Katahdin Hunt Spur

View of the Knife Edge from Katahdin

10.5 miles round trip, 4100 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Strenuous, involves difficult rock scrambling with some exposure
Access: Good gravel road to trailhead, Baxter State Park gate fee ($15/person) and Day Use Parking reservation ($5) necessary

Katahdin. As much a legend as a mountain, Katahdin occupies a special place in the Appalachian imagination. At Katahdin, the twenty-two hundred mile long Appalachian Trail reaches its northern terminus, ending in a spectacular flourish by climbing to this wild alpine peak, the highest summit in Maine. Nowhere else in the Appalachians is nature so raw, so uninhibited, so mighty. This is the most thrilling landscape of the East Coast. The lofty summit rises above the Maine Woods and is accessible by multiple approaches, the most famous of which are the Knife Edge and the Hunt Spur. I had a difficult time picking between these approaches but ultimately settled on the Hunt Spur when parking spaces for the Roaring Brook Pond (which serves the Knife Edge Trail) were fully booked. The Hunt Trail follows the final five miles of the Appalachian Trail, embarking on one of the hardest climbs of the entire route through an acrobatic scramble to reach the final white blaze atop Maine's mightiest mountain.

A note about logistics: it is necessary to reserve one of the limited day use parking spot at the Katahdin Stream Trailhead spring through fall prior to your hike, at baxterstatepark.org. If you're a Mainer, you can reserve a parking spot some time in advance but out of state visitors can't make reservations until two weeks beforehand. If you're planning on hiking this trail on a weekend, you absolutely will need a reservation; weekday hikers may be able to snag a spot if you just show up at the gate, but don't count on it. If the Katahdin Stream Trailhead is sold out, it's also possible to dayhike Katahdin from either the Abol or Roaring Brook Trailheads (though the Roaring Brook Trailhead is by far the most popular and likely to fill up before the Katahdin Stream Trailhead does).

Katahdin is a long way from anywhere, so rather than supplying directions from a nearby major city I'll just detail how I got to the trailhead from the freeway. I took I-95 north to exit 244, then followed Maine Highway 157 into Millinocket. Once in town, I followed signs towards Baxter State Park, turning right onto Katahdin Avenue and then left onto Bates to leave town on Millinocket Road headed towards the mountain. I followed this road until it turned into the Baxter Park Road near the park entrance. To make the most out of my hike, I arrived at the park entrance bright and early at 6 AM, when the gate opens to allow day hikers in. After checking in with my printed reservation, I drove in and took the left fork after Togue Pond, following a gravel road past the Abol Stream Trailhead to the Katahdin Stream Trailhead and parking in the specific lot for day hikers.

From a grassy spot at the campground by the trailhead, I could see up the rocky, barren upper reaches of Katahdin high above. A park ranger at the trailhead warned all hikers about conditions on the mountain as I started following the Appalachian Trail north, first walking from the day use parking area past a number of campsites along the road. Soon, the campsites ended and the trail plunged into the Maine Woods, with little initial elevation gain.

Katahdin from the Katahdin Stream Campground

After a mile of flat woodland hiking, the trail crossed the crystral-clear waters of Katahdin Stream on a well-built log bridge. Past the bridge, the trail began to travel on large, exposed stretches of rock, which marked the start of the ascent of Katahdin.

Katahdin Stream

The trail began climbing along the south side of Katahdin Stream and soon came to a view of an impressive, multi-tiered waterfall on the stream: Katahdin Stream Falls. Water was a little low at the end of the summer but the flow in the stream was still high enough for this to be a pleasing scene.

Katahdin Stream Falls

Beyond Katahdin Stream Falls, the trail ascended relentlessly. The trail was frequently rough and rocky as it climbed through a forest of progressively smaller trees. At spots, the hike required a bit of rock scrambling- an initial taste of the much more intense rock scramble that waited beyond the Gateway. The trail ascended roughly 1500 feet in a mile and a half before emerging at the base of the enormous boulders of the Gateway about 2.5 miles into the hike.

The Gateway

At the Gateway, the ridgeline of the Hunt Spur dissolved from forest into a rocky mess requiring constant scrambling. The scrambling was quite taxing, requiring some acrobatic moves and involving metal rungs in places, but was also a fun way to ascend the peak. Open rock also meant open views: soon, views of surrounding Maine Woods opened up. The Owl, a solitary rocky peak to the north, was initially prominent, rising high above the forested valley of Katahdin Stream. The valley below was dotted with patches of early color as the New England summer waned.

The Owl rises over the Maine Woods

Views improved as we continued our ascent, soon opening to cover Doubletop Mountain, the Brothers, and other forested peaks in Baxter State Park. At the same time, views of the lakes in the calmer terrain to the south improved, as Rainbow Lake, Hurd Pond, and the vast expanse of Millinocket Lake all became visible, dotting the landscape traveled by the Appalachian Trail's Hundred Mile Wilderness.

Peaks of Baxter State Park

The Maine Woods

The rocky scramble ascent came to a brief pause when the trail arrived on a shoulder of the Hunt Spur. From here, there was a clear view up the rocky spine of the Hunt Spur to the desolate summit plateau. Clouds hovered above the summit of Katahdin, forming a misty crown for Maine's monarch of a mountain. It was clear that there was plenty of rock scrambling left to reach the summit.

The Hunt Spur

I continued up and up the rocky ridge, getting passed at times by bearded AT thru-hikers with a glint in their eyes as they approached the final destination of their grand journey along the crest of the Appalachians. As I approached the rocky plateau of the Tableland, the other forested peaks around me started flattening into the surrounding wooded landscape. Katahdin truly stood head and shoulders above all its peers.

The Maine Woods

3.5 miles into the hike, the AT gained the top of the Hunt Spur, having completed a climb of some 1300 feet since the Gateway in about a mile. The most difficult stretch of the hike was over; a gentler ascent through admittedly rocky terrain remained. As I reached the ridge, I was engulfed by a cloud, obscuring the views for much of the rest of the hike.

Atop the Hunt Spur

The trail began to cross an area known as the Tableland, a broad plateau just below the summit of Katahdin. Walking across this desolate alpine terrain was extraordinary- a unique experience in the Appalachians unrivalled even by the alpine zones of the Whites and the Adirondacks. Dramatic cliffs marked the edge of the Tableland, the true depth of their drop-offs hidden in the mist.

The Tableland

Looking closer to ground level, I found an abundance of ripe blueberry bushes.

Maine blueberries

At 4 miles, I came to a large rock with a plaque marking the spot of the Thoreau Spring. Henry David Thoreau, the poetic wanderer of Walden Pond, attempted to climb Katahdin in 1846; although he failed to reach the summit, Thoreau was enthralled by the wildness of the landscape and wrote of how the landscape moved him, popularizing this hitherto remote and unknown peak to New England society. This spring near the summit is named for Thoreau, although it really isn't as much a spring as simply a small pool of stagnant water under the plaque. Here, the Abol Trail joined the Hunt Trail for the final push to Katahdin's summit. The Baxter Peak Cutoff Trail led to the north; I stayed straight through this junction and continued following the last handful of white blazes. The trail was often demarcated by ropes here to keep hikers on trail and protect the fragile alpine environment. I pushed through the last mile and completed the final ascent of the Appalachian Trail to arrive at the last white blaze and the summit of Katahdin.

The last white blaze

At the summit, AT thru-hikers were celebrating the end of their long journey from Springer Mountain while dozens of other hikers ate lunch amidst the zero-visibility cloud cover. A large wooden sign marked the highest point in Maine and hikers lined up to take photos with the iconic structure. Although the summit was initially engulfed in clouds, I waited at the top for over two hours and some views eventually started to peek out. I had initially planned on hiking the Knife Edge to Pamola Peak but decided against it when it seemed that I wouldn't get the stunning and harrowing views for which the narrow ridge is famous.

Katahdin

The Tablelands led up gently to the summit of Katahdin from the west, but the northeast face of the mountain drops off precipitously into a deep cirque called the Great Basin. These cliffs are among the wildest scenes on the East Coast of the United States; standing from the summit, there is almost sheer drop down the snarling rock to the forest around Chimney Pond. This remarkable cirque- carved out by an ancient alpine glacier- is bounded by rock walls on all sides: Hamlin Peak to the north, the summit of Katahdin to the west, the Knife Edge and Pamola Peak to the south.

Chimney Pond nestled in the Great Basin of Katahdin

After waiting atop the summit for a while, views of the Knife Edge and Pamola Peak began to emerge from the clouds. There is nothing else like these serrated rocky ridges east of the Great Plains.

Pamola Peak

The main summit of Katahdin still bears the name Baxter Peak for now, honoring Maine Governor Percival Baxter for his role in preserving the extraordinary wilderness. Baxter purchased the lands now comprising the park with his own funds and donated the area to the state of Maine, but with stipulations attached that have kept this remarkable landscape wild through today. Many of the park's oddball rules resulted from Baxter's demands, but his guidelines have prevented Katahdin from undergoing the same level of development that has reduced Mount Mansfield in Vermont and Mount Washington in New Hampshire to popular tourist stops.

Mighty Katahdin

This is an extraordinary hike, one of the best day hikes and the most impressive alpine summit on the East Coast of the US. The hike to the top via the Hunt Trail is difficult with sustained stretches of difficult rock scrambling and some exposure, but those who reach the top and gaze into the rocky bowl of the Great Basin will find it hard to forget mighty Katahdin.

Weverton Cliff

The Potomac River cuts water gaps through the Blue Ridge below Weverton Cliff

9 miles round trip, 800 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Easy-moderate
Access: Paved road to trailhead, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park parking fee required (Federal lands pass valid)

Weverton Cliff provides a sweeping overview of the water gaps cut by the Potomac River as it traverses the Blue Ridge Mountains. This hike is an opportunity to hike in two states with a view of a third and includes the only overlapping stretch of two of America's most famed routes, the Appalachian Trail and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. If you love history and natural scenery equally, here's one place where you won't have to choose one at the expense of the others: the great river views of this hike occur along one of the most historically critical landscapes of this nation. It's possible to make a shorter hike to Weverton Cliff by starting at a closer trailhead in Maryland, but I recommend hiking the route described here from Harpers Ferry to fully appreciate this land and its history.

I hiked this trail with my family on a cold winter day; high temperatures that would only be in the 20s didn't dissuade us from embarking on our annual Christmastime hike. We drove to Harpers Ferry from Fredericksburg; most hikers will probably visit from the DC metro area and will find the fasest route to be taking I-270 to Frederick, merging onto I-70 west briefly, and then taking US 340 west towards Harpers Ferry. After crossing the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers on US 340 heading west, we turned onto Union St and followed it until reaching Washington St, where we turned right and descended into Harpers Ferry. In the lower town, we made a left turn onto Shenandoah St and then a left again onto Potomac St to come to the train station, where we parked to start the hike.

From the train station, we followed an elevated path along abandoned railroad tracks towards the east. A grassy field below marked the former site of the United States Armory. George Washington selected Harpers Ferry to host the nation's second armory, which produced weapons from the Jefferson Administration through the end of the Civil War. Harpers Ferry was chosen in part for its ample hydropower that came from the rapids of the Potomac.

In 1859, events at the US Armory in Harpers Ferry became the spark that set off the American Civil War. Located at the time in the state of Virginia- West Virginia had yet to secede from its eastern neighbor- Harpers Ferry had a large store of armaments and was not far from the plantations of antebellum Virginia. Infuriated by the creep of slavery into newly-admitted western states, the Fugitive Slave Act, and the Dred Scott Decision, and recognizing the common humanity of people regardless of race, abolitionist John Brown chose Harpers Ferry as his target for a large-scale slave rebellion. Hoping to spark a widespread uprising of slaves against their masters, or perhaps even to precipitate a war, Brown assembled a small contingent of fighters to seize control of the armory. They believed that as news from their revolt spread throughout the countryside, slaves would join them at Harpers Ferry and together, they would be able to march south and deliver emancipation. Their plan failed: after successfully raiding the armory, few recruits joined them. The raid was crushed by a contingent of Marines led by Robert E. Lee and Brown was captured. A little over a month later, Brown was hung, but not before delivering a soon-fulfilled prophecy: "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood." Twelve months later, South Carolina seceded from the Union.

John Brown's Fort, a fire engine house in which Brown made his last stand in his standoff against Lee's Marines, is one of the few remaining structures from the raid. The building has been moved since the raid, but the materials of the building remain those of the building in which Brown was apprehended. The Armory was dismantled after heavy damage during the Civil War and the armory site has been long abandoned.

John Brown's Fort at Harpers Ferry

John Brown remains one of the most controversial figures in American history, barely less divisive today than he was in the autumn of 1859. His ardent belief in abolition and his willingness to sacrifice his life for the cause made him a martyr to Northern abolitionists; Union soldiers marching into battle sang "John Brown's Body," a song that commemorated him. Ralph Waldo Emerson declared, upon Brown's hanging, that Brown would "make the gallows as glorious as the cross." To many white Southerners, John Brown was a terrorist. The widespread endorsement of Brown's actions in the North shocked white Southerners: their countrymen were cheering on efforts to kill them. Northerners, in turn, were becoming more disgusted by the day at the failure of white Southerners to recognize the humanity of their slaves. Mutual feelings of moral abhorence set America on an irreversible path to war. Historical interpretations of Brown have largely depended on the loyalties of the viewer: Brown is simultaneously venerated and deemed a madman. He was a violent man, the murderer of Pottawatomie, and an unselfish one who gave his life for emancipation.

I contemplated this past as I stood at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, still just meters away from the car. Rugged cliffs rose above the confluence: Maryland Heights across the Potomac, Loudoun Heights across the Shenandoah. Standing in West Virginia, I could see Maryland across the Potomac and Virginia just slightly further east across the Shenandoah. Old bridge piers crowded the river, giving reminder of the importance of the town of Harpers Ferry throughout American history.

The confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers at Harpers Ferry

Harpers Fery lies roughly at the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail, about a thousand miles from either Springer Mountain or Katahdin. We followed the Appalachian Trail across the Potomac on a railroad bridge. The truss bridge carried the track of the Winchester and Potomac Railroad and a pedestrian walkway. From the bridge, we had good views east over the Potomac-Shenandoah confluence and ahead to the massive cliffs of Maryland Heights.

Once in Maryland, the Appalachian Trail descended off the bridge via a spiral staircase and intersected with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath. We continued following the Appalachian Trail north, which overlapped with the C&O Canal Towpath heading east. Just a few meters past the bridge, we found a nice riverside spot with a view back across the Potomac to Harpers Ferry with its church steeple and historic lower town.

Harpers Ferry viewed from the Maryland side of the Potomac

Harpers Ferry

We continued along the C&O Towpath for roughly 3 miles. The towpath was sandwiched between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River; at spots, small side paths led down to the river for nice views of this mighty river, the second largest river to drain into the Chesapeake Bay. About halfway through the C&O Canal Towpath section of the hike, the trail passed beneath the span of the US 340 bridge over the Potomac River. At a few spots along the trail, there were small beaches along the Potomac which were covered with tiny shells.

The Potomac River downstream of Harpers Ferry

While the river occupied attention on the southern side of the towpath, the canal was the main point of interest north of the trail. The C&O Canal was born out of grand dreams in the nation's early years as European Americans gradually began settling the lands of the Ohio Valley to the west of the Appalachians. After the construction of the Erie Canal in New York, it became clear that accessible trade routes between the East Coast and Midwest could be extremely lucrative. Thus, in the 1820s, the US government authorized the construction of a canal that would connect the Chesapeake Bay with the Ohio River watershed, a water route for trade from Washington DC to Pittsburgh. Work started in the late 1820s but ended at Cumberland, Maryland in 1850, still over a hundred miles from Pittsburgh. By the time the canal had been built, railroads were already supplanting canal barges as the most efficient means of transportation in the growing United States. Today much of the canal remains and the towpath once used by mules to tow boats upstream through the canal and through slackwater is now principally used by cyclists and hikers.

C&O Canal Towpath

Having followed the towpath for just under three miles along the Potomac River from Harpers Ferry, we arrived at the junction where the AT split off from the towpath. Here, we followed the white blazes and took the left turn at the intersection to leave the towpath, crossing railroad tracks and coming out to a road. We spotted white blazes for the AT across a sharp bend in Keep Tryst Road and followed the white blazes as the trail returned into the forest. At this point, the trail began the first real stretch of elevation gain of the hike, climbing slightly uphill before crossing under US 340 at the highway's bridge over the small gorge of Israel Creek. Older road traces were visible below the AT and were especially noticeable at the US 340 bridge, where the remnants of an older, lower bridge still stood over Israel Creek. After passing under US 340, the trail climbed slightly uphill and passed a parking lot for AT access about half a mile after leaving the towpath. Hikers wishing to skip the towpath stretch of the hike can park here to cut the hike down to a 2.5-mile round trip.

The trail briefly paralleled Weverton Cliff Road before coming to the intersection of Weverton Cliff and Weverton Roads. We crossed Weverton Road to continue uphill and north along the Appalachian Trail.

In the next mile and a bit, the trail ascended fairly gently up the slopes of South Mountain, which forms the principal crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains through Maryland. The trail was often rocky and had switchbacks at points but otherwise the ascent was not terribly difficult. 1.2 miles after passing the Weverton Cliff trailhead parking, the trail arrived at the top of the ridge. Here, the AT made a sharp left turn that was marked by a sign indicating that the AT was heading north. An unmarked trail broke off to the right here, heading downhill. We took this unmarked trail, which led down towards Weverton Cliff. A short descent brought us quickly down to a set of rocks with partially obstructed views of the Potomac and the surrounding countryside.

The Potomac River water gap at Harpers Ferry

By scrambling about the rocks at the end of the trail, I was able to get a good overall view of the surounding area. The cliff looked directly down over the Potomac River's water gap through South Mountain. To the west, I could see the Potomac River flowing through another water gap at Harpers Ferry, cutting between Loudoun and Maryland Heights. To the east, the Potomac River stretched out towards Catoctin Mountain and its final water gap before its great turn to the south towards Great Falls and the nation's capital. Farms in the Piedmont stretched out to the east, with the tiny town of Knoxville visible below nearby and Brunswick visible a little further down the river. To the west, I spotted the church steeple of Harpers Ferry through the water gap and could see the many-layered Valley and Ridge beyond. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad snaked along the river, its tracks still carrying cargo for CSX today, nearly two centuries after the ties were laid for the first common carrier railroad in the United States.

The Potomac River below Weverton Cliff

Blood Mountain

Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains from atop Blood Mountain

 6 miles loop, 1600 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Moderate; Freeman Trail is rocky and brushy
Access: Paved road to trailhead, no pass required

The rocky summit of Blood Mountain is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia and provides beautiful views of the southern Blue Ridge just two hours driving from Atlanta. This loop hike visits the summit via a well-traveled stretch of the AT but make a loop for the return, following the little-used Freeman Trail along the southern slopes of Blood Mountain. It's also possible (and perhaps recommended) to simply hike round trip to the summit of Blood Mountain via the AT for a 4-mile round trip hike that avoids the rockier and more difficult terrain on the Freeman Trail. The numerous rhododendrons along the trail suggest that this would be a gorgeous late spring or early summer hike when the flowers bloom. This was a beautiful and enjoyable hike, especially when done as a round trip to the summit of Blood Mountain on the AT; I recommend it to anyone who lives in or is visiting the Atlanta area.

I hiked Blood Mountain on a one-day whirlwind tour of the north Georgia; after arriving at Atlanta Hartsfield early in the morning on a red-eye, I hopped in a car and drove north and hiked Blood Mountain in the morning, later doing other short hikes at Brasstown Bald and Anna Ruby Falls. Hikers looking at a map may wonder why this hike starts from the Byron Reece Trail north of Neels Gap rather than following the AT from Neels Gap; the answer is that the parking area at Neels Gap is dedicated for customers of Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi, an outdoors equipment store housed in a historic stone building. As Blood Mountain is an extremely popular hike, the larger parking area at the Byron Reece Trailhead is better suited for accommodating hikers.

From Atlanta, I took Highway 400/US 19 north from the city past Roswell and Alpharetta until the freeway ended; I continued following US 19 north, following signs to stay on the route as it went through various turns, passing through Dahlonega and entering the Blue Ridge, crossing the mountains at Neels Gap. I took the turnoff on the left for the Byron Reece Trailhead shortly after crossing the gap and parked at the trailhead.

The first 2/3 mile of the hike follows the Byron Reece Trail from the trailhead up to the Appalachian Trail at Flatrock Gap. Byron Reece, as a memorial at the trailhead notes, was a twentieth-century poet who grew up in Blairsville, just north of Blood Mountain, and became distinguished for his writings about the north Georgia Blue Ridge before his early death. The trail itself entered the Blood Mountain Wilderness soon after leaving the parking area.

Entering Blood Mountain Wilderness

The initial stretch of trail followed a creek flowing down from Flatrock Gap. Large patches of mountain laurel and rhododendron lined the trail; I imagine this stretch of trail would be gorgeous when those flowers bloom in May and June.

Rhododendron along the trail

The Byron Reece Trail maintained a steady ascent until reaching Flatrock Gap, where I came to a junction with the AT and the Freeman Trail. I took the right hand turn, which placed me on the Appalachian Trail going south. There are just under 80 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia; from Flatrock Gap, it is a mere 30 miles to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT. I followed the white blazes uphill from the gap, ascending towards the summit of Blood Mountain.

When I see the white blazes, I feel at home

Although summer was ending and a hint of fall already tinged the oaks and the poplars, a few scattered wildflowers still bloomed along the trail.

Trailside wildflowers

I've spent most of the past four years hiking in the conifer forests of the Northwest that are by turns stately, austere, and passionately verdant; I have to say that part of me has yearned for the gentle forest of eastern hardwoods. Here, the canopy is not so thick that sunlight is kept out; instead, the morning light was cast about the trees and the trail.

Appalachian Trail on Blood Mountain

The trail switchbacked often as it climbed the slopes of Blood Mountain and was at times quite rocky. Peek-a-boo views began emerging, improving as more openings in the tree cover occurred higher up on the mountain. Finally, a little over 2 miles from the trailhead, the AT came out onto a large, exposed rock outcrop. Standing at the uphill edge of the outcrop, I gazed across the tops of nearby trees to the rolling landscape of the Georgia Blue Ridge.

First views on Blood Mountain

These peaks and hollows were strangers to me: I couldn't name any of the mountains in the viewshed. All the same, this gentle but still rugged landscape reminded me of the Virginia Blue Ridge: it reminded me of home.

To the south, I gazed out into the Piedmont, spotting Yonah Mountain near Helen, one of the few Georgia mountains that I recognized. Layer upon layer of hills faded out into the Piedmont, reminding me of the rolling hills of Albemarle, Nelson, and Madison Counties that I once gazed out at from the mountains outside Charlottesville.

View into the Piedmont

Later in the day, I visited Brasstown Bald, where it is apparently possible to see the Atlanta skyline on a clear day. As Blood Mountain is barely shorter than Brasstown Bald- it, too, rises well over 4000 feet- and Blood Mountain, lying further south, is closer to Atlanta, I would imagine that Atlanta should be visible from this summit on a clear day as well.

Continuing past this initial viewpoint, I soon arrived at a second overlook on a broad rock outcrop, this one with a view wider than the first view. This time, I could gaze out along the crest of the Blue Ridge to the west, my eyes straining to spot Springer Mountain and the starting point of the 2,200-mile long Appalachian Trail. The highest peaks in the view formed the watershed divide between the Chattahoocee and Tennessee River watersheds.

Blue Ridge view from Blood Mountain

To the east, the Blue Ridge lived up to its name, with ridge after ridge fading into the blue-tinged haze and Yonah Mountain rising at the edge of the Piedmont.

Yonah Mountain and the Blue Ridge Mountains

Further down along the summit ridge from the overlooks, I came to the Blood Mountain Shelter, a well-built stone shelter for AT hikers, about two and a quarter miles from the trailhead. A large rock next to shelter provided good views to the west similar to those that I had seen earlier at the overlooks. Unlike the AT shelters in Virginia and Maryland, which typically have bunk spaces, this shelter consisted of two rooms with stone floors. I signed the shelter guest log, which, like other AT shelter logs, was filled with odd doodlings, winding stories, and passionate outbursts.

Blood Mountain Shelter

Next to the shelter was the only view to the northeast on this hike: from the top of a nearby boulder, I spotted Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia, across a wide and beautiful valley. Behind Brasstown Bald were the Appalachian ridges of North Carolina.

Brasstown Bald

Hikers who prefer an easier hike or who are only interested in the summit views should turn back after the shelter; the views ended after leaving the shelter. From here, the AT dropped downhill, descending via switchbacks to meet the Duncan Trail about a third of a mile past the summit. I stayed to the right to remain on the AT and descended to a junction with the Slaughter Creek Trail about 3 miles from the trailhead. At this junction, the AT made a sharp switchback, while the Slaughter Creek Trail continued in the direction of descent after crossing Slaughter Creek itself; once again, I stayed on the AT here, bearing left at the junction. The AT then cut along the side of the mountain with fairly little elevation gain or loss over the next two-fifths of a mile to its junction with the Freeman Trail at Bird Gap. A nice, large campsite lay west of the AT at the gap, just across from the Freeman Trail junction.

Junction for the brushy Freeman Trail

At this junction, took the left fork and left the AT for the Freeman Trail. While the AT was well maintained and obviously saw high traffic, the Freeman Trail was very brushy and appeared much less frequented. Over the next two miles on the Freeman Trail, I spent much of my time pushing away vegetation and brushing off the hundreds of spider webs that had collected on my clothes and my body. The Freeman Trail had a less pleasant trail tread as well, traversing over rocky terrain. The rising temperature and humidity as noon approached didn't help either.

The Freeman Trail followed the southern slopes of Blood Mountain for a little under 2 miles, with occasional ups and downs but no extended climbs or descents. There were no views but the hardwood forest was pleasant to hike through. At about half a mile in, the trail crossed over a small stream where a few autumn leaves decorated the water. Hickory nuts and acorns littered the forest floor.

Autumn leaf on the Freeman Trail

Further along the Freeman Trail, I found a hollowed-out spiral tree trunk right next to the trail; there were no burn marks inside the trunk, so I wondered how it might have formed.

Hollowed-out spiral trunk

After making my way around the south ridge of Blood Mountain, I found substantial areas of blowdown on the Freeman Trail. While many of these trees appeared to have fallen a while ago, quite a few were clearly fresh, with the leaves on the fallen trees still green. I speculated whether these trees might have fallen when the remnants of Hurricane Irma swept through Georgia about a week and a half before my hike in the area.

Irma's work?

Soon after passing the area of fresh blowdown, the Freeman Trail made a slight downhill and returned to Flatrock Gap. From here, I followed the Byron Reece Trail the final 2/3 mile back to the trailhead.

Blood Mountain was an enjoyable hike along the Appalachian Trail with good views of the Georgia Blue Ridge. I was happy to be back in the Blue Ridge, albeit much farther south than the Blue Ridge with which I'm most familiar, so I found this to be a very satisfying experience, especially on a weekday morning when I did not have to share the trail with many other hikers. This circuit is highly recommended for hikers living in or visiting the area.

Stony Man and Little Stony Man Cliffs

Rime ice on the trees atop Stony Man

3.8 miles round trip, 900 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Access: Trailhead off Skyline Drive (paved road), Shenandoah National Park entrance fee required

Stony Man remains the quintessential Shenandoah experience. The views from its summit are not bettered anywhere else in the park and the park idea itself was born on the southern shoulder of the mountain in the mind of George Freeman Pollock. Congressmen who toured the spot with Pollock agreed to return to Washington and push for the creation of the park; President Herbert Hoover also fell in love with what he proclaimed to be the grandest views in the world from this lofty outcrop. Today, tens of thousands of visitors each year follow in their footsteps to one of the easiest peaks to summit in Shenandoah, with one of its grandest views.

This hike description, however, doesn't address the mile-and-a-half round trip from Skyland that most visitors choose to visit Stony Man; instead, it follows the Appalachian Trail from the north, passing Little Stony Man to the summit of Stony Man. Visitors looking for the easiest path should follow the park signs for the trail from Skyland; but hikers who prefer a more interesting and scenic hike should consider this alternative, or the Stony Man/Passamaquoddy Loop Trail, which is similar in difficulty to this hike.

I hiked this trail on a cold December day with a few visiting professors at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. We headed out from Fredericksburg in the morning and entered the park from the Thornton Gap entrance on US 211. We then drove south and parked at the south end of the Stony Man Overlook, Mile 38.7.

We followed the short access trail at the far south end of the overlook about 30 yards to reach the Appalachian Trail. We turned left and headed south on the Appalachian Trail, which stayed just below Skyline Drive for the next third of a mile, with little tree cover and occasional views to the west of Shenandoah Valley. A little less than half a mile from the trailhead, we passed the turnoff for the Little Stony Man Parking Area. It's possible to start the hike there, as well, and shave 0.8 miles off the round trip; but the extra mileage to the Stony Man Overlook is a very pleasant addition to lengthen the hike slightly.

Once we passed the turnoff for the Little Stony Man Trailhead, the trail began to climb up the east side of the mountain. This was a relief for us, as the west side had been quite windy. As we began to switchback uphill, we noticed that the trail and the ground around it was populated with broad areas of needle ice, which had formed from the recent cold weather.

Needle ice on the trail

We continued climbing until we reached a trail junction about 0.4 miles past the Little Stony Man parking area. We took the left fork, which kept us on the AT. After a slight bit more uphill, we came to the Little Stony Man Cliffs, a stretch of greenstone outcrops at least 100 yards long, with a beautiful, wide view of Page Valley, Stony Man, and the Blue Ridge peaks to the north. We could even see back to where our car was parked at the Stony Man Overlook. The cliffs are made of Catoctin greenstone, which is a metamorphized form of basalt common throughout the park, especially along the high peaks of the Central District.

Little Stony Man Cliffs

View of Stony Man from Little Stony Man

After passing through the Little Stony Man cliffs, we continued a steady uphill ascent of just less than a mile. This section of trail passed through pleasant Appalachian forest, but was otherwise fairly nondescript. When we arrived at the trail junction with the Stony Man Mountain trail, we turned right, taking the blue-blazed trail uphill towards the summit. The final ascent was quite gentle. The trail forked into a loop just below the summit plateau; we took the left fork, but it doesn't matter which one you take, as both lead to the summit. Finally atop the mountain, we followed a spur for the last twenty yards from the summit down to the massive outcrops on Stony Man's west face.

The most impressive part of the Stony Man Cliffs is the great gap of air beneath your feet. From the edge of the cliffs, the mountain immediately plunges a thousand feet before it begins to level out, giving this 4010-foot high vantage point a much higher feel. The peak is the second-highest in the park and the view, in my opinion, is undoubtedly more spectacular. On that particular cold December day, the view was made even more brilliant by the rime ice that covered the trees on the summit.

To the north, we could see Skyline Drive snaking north towards the Pinnacle and Mary's Rock; beyond those peaks, we could see the broad profiles of Hogback and Mt. Marshall, the two great mountains of the North District, with the summit of the Peak just jutting out in the gap between the Pinnacle and Mary's Rock. To the west, three thousand feet down, we could see the floor of Shenandoah Valley, the glimmer of sunlight that reflected off Lake Arrowhead, the pastoral countryside surrounding Luray, the straight and flat ridges of Massanutten Mountain, and the fading ridges of the Ridge and Valley beyond that. To the south rose Hawksbill, which is the park's highest peak, and Skyland, the resort that led to the park.

Rime ice and Hawksbill, with Skyland to the right

Spring view from Stony Man

The park might never have come about had George Freeman Pollock not one day discovered the glorious sweeping views atop the cliffs. Pollock was the son of a wealthy Washingtonian who owned land in the Blue Ridge and hoped to gain some mineral value out of his holdings. The elder Pollock sent his son George to the mountains to investigate; when the younger Pollock returned, he was enamored with the mountains and convinced his father that a resort would make better use of their land. And so George Freeman Pollock built Skyland Resort high on the shoulder of Stony Man Mountain, just a short walk from both the views of Stony Man and the waterfalls of Whiteoak Canyon. Pollock managed to make Skyland a popular escape for Washingtonians, who would come to the resort for a respite from industrialism and the summer heat. When the national park movement shifted its focus from the grand wildernesses of the West to the quieter landscapes of the East, Pollock was convinced that his part of the Blue Ridge Mountains should become a park. Stephen Mather, the director of the National Park Service, focused much of his attention on the wilder lands further south in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina- but Pollock's ferious lobbying, which included inviting Congressmen to Skyland and taking them to the views of Stony Man- eventually resulted in Congressional action authorizing both Great Smoky and Shenandoah National Parks, along with Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. This, however, was just the beginning and not the end of the battle for the park; but even this much might not have occurred without Pollock's serendipitous visit to Stony Man.

We stayed at the cliffs very briefly due to the extreme cold. We returned to the small clearing at the summit to eat lunch- I taught my friends the "warm dance" (also known as the "hypothermia dance") to warm up in the sub-freezing temperatures, before we packed up and headed back the way we came.

As I mentioned earlier, the easiest way to the summit is not the route I have described, but instead is the approach from Skyland. If you're looking for the shortest way to get to Stony Man, take that route.

Hawksbill and Franklin Cliffs

Robertson and Old Rag Mountains from Hawkbill's summit

8 miles loop, 1600 feet elevation gain

Difficulty: Moderate

Access: Trailhead off Skyline Drive (paved road), Shenandoah National Park entrance fee required

This is a long and fairly rewarding hike to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain, the highest peak in the park, though I would recommend most visitors to do Hawksbill as a 2.5-mile loop hike starting at Hawksbill Gap. This trail is a bit on the long side; the section along the Big Meadows Horse Trail is honestly not terribly interesting, though the extra views along the Appalachian Trail are quite beautiful. Hiking Upward rates this hike as one of the best for views in the Mid-Atlantic; I can tell you flatly that although it's a beautiful hike, this loop as a whole does not have the highest reward to effort ratio. So hikers who are familiar with the park may want to do this hike to explore some less-trod ground; hikers who really want a long hike involving Hawksbill would be better served on the more scenic Cedar Run-Hawksbill route.

My family and I did this hike on an extremely cold Christmas Day, when temperatures started around 15 degrees and stayed below 20 degrees the entire day in the mountains. We drove to the park from the Fredericskburg, entering the park from the Thornton Gap entrance at US 211 and driving south on Skyline Drive to Fisher's Gap Overlook at mile 49. As we pulled into the parking area, we saw a bobcat disappear into the woods- the first and so far only time that I've seen a bobcat in Shenandoah. We parked at the overlook, walked back towards Skyline Drive and then descend the fire road just north of the overlook to a junction with the Appalachian Trail to start our hike.

We headed north on the AT (right at the AT junction) from Fishers Gap. We quickly found that the extremely cold weather brought extremeley interesting ice features to the park: hoarforst covered many plants, while the ground was thick with needle ice. In fact, there were many areas with two-tiered needle ice (needle ice that formed beneath needle ice from the night before), resulting in ice columns of up to nine inches long. The ice made the trail crunch under our feet the entire day.

Hoarfrost

Needle ice

Not too far from Fishers Gap, we passed the Franklin Cliffs, which were to the right of the trail. Soon after, we came to a series of overlook outcrops to the left of the trail. Some of these required ducking through through the trees for two meters; some were directly next to the trail. All had broad views of Blackrock, which is the fourth highest peak in the park, New Market Gap, and Page Valley.

View from Franklin Cliffs towards New Market Gap

The next stretch of trail was rather long, with less to see. The AT was fairly flat as it passed beneath Spitler Knoll Overlook and then passed the turnoff to Rock Spring Hut and Rock Spring Cabin. After a little less than 3 miles and just a slight elevation gain, the AT intersected the Salamander Trail, on the slopes of Hawksbill. We turned right onto the Salamander Trail, which started a steady uphill climb up Hawksbill. The trail was windy but made no true switchbacks as it headed uphill, and after half a mile it reached the summit plateau. The trail passed three wide, sweeping viewpoints of Nakedtop and Page Valley: these outcrops had views to the south that weren't visible from the top. The most notable parts of the view were the peak of Massanutten Mountain and its ski slopes and, just beyond that, the grand massif of Elliott Knob, the tallest peak in this part of the Appalachians.

Views on the Salamander Trail

Equally as notable were the scattered spruce and fir near the summit. These trees are usually only found in the Southern Appalachians, where the peaks are much higher (5700 feet at Mt. Rogers and 6600 feet at Mt. Mitchell); Hawksbill is just high enough to support a small population of these trees. Hawksbill is a sky-island of sorts: it is a small, isolated region with an ecology different from that of its surrounding areas.

Spruce tree atop Hawksbill

After passing these viewpoints, the Salamander Trail swung back away from the Hawksbill cliffs and met up with the Hawksbill Fire Road. We turned left here and followed the Fire Road a hundred meters or so to the Byrd's Nest Shelter #2. The shelter was one of a handful in the park built with funding from Harry Byrd Sr., a giant in Virginia politics. Byrd played a role in the park's creation as governor; however, his most notable (unnotable?) moments involved his resistance to integration of schools in Virginia.

We lunched at the shelter before walking the final 50 yards to the observation platorm at 4050 foot summit, the highpoint of Shenandoah National Park. The 270-degree view was tremendous: all of Page Valley, Stony Man, Robertson Mountain, Old Rag, and the Piedmont, stretching to the horizon.

Stony Man and Timber Hollow from Hawksbill

Our summit stay was short due to the cold. We took the Hawksbill Fire Road downhill to the trail that led to the upper Hawksbill parking area, a mile downhill from the summit. We crossed Skyline Drive and took a short while to find the concrete post to the west (right) of the parking area that led to the Big Meadows Horse Trail.

The Big Meadows Horse Trail was long and honestly rather boring. There wasn't much to see; the trail descended the side of Spitler Hill into the upper Rose River watershed, then, followed the side of the mountain for two miles or so until reaching two stream crossings of the upper reaches of the Rose River. Mile markers marked the trail every half mile, which hikers might find useful for keeping track of how much longer they have until they get back to their car.

Feeder streams of the Rose River

Finally, after nearly three miles, the Big Meadows Horse Trail intersected the Rose River Loop. From this point, we stayed on the horse trail, which headed fairly steeply uphill. After a half mile, it intersected the Rose River Fire Road; we turned right onto the fire road and followed it back to Fishers Gap and the parking area. We caught the late evening sun painting the ridges golden at Fishers Gap before we drove north out of the park and home.

Sunset at Fishers Gap