
knob and back. Spent some time out on the knob which was a lot
of fun and not to be missed. Hiked over to Duncan knob next and
climbed to the top for some great views. Could sit up on either
of the two rocky outcroppings for a long time but it was getting
late in the day. The trails between the rocks get a 3/4 rating
but the rocks make this trip worth the effort. Would do again
and I wonder how I missed this trail for so long.

Chris H.
Hike:
Ketchum Run-Scar Run Circuit
10/24/2009
Rating:
My buddy and I
just did the Ketchum Run hike this weekend right after the rain
had stopped. Those smaller streams turned into raging rivers.
Compare the pictures that I send to you with the ones on your
website. It was soggy and very awesome to see those raging
rivers. Ketchum Run was unreal. The stream crossing after you
make a left from the yellow-blue ski trail was basically
impassable. We did the bushwhack there instead and eventually
met up with the Loyalsock trail where it comes in from the left.
The pic of this stream crossing is the small drainage just
before the 2 campsites before Lee's Falls. The red x trail that
goes below Lee's falls was definitely impassable. We enjoyed the
hike and I absolutely love your website. it is such a great
resource for getting ideas of where to go for trips as that is
the hardest part of getting a trip started.
 
Check out this movie file of Lees Falls gone wild.

Name: Dave Barry
Hike:
Roaring Plains Circuit
Date: 1010/09
Rating: 2
Critique: The Canyon Rim Trail could be a great experience. However, we
missed a least three trail junctions (tee pee in particular) and were in
a somewhat dangerous position for half a day because of it. The trip
ended late with a trip leader with a wrenched knee and gashes on his
face (from a fall) and two participants who would not try it again. The
poor trail documentation and rugged terrain are a dangerous combination.
Big Suggestion for the all trail descriptions - give compass headings
and distances. For instance, the instruction for finding the tee pee
trail is something like "starts behind the campsite a short distance
into the laurel thicket". A much more effective description would be
something like "about 150 yards NW (300 degrees) of the fire ring". By
the way the thicket is actually small pine trees.
We greatly appreciate the huge effort involved in MidAtlantic and the
wonderful hikes it documents. The GPS tracks will be increasingly useful
as more of us obtain that equipment.

Name: Paul Fofonoff
Hike:
Roaring Plains Circuit
Date: 10/10-11/2009
Rating: 5
Critique: I led a trip to Roaring Plains for the DC Chapter of the
Appalachian Mountain Club on Columbus Day Weekend. It turned out to be
the most spectacular but also the most strenuous hiking that I've done
in Mid-Atlantic region, comparable in roughness and dramatic views to
some of the roughest trails in New England, and except in altitude, to
some of the rougher trails in the West. We followed Mike's route up to
the Tee Pee Trail, which we hunted for but could find no trace. We
considered a bushwhack, but instead continued rockwhacking along the
Canyon Rim, following the cairns through a seemingly endless boulder
field. Throughout the route, we had to stop periodically to look for
paths or cairns. We were lucky to have good weather for most of the
trip, as clouds lifted on Saturday afternoon, but rocks and leaves
remained slippery, especially on the Boars Nest Trail (the 'Sliding
Board'). This is one of those trips where you tell yourself 'Never
Again' the day after, and then start thinking about returning as the
aches and scratches start to heal, when you look at memories and
pictures. Mike, thanks, for getting us out there!

Name: Mike from
Richmond
Hike:
St. Mary's Wilderness
Date: 10-10-2009
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Thanks an awful lot for the trail notes -- they were indeed
quite helpful. We just did an out and back to St. Mary's Falls, and it
was fantastic. We were very fortunate to have caught the leaves close to
their height of color and just wished it had been a drop warmer so we
could've done some swimming!
Two notes: 1) On the way to the falls, there's a fork in the road about
3/5ths of the way there that unnecessarily confused us. To the right,
the path goes up a hill into a weird looking field; to the left is a
path continues into the woods. It's easiest to bear to the left
(although on the way back you can cut across the field and you'll figure
out where you are). 2) If you go to the Falls for this out-and-back,
it's downhill almost the entire way there, and respectively, uphill
almost the entire way back. Budget your energy and time accordingly!

Name: Travis Martin
Hike:
AT/Mau-Har Loop
Date: 10-13-09
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Started at six thirty as the sun was coming up.
The first several miles were easy and the up-hills weren't
too steep. Saw a huge pile of fresh bear pooh which had me a
little bit on edge. The long descent down Three Ridges is
when it started to get a little bit tough, because the trail
is made up mostly of sharp, uneven rocks and roots. Hardly a
single footfall is on flat ground, so its crucial to have
boots that can take a beating.
Stopped for a brief rest at Harpers Creek shelter. The creek
was almost completely dry but it looked like a good place to
camp if you are backpacking.
Starting up the Mau-Har trail started to get really tiring
and this was the rockiest stretch, as well as steepest as
you climb out of the Creek. The leaves are turning up there
right now so that made for some great scenery. The final 3
miles were a killer on my feet and knees but I made it back
to the car at 3:30, 8 hours after i started. way faster than
I expected but I didn't make any extra long stops. I was
going mighty slow for the last mile though. I was pretty
beat. This isn't a trail for people who are out of shape or
ill equipped.

Name: The
Tick
Hike:
Trayfoot Mt/Paine Run Loop
Date: 10/10/09
Rating: 4
Critique: This is a good hike. Took us about 5 hours to complete but
we took it slow enjoying the scenery. Beginning sections were a
little steep but over relatively quick. Spent some time at Blackrock
and scrambled up the short distance to the top. Very fun. An overall
fun hike, and once up on the ridge, not a whole lot of energy
expenditure until the end. The rock formations were great
throughout. Saw a bear at the end of the hike but it ran away very
quickly. Mt Paine was a little slow as it was a sort of fire road
type trail but did not look like it was used for that purpose in a
long time. I would recommend this hike.

Name: The Tick
Hike:
Rockytop- Big Run Loop
Date: 10/11/09
Rating: 5
Critique: This is a great hike that I have avoided for a long time
since it was so far south in the park. I was a little apprehensive
at first doing this hike as it is stated that you must be in great
condition and I am in slightly less than ideal shape. Started out
the hike at about 9:30 and it initially starts up a fairly steep
incline. This continued for a short period and in the beginning it
feels like we were coming to trail junctions pretty frequently. We
started up the mountain and although the grade was steep it was not
overwhelming. When we got to the top of Rockytop we sat on one of
many large rockslides and enjoyed the view. Continued on to Big Run
where the decent was very rocky and lots of loose footing. When we
got to the bottom, we got to ford Big Run several times and where
there were many 6 inch trout in one of the pools. Continued back to
the car and ended the hike on a fairly steep grade but thankfully it
was over shortly. Great hike, definitely long but we finished at
4:00 so we never faced impending darkness. Would do again. Great
hike.

Name: Jay
Hike:
Cranberry Wilderness
Date: 09/03/09-09/07/09
Rating: 3.5
Critique: First, great site. Lots of good info here.
My 10 year old son and myself did the Cranberry Wilderness loop as
described here. Positives:If you like solitude, this is your hike.
We never saw another person EXCEPT at the shelter at the forks of
the rivers. Also saw workers coming into the Liming station but I
won't count them either. Saw signs of bear, heard a couple of birds
and rousted some grouse but that was it. Wildlife must not like it
here either. There are some really nice camp sites along the trails.
Pretty easy hike all the way around. We really liked walking through
the pine areas with moss- covered rocks and vegetation everywhere.
Seemed surreal at times. Negatives: Trail maintenance is awful. But
that's why most of us hike, is the challenge. There was a lot of
overgrowth, wading through waist- high weeds, trees, etc. Some of
the trails needed cleared as some places were difficult to get
around, especially when we were going downhill. And if you were not
experienced in back- country trails, there were several areas where
it be easy to get lost. Blazes would be a very good idea.
Reasoning for the
3.5 rating is maintenance and markings. I try to look at this is if
I was going to recommend it to people. My 10 year old is a strong
hiker and he even complained at times. On the other hand, I loved
the solitude and am not sure I want more people coming here. Former
mountaineer living in NC now. Coming here brings back a lot of
memories. Will be back for the other hike soon enough.
M.R.Hyker Note: Read the government
definition of "Wilderness"
here.

Name: Joe Gilvary
Hike:
Pond Run-White Rocks Loop
Date: 10/04/ 2009
Rating: 5
Critique: This is a great hike, for exercise, for solitude, and for
the views. There aren't as many stops to view the valleys as there
are on some other hikes in GWNF, but these were well worth the
effort it took to reach them.
I have two quibbles with the description. The first is really with
the google maps directions. They indicated that I should "stay to
the right" to continue on Waites Run Road. There's nothing there to
confuse a driver. It's better to follow the directions as stated in
the PDF from this site, just drive 6.5 miles up Waites Run Road.
The other issue is an update on the White Rocks Spur Trail. This
trail would be difficult to miss now, as the intersection with
Tuscarora is obvious when a hiker reaches it. The description here
led me to believe that I would find it by searching for a sign on
the right near the start of the "slight decline" in Tuscarora. I
ended up patrolling a downhill portion of Tuscarora several times,
strolling into the trees to look for the sign wherever I thought I
might be seeing a somewhat overgrown trail before I gave up in
dwindling daylight.
After I walked easily some tenths of a mile, I found the
white-blazed trail on the right and still had enough time to walk to
the overlook.
The views of the mountains on this hike are gorgeous. I had a great
day, mostly sunny with temperatures around 60° F.

Name: Darlene
Hike:
Little Devil Stairs
Date: 9-15-09
Rating: 4
Critique: We started our hike from the boundary off of 614 which is
better because you can go up Little Devil Stairs in the beginning
and have a mostly downhill hike coming back. We did the Piney Branch
Trail semi-circuit, so we didn't have to walk as far down the fire
road which can be a little boring. We saw a mama bear and cub, a few
chipmunks and lots of spider webs and only saw one person the 6
hours we were hiking. We accidentally added on an extra mile because
we took the Piney Branch trail in the wrong direction so had to hike
down again, so did a total of about 9 miles. This is definitely one
of my favorite hikes.

Name: Frank Green
Hike:
Ramsey's Draft
Date: 09/06/09
Rating: 4.5
Critique: This is a long but not particularly challenging hike
-- but a great one. The suggested route going up Ramsey's Draft
instead of down it on the return loop is a sensible one. Many
younger Hemlocks appear very healthy. A few of the giants may
still have some life near the top. A caution: there was a small
dead animal, squirrel or perhaps a young possum under the water
in Hiner Spring itself (within the small stone walls). It's hard
to imagine it fell in and drowned. I hope someone didn't do it
deliberately. I think the area at the junction of the Ramsey's
Draft and Shenandoah Mountain and Tearjacket trails is even
prettier than Hiner Spring -- and Shenandoah Mountain Trail is a
gentle joy.

Name: Sara Bird
Hike:
Roaring Plains Circuit
Date: 09/05-06/009
Rating: 5
Critique: Challenging, but well worth it. Spent the night just
northwest of the point. Map and trail descriptions were just
enough to keep us on trail for the most part. Internal sense of
direction didn't hurt, but clearly didn't help when getting lost
on Tee-Pee trail. Trail was marked with flags, but missed a
crucial right hand turn through some boggy area and ended up in
open but barely navigable field of heath thickets. Backtracked
saw the missed flag and were able to continue on out to Roaring
Plains trail with only minimal head scratching. Breaked for
sustenance and wit-gathering at the site of the old "teepee"
What's the backstory here? Anyone?
(M.R. Hyker Note: There is/was an old hunter's canvas tee-pee
standing back in the woods that you could see from the edge of
the small campsite in a thicket. I think it has fallen down
since I last hiked it.)
Thanks for the route and I know I'll do it again soon.

Name:
Marty Shobert
Hike:
Long Pond Backpack
Date: 9/4 - 5/2009
Rating: 4
Critique: Thanks for all of your effort with this website. It's
really a godsend for us "Weekend Warriors" in finding, planning
and executing 1-3 day excursions.
I started from the Ranger Station instead of 15 Mile Creek Rd.
and found a nifty little side trail off of Pine Lick Trail down
to 15 Mile Creek. Soon after leaving HQ, after crossing the
second wooden bridge, turn left on the well-marked trail where
the Pine Lick Trail T's and you'll quickly hit Long Pond Trail
and two of the nicest campsites of the whole trip. I decided to
hike all the way back the same day in order to camp at one! Big
deep pools for swimming, huge rock faces with flat rocks for
stretching out, clear sky view (full moon the night I was there)
and lots of firewood. What more could one ask for? Be sure to
note the intersection of the side trail and Long Pond Trail at
15 Mile Creek, as it's easy to miss on your return trip.
I also go to Dolly Sods, but this hike is a miniature version
with half the drive for me from Baltimore. Great hike...can't
wait to go again.

Name: Steve
Hike:
Old Rag
Date: 9/02/09
Rating: 5
Critique: I went on a cool late summer Wednesday arriving about
9 am at the secondary parking lot. I hoofed it from the parking
lot up to the trail head and set out on the blue trail.
I suggest you try parking at the main lot directly at the trail
head unless you want to add on an extra 2 miles to the loop. The
main lot by the trail head was packed even on a Wednesday
morning though.
Normally when I go hiking during the week I don't run into
anyone else. In this case, I bumped into a young couple several
times during the climb and we stopped at some of the same places
to take in the views. During the rock scramble (which is awesome
and something I had never experienced) I passed a group of 3
people, 2 women and 1 man, about 50 years old. I think this can
be completed by anyone in reasonably good shape though it was
fairly difficult for an office dwelling "treadmill athlete" such
as myself.
The rock scramble is really like easy rock climbing in many
places (which is pretty hard actually) and is something you
can't experience too many places on Earth but especially the
East Coast of the U.S. There were multiple points along the
trail where I found it hard to believe that the trail actually
went where it did and I was dumbfounded that someone must have
been the first one through there and decided it was a good place
for a hiking trail!
The physical requirements aren't too steep but you should be
confident in your strength, balance, and ability to overcome any
fear of heights. It would certainly be possible to fall and be
seriously injured while doing the rock scramble

Name: Jason
Hike:
Dolly Sods Circumnavigation Mod1
Date: 8/21/09-8/23/09
Rating: 4.5
Critique: First, thanks to Mike for this excellent website and for his
quick replies to my email inquiries. We intended to do the Dolly Sods
Circumnavigation Mod trip, but made a few changes to our itinerary due
to a late start on Friday (driving in from Michigan and Ohio). The two
changes were: 1) did not hike the Harman Trail/Blackbird Knob Trail
loop, and 2) used the Dobbin Grade Trail on our return versus Raven
Ridge Trail and the unofficial by-pass (wish we hadn't made this
decision).
We started from the Bear Rocks trailhead at 6:30pm on Friday and arrived
at the first campsite at the Red Creek crossing around 7:00pm. This was
an excellent campsite that holds maybe 4-5 tents right along Red Creek.
Nice fire pit as well, although we didn't have a fire (too wet, too
late). We did hear some wild dogs howling on the ridge around 4:00am,
but otherwise an uneventful night (not counting our bear bagging
experience, which is always eventful).
Day 2 started early with an incredible hike up Raven Ridge and along
Rocky Ridge. This is the highlight of the trip as far as views are
concerned. The trails were fairly flat with only a few short climbs. The
main challenge is the lack of signage in certain places, mud and bogs
and rocky sections. As mentioned, we bypassed the Harman/Blackbird loop
due to our late start on Day 1. Continuing south along the Rocky Ridge
Trail was incredible with several large rock formations and views.
At the kiosk at the intersection of the Breathed Mt Trail and Big
Stonecoal Trail, we missed a trail sign and simply headed to the right.
About 20 minutes later we realized we were on Public Road 80 and
back-tracked where we found the sign for Big Stonecoal Trail.
Rocky Point Trail certainly earns its nickname with at least a few miles
of some of the rockiest trails I have hiked. Also, there was some
confusion among our group and another group as to which route to the top
of Lions Head was the "best". We chose the second cairn, which led us up
a confusing and overgrown path, then to some nice rock scrambling to get
up top. We came down the same route. Lions Head was incredible and worth
the navigational effort.
We camped at The Forks. There are several campsites in this area, some
better than others. Make sure you walk around and up the trail to survey
all of the sites. We had actually decided to move on to Blackbird Knob
to camp and passed a nice site while hiking out of The Forks campsite.
It had room for several tents and was right along Red Creek. Two nights
sleeping with water in the background was perfect and I slept better
than I've ever slept while hiking. Day 2 was some of the best
backpacking I have experienced.
Day 3 was a short hike out, but not without some great mud bogs and
river crossings. The crossing of Red Creek at the intersection of Upper
Red Creek Trail and Dobbin Grade Trail was a nice rock hop. We chose to
hike the Dobbin Grade Trail instead of Raven Ridge. This turned out to
be a mistake as Dobbin Grade was very muddy with plenty of mud up to
your ankle moments. Given it was our last leg, we were happy to play in
the mud and clean up at the trailhead. The Raven Ridge Trail could be
seen higher up on our left as we mudded our way through.
Overall this was an awesome hike. One I would recommend to anyone who
has some experience in backpacking and reading a map. There are some
sections that are under-signed, however it certainly didn't detract from
the trip. I look forward to returning to the area.

Name: Cory Davis
Hike:
Difficult Run Loop
Date: 23 Aug 09
Rating: 4
Critique: Overall a great hike. My first hike in over a year and just
felt so great I didn't want to stop. The trail is in great condition and
the folks along the trail were very friendly. Just a note that the River
Trail now has "teal" colored blazes rather than blue. Thanks for the
great trail notes.

Name: Kevin
Hike:
Little Devil Stairs
Date: August 16, 2009
Rating: 4
Critique: A very nice hike! The directions to the start and the
description of the hike are very accurate. The beginning is tough but
enjoyable. I brought my two sons, Ryan-12 and Shane-9 and they had no
problem. They enjoyed the small waterfalls and pools. Lots of neat rock
formations. Saw many fat red centipedes and butterflies but no other
wildlife. We took the short way back on the fire road which they thought
was sort of boring. The oldest wished he had lugged a folding bicycle in
the backpack to ride down, which you could have done. You can also run
down if you pack running shoes. I am going to hike it again during rainy
season to see some faster running water.

Name: pat
Hike:
Morgan Run
Date: 8/08/09
Rating: 5 (-3)
Critique: The path leads through beautiful, heavily forested areas with
a few open spaces. Isolation takes on special meaning as during perfect
weather on Saturday, I walked alone - never seeing another hiker. Big
problem was staying on route after Poole Rd. Got lost and after more
than 2 hours, was rescued by knocking on a neighbor's door.

Name: Bob Parker
Hike:
Patterson Ridge-Big Run Portal
Date: 08/04/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Ran the hike starting at Doyles River Parking and skipping
Frazier Discovery by using the campground trail from the camp store. Met
a large bear near the Loft Mountain Camp store enjoying the local
berries. Patterson Ridge was a knee crunching descent with limited views
and occasional rough trail. The Big run portal was a nice hike, the
first campsite on the map was hard to locate and the second had been
marked no camping by the Park service
(M.R.Hyker Note: The campsite is about 30
yards downstream from that sign on the opposite side of the trail.).
The climb back out on Big Run Loop is much easier than expected with
good trail conditions.

Name: Kylena Cross
Hike:
Catoctin Mountain
Date: 7/25/09
Rating: 4.5
Critique: I have hiked Catoctin many times and have avoided hiking along
the stream/Rt 77 because of traffic issues. Otherwise it is a fantastic
place to hike. The hills aren't too bad in terms of steepness. However,
if you need to stop and catch your breath you can do it without someone
on your heels as long as you hike during the week or in the early
morning.
Always a caution at Catoctin is whether the president will be at Camp
David...if he is then some of the trails will be inaccessible. Check
before you go!

Name: Vern
Hike:
Kelly's Run - Pinnacle Overlook
Date: August 1, 2009
Rating: 4.5
Critique: I've been thinking about doing this hike for several weeks,
but avoided it, because I thought it might be a little too short. Well,
was I ever wrong. As Mike indicated, this one seems a lot longer then
the advertised 5.5 miles.
The only problem I ran into, was after crossing Kelly's Run at the
bridge. I'm not sure if I was right or wrong, but I followed an unblazed
trail along the railroad tracks, rather then continuing on Kelly's run.
Eventually, it turned up hill, and connected with the Conestoga Trail,
right at the underground utility line. From that point, it sure was a
fun climb to Pinnacle Overlook. The views along the way were
outstanding.
After lunch at the overlook, the hike along Kelly's Run was beautiful.
There were several pools of water that looked really inviting, since it
was in the high eighties and humid. By the time we arrived back at the
ball field, I was thoroughly worn out and thoroughly soaked.
It's easy to add a little distance to this one by continuing up the
Conestoga Trail after the overlook. I personally did not see any need to
do that and I had a real ball.

Name: Lydia
Hike:
Old Rag
Date: 7/19/09
Rating: 5
Critique: My partner, Kate, and I went out and hiked Old Rag in the
morning to beat the crowds. The last time I was there, there was a
bus full of boy scouts and we went up the back way and missed part
of the scramble. I love this hike and think the upper body and mind
challenges it gives in addition to the leg workout, is awesome. My
heart is full and I'm waiting till I can walk without a cane again
to return.

Name: Greg
Hike:
Kelly's Run to Covered Bridge on Conestoga Trail
Date: 7/18/09
Rating: 4
Critique: We sort of pieced 2 hikes together to make a long day hike
with some decent elevation gain. We started at Holtwood Recreation
Area and hiked down Kelly's Run, then proceeded on to the Pinnacle
then up the Conestoga Trail past the Wind Cave to the covered bridge
about 1.3 miles before Martic Forge, then turned around and hiked
back to the car. On the way back, we skipped the Tucquan Creek
detour, and also took the meadow walk Kelly's Run return trail
instead of back along the run itself (our feet were tired). We had
wanted to go all the way to Martic Forge, but it was getting late,
and we had a LONG way back to the car. By GPS, total hike was 21.1
miles, with 6,062 of elevation gain. A pretty good jaunt.
First of all, the little green pamphlet from PPL containing the map
to the Kelly's Run area really STINKS. Just about worthless.
Second, the Tacquan Creek portion of the trip is a bit confusing, as
there are blue blazes on both sides of the creek so we were left
wondering which ones we should follow. Eventually, I figured out
that they both led the same place, but it slowed us down
considerably.
The Conestoga Trail for the most part is blazed pretty well;
however, there was one part near the Tacquan Creek area where a
blaze indicating a change of direction was nearly impossible to see
because the tree it was on was leaning in the direction you were
coming from. We missed it, and ended up taking a .25 mile detour
before we turned around. Then we wandered back and forth trying to
find the orange blazes again, before my hiking partner finally
noticed the blaze on the leaning tree. Kind of a pain.
We weren't the only ones complaining about the blazing either -- we
met 4 others groups (including a nice couple who did an AT thru hike
last year) who were having issues following the balzes.
All in all, a decent day, but some of the trail marking is a bit
suspect. Coupled with the fact that there aren't any good maps of
the area makes this one a bit of a challenge.
However, the hike we did does have some good elevation change, so if
you're looking for a good strenuous hike close to Philly, this one
is pretty good. Nothing else I have done within a 2 hour ride of
Philly comes close.

Name: trail-god
Hike:
Chuck Keiper Trail-East
Date: 10/08
Rating: 5
Critique: great trail but hard. many great views. Good experience.

Name: Vern
Hike:
Mason - Dixon Shuttle
Date: July 13, 2009
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Hard to imagine that no one has reviewed this hike. I had
a fantastic day there yesterday. The weather was as good as it gets
in July. It was around 75, and not a cloud in the sky. I did this
one as an out and back, since I was by myself. It was definitely a
full day of excellent hiking with sore muscles as a welcome side
effect.
The only part of this hike that might be considered remotely boring,
is the short walk along River Road. Even here, you have outstanding
views of Holtwood Dam and Lake Aldred. I had lunch lakeside, with a
beautiful view. The walks along Mill and Oakland Runs were
outstanding. Mill Run had a particularly nice waterfall. Between the
two streams, there was a good-sized hill which had some freshly cut
switchbacks and two excellent overlooks. Even with the switchbacks,
this hill was a real lung capacity test.
The M-DT is well marked in this section, and it is just "rough"
enough to make it really interesting. I saw loads of deer, and a
couple of copperheads. Only came across two other groups during the
entire hike. This one is going on the "do again" list without a
doubt.

Name: José Calvo
Hike:
Old Rag
Date: 7/6/09
Rating: 4
Old
rag is an old favorite and I recently re-did the hike - it did not
disappoint. I would highly recommend getting there early OR LATE to
avoid the crunch in the upper parking lot. That might be the one
downside - the hike is so popular that you're unlikely to have your
own space or silence for long. The plus is lots of friendly faces or
commiseration if you're into that sort of thing.
Old rag remains unique for combining a difficult hike with some very
unusual rock formations that require scrabbling and even upper body
strength to lob your limbs up cracks and across a sheer cliff-like
face here and there. I would not do this hike alone unless you are
able to lift your body weight on your hands & arms (think push ups
or better yet "dips)." The rocks make this a really fun hike.
In the summer most of this hike is in the shade, but of course the
top 1/4 mile or so will expose you to a lot of sun.
Great views along the way so if you need an excuse to stop and pant,
you'll get them.
Biggest downside might be how long that fire road seems at the end.
It's easy to do, but by the time you get to it realizing you have
over 2 miles to go, and go, and go is just painfully dull.
J
PS
thank you for the fantastic web site - I've been neglecting hiking
for many months, but your site (still bookmarked in my browser)
makes it really easy to scope out the old haunts.

Name: José Calvo
Hike:
Old Rag
Date: 7/6/09
Rating: 5
Critique: Hey! Hey!! HEY!!! This isn't really a critique so much as
an alert - your driving directions are wrong! The google maps link
works fine, but if you follow the route it sends you on you cannot
get to old rag at all. In fact, it's been wrong so long that some
VERY NICE PERSON put up their own homemade wooden sign at the turn
that says "Google maps is wrong!" and gives directions that will get
you to old rag.
So - yes loved the hike as everyone does, done it many times, but
please update your site to give directions NOT GOOGLE MAPS :)
Thank you!
MRHyker Note: More
detailed directions are in the Trail Notes. A suggestion to use them
are now noted after the Google Map Directions.

Name: Josh
Hike:
Little Devil's Staircase
Date: 7/5/09
Rating: 5
Critique: This is my absolute favorite hike in Shenandoah National
Park. Though you don't get the views that Old Rag or Hawksbill
Summit offer, you get an enjoyable hike, a bit strenuous at times,
with an active stream. The pools of water are populated by several
species of salamanders, frogs and snakes, so enjoy looking under
rocks. You will likely pass other hikers on the trail, but it will
be quiet for the majority of your time. Wear sturdy shoes, as the
rocks on the 'Devil's Staircase' are often slippery/slimy from the
stream and can result in tumbles. My six and eight year-old
completed the hike today (5.4 miles), so take your kids!

Name: C Griffin
Hike:
Dolly Sods Wilderness
Date: 06/27/09
Rating: 4.5
Critique: I extended the trail somewhat since we were going to
have 4 days there. We did Red creek - Little StoneCoal -
Dunkenbarger - Big StoneCoal - Blackbird Knob - Red Creek -
Rocky Point - Big StoneCoal - Red Creek. Hands down the most
diverse and beautiful scenery I have ever seen. The stream
crossing on Dunkenbarger looked more like a Botanical Garden
than wilderness! We camped there our first night. We found a
nice campsite in a pine forest north of the creek crossing on
BlackBird Knob. We put in a long day on day 3 to see Lion's Head
which did not disappoint. We spent the night on a nice open area
along the junction of Big Stonecoal and red creek our last
night.
Tips - Make sure you wear comfortable shoes/boots. The rocky
trails are no joke and can make the hike unpleasant if you are
not careful. There were signs of bears, make sure you are
prepared to hang your food, etc. Try to avoid filtering water on
the stream/creek at Blackbird Knob - the iron content is so high
that it pretty much ruined a brand new filter. I wouldn't bring
kids on this adventure, I have a 7 year old that I normally take
with me. Glad I didn't on this one, some of the trails are a
little to physically demanding I think.
The only reason I will not give it a 5 out of 5 at this point is
because I am sure there is a true 5 out there that I have not
been able to visit yet.
Thank you Mr. Hyker for all of the good info. It made navigation
very easy. I would recommend this trip to anyone and everyone
looking for a nice mixture of solitude and scenery!

Name: Steven
Powers
Hike:
Cat Rock Circuit
Date: 6/27/2009
Rating: 4
Critique: Definitely a great hike... Not Old Rag great... but
still great.
The only critique I have about this is that the first leg of the
hike (Fisherman's Path) is a little vague, hard to find, and not
an official maintained trail.
Better directions would be to simply follow the stream or the
road to the cat rock trail head.
The fisherman's path itself is overgrown in most areas and
impossible to follow.
Another problem I had in following these directions was that the
gravel path that was supposedly near the falls is no longer
there. Its all boardwalk now a days. If you do follow the only
existing gravel path you will end up at the lake... which is not
where your supposed to go.
Do watch out for snakes... I saw 3 (1 rattler) within the first
2 miles.

Name: Jimmy
Bair
Hike:
Dolly Sods circumnavigation Mod 1 (sort of)
Date: June 5-7, 2009
Rating: 4
Critique: My 12yo son and I set out to complete this walk the
first weekend after school let out for the summer. Little did I
know that the days leading up to our hike would bring heavy rain
to the sods. On Friday morning we drove up the fire road in
driving rain and fog. We delayed our hike until the afternoon
which was only slightly better with steady mist and visibility
of about 20 yards.
As we moved off the fire road we found the trail nearly
impassable about 200 yards in. after an hour detour around
several run-offs, we came upon the trail and followed it up the
ridge. The trail condition improved and we rambled on to the
intersection of Bear Rocks Trail and Dobbin Glade Trial.
We took a break since the rain and mist kind of stopped. We
could hear Red Creek off in the distace, but visibility hadn't
improved so we didn't know what lay ahead.
We found Red Creek to be rushing over its banks. The stepping
stones marking the trail lay 3 or 4 feet below the rushing
water. After checking up and down stream with no luck finding a
better ford, we decided to head down Dobbin Grade trail to see
what we would find.
Dobbin Grade trail was impassable about a quarter mile from Bear
Rocks Trail.
We decided to head back to Bear Rocks Trail, turn right head up
to the ridge and find a camp. We settled in and sacked out in
the fog.
The next morning we awoke to brilliant clear skies and perfect
temperatures. We headed down the trail to find Red creek
passable and set off for Rocky Ridge. the scenery and weather
were beautiful. After lunching at the rocks on the ridge we
decided to stay on the ridge for the evening. We made camp at a
very cool campsite below a giant boulder about five minute walk
before the trail takes you over the boulder hop. We spent the
rest of the day exploring the ridge. We hiked down to the
intersection with the Dobbin Grade Trail, then back to the ridge
for dinner.
Sunday morning dawned just as beautifully as Saturday. We took
our time backtracking over the last two days' hike and returned
to our car by 1pm.
This is a beautiful hike, and even though the weather thwarted
our attempt at circumnavigation, we had a wonderful time. We
will surely be back.
I found the trail conditions to be just what we expected. One
observation (criticism?) I have is the seemingly lack of
forethought to trail signage. I have no problem with the lack of
signs, (We wanted to go to the NF to practice our navigation)
but I don't understand why areas like the glades going up Raven
Ridge Trail where you can easily identify the trail from a half
mile away are heavily signed, but when going through Spruce
groves where you can't easily identify the correct trails aren't
signed at all.
Thanks to Mr. Hyker for the advice and a great website!]

Name: Strawman
Hike:
Hogback Mountain/Knob Mountain Loop
Date: 6/27/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Did the 10.3 mile loop version of this hike on a
beautiful June day. The hike was quite nice, with some great
overlook views. Also plenty of wildlife to watch, including a
rattlesnake sunning itself on the Keyser Fire Road, and a black
bear with her two cubs between Elkwallow and Matthews Arm. The
only downside of the trail was its frequent proximity to Skyline
Drive, and the associated noise. Overall a very nice hike that I
would do again.

Name: Brandon
Hike:
Grayson Highlands - 2
Date: 5/29/2009
Rating: 5
Critique: I did this the Friday after Memorial Day. I was
planning on making it a 2-3 day excursion earlier in the week,
but all it did was rain and I really didn't want to deal with
it. So Friday's forecast was non-rainy, so I did this simply as
a dayhike.
I did the route described, except I also hiked out to the top of
Mt. Rogers, and I did this counter-clockwise. So it was 15-16
miles. Thankfully the elevation change was never anything crazy
- I never needed to stop for a break, just for the many many
photo ops.
I'd say the most "boring" area was Little Wilson Creek
Wilderness - just a walk in the woods. Don't shortcut it though,
because north of it is Stone Mountain and the best
landscape/views of the hike.
Sadly the rhododendrons were still prepping when I was there, as
I didn't see any blooms. The ponies didn't disappoint though! On
this day, they were pretty much all around the Wilburn Ridge and
Thomas Knob shelter areas. I'm not sure how many hikes feature
the sounds of a hiker begging a pony to stop chewing on his
tent.

Name: Rob
Hike:
Old Rag Mountain
Date: 6-21-09
Rating: 5
Critique: I have lived in Wyoming, Colorado, and Idaho. While
this may not have the solitude of a hike into the southern
entrance of Yellowstone Park, it was one of the best hikes I
ever had east of the Mississippi.
I went by myself and got there at 1pm on a Sunday. This was a
perfect time and I was able to park in the upper lot.
The trail up to the scramble is a consistent incline and very
easy. The rock scramble was awesome and much more impressive in
person than described anywhere I have read.
However, I was not able to complete the circuit and I got rock
jammed at the minor summit. I spent 20 minutes trying to figure
out how to get through a crevice/fissure that was narrow, tight,
and slick on the sides. I tried over and over to put my back
against one side and use my feet to push up against the other
side to no avail. I was so pissed as I wanted to get to the top
badly. I did not run into anyone while struggling so I am not
sure if I was lost or what though the blue blazes were all over
the walls of this thing. So I turned around and went back.
Despite not summiting, I still enjoyed the trek!

Name: Jason
Hike:
Rocky Mount
Date: 6/17/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Definetly a strenous day hike but the two major climbs
are spaced out nicely, so you don't get too worn down. Hike to
the peak on Rocky Mount is the most strenous section, but views
from the cliffs at the top are great. If you parked at Two Mile
Overlook you can even see your car from one of the cliffs.
Hike down Rocky Mount into Gap Run is very non descript but the
Gap Run tributary is a nice reward. The tributary is an idyllic
oasis after coming down the rocky slopes of Rocky Mount. Trail
was muddy at times in the Gap Run area and while initial
crossing of Gap Run could result in some wet feet if the water
is high, other crossings you can almost jump over.
Stopped for lunch near Gap Run and had a black bear come up
within 25 feet of us. I'm not sure if it noticed us, if it did
it cleary was not interested.
Hiked this on a beautiful Friday and saw one other hiker the
whole day, so expect isolation, as this hike is only for those
looking for a hardy day hike. There are a couple nice camping
spots in the Gap Run area so this would make a nice short
backpack as well. One other thing, hike this is the direction
stated on the website. The hike up Rocky Mount the other way
seems brutally steep.

Name: Dave &
Tina
Hike:
Cold Mountain Loop
Date: 06-20-09
Rating: 4.5
Critique: This is a great hike. Not too hard not too easy. Great
views. The only thing is the whole accessibility issue. The
roads to get to the trail head are horrible especially if you
have a low car. Must enter/exit from the west end of Wiggins
Springs Road, else you will get stuck or on a dead end!!

Name: Matt Janes
Hike:
Kelly's Run-Pinnacle Overlook
Date: 6/19/09
Rating: 5
Critique: Awesome hike! The views of Lake Aldred and Kelly's Run
were great. I did this hike a day after some rain, which made the
hike up the Connestoga Tr., and crossing Kelly's Run, a little
precarious. My suggestion would be do this hike at least 2 or 3 days
after rain, so the rocks have time to dry. I managed it alright
regardless, but a less experienced person may have problems. The
only down point was the short stint on the Pinnacle Tr.; which was
very thorny as it mentions in the notes. Overall, I think this was
the most beautiful hike I've done this season!

Name:
Matt Janes
Hike:
Susquehanna State Park
Date: 6/6/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Great circuit. The info on the trail notes was very much
needed at some of the more confusing parts. The giant beech tree,
and oak tree were awesome! I took my time talking to people, and
taking pictures; and still completed this in about 5 hours. Thanks
for all the info!

Name: Mark
Hike:
Rohrbaugh Plains/Dolly Sods Shuttle
Date: 6/13-14/2009
Rating: 5
Critique: We made roughly the same hike as the other reviewer,
making this hike into a 2-day loop hike by camping at the un-named
overlook. This is great hike as an introduction to Dolly Sods and
backpacking, as we took my brother-in-law for his first trip out. I
think the climb up Fisher Spring wiped him out, but the view made up
for it. Plus we met some fellow campers at the Fisher Spring
trailhead and they gave us a lift back to my truck at the Blackbird
Knob trailhead. I didn't use the GPS on this one as we have hiked
almost all these trails before, so I was familiar with the
intersections. The overlook was spectacular as usual, we watched it
rain all around us Saturday evening but never felt a drop. The only
disappointment was I wish there was a trail connecting Fisher Spring
to Blackbird Knob on the east side of red creek so road hiking
wouldn't be necessary, but I guess getting a lift makes that easier.
After the hike we had another great pizza dinner at Sirianni's Cafe
in Davis.

Name: Vern
Hike:
Catoctin Mountain Loop
Date: 6/13/09
Rating: 4
Critique: I also did the 8.5 mile walk advertised on the NPS web site.
The route is basically the same, with the exception of the walk along
the stream and Route 77.
I set out early in the morning, and for a few hours, I had the park to
myself. Until I reached the trail that leads up to the falls, other
hikers were very few and far between. Basically, I ran into people at
each vista, and of course there was a mob scene at the falls.
Of all of the vistas, Hog Rock was the best view in my opinion. Chimney
Rocks had the most interesting rock formations. Be careful not to drop
your glasses at Wolf Rock. Some of those crevices are very deep. Lucky
mine ended up in one that was only two feet deep, but others looked like
they might be more then twenty feet.
This was a very pleasant hike, and the moderate rating is right on.
There are a very few areas that might be called strenuous, particularly
when the moss-covered rocks are wet. My guess is that this will be a
beautiful hike in the fall, when the leaves are changing colors.
Catoctin is a beautiful park and is well worth the trip.

Name: Anne
Hike:
Kelly's Run- Pinnacle Overlook
Date: 6/13/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Great hike!
Some areas were poorly blazed, which made things confusing, and the
cornfield is now filled with wheat, but it was certainly a fun day-hike.

Name: Susan Neill
Hike: Buck Hollow-Buck Ridge
Loop
Date: 6/13/09
Rating: 3.5
Critique: This is an interesting trail, but doesn't have as much variety
that I like, so I'm giving it a rating of 3.5. The descent into Buck
Hollow is a bit steep (though nothing like what's to come). The site is
humid/moist and there are lots of beautiful old tulip poplar and some
white oak, among many other hardwoods. The place had a tropical feel to
it. The day was not hot but very muggy and buggy, which obviously added
to the atmosphere. As I walked, I wished the trail got closer to the
run, which is close enough for pictures but a ways off until about mile
2.8, where the trail crosses a wide section of the stream. Human traffic
along the descent was a bit heavy for my liking.
The ascent up Buck Ridge: I'm really a novice hiker (I don't even have a
walking stick yet) and this was the most strenous trail I've been on.
There are terraced steps for about a third, which help. Eventually,
though, the steps end and the trail's surface becomes very rockier and
the slope steeper. I'm probably exaggerating but it felt like a 60
degree angle. The sloap does become more gradual but the trail goes up
and down until the end. The ridge is pretty (but no full views) and the
trail winds in and out of boulder fields among a lot of mt. laurel. In a
less rocky section, a bear crossed the trail behind me. The trail
eventually narrows a lot. Lots of berry shrubs along here; bear food
when they ripen.

Name: Mark
Hike:
Dolly Sods North BP
Date: 5/24-25/09
Rating: 5
Critique: This hike made me realize how out of shape I am coming
out of winter, but my burning legs couldn't dampen my spirits on
this beautiful hike. Absolutely outstanding. Dolly Sods is like
no other area in the Mid-Atlantic, and this hike really shows
it. The only disappointment was at Harmon Knob where we noticed
a larger than normal group of people and a bench. Upon walking
down to the overlook we found a road and trail just below;
somewhat disheartening after hiking in roughly 6 miles the hard
way. The campsite area was very nice, with 4 nice sites and
several other spots you could stay if it filled up. We will
definitely make this trip again.

Name: Ryan Culloty
Hike:
Catoctin Mountain Loop
Date: 6/6/2009
Rating: 4
Critique: I did the 8.5 mile hike starting at the visitor's
center and heading north on the trail in lieu of walking along
the road/stream. This is the map:
http://www.nps.gov/cato/planyourvisit/upload/8mileL.pdf
I found the hike to be strenuous at times and the trail somewhat
rocky, but a very enjoyable experience. Most of the vistas had
poor visibility due to trees blocking the view - I suggest
visiting in the winter after all the leaves have fallen.

Name: Peter
Hike:
Laurel Run - Falls Ridge
Date: 06/08/09
Rating: 4
Critique: After parking, Falls Run (little stream) is to the right
of the single family home located at the end of the road. There is a
trail to the left of the single family home which is not where you
want to go.
Beyond that, follow the provided directions and enjoy your outing.
If you plan to backpack and camp, the last water stop, that is easy
to access on the route, is just before the small pond (could be dry
in late summer?). It's a little spring next to the trail. We filled
up before the spring near the recommended break-point. After the
break the trail climbs away from Laurel Run to SR691.
Have fun, great hike.
Thanks Mike

Name: Garrett Socling
Hike:
Black Forest Trail - Southern Loop
Date: 6/6/09 - 6/7/09
Rating: 5
Critique: Enjoyed every portion of this hike. We did it in two days,
13 miles from parking to Little Slate Run on day one, 11 miles from
Little Slate Run back to the parking on day two.
The weather was perfect if just a tad warm at around 80'F down in
the valley bottom. Thankfully a little cooler up top!
Only wildlife we saw was two turkeys we scared out of trees at
various points, and one rattlesnake that we scared off the trail on
day two.
I took extensive photos to enhance the guide and the Black Forest
Trail - South description.
Photos can be viewed here.
The new management of The Waterville Tavern and the poor ambiance at
the Pine Creek Lodge chased us down into Jersey Shore. We highly
recommend The Tiadaghton Inn in Jersey Shore for good food, good
service and an excellent ambiance. They have two dining rooms and a
separated bar, so reservations are rarely necessary.

Name: Steve
Weber
Hike:
St. Mary's Wilderness
Date: 5/30-31, 2009
Rating: 4
Critique: The Rhodos and mountain laurel were in full bloom
making for a picturesque trip. Your trail notes and topo were a
huge help. The side trip to St. Mary's Falls made this a perfect
length for a weekend backpack. The group campsite you suggested
was fantastic. Day 2 with the road walk was less exciting than
the hike on Day 1, but someone or group must have cleaned up the
fire road, there was very little litter. Thanks again for all
you do, Mike.

Name: Reid
Hike:
BFT (total loop - 42 mile)
Date: 5/21/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Great hike, tough as nails though. The elevation
changes are no joke, and the steep inclines can be treacherous
with a full pack and will slow you down. Overall a great hike,
though, and the weather was perfect but for a sprinkle on the
third day in.
We did the whole loop over the Memorial Day weekend, in on
Thursday, May 21, and out on Monday, Memorial Day. Did the route
backwards from the prescribed route, and saw few hikers coming
the opposite direction, and had little trouble finding space at
the campsites.
WATCH OUT FOR RATTLESNAKES. We surprised at least two big
suckers right on the trail during the hike. Other than some wild
turkeys and the rattlesnakes, we did not encounter much wildlife
to speak of.
Only complaint: when we hiked out, we were all hankering for our
post-hike burgers and beers, and headed immediately for the
former Waterville Hotel (now the Waterville Tavern) that had
been suggested by many other hikers. We had nine campers in our
group, and they wouldn't push two tables together to accommodate
us, because "the owners don't want us to push tables together"
as the waitress told us. Needless to say, they lost our business
(well over $300) to the Pine Creek Lodge (I think is the name?)
down the street. DO NOT GO TO THE WATERVILLE TAVERN, as it seems
they don't care for hikers' business anymore. The Pine Creek
Lodge served us wonderfully, and all future hikers of the BFT
should take their business here instead of the Waterville
Tavern.

Name: Noah
Hike:
Ramsey's Draft
Date: 01/30-02/01 2009
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Went with a group of 5. Numerous camp sites right at
the head of the trail so driving up after work on Friday and
spending the night is very easily done. The draft was flowing
well but iced over in a lot of places. The numerous crossings
proved a little difficult in some places cause of the ice but we
managed. Camped at Hiner Spring. Lots of bear tracks, saw a few
deer. Hiked out the next day along with some very nice vistas,
but also very icy along the trail. Was a great hike, will be
back with my fly rod for some of those native wild brook trout I
saw crossing the draft.

Name: Keith
Lehman
Hike:
Big Schloss
Date: 5/17 - 5/18/09
Rating: 5
Critique: What a completely wonderful hike! Had a little trouble
finding my way in as FR92 isn't marked from the intersection
with 675. You'll know you made the right (left) turn if you come
to a relatively fresh logging clearcut on the left as you go up
the road.
The first section along Little Stony Creek trail was rather
muddy from the weeks of rain prior to my trip. I expect it would
be fine any other time and the mud wasn't deep and could be
avoided. There are no stream crossings so the high water wasn't
a problem.
The trail was beautiful with the creek views at first giving way
to blooming laurel as I ascended to the Sugar Knob cabin.
After the haul up to the ridge to Mill Mountain Trail the going
was pretty easy. The campsites really aren't that great until
you get to the one's near Sandstone Spring. They all looked
really nice. However, I wanted to camp on the ridge so I filled
up on water at the spring (necessary as there was no more water
even with the heavy rains).
The campsite at the overlook about a mile beyond the spring was
outstanding. The nearby cliff overlook gave me a great view of
the valley and the sunset. The winds were high but the campsite
is relatively protected so it wasn't bad at all. You could
probably squeeze two tents in at this site.
The views from Big Schloss are the best in the area. What a
marvelous place to relax for a nice lunch. There is a small
campsite at the peak but it may not be all that private as I met
a few day hikers even on Monday.
The hike back to the car from the peak was a little bit brutal
as it's fairly steep and the last half mile or so is in the sun
while walking on the road.
This is now one of the few hikes that I will definitely do again
and will use to hook my friends on backpacking. It's probably
the best hike within easy reach of DC.

Name: Vern
Hike:
Sugarloaf Mountain
Date: May 24, 2009
Rating: 3
Critique: This was a fun little hike. The only problem is that
it was over way too soon! There are a lot of good views, for
very little effort.
It was Memorial Day weekend, with temps in the eighties, so the
mountain was busy and full of families with young children.
There sure was a lot of noise going on at White Rocks, so we
only stayed long enough to choke our lunch down. Of course the
noise did not prevent us from getting some great photos.
Most of the trails are quite rocky, but all in all, they are
well maintained and well blazed. The views from each of the
vistas are outstanding.
Please note that a map or some other navigational aid is
necessary. The trails are a bit confusing, and I ran across one
person who was just plain lost. The trail description and map
provided here makes it easy.
Sugarloaf is worth the trip, I'm just not sure I would go out of
my way to repeat.

Name: Ian
Hike:
Morgan Run Loop
Date: 5/16/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Good hike and of good duration given the proximity to
suburbia. The trail description here is very accurate and makes
navigating the numerous intersections easy. Pretty stream
crossings and water views abound. The ferns and other
groundcover in the pine plantations is a verdant green in
spring. Had it been warmer we may have enjoyed the swimming
hole; our dog certainly did!
Two minor downsides: Ticks. There are numerous grassy areas. We
easily picked up 6 or more per person on this one and our dog
came home with several new "friends" despite her Frontline
treatments. The second is the 1/2 mile on Rt 32 to complete the
loop. There is not much of a shoulder on the bridge and cars fly
past at 50mph.

Name: Brandon
Hike:
Red Creek/Big
Stonecoal Circuit
05-10-09
Rating: 5
Critique: I did this as a day hike.
The best thing about this hike are all the waterworks. And even
though it was a very nice Sunday, the solitude as well. Only saw 1
large group the whole 7-hr day.
The worst thing is that Rocky Point trail is a spirit killer. You
have to endure a mile of basically walking on a rock bed. I stubbed
my toes and had awkward landings many times while on it.
I have yet to find an "official" trail to the Lion's Head, and today
was no different. Thankfully bushwhacking here is easy.
Also, note that fording Red Creek @ Big Stonecoal is a little deeper
than at Little Stonecoal or the fording at the Red Creek trail.

Name: RMS
Hike:
Kelly's run/Pinnacle overlook
Date: 5/9/09
Rating: 5
Critique: What a great hike! Good job on the description. Kelly's
Run was very high due to the recent rains making the crossings very
interesting. The hike is of varied terrain and is strenuous when
taken at a good pace.

Name: Vern
Hike:
Susquehanna SP
Date: 05-10-2009
Rating: 5
Critique: I never knew about this park until I saw it here. This one
ended up being a fantastic hike. It started off along the river on
the Mason/Dixon trail. The first couple of miles were all very
level, and it was a fairly easy hike except in the few sections
where the rail bed had been washed away. After turning away from the
river, there were some impressive elevation changes. In fact, at the
very end of the hike the trail seems to tower over the treetops at
the river level.
Along the way, the trail passed through several pastures, and also
some very dense foliage. It was a beautiful day, and we had lunch
under the pine trees near the maintenance buildings. The sun was
shining, and there was a great breeze blowing. One of those rare
days in Maryland where it is not too hot or too cold.
We missed the old white oak, but did see the beech tree and the
flint tower. The tree was very impressive. The hike took about four
hours total, and it was time well spent. I really enjoyed this one,
and will definitely be doing it again very soon.

Name: Jeff Mitchell
Hike:
Loyalsock-Link Loop
Date: xxxx
Rating: 4.5
Critique: This is a perfect weekend loop, not too easy or difficult.
Some climbs are steep, but are generally short. It has waterfalls,
nice views, great camping, rock outcrops, beautiful mountain
streams, Sones Pond and the impressive Haystacks Rapids, which are
Burgoon sandstone boulders in the Loyalsock Creek. I've done this
loop several times and I simply don't get tired of it. This is also
a great summer hike, since the trail has several superb swimming
holes.
Afterwards, stop by the Forksville Inn, a great place to eat with
local flavor, big portions, and very reasonable prices.

Name: Matt Alford
Hike:
AT- Matt's Creek to Devils Marbleyard
Date: 5/1-5/3/09
Rating: 4.5
Critique: Great hike. My girlfriend and I hiked into Matt's Creek
shelter on the AT on Friday afternoon and on Saturday hiked out to
Devils Marbleyard. Great Hike out and back. Marbleyard was awesome.
Lots of wildflowers in bloom, Rhododendrons included. Saw lots of
skinks and the biggest fence lizards I've ever seen at the
Marbleyard.
Great hike. A bit crowed.

Name: Vern
Hike:
Sweathouse Branch-Wildlands Loop
Date: 4/26/09
Rating: 3
Critique: This hike is a little gem. This morning, there
were huge patches of Virginia Blue Bells and Periwinkle in
full bloom. The trees are also starting to "green" up. The
trail along the river is really muddy in patches, but once
you get beyond that, they are really well groomed and well
cared for.
The first water crossing (on the yellow trail) was a lot of
fun. There are two ways to do it. I took the first route,
which is the stepping stones across the stream. My wife took
the second route, which is a large tree that fell in a
perfect spot just upstream. Of course, my waterproof boots
ended up filled with water, and my wife arrived on the other
side high and dry. If you insist on remaining dry, I'd
recommend the tree.
The rest of the hike had some small hills. We passed through
a portion that was lined with hemlocks, but the remainder
was mostly hardwoods. Along the route, there are some
private residences visible just beyond the park boundaries.
The parking lot on the northbound side of Belair road was
completely full when we arrived at nine o'clock on Sunday.
There is a commuter lot directly across Belair road that was
mostly empty. If you walk down the hill in front of the old
(closed up?) bar, there is great access to the trail and the
tunnel crossing Belair road, making this a great first
choice for parking.
Based on the parking situation, I expected the trail to be
packed, but that really was not the case. Mostly dog
walkers, but also a few serious hikers, who I assume are
breaking in their new footwear. For a proper hike, I would
suggest combining the Sweathouse Branch loop with the trail
on the opposite side of Belair road. All-in-all, this hike
was a nice surprise and well worth a trip from anywhere in
the Baltimore area.

Name: Keith Lehman
Hike:
Pond Run-Racer Camp Hollow/White Rocks
Date: 4/17-19/2009
Rating: 5
Critique: I did this loop in the reverse direction
from the description given on a sunny weekend in
mid-April taking three days with only 3.5-4.5 miles
a day. I found the trail conditions to be pretty
good with very few blowdowns but a good bit of mud
and some trail damage from horses. There were
virtually no bugs, including no ticks. The trail was
often sunny because the leaves hadn't popped yet. It
would be better in mid-May and probably great in
September.
The first intersection from Wilson Cove Tr. to Old
Mail Trail was a little tricky. The obvious path
goes down the hill following a hunter's path with
orange ribbon markings. The real trail actually
parallels the forest road for a few hundred feet and
is easy to miss. It gets very muddy in that area.
The footbridge over the creek will be the last
reliable water you find until you are on the other
side of the loop so fill up here. The climb to the
top of the ridge is reasonably easy. There is a
small spring right before you hit Tuscarora Trail
but I wouldn't rely on it running year round.
The campsite at White Rocks is outstanding and there
is room for two or three tents. There is also a
bigger campsite at the intersection with the White
Rocks Tr. and Tusc. Tr. if the one at the cliff is
full.
The southeast part of the loop is a gentle amble
downhill. Look for the small overlook on the right
for a good view of the valley. At the intersection
with Racer Camp Hollow Tr. there is a small stagnant
pond but I wouldn't trust the water with all the
horses using it. The hike up the forest road to
Little Stony Run is the steepest climb you'll have
going this direction. The spring beyond the cabin on
the Stony Run Tr. is a good place to refill your
water supply but you don't need to top off because
water is more plentiful on the rest of the loop.
There is a crude and rocky campsite to the left just
before the intersection with Mill Mt. Tr. There is a
better site up Mill Mt. Tr. but it is up the hill
about 1/3 mile or so.
The overlook at the intersection with Halfmoon Tr.
is really nice and there is a campsite at the
intersection. If you camp here, go a few hundred
feet down Tusc. Tr. over a boardwalk to find a
decent spring that looks like it would be reliable.
If it's not, then water may be found within a mile
down Tusc. Tr.
The rest of the loop is easy except the eight water
crossings get progressively deeper. Don't be cocky
and try to cross to the tantalizing forest road just
over Waite's Run. It's running faster and is deeper
than you think.
Overall, this is a varied and scenic trip. It would
be best done when the leaves are out as the shade
would be welcomed especially on the forest road
sections. Highly recommended!

Name:
Dominic Frasca
Hike:
White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run
Date: 04/18/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Good hike, however: DO NOT USE the Google
maps directions. They are totally, completely,
horribly inaccurare. Directions on the trail notes
are correct.

Name: Brian Vallelunga
Hike:
Green Ridge North Circuit
Date: April 11-12, 2009
Rating: 3.5
Critique: My wife and I hiked a version of this on a
short overnight trip to test out some new gear. We
started from the visitor center and hiked up to
Campsite #5, about 5 miles away. Once there we set
up camp, left our packs and walked a mile north
across the Maryland/Pennsylvania border. The next
morning we followed the Twin Oaks trail back down,
eventually meeting up with Pine Lick, which we took
back to the visitor center.
Overall, this was a nice, easy hike. The first two
miles from the visitor center closely follows the
freeway (which you walk under at one point). This
took away from the nice atmosphere and I think I'd
skip this part in the future. It was also the least
maintained part of the trail and was in need of
maintenance. The rest of the trail was enjoyable,
but shouldn't be mistaken for "back-country" hiking.
Early April is a bit too early to recommend this
hike to people. The trees were still barren, and the
morning temperature was very close to freezing.
Also, there was enough water that we had to take off
our boots and wade a single stream four times on the
first day. For some reason, the trail designers felt
it needed to criss-cross multiple times within a
single mile.
If you're looking for a short one-night hike to test
some gear and live nearby, the park was quite
enjoyable. If we go back, we'll likely try one of
the other trails that are farther from the freeway
and a bit longer.

Name: Keith Lehman
Hike:
Bucktail Trail-Halfmoon Lookout Loop
Date: 4/4/09 - 4/5/09
Rating: 5
Critique: I did this loop in reverse from the
directions given and I think that made it a bit
easier than it would have been going the other way.
The climb to the peak is more gradual and the sun
was more hidden on the last few miles on Bucktail
Trail. Going in on the Bucktail Connector offered a
few nice views since the trees hadn't budded in
early April when I did this trip. One note, be sure
fill up on water at the intersection with Halfmoon
Trail (yellow blazes). There is a nice campsite
there if needed and the stream will be the last
water you see until you come off the peak on the
other side.
There is a wonderful campsite at the "Cliffside"
area about 200ft from the peak. The site at the peak
is really only suitible for a bevy tent. Even in
high winds (gusts to 40mph) the Cliffside site was
shielded well due to the terrain deflection.
Heading out the German Wilson Trail was very rocky
and you need to be very careful about rolling a rock
under your boot. But it is definitely easier going
down than up. The blow-downs mentioned in trail
notes are cleared with only about 4 or 5 to
negotiate. There are plenty of springs and streams
for water on this half of the loop.
The first half of Bucktail Trail following the creek
was very muddy and torn up with horse prints. The
stream crossings were mid-calf level and you'll
definitely have some wet feet by the time you get to
the bridge at Capon Trail. After that it's an easy
amble back to the start point with only a very
gradual climb and then a gradual descent.
Overall, I recommend this hike if done in the
direction I went. I definitely would have liked it
less the other way around. This loop would be
suitable for a nice family excursion especially in
Spring or Fall.

Name: Matt
Hike:
Hemlock Gorge
Date: 4-5-09
Rating: 4
Critique: I picked a perfect day to do this hike. It was mid 60s and
sunny all day. I started around 12:30 and was back at the car by 4.
Since Spring has just started, nothing was really blooming yet. I
think in a couple weeks the hike will be much more alive. Recent
rains made the streams nice and full. Since it's still early in
Spring and nothing is overgrown, the trail was really easy to follow
by the streams. I had forgotten the trail description but managed
well because I downloaded the GPX data, loaded it onto my Garmin
60CSx and just walked from waypoint to waypoint. It's a really great
hike and the gorge is a really nice place to relax and eat.
Unfortunately the hike is fairly easy from Gunpowder Rd. so there is
a bit of trash here and there around the gorge. If I had a bag with
me I would've cleaned up some of it. It's really a great hike
otherwise.
My GPS data can be
seen
here

Name: Galen
Hike:
Dolly Sods
Date: 3/27-3/28-2009
Rating: 2
Critique: With my wife and two dogs, we originally planned on setting
out from up by Bear Rocks, but we arrived to find that P.R.75 was
closed. Maybe I overlooked it, but it needs to be emphasized that it's
closed until April. We altered the trip to start out from the south, up
Red Creek Trail. No big deal, but I was hoping to start out with the
Dolly Sods North scenery.
The hike along Red Creek was very nice, although you have to pay
attention to the trail. We lost about a half-hour trying to find the
unblazed paths that tend to disappear. The terrain is pretty rugged if
you're lugging 25+ lbs of gear. A lot of ups and downs and detours
around fallen trees. The creek itself was vigorous this day. We had to
carry both dogs across in cold, knee-deep currents.
With cold, wet, tired feet we didn't make it as far as we had wanted
too. Our campsite near Blackbird knob was very nice though, as were many
of the campsites that we passed that day. Right next to a running creek
on flat ground and a stone fire pit. It rained all night though and we
had no desire to slog around on already muddy trails the next day, so we
hiked out to the road and walked all the way back to the car in
super-thick fog.
So if there's any wisdom to pass along, it would be to keep an open mind
and be flexible enough when exploring the Sods. This is a big place with
a variety of terrains and ever-changing weather. That, and bring a few
extra pairs of socks.

Name: Jordan & Allison
Hike:
Kelly's Run - Pinnacle Overlook
Date: 3/27/09
Rating: 4
Critique: We took the advice of this site to do this hike in reverse,
and it was a great decision! We were really able to take in all the
great scenery going that direction. The overlook at Pinnacle is amazing.
We set up our hammock and made some hot chocolate on the picnic tables
after cooling down from the steep hike up. The second half of the hike
along Kelly's Run was definitely the highlight. We were glad that doing
the loop in reverse allowed us to end with Kelly's Run. The mileage
given seemed pretty accurate. We were definitely tired after this one,
but it was totally worth it! Thanks for the great info!

Name: Ryan Mitchell Hike:
Overall Run Falls-Heiskell Hollow
Date: 1/21/09 - 1/22/09
Rating: 4
Critique: My roommate and I hiked and camped using the planned trip
from the NPS with a couple extra miles added. Our goal, as two guys
who hike regularly, was to complete the three day trip in less than
two days. We successfully did at the cost of sore legs from both us
and our dogs. The trip begins downhill all the way to the great
views at the falls and surrounding area. The uphill back to 3,500 ft
from the valley is what makes this hike strenuous. The trail was
rocky and covered with leaves in many locations and crossing streams
with dogs was interesting at times. After about 13-14 miles we
camped in the 20 degree weather and woke the next morning to another
uphill hike of 5+ miles.
Overall, it was a very good hike that was as good as any other trip
we have taken in the northern portion of the Shenandoah. The lack of
spectacular views on the Heiskell Hollow trail, even with the
leafless trees of winter, keep this from being a 5.

Name: Natasha
Hike:
Riprap Hollow
Date: 02/09/09
Rating: 5
Critique: We did this hike late winter and were treated to amazing
views. To think if we had hiked this trail during the summer we
would not have observed the really neat geological formations in the
area and appreciated the descent into and climb out of the valley. A
summer hike would treat visitors to a number of pools along the
stream, which were flowing well due to recent snowmelt. I thought
the trail one of the rockiest around and highly recommend harder
soled boots to avoid sore feet (I was regretting my boot decision a
few miles in). The climb out of the valley is tough but lots of logs
and rocks along the way serve as great places to take a break and
enjoy the view. We liked finishing up on the AT to cool down before
getting into the car.

Name: Bumpkin
Hike:
Gunpowder West Circuit
Date: February 21, 2009 Rating: 4.5
Critique: Very nice hike. The little detour up to Prettyboy
reservoir ended up being a bit of a challenge. The trail turns into
nothing but huge boulders, and if you stray off the blazed trail, it
can include a few steep climbs. This was loads of fun, considering
how close to Baltimore it is. It was a beautiful February day, and I
enjoyed every minute of it.

Name: Gerard Viau
Hike:
Black Forest Trail - complete
Date: 10/3/08 10/6/08
Rating: 5
Critique: Three of us did the full BFT loop (North and South) in the
fall as the leaves were turning and it was amazing. We started at
the trailhead near the Hotel Manor and hiked counter-clockwise for
the full loop. The vistas got better as the hike progressed leaving
some of the most amazing views for the end of the hike a nice reward
for our hard work. Why didn't we do this hike sooner!
Day 1: 15 miles (17 if you including our rocky start). Started out a
bit rough by going the wrong way obviously it would have been fine
since the BFT is a loop, but we wanted to go counter-clockwise and
we were still groggy from the night before. After one mile in the
wrong direction, we figured it out and turned around. It rained a
bit in the morning and cleared up by 2pm, so our wet feet had a
chance to dry out by the end of the day. We saw three other hikers
on this first day (2 of which were planning to do the full loop.) We
had lunch by a stream and camped for the evening at a relatively
small campsite. Starting a fire that night was a challenge because
all of the wood was wet, my friend donated some of the pages from
his Ernest Hemingway book to get it started what a lifesaver.
Temperature dropped to around 34 degrees at night, but we all slept
well after a long day.
Day 2: 12 miles. We enjoyed some varied terrain: boulders, heavily
wooded forest, an open meadow, and some clear flats. The morning
gave us a little stretch of hiking downhill, but then we quickly
came to a steep incline at mile 16.5 (about 500 feet in half a
mile); that gave the legs a good wake up call. Mid-morning we came
across a black bear and her two cubs about 15 yards in front of us;
thankfully, there was some brush and trees between us so they did
not feel threatened and just moseyed on. We stayed at a great
campsite at mile 27 with a water source right next to us (Callahan
Run). Temperature crept up a bit to around 37 degrees.
Day 3: 12 miles. Easily the hardest day of the trip, partly because
we started out with a 1,000 ft incline over 1.3 miles brutal. We
stumbled upon a Ruffed Grouse (PA state bird) in the late morning
before we stopped for lunch at an amazing vista it was the boost we
needed. We planned to only do 9 miles today, but a lack of water
forced us to keep pushing on and it was worth it. We camped at
Foster Hollow Pond with unobstructed views of the stars and enjoyed
our last night on the BFT. Temperature stayed up at around 38
degrees.
Day 4: 3 miles. This last day was easy given we only had a handful
of miles to finish up so we took our time packing up camp and
hitting the trail, and still finished up before 11am. And on the way
home, we got burgers at the Waterville Hotel.
If you haven't done this hike and you're looking for a challenging
and amazing trail this is it. Enjoy.

Name: Michael Eckert
Hike:
Hull School/Thornton River
Date: 2/9/09
Rating: 4
Critique: Another nice mid-winter hike on a relatively warm day.
Great views, even in the valleys, as trees are somewhat less dense
through this area.
One mishap on the trail while crossing the Thornton River, as I
slipped while crossing and took an unwelcome plunge into the river.
There was no ice on the rocks, so I am assuming just some bad luck.
I was using hiking poles and one bent as I tried to save myself.
Very, Very cold water and I was completely soaked. Fell in backwards
into a pool that was about 2 feet deep. Air temperature was around
50 and water probably in the middle 30s as ice/snow was along the
banks. I can't say enough about wearing water wicking clothing. I
quickly undressed, wrung the water out and redressed and then
drudged uphill for about 3 miles. Within 30 minutes I had warmed
backup. I did have an extra light jacket/wind breaker in my pack
that was dry. Most items in my pack stayed dry as I got out very
quickly. I was fortunate that I only hit my hip and wrist on rocks
as I fell down. It could of been worse.

Name: Treebeard
Hike:
Weverton to Maryland Heights
Date: 2/8/09
Rating: 4
Critique: I did this hike on an unusually warm (64 degree) blue-sky
Sunday in February.
I did the shorter version of what is mapped (I will do the longer
version at some point in time) and it took me 3 3/4 hours to
complete with 2 very quick stops.
I started the hike at 8:35 am and it was a good thing. I had
virtually no company during the hike to the overlook. However as I
started down, I passed more than 25 - 30 people heading up the
trail.
This was a very pleasant walk. Just strolling down the C&O Canal
next to the river was wonderful. The hike up to Maryland Heights was
very nice and the views through the leafless trees were beautiful.
Idiot me forgot my camera! Coming down I stopped to watch two rock
climbers belaying 250+ feet up the jagged rocks over the train
tunnel - wow!
I would recommend this hike in the winter time due to less trail
traffic and extra viewing without the leaves on the trees.
I don't think my grading would be a 4 on a nice Sunday in June.
Thanks MRHyker for the map.

Name: Craig Hardy
Hike: North
Fork Mountain (Entire Trail)
Date: 1/9/09-1/10/09
Rating: 4
We had a group of six do this hike from the south to north in early
January. We started hiking Friday night around 9:30 pm once we got
our vehicles situated. We shuttled ourselves. It was a clear night
for the most part, and the snow cover of 2-4inches actually helped
us navigate the trail. We hiked in about 6 miles before setting up
camp. Temps were cold but normal for that time of year, (mid20's I
recall.) Saturday morning, we woke up to partly cloudy skies and a
great view on both sides of the ridge. As we hiked, we made our way
past the glider launch and down to the mid-way parking lot. Then it
started to rain, and then freezing rain. By this time we were almost
out of water. I carried about 4 liters in, and the rest of us had
various amounts. Our biggest mistake was hoping to rely on snow melt
for our water source. (The rain melted the snow along the way.) The
one really big drawback to this hike is that there is no water along
this trail whatsoever. We almost made do with a couple of puddles
near the top of the mountain by the tower, but I don't think that
any of us were that desperate at that point. We trudged through
Chimney Rocks and down to our vehicles after a 17+mile day. We
originally were going to camp Saturday night, but with the freezing
rain and no solid water source, we opted for the truck and a hotel
in Franklin. Great trip overall, but I cannot emphasize enough, that
you must pack in enough water or stash it midway to do the trip as
there is no source along this ridge trail. What awesome views of the
valley below on both sides most of the way. You can even see Seneca
Rocks below you.

Name: Michael Eckert
Hike:
Piney Ridge-Piney Branch Loop
Date: 1/13/09
Rating: 5
Critique: Added some distance ~2 miles by parking at Hogback, picking up
AT to Piney Ridge then down to Hull School and up Piney Branch toward
the top of Little Devils, but then turned onto Sugarloaf to AT and
Hogback. Would give it a 4, but water was high from last week's 1.5" of
rain and every rock I stepped on was ice covered. Crossing Piney Branch
was difficult at best and I did slip & get wet. Water is very cold.
Crossing without walking sticks would be nearly impossible. Few deer on
the trail and saw two hardy campers where Piney Ridge/Hull School trails
met.

Name: Michael Eckert Hike:
Beecher Ridge/Overall Run
Date: 1/3/09 Rating: 5++
Critique: Great, Great Hike. Parked at Hogback overlook and took AT and
several other short trails to Beecher then hooked up with Overall Run
and back to top. Beecher is more of a culvert in many areas and leaves
are knee deep. Can't see where/what you are stepping on so be very
careful. Hike up to Overall Run Falls was a burner. Legs are still
ground beef tonight. Overall Run Falls is frozen.

Name: Michael Eckert
Hike:AT/Laurel
Prong Loop (Camp Hoover)
Date: 12/26/08
Rating: 4
Critique: Took Laurel Prong and veered off to right and up mountain,
then down to The Sag and then down to Hoover's Camp. Back up Mill Prong
to AT then back to car. Only problem was that this took me out of the
park and hunters were tracking a bear with dogs. Hunting season is over
as of 1/3/09. Beautiful day with temps rising into 60s. Moderate workout
with plenty of ups and downs.

Name: Cliff
Hike:
Devil's Marbleyard/Gunter Ridge Loop
Date: 9/20/2008
Rating: 5
Critique: Awesome hike for the Scouts. We even found a rock that looked
like the scout sign! No other rocks were worn patterns like this. Three
fingers extended, pinkie and thumb folded and touching.

Name: Matt Culbertson
Hike:
Gifford Pinchot SP
Date: 9/1/2008
Rating: 3
Critique: Fun, but not wise in the summer when everything is overgrown.
The trail is hardly maintained, and hard to follow in many places.
Fortunately, no ticks.

Name: blueridgetreks
Hike:
Turk
Mountain
Date: 12/23/2008
Rating: 4
Critique: Started this hike around 9am with the temps around 19F but it
warmed up to 29F!! I did this hike in reverse from published directions
but I don't think it makes a difference either way, you'll get a great
workout. The creeks were flowing really good due to recent rains making
some of the crossings tricky. Not sure how the flow will be in mid-July
after no rain for awhile. I forgot to pack my hiking poles. Did I
mention the crossings were tricky? I lost my balance crossing Moormans
River near the Turk Branch trail intersection and proceeded to soak my
left foot. Trail shoe off, foot freezing, sock wrung out, and I was back
on the trail in 5 minutes. The views at the top of Turk Mt were
excellent so don't bypass the out and back to Turk Mt. On a warmer day I
could imagine having a nice leisurely lunch at the top. I gobbled mine
down quickly on the way back to the AT Intersection. I did the hike in
just under 5 hrs but only because I kept going to stay warm and didn't
stop for lunch. A worthwhile hike and especially pleasant today being
the only one on the trail besides the company of my dog.

Name: paknees
Hike:
Old Loggers Path
Date: 5.4.08-5.7.08
Rating: 5
Critique: I loved this hike! first week of may was a
great time to go, although there tons of bugs flying
around. Went clockwise from Masten, and spent the
first night at the Pleasant Run campsite. Day two
was great and we spent the night at Rock Run where I
took a dip in the cool water and than thawed out on
a rock in the middle of the stream. I must say I had
two of the most peaceful nights ever in the
wilderness at both these sites. Must of been the
sound of the water. Sounds like this place dries up
in the summer but late spring there was water
everywhere. day three was pretty sweet. We trail ran
the final 6.5 miles or so and than splashed around
in Pleasant Stream before heading back to Leheigh
valley. Perfect hike!

Name: Michael Eckert
Hike:
Rose River/Dark Hollow
Date: 12/9/08
Rating: 4
Critique: Decided on a relatively short mid-winter
hike to view the frozen falls. Most falls were about
50% frozen as temps warmed above freezing at higher
elevations. Very nice and quiet morning (no one else
on trail), but very, very windy with some branches
falling down around me. Cleared all blockages. Hiked
into Big Meadow to view/photograph deer and when I
got to the lodge, fire trucks were parked in front.
Talked to the guy in charge and found out the
sprinklers went off in the lodge (There was no
fire.). Looks like a major mess with water
everywhere.

Name: Naz
Hike:
Hemlock Gorge
Date: 11-29-08
Rating: 5
Critique: Updates: The Cotter road is now open with no problems.
I did only the Hemlock Gorge part of the figure 8 yesterday due
to time constraints. This is an excellent shorter hike in itself
and well worth it. It still took more than one hour with quite a
bit of scrambling done on the stream bank and of course some
stops for photos. The Gorge is beautiful and unique for this
area, and there were no other hikers on this sunny and
relatively warm November Saturday afternoon.
The instructions are very easy to follow. The only part that
could not be identified was the "sandy and weedy" portion of the
bench- this must have become altered in the years this was
written. There were weedy parts but no sand. The trail is easy
to follow until you reach the scrambling part in the gorge. Then
you can just follow the stream and you will not get lost.
Also found a small cave filled with cans and trash. Thankfully
they are not spread around and confined to this cave, but I plan
to return with a garbage bag.
Thank you for this site and this very good description of this
gem. This one is an excellent late fall/winter walk because the
hemlocks are green year round. I plan to go back when it snows
and the stream is frozen!

Name: zach
Hike:
Black Forest Trail North and
South
Date:11/22-24/2008
Rating: 4
Critique: Great hike in all.
Cold cold cold. Had two nights of sub 20 degree weather and 5
inches of snow. had to really push myself to finish on the last
day. I went left from the Slate Run trail head and was able to
return in 3 full days of trekking. Scenery was beautiful but
wouldn't recommend hiking it this late in the year (November
22-24) unless you want a challenge and are prepared for the
cold.
Ran into bear hunters throughout the final day, all were
friendly and surprised to see a hiker.

Name: Jeff
Hike:
Neighbor Mt-Jeremy's Run
Date: 11/ 15-16/2008
Rating: 4
Critique: We took a Boy Scout patrol of 13 and 14 year olds on
an overnight trip. We hiked it clockwise, ie. from Elkwallow
Picnic area south on the Appalachian trail to Neighbor Mt.
Trail, etc. First day was a total of 9 miles in about 7 hours
with a half hour for lunch. We camped at the waterfalls about .4
miles up Jeremy's Run. Nice level site but very rocky. There had
been two days of rain before we started and heavy rain while we
hiked on Saturday, but we were able to negotiate the stream
crossing on Sunday. However, between the uphill grade and the
stream crossings, it took us 6 hours, including an hour for
lunch, to hike the 5 miles up Jeremy's Run. Since the leaves
were off the trees, we had wonderful views of panoramas and of
the Run and cascades. Great hike, but be prepared for the 14
stream crossings.

Name: Tag-Alongs
Hike:
Difficult Run Loop
Date: 11/07/2008 Rating: 4
Critique: This was my fiancé's, brothers', and my first hike in
Maryland and we could not have asked for a more beautiful day. It
was late enough in the year that the trails were not overly busy and
the hike itself was great. We ended up taking a wrong turn while
heading north along the Potomac and had to "rough it" over a hill to
get back on trail. All in all, this is a great hike that is
refreshing to find so close to the district!

Name: Travis
Hike:
Old Rag
Date: ?
Rating: 5
Critique: I have hiked this mountain over a dozen times starting
from when I was just a kid. I absolutely love it and never get tired
of it. There is always something to see when you're: there, bear,
deer, and of course the scenic overlooks. If you're into landscape
photography like I am I highly recommend a fall/winter hike. You can
get some really great shots during the winter season even though the
hike is a little more treacherous due to snow and ice.
All in All a must hike for any outdoor enthusiast.

Name: somewhere
Hike:
Chimney Rocks
Date: 11/02/2008
Rating: 4
Critique: We did the 6.8 miles hike. The colorful mountain top view
from Chimney Rocks was splendid. The stream on the way down was very
pleasant as well. We really enjoyed the day. Thank you very much for
the information!

Name: Shari
Hike:
Cowan's Gap-Tuscarora Trail
Date: October 12, 2008
Rating: 4.5
Critique: This was a really great trail with some fabulous views and
lots of variety. The changing leaves were beautiful (and there were
lots of them!). It was a fairly challenging hike that covered
several miles and had some steep uphill and downhill sections. It
was worth it though!

Name: Charlie Hike:
Piney Ridge - Piney Branch Loop
Date: 11/02/2008 Rating: 3.5
Critique: We did this hike starting from the parking lot at Little
Devil's Stairs, and followed Piney Ridge up and Piney Branch back down.
This was a very nice hike with changing terrain. The stream crossings
weren't bad, though would be challenging with higher water. We also saw
two bears. The hike doesn't have sweeping vistas but offers quiet
solitude with a very nice workout.

Name: Brad
Hike:
Hog Camp Gap to Reeds Gap Shuttle (modified)ate: 10/10-10/12/2008
Rating: 5
Critique: Started this hike on Friday evening at Hog Camp Gap
after sunset. Hiked up the Tar Jacket Ridge in the dark and made
camp at the top. It was a cold and windy night, but very clear
with a bright moon.
The next day we awoke at sunrise and got warm by the fire, ate
some food, and then headed northward. Many great vistas along
this stretch of the trail and overall this part of the hike was
not too difficult with gradual ascents and descents. The fall
colors had begun to show on many of the trees and temperatures
were in the 70s with bright sunshine. We did see a bear about a
mile before crossing the North Fork. It took off running from
the left side of the trail; not full-sized but not a cub either.
We stopped by the Seeley-Woodworth shelter and took a break for
lunch. We then continued northward. Beware of the yellow jackets
about a half mile beyond the shelter heading northward! There
are several nests in the ground around a stretch of the trail
that goes through a small grove of apple trees. We had to walk
quickly through this area to avoid being stung.
We then continued on and made camp at Spy Rock. A few others
were camping at the campsite below us, but we actually made camp
up on the rock and had a good fire going to stay warm. It became
very windy and cold up here at night. Some of the other hikers
came and hung out around our fire for a while. The sunset, and
sunrise the next morning, at Spy Rock were amazing! This has to
be one of the best vistas I have ever seen!
After getting warmed up in the morning by the fire, we continued
northward on the AT and climbed over Maintop Mountain and then
continued toward the Priest. The climb up the Priest from
Crabtree Road was the hardest part of this trek so far, but
still much easier than climbing up the Priest from Rt. 56 would
be. We stopped at the top of the Priest for lunch and enjoyed
the overview to the west from boulders to the left side of the
trail.
We then began the steep descent of the Priest which became
difficult for me after pulling a tendon in my left knee earlier
in the day on some rocks. We had left our second vehicle at the
parking area by the Tye River and not at Reed's Gap as we had
decided that we may not want to do Chimney Rock based on time
restrictions. By the time I got to the base of the Priest I
could not bend my left leg, so we decided we made a smart move
in leaving the truck here.
Overall this hike was a 5 for the views and the overall scenery
of the woods. Spy Rock and the Priest were the highlights of
this hike for me and I plan to complete the last portion of this
hike at a later time.

Name: Marty
Hike:
Patapsco Valley SP
Date: 10-04-2008
Rating: 4
Critique: The State Park is heavily wooded with lots of trails
with a mixture of streams, forest, pasture and respectable
hills. It's easy to get to, but the drawback is that there are
lots of people hiking and biking - not enough to be truly
annoying, but you are never totally alone.
We picked the area because our son is going to the Naval Academy
and is severely limited in the range he is allowed to travel. We
were pleasantly surprised at the area, which was especially nice
in fall weather, and will go back. Even better, entrance to park
is free for parties with service people.
We didn't have much difficulty following the trails although
they could be better marked.

Name: Leslie
Ann Jones, DVM
Hike:
Mount Pleasant Loop
Date: 10/4/08
Rating: 4
Critique: Wonderful, but a bit challenging. We really enjoyed
the Mount Pleasant 6+ mile loop, however, we found out the hard
way that the road from 60 that should take us up to the trail
head (North Fork Road- VA Rte 635) has been washed out about 4
miles up. That left us to hike in an additional 2.5 miles to
just get to the trail head! Now that we've done some serious
Google-Earthing of the region and the topography, I think we
have figured out how to get to the trail head off Wiggins Road,
but DON'T try to get to the trail head from North Fork Road, as
what should have been about a 3-4 hr hike was the bulk of 6 hrs
and we almost got lost after dark! yikes!
Looking forward to trying some more of these hikes soon, but
need to recover from Saturday first!

Name: John S
Hike:
Mt. Pleasant Loop
Date: 9/27-9/28/08
Rating: 5+
Critique: An absolutely fantastic, excellent hike. I think Mt.
Pleasant might have the best vistas of any hike I've done to
date. I believe it blows other hikes I've done, i.e. Gregory
Bald and Mt. Cammerer (in the Smokies), out of the water, and
it's a much easier, more rewarding hike. I'd highly suggest this
hike for those fellow backpackers who find it impossible to get
a significant other to tag along or find it hard to find a nice
hike because of their dogs; it's not terribly difficult (but no
spring chicken) and it's incredibly rewarding. Hike this one as
suggested - starting towards Pompey mountain first. Once you
head down Mt. Pleasant, you'll understand why - the trail is
pretty demanding in the opposite direction.
I would highly suggest that anyone wishing to do this hike
consider doing it as an overnight. It is short, but there are at
least four EXCELLENT campsites at the summit of Mt. Pleasant.
The trail summary here and on hikingupward.com make it seem as
if there is only one campsite at the summit, but there are
indeed four! Some reviews have said that the campsite along the
sister hike to Mt. Pleasant, Cold Mountain, is the best site in
GWNF, but I think I disagree. We stayed at an awesome site just
below the east vista. There were two sites near the west vista
and two near the east vista. All sites had their own fire pit,
and enough room for a 2/3 person tent + fly.
When the weather finally cooperated, the vistas were amazing.
The west vista is slightly better, but the sunrise can only be
seen from the east vista, and it was fantastic. Make sure to see
all of the west vista, as there are a couple extra trails in the
area to other rock vistas. The east vista is about 180° and the
west vista is about 270°. There is plenty of room at both vistas
for people and animals - it is impossible to hog these vistas
(contrary to the other review) so don't worry about this. The
only better vista I can remember better than this one might be
atop Flat Top at the Peaks of Otter (and only because it is
360°). Again, I can't express the beauty of the vistas, they
were fantastic. I am a backpacker/hiker that enjoys mountain
hikes to good vistas, and this one is the cream of the crop!

Name: Matt
Hike:
Laurel Fork
Date: 9/20/2008
Rating: 4
Critique: Great hike. The last part on Buck Run is challenging
but really nice with the beaver pond and the Red Spruce stand.
The fords of Laurel Run provide some great options for camping.

Name: Michael
Eckert
Hike:
Signal Knob /Meneka Peak loop
Date: 9/19/08
Rating: 4
Critique: Great hike with nobody on the trail but me and
squirrels. There is a bear around Signal Knob, per tree
scratches, fresh scat and large rocks overturned, but did not
see him/her. Good elevation gain but very, very rocky. Not a
good hike for trail shoes. I would not go without hiking boots
that give you ankle support, and bring walking poles for
stability coming downhill.

Name: Sonya
Hike:
AT-Sunset Rocks Circuit
Date: 9/20/08
Rating: 4
Critique: Against the advice of the author, Fido and I took this
hike on this past Saturday. I have to agree with the comments
that the first 4 miles are pretty dull. There was quite a bit of
road walking. On a positive note, I only passed one other group
of people on THE ENTIRE HIKE! I couldn't believe it since it was
a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. It was so quiet my footsteps
seemed to echo through the forest. That made up for the
dullness. If a hike is crowded, it doesn't matter how pretty it
is, it takes away from the entire point of hiking - to get away
from people!
Other than the rock scramble and the knee popping descent, the
hike would be classified as easy as the trail really just
rambles along. The scramble definitely added an element of
difficulty. My dog has climbed Mt. Washington without problem
but I had to pull her up at a few spots on this one. Also, as an
avid solo hiker, I really wish I had brought someone along since
the chance of taking a fall or twisting an ankle is pretty good
up here. You have to posses good balance and flexibility to
maneuver across the boulder field. I would not attempt this hike
with small children, someone in less than good shape, or with
dogs that can't jump 3+ ft.
I will definitely do this hike again in the fall and will
probably bring the dog and another person along.
p.s. Watch where you put your hands/feet.. this place is prime
ground for sunning snakes.

Name: Larry
Hike:
Jeremy's Run/Neighbor Mountain
Date: 9/21/08
Rating: 4
Critique: Varied inclines, declines and flat. Neighbor Mtn.,
Trail, a bit overgrown, and some branches. Streams easily
crossed today. Few hikers. Time 4 3/4 hrs. with short breaks.
Directions generally good, except that you turn right onto
Neighbor Mtn. Trail from AT.

Name: Paul
Denbow
Hike:
Fair Hill NRMA-2
Date: Sept. 21, 2008
Rating: 3.5
Critique: I thought this was a good hike, but being a sunny,
warm day ( near 80 ), that you spent too much time in the open
with the sun beating down. This would probably be better in the
late fall or early spring. The hike directions were very good.

Name: Alia
Hike:
Ironhorse Trail
Date: 30 August 2008
Rating: 3
Critique: The hike is better done clockwise than anti-clockwise:
clockwise means the return trip is easier and very flat and
pleasant.
2 comments from
hiking the trail anti-clockwise: 2 main areas need better trail
markings: where the trail continues after Epy's cemetery as well
as as the section of the trail that goes on the dirt road where
it seemed part of the old trail has become private property. It
looked like the trail has been maintained as we did not have
problem with overgrown bushes.

Name: Laurie
Hike:
AT/Bluff Trail Loop
Date: 9/13/08
Rating: 3
Critique: Hiked this loop and as suggested by the Park Ranger to camp
near the entrance to Big Devil Stairs where there are a couple sights
already cleared for tents. Saw lots of animal droppings and only sighted
1 deer. Not much for views, might be more scenic after leaves fall.
Trail was pretty rocky and it had rained Saturday night which made for
slippery walking.

Name: CRaig
Hike:
AT- Mau-Har Trail loop
Date: Aug 10-12, 2008
Rating: 5
Critique: This was a great experience! MY brother and I hiked it (began
mid-day Sun and ended mid-day on Tues) and broke it up over 3days and
two evenings. This allowed us to stop when we wanted to and enjoy the
incredible views and scenery. This also allowed us to go hit the "hay"
early and wake up late each morning (later than a work day). Like the
other postings here, it is a tough workout on your legs (I couldn't
imagine doing it in a single day, unless you are hiking for a
workout/exercise and not for pleasure.
All the trails were marked well and all but two places were difficult to
maneuver due to a downed tree.
We took the AT trail first then met up with the Mau-Har Trail the second
part. The toughest part of the trail was between Harpers Creek Shelter
and second Campbell Creek campsite, then it leveled out on the way back
to Maupin Field Shelter.
We saw deer our first morning at the Maupin Field Shelter area (lots of
separated camp sites) and then in the same area the next afternoon.
Plenty of wild animals passed by during the night at Campbell Creek camp
site. Possibly due to Campbell Creek actually having cascading water for
us and the local inhabitants to drink from. My brother's dog alerted us
during the evening.
Due to little rain the previous weeks, Harper's Creek was virtually dry
except for a small pool of water due to light rains on our first
evening. IF the area doesn't get much rains you may want to stock up on
your water supply for the Hike along the AT.
IF you are allergic to bees, don't stop at Bee Mountain to see the
views, You don't want to have any medical conditions while on the trail.
Enjoy your hike!

Name: WaldoAR15 &nbs |