Big Run Loop

Mountain Laurel

5.8 miles loop, 1400 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Moderate
Access: Trailhead off Skyline Drive (paved road), Shenandoah National Park entrance fee required

The Big Run watershed is the largest in Shenandoah National Park. By the time Big Run leaves the wide bowl bound by Brown Mountain, Rockytop, and Loft Mountain through Big Run Portal, it is minor river; as a sign on Skyline Drive states, an inch of rain in the Big Run watershed is roughly equal to 200 million gallons. The watershed also forms the most remote and wild country in the entire park. While most hikes into the Big Run watershed take a full day or more, the Big Run loop ventures into the edge of this country, following ridges on the watershed's southeastern edge before visiting the upper reaches of the stream. This hike is certainly best in spring, when wildflowers bloom everywhere along the trail. This is a hike for forests, flowers, and a stream; while there are two views on this hike, both of those views are from spots where the hike intersects a Skyline Drive overlook.

This was the last hike that I did in Shenandoah before moving out of Charlottesville. A week and a half after graduation, on a warm late May day, I drove out to the park to visit the overlooks a last time and explore some new stretches of trail I hadn't before. I stopped at every overlook along Skyline Drive between I-64 at Rockfish Gap and the Doyles River Trailhead, fondly remembering the experiences at those overlooks and on each of the ridges and hollows of the South District from the past two years. It took me nearly an hour and a half to travel the 24 or so miles from the entrance up to the trailhead at milepost 81.

Once at the trailhead, I followed the Doyles River Falls trail downhill just a few meters to reach the Appalachian Trail. I turned right to take the AT south. The first mile of trail wound through the forest, paralleling Skyline Drive. There were no views, but the spring forest had many other delights: many different wildflowers added color to the green. The trail was fairly flat, with only occasional elevation gain and loss.

The AT near the Doyles River Trailhead

More wildflowers!

Geraniums

Mushrooms!

A mile into the hike, I reached the Doyles River Overlook. This paved overlook is slightly set off from the main traffic of Skyline Drive, so it's a bit more quiet than the typical Shenandoah overlook. The AT followed the pavement across the overlook before reentering the woods. I stopped briefly at the overlook to take in the view of Big and Little Flat Mountains and Cedar Mountain on either side of the Doyles River watershed. One corner of Bucks Elbow Mountain peeked out from behind Cedar Mountain, and far off in the distance I could see Charlottesville.

Doyles River Overlook

The AT near Doyles River Overlook

Soon after passing the overlook, the trail intersected Skyline Drive. I crossed the drive and continued hiking until I reached a trail junction with the Big Run Trail, about a half mile past the overlook. I turned right here, continuing the clockwise circuit. The trail began a slight descent on Rockytop Ridge. I encountered a small snake on the trail and saw many beautifully blooming rhododendron. In just over half a mile the trail intersected the Rockytop Trail; I turned right to stay on the Big Run Loop Trail and began a mile and a half descent.

Rhododendron

The descent had one partial view through the trees; mostly, it was just forest, with occasional pockets of wildflowers. Once it finished descending, the trail reached the bottom of Big Run's valley. Here, I turned right onto the Big Run Fire Road, which quickly brought me to a crossing of Big Run. Near its headwaters, Big Run may not seem to merit its name: here it was just a trickle, a gentle mountain creek. However, during a rainstorm, water flows in from every cranny of the wide valley, creating a small river in the lower valley. The water was fairly cool, a welcome respite from the warm May weather.

Big Run

After crossing the creek, the trail began climbing out of the valley. All along the previous sections of the hike, I had been keeping an anxious watch for mountain laurel in bloom. The huge bushes of blooming white flowers is one of my favorite sights in the Blue Ridge. I was disappointed again and again though; most of the mountain laurel was on the cusp of blooming, but most had not opened their white petals. However, as I climbed up the Big Run Fire Road, the most amazing sight unfolded before me: as I climbed further, more and more mountain laurel began to appear to the right of the trail, each bush progressively further in bloom.

Mountain laurel in bloom

I took my time enjoying the mountain laurels. It was perhaps the last time in a long time that I'd see their white and pink flowers in the Virginia Blue Ridge. At the end of that week, I moved out of Charlottesville; a few months later, I moved out of my home state of 22 years for the first time.

When I finally tore myself from the mountain laurel, I continued the ascent from the valley. At one point, the trail flattened out on a small ridge. I turned a corner onto the ridge and found a bear with two cubs just fifty feet away from me down the trail. She looked at me curiously for nearly a half minute crashing loudly into the forest with her cubs.

Mamma and cubs on the trail

A final uphill push brought me back to Skyline Drive at Big Run Overlook, about 2.2 miles from Big Run. I looked down the valley to Rockytop, Brown Mountain, and Massanutten, recalling my fond memories from this landscape. I had a difficult time convincing myself to return to my car and return to Charlottesville.

Big Run Overlook

The beauty of this hike was in the little things: the wildflowers of spring, mushrooms, the coolness of a mountain stream, bears, cicada chirps, and the ever-continuing recovery of the Shenandoah forests. In many ways, this hike exemplifies the Shenandoah idea: a park where visitors find joy in the details, in the changes between seasons, in the sighting of rare or familiar wildlife, rather than a park of sublime features that induce jaws to drop. I'm glad that this was my last hike during my time at UVA.

Austin Mountain/Madison Run

Trayfoot and Blackrock

10.5 miles loop, 1600 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Moderate
Access: Trailhead off Skyline Drive (paved road), Shenandoah National Park entrance fee required

Austin Mountain lies in a forgotten corner of the South District of Shenandoah National Park; this hike is an opportunity to catch some rarely-seen views while hiking along a remote ridgeline. I will suggest this hike as a 9.5 mile loop at most times, but with the option of extending it to 10.5 miles without much more elevation gain during days that Skyline Drive is closed due to snow and ice. Doing a loop on the Austin Mountain Trail and the Madison Run Fire Road is rewarding, but when Skyline Drive is closed, it may be interesting to continue up Madison Run Fire Road to Brown's Gap and then a little further to a view on Skyline Drive.

This is not a particularly popular hike; although it has some good views, it is fairly long and lacks the rewards of similar-difficulty trails such as Riprap or Rocky Mountain-Big Run, and the return down the Madison Run Fire Road is a little on the side of boring. However, it's still quite a good hike: the Austin Mountain Trail will usually give a bit of solitude and the fact that the trail starts at the Madison Run entrance means that this hike is accessible even when Skyline Drive is closed. I found this hike to be particularly rewarding when I came on a frosty February day, though some of that delight might be more attributable to the remarkable weather conditions that day rather than the trail itself.

I hiked Austin Mountain on a February day, right after a mild snow. In Charlottesville, it had just rained, but Skyline Drive was closed; so I decided to drive to the other side of the mountains and do this hike, which I had been saving for a snowy day. I took I-64 west out of Charlottesville and got off at exit 99, then took US 250 west to the bottom of the mountain and the intersection with US 340 in Waynesboro. I turned right onto US 340 north and followed it through Dooms and Crimora to Grottoes, where I turned right onto Route 663 at a poorly marked junction where there was a 7-11 on the left of the road. I followed 663 to near its end, a wide gravel parking area just a few hundred feet short of the park boundary. I parked along the road and then followed the gravel road into the park.

The first section of the hike followed the Madison Run Fire Road, running to the left side of the namesake stream. Madison Run is named for John Madison, an uncle of President James Madison, who owned a tract of land in the Shenandoah Valley. The former road passed by a junction with the trail to Furnace Mountain right after entering the park and reached the junction with the Austin Mountain Trail after following the stream about three-quarters of a mile from the park boundary.

Madison Run

I turned left onto the Austin Mountain Trail and immediately began ascending. The climb was fairly steep and the trail very quickly made its way up the south slopes of the mountain. After making a long switchback, the trail started entering rockier and rockier terrian, with occasional mini-talus slopes and less dense tree cover along the trail. Here I found the first views of the hike: I could Furnace Mountain right across the hollow, Trayfoot Mountain higher to the left of Furnace, and a bit of Shenandoah Valley stretching to the right. Both peaks were lightly dusted with snow, a particularly beautiful sight.

Trayfoot and Furnace from a talus slope on Austin

As I hiked further, the trail climbed more and the views improved, with many occasional views across the hollow to Furnace and Trayfoot. About two-thirds of the way up the mountain, I finally reached the snow line on Austin Mountain. While the snow on the mountains opposite the hollow mainly coated the ground, on this side of the hollow, on Austin Mountain, the snow had stayed on the branches. I'm not exactly sure why- perhaps it was due to wind- but this created the most incredible winter fairy-tale landscape I've ever hiked through. Every tree was coated in a fresh layer of snow, every bush had turned into an interlaced network of white fibrils.

Forest coated in snow

This incredible scene only got progressively more wonderous as I hiked onward. Soon, the trees were thinning out at more frequent intervals and I had many more views across the hollow. As the trail began to reach the eastern side of Austin Mountain, new views opened up of the entirety of Dundo Hollow and the peaks surrounding Madison Run's headwaters. The Blue Ridge crest was capped in snow, framed by sugar-coated trees near the trail. Even on a non-snowy day, these views would be quite impressive. The view was dominated by Trayfoot Mountain's pyramidal peak.

Rockytop Ridge from Austin Mountain

Trayfoot Mountain

Then, suddenly, as the trail emerged from the protective south face of Austin Mountain onto the top of the ridge connecting the mountain with Rockytop Ridge, the snow on the trees disappeared. The snow on the ground remained- but here, the branches were bare and brown. A faint wind blowing from the north suggested a culprit for the change in scenery here. The next mile and a half of the hike consisted of a ridge hike that alternated between following the top of the ridge and swinging to the ridge's south side- and thus between bare and snow-encrusted forest- while making a gradually steepening ascent up to Rockytop Ridge. At one point during this ascent, I looked back at Austin Mountain and could see perfectly the divide of the snowed-over trees and the bare trees.

Austin Mountain, coated in snow

At the end of the climb, I reached the Rockytop Trail, at the top of the ridge and about 4 miles from the trailhead. From here, I took the Rockytop Trail to the right and after a fairly flat third of a mile I arrived at a junction with the Big Run Trail. Here, I turned right to take the yellow-blazed Big Run Spur, which descended at a decent clip and soon brought me to the Madison Run Fire Road, about 4.7 miles from the trailhead. This section of trail was fairly nondescript; there were no views and very much forest.

From here, it's possible to turn right on Madison Run Fire Road and descend back to the parking area. I chose to extend my hike by following the fire road an additional three-quarters of a mile uphill to Browns Gap. The wide road made a few large bends while climbing steadily before it brought me to the parking area at Browns Gap, just off of Skyline Drive. Stonewall Jackson made a similar uphill trip on the same road in 1862 when he crossed Browns Gap on the road along Madison Run after his Valley Campaign.

Browns Gap in the snow

From the parking area, I turned right and walked along Skyline Drive for about a fifth of a mile to reach a section of the drive with an open view. I sat on the rock wall on the side of the drive and enjoyed the view of snowy Dundo Hollow as I ate lunch.

View from Skyline Drive just south of Browns Gap

After my lunch, I returned to Browns Gap and then headed back to the trailhead on the Madison Run Fire Road. It was roughly five miles from the gap back to the start point. This distance went fairly fast, though; the road made for a relatively gentle ascent and allowed me to go at a good pace. Along the way, I ran into a few runners making their way up to the gap, the only other humans I saw on the hike that day. I believe the fire road is frequented more on nicer days.

There were a few views of the surrounding mountains on the fire road, but for the most part the road was uneventful. At first the fire road was halfway up the side of Rockytop Ridge, but as it descended it got closer and closer to its namesake stream, until finally, not far from its junction with the Austin Mountain Trail, the fire road and the stream reunited. About an hour and a half after leaving Browns Gap, I arrived back at my car and returned to Charlottesville after an enjoyable winter trip.

View from the Fire Road

Whiteoak Canyon and Cedar Run

Whiteoak Canyon Falls #6

7.8 miles loop, 2450 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous
Access: Per person Shenandoah National Park entrance fee (bring cash), or purchase a Shenandoah National Park annual pass beforehand for small groups

The Whiteoak Canyon and Cedar Run loop is a challenging but extremely popular Shenandoah hike. It visits two of the most scenic stream canyons in the park, both filled with plunging waterfalls and greenstone cliffs. Although the Upper Whiteoak Canyon also visits Whiteoak Canyon Falls #1, these two hikes otherwise overlap very little. This hike can be done starting either at Hawksbill Gap on Skyline Drive or from the Whiteoak Canyon parking off of County Road 600 in Berry Hollow. This description will detail the hike from Berry Hollow, as this was the direction I hiked it and is also the direction I recommend you hike it as it places the uphill first and the downhill later, rather than the other way around.

There are at least six waterfalls in Whiteoak Canyon and at least three waterfalls in Cedar Run Canyon; there are also an overabundance of small cascades, falls on side streams, and areas where water simply drips down from rocks. The canyon has many faces in different seasons: in the spring, when the streams are overflowing, there is water dripping down everywhere; in the summer and fall, the canyon is drier but more colorful. Winter is perhaps one of the most interesting seasons to visit. My first visit to Whiteoak Canyon was in a frigid January, when the waterfalls were instead frozen curtains and the cliffs on either side of the canyon formed a cathedral of ice. The two canyons are perched on the southeast slopes of Stony Man and Hawksbill, the two highest peaks in Shenandoah National Park, providing the Robinson River and Cedar Run the requisite elevation difference to create so many waterfalls.

The hike is fairly challenging, as it climbs from the foot of the mountains to a point just short of Skyline Drive near the highest peaks in the park. It requires a few crossings of Cedar Run, some of which may be a little challenging when the water is high.

I did this loop with my family over my winter break, though in this post I'll include some photos from an earlier winter trip to Whiteoak Canyon. We headed out from Fredericksburg early in the morning, taking Route 3 west to US 29 at Culpeper and then taking US 29 south to Madison, where we then switched to Route 231 north. We followed Route 231 to Banco; just past Banco, we turned left onto Country Road 670 and followed that to Syria, where we turned right onto Country Road 643, following the signs for Whiteoak Canyon. A little further on, we took County Road 600 north all the way up to the Whiteoak Canyon Trailhead, which was to the left of the road. We parked in the small parking area and had no company when we set out. There was a little snow on the ground from a storm that lightly dusted the area the previous night.

The hike starts on fairly flat ground. About a tenth of a mile in, after crossing a bridge, the trail splits, with the left turn heading to Cedar Run and the right to Whiteoak Canyon. We turned right to head up Whiteoak Canyon first. The trail then crossed another bridge to reach the right bank of the Robinson River.

Snow along the Robinson River

The next mile and a half of the trail had minimal elevation gain as the trail followed the Robinson River into lower Whiteoak Canyon. We passed the junction with the Cedar Run Link Trail and crossed over the unfortunately named Negro Run (which has waterfalls in its canyon, as well) before coming to the foot of Whiteoak Canyon Falls #6, which is the lowest falls in the canyon and the first encountered on this hike.

Whiteoak Canyon Falls #6, entirely frozen over

During my first visit to this waterfall, it was completely frozen over, with the pool at its base a chunk of solid ice. On my second winter visit, it was not quite as cold, so the waterfall was flowing, but there was a dusting of snow on the ground to add color to monotonous winter brown.

As soon as the trail passed Whiteoak Canyon Falls #6, it began a steeper ascent. The trail switchbacked up the side of the mountain, first allowing a partial view down into the canyon of Negro Run and one of its waterfalls, then climbing back along the side of Whiteoak Canyon. At one point, the trail, following the side of the mountain, reached an outcrop and a lone pine tree perched high over the canyon, with a view into the mountains beyond the canyon as well.

Pine in Whiteoak Canyon

The trail continued high above the canyon, with occasional views down into the canyon to some of the other waterfalls in Whiteoak Canyon.

One of the lower Whiteoak falls- #4 or #5

Eventually, the trail returned to the side of the Robinson River, close to Whiteoak Canyon Falls #3. Falls #3 is not directly on the trail itself, but I did take a side trip to visit it during my first hike here, when I followed the frozen-over river to the falls and the surrounding walls of icicles. When I hiked this with my family, we skipped the trip to the bottom of the falls but did see the falls from above on the trail.

Ice in Whiteoak Canyon

A cathedral of ice of sorts, by Whiteoak Canyon Falls #3

Just past Whiteoak Canyon Falls #3, we arrived at Whiteoak Canyon Falls #2, one of the more impressive cascades where the Robinson River dropped directly down a rock face.

Whiteoak Canyon Falls #2

The last stretch between Whiteoak Canyon Falls #2 and Whiteoak Canyon Falls #1 took a while; the previous falls all occurred in quick succession, but this time there was about 0.4 miles of hiking between the two. After a steady ascent to the forest at the base of the first falls, the trail climbed up a rock staircase to reach a viewpoint across the canyon and high above Whiteoak Canyon Falls #1. This waterfall, the second highest in the park at 86 feet, cascaded down multiple steps before finally dropping into a pool. We stopped at the view outcrop to eat lunch; at this point, we were 2.5 miles in and about 1400 feet up. It is only a little over a mile hiking between the top of the first falls and the bottom of the sixth falls.

Whiteoak Canyon Falls #1

From this viewpoint, it was a short distance to the point where the trail reached a crossing of the Robinson River just upstream of the falls. Whiteoak Fire Road was just across the river, but we chose to go a little further upstream, about a tenth of a mile, to a point where a footbridge crossed the river. We crossed here and then followed a path along the other side of the river back downstream to the Whiteoak Fire Road. The next mile and a half of the hike was a steady uphill on the fire road, which was covered in an inch of fresh snow. We occasionally happened on animal tracks; from what we could see, there were obviously deer and perhaps a fox that had been running through the snow some time before. As we climbed further, we entered a foggy forest and continued in these conditions until the trail almost reached Skyline Drive. Here, we reached a junction with a horse trail, and took a left onto that horse trail to continue traversing the side of the mountain. After crossing the top of the ridge that separates Whiteoak and Cedar Run canyons, the horse trail descended for half a mile to intersect with the Cedar Run Trail just below Hawksbill Gap.

Whiteoak Canyon Fire Road

From this point, everything was (literally) downhill. We turned left onto the Cedar Run Trail and began a steady descent that became progressively steeper as we descended into the canyon. At first, we weren't near much water; but as we descended, small trickles around us combined to create a larger trickle; and more larger trickles flowed in, eventually creating the upper reaches of Cedar Run. The trail became steeper and steeper, passing by greenstone cliffs as it followed the tumbling stream downhill.

Cedar Run Trail

Soon, we made our first crossing of Cedar Run, just below a small and very pretty cascade.

Cedar Run

After this crossing, the trail became very rough. It was extremely rocky and wet: a bad combination. Our descent was very slow, but steadily we made our way further along the trail, which would alternate between following the stream and swinging away when the stream entered remarkably rocky terrain. We passed the Slide, an inclined waterfall of sorts, and a miniature canyon with a small plunging fall just downhill of the Slide. After about two miles of descent, we entered the lower part of the canyon, where there were many waterfalls but few close to the trail. The trail tended to stay high above the watercourse on the canyon walls, but from time to time we spotted falls of twenty or more feet through the trees. Cedar Run is an extraordinarily scenic stream, but it is harder to enjoy than Whiteoak Canyon as many of the prettiest cascades are a little removed from the trail.

One of the lower falls on Cedar Run

More falls on Cedar Run

As the trail entered the bottom of the canyon, it crossed Cedar Run once more, this time just downstream of the last waterfall. This crossing was quite tricky- while it was possible to rock-hop, there wasn't much stable footing, so two of the four of us ended up a little cold and wet. That was okay though; after the crossing, the trail entered flatter ground, passing the junction with the Cedar Run Link Trail as it entered the last half mile of the hike. After a ten minute, fairly flat walk through the woods, we arrived at the junction with the Whiteoak Canyon Trail and turned right to return to the parking area.

The Priest via Crabtree Falls

View towards Three Ridges from the Priest

9.4 miles round trip, 2500 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Moderate-strenuous; stay on trail at Crabtree Falls as rocks near falls are dangerous
Access: Paved road to trailhead; $3/day use fee per vehicle

I may be prone to hyperbole, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that this hike is one of the most varied and scenic in the state. This fairly challenging full-day hike ascends the most impressive peak in the Blue Ridge north of the James River by following what some claim to be the highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Sure, it's not a trip for solitude seekers- Crabtree Falls sees hundreds of visitors on most weekends and there are numerous 4WDs rumbling up and down the Crabtree Meadows Road near the Priest- but the scenic beauty of this hike outweighs having to put up with crowds.

The Priest is the tallest peak in the Religious Range- not truly a subrange of the Blue Ridge, but rather just a number of peaks with religious names, including the Cardinal and the Friar across the Piney River watershed. It is not the tallest peak in the Blue Ridge north of the James River- that honor belongs to nearby Rocky Mountain- but from all angles the mountain seems immense. The Appalachian Trail passes over the summit of the mountain as it heads north before it drops 3000 feet in 3 miles to the Tye River in one of the steepest sections of the AT in Virginia. This hike climbs the peak from its gentler northwestern side, but still requires climbing to the summit from its base at the Tye River. The peak's summit lies within the Priest Wilderness, one of the few federally-designated wildernesses in Central Virginia. I did this hike during the spring, when the waterfalls were in full flow and the flowers were blooming; I imagine that this hike is also good during the winter, when the falls are flowing and the views are clearer.

I did this hike on a gorgeously clear late May day with my parents, who were visiting Charlottesville and hiking with me to train for an upcoming long-distance hiking trip. We drove to the Crabtree Falls recreation site in the morning, heading south on US 29 from Charlottesville past Lovingston to VA Route 56 west. We turned right onto 56 and followed it, making two turns along the way to stay on that route. As Route 56 neared Massie's Mill, the Priest came into full view before us, bathed in shimmering morning light, its summit grandly towering over the Piedmont and the Tye River watershed. We followed 56 past Massie's Mill and the road's junction with the Appalachian Trail, continuing as the road became progressively narrower and windier. Eventually, when it seemed as if the road could curve no more, we reached a turnoff to the left for Crabtree Falls. We parked in the very large lot and paid the $3 day use fee, then headed up the trail. I have previously detailed the first 1.7 miles of the hike to the top of Crabtree Falls.

The first 0.7 miles of the hike was packed with cascade after cascade as we ascended along Crabtree Creek. Crabtree Falls is actually a series of many waterfalls, which together add up to a height of around 1200 feet; this makes Crabtree Falls one of the tallest series of cascades in the eastern United States. The water flow was plentiful in spring, making most of the falls quite impressive.

Crabtree Falls

Crabtree Falls

As we hiked up through the waterfalls, we began seeing huge bushes of Catawba Rhododendron in bloom. The flowers ranged in color from a light pink to purple and were beautiful accents in the greenery around the trail and the falls. At some overlooks, we saw bushes full of rhodoendrons blooming across the creek.

Blooming rhododendron

Catawba Rhododendron

It took us over an hour to reach the overlook at the top of Crabtree Falls. There were so many delightful things along the trail that we had to stop at each. At mile 1.4, we passed the base of the final waterfall, which plunged down a dome-like granite sheet. 1.7 miles into our hike, we arrived at the top of the waterfall, where there was a view into the Tye River watershed from a stone-lined viewpoint. It's important to place safety first here, as Crabtree Falls is one of the deadliest natural sites in Virginia due to the visitors who climb over the stone walls and slip down the falls. This time, the view from the top of the falls was much clearer than during my first visit, when the viewpoint was entirely clouded over. Here, too, there were many rhododendron blooming; after passing these falls, the rhododendron concentration fell due to the higher altitude.

The highest cascade of Crabtree Falls

Rhododendron

View from the top of Crabtree Falls

After a short stop at the viewpoint, we continued onward, following the trail along the right bank of the creek. The next mile was fairly flat and eventless; there was some climbing at first, but soon the trail leveled out and broadened. One mile past the viewpoint at the top of Crabtree Falls (and 2.7 miles from the parking area), we reached the Crabtree Meadows trailhead. It's possible to shorten the hike up the Priest by driving up to this trailhead, but be warned that Meadows Rd, which leads to the trailhead from Route 56, is very windy and narrow. We walked through the parking area and turned left onto Meadows Road, following the road uphill.

This was perhaps the least pleasant portion of the hike. We had to follow the road for half a mile between the Crabtree Meadows trailhead and the intersection of Meadows Road with the Appalachian Trail. The road was deeply rutted and passable only for 4WD vehicles; this meant that every now and then, a large, noisy vehicle would pass us, sending up large clouds of dust. The road passed a few campsites and then began a very steep ascent to a saddle on the west side of the Priest. In fact, the half-mile of road might actually be the steepest portion of the entire hike. At the top of the ridge, we met up with the Appalachian Trail, which ran to the right through a grassy clearing and to the left into the forest. We turned left, taking the AT north and quickly entering the Priest Wilderness.

The AT entering the Priest Wilderness

The trail climbed moderately up the ridge, passing wildflowers and faint views through the trees to Three Ridges and the summit of the Priest. The most prominent wildflower display here was trillium in full bloom.

Trillium

The trail climbed for about a mile from the junction with Meadows Road until it reached the summit plateau of the Priest. Here, the trail flattened out next to a set of huge granite boulders, piled up in an impressive-looking manner. Just past these boulders, the AT made a turn to the left, with a trail that headed straight ahead to the Priest Shelter. I took the short tenth of a mile spur to the shelter. The shelter was a fairly standard AT shelter, but had an interesting logbook where hikers left confessions of various sorts on the Priest.

Large granite boulders on the summit plateau of the Priest

The Priest Shelter

Returning to the AT, we continued north for a half mile through relatively flat ground until an unmarked spur broke off to the left. Following this spur, we emerged onto a collection of granite boulders and outcrops exposed on the north face of the Priest. Before us lay one of the most impressive views in Virginia. On this particularly clear day, we could see all the way to the Strickler/Duncan Knob area on Massanutten Mountain, nearly 70 miles away. While the view is only 180 degrees and not 360, it contains some of the most important landmarks north and west of the Priest, including Three Ridges, Wintergreen, Trayfoot Mountain, Massanutten, Elliott Knob, and Spy Rock on Maintop Mountain. The viewpoint is not quite at the true summit of the Priest- the highest point, at 4062 feet, is slightly further down the AT- but we were only a few feet lower and were at the mountain's main viewpoint, so we decided to start our return after enjoying the view. I scrambled around the boulders to explore different angles on the view before we headed back downhill to finish the hike. All in all, an excellent and challenging hike that visits some of the prettiest spots in our state.

View north from the Priest

Maintop Mountain from the Priest

View north from the Priest