After the trail leaves US 220 at Daleville, VA, it ascends a hill and then enters woods. At 1.1 miles the trail crosses over a stile, then descends log steps to VA 779. It then turns right on VA 779 and passes under I - 81. At 1.5 miles, the trail crosses a bridge over Buffalo Creek and reaches US 11. After crossing US 11, the trail crosses the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. The trail then ascends into an open pasture at 1.8 miles. From the top of this knoll, there are nice views of Tinker Ridge, Tinker Mountain and Mcafee Knob. The trail then descends steeply toward VA 652, reaching it at 2.1 miles.
The trail used to follow VA 652 to the right for about a mile, then turned left and ascended to Fullhardt Knob (2676') on a sidehill trail. I hiked that trail one very nice May afternoon in the early 1990s. If it still exists (and it probably does), it is a nice hike, though steep towards the upper end. The trailhead is easy to find on the northeast side of VA 652.
Now the trail simply crosses VA 652, and climbs to Fullhardt Knob on a new and entirely different trail. I've hiked this new trail as well. Fullhardt Knob (2676') is (now) reached at 5.0 miles.
In order to complete the section, I parked at the intersection of (gated) Salt Pond Road and the Blue Ridge Parkway one winter day. I walked Salt Pond Road to the AT, then followed it to Fullhardt Knob. Salt Pond Road/USFS 191 is (now) reached at 7.8 miles.
One note of particular interest is that the Fullhardt Knob Shelter has a cistern to provide a water supply. For several years, there was a homeless woman who was living there - or trying to live there. Repeated warnings and removal of household items from the shelter eventually put an end to the problem.
I walked this section with a friend one midwinter Saturday. The point at which the trail crosses (gated) Salt Pond Road - USFS 191 is a little over 1 mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Heading north from Salt Pond Road, the trail descends sharply, then eventually levels out. At 3.4 miles, a blue blazed trail leads 100 feet to the Wilson Creek Shelter. The trail gradually moves closer to the Parkway until you reach Black Horse Gap. While I don't remember how far the trail is from the Parkway at Black Horse Gap, I don't think it's more than .1 mile or so - on Old Fincastle Road/USFS 186.
This is the first of a series of sections that closely parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was nice to get this one out of the way during the winter on a cool but sunny day.
The trail in this section is always close to the Parkway, sometimes (below the road) at the base of rock retaining walls. The trail crosses to the south side of the Parkway at Harveys Knob Overlook, the beginning of this section. At .6 mile, the trail crosses through the Montvale Overlook parking area. Then at 1.7 miles, the trail crosses to the north side of the Parkway at the Taylor's Mountain Overlook parking area. While I was enjoying the view at this overlook, I was passed by a man and woman on horseback who proceeded to ride south on the Appalachian Trail in the
I walked this section with two friends. The trail follows the Parkway very closely, sometimes at the base of retaining walls. At times, the trail follows old deserted roadways which makes it a wide trail. At 2.4 miles, there's a side trail to the Bobblets Gap Shelter. The trail also crosses the Parkway at 3.1 miles, at the Peaks of Otter Overlook (at Parkway mile 92.5 - 2240'). At 4.8 miles, the trail reaches paved VA 695. The trail follows the road west beneath the Parkway bridge and reaches its intersection with VA 43 and the end of the section in Bearwallow Gap just northwest of the bridge.
This was a Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club hike. It was not the hike scheduled for that day, but the one scheduled could not be accessed because the Parkway was closed due to snow. We walked to the Cove Mountain Shelter (at 3.2 miles) and then returned to Bearwallow Gap. It was a nice walk through the woods on a pleasant winter day.
I hiked this one beautiful spring day. I walked from Jennings Creek on VA 614 (951 ‘) to the Cove Mountain Shelter (1925') at 3.2 miles, then on to the Little Cove Mountain Trail (2560'), at 4.6 miles. I then followed the Little Cove Mountain trail 2.8 miles back to VA 614. This made for a nice loop hike. Then I walked along VA 614 back to the starting point.
This was a Roanoke Appalachian Trail club hike. Three of us got separated from the rest of the group before even arriving at the trailhead. The rest of the group was ahead of us. The hike was intended to go to the Bryant Ridge Shelter, then bushwhack out to VA 714. We walked to the shelter, but then couldn't figure out where to bushwhack (to get to VA 714), so we walked back the way we came. We never saw the rest of the group - they bushwhacked out before we ever got to the shelter. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant hike enjoyed in the company of good friends (Zetta and Ed).
At 1.6 miles, the trail reaches the crest of Fork Mountain, then descends. The trail reaches the Bryant Ridge Shelter at 3.4 miles.
I hiked this section with my dad and my brother, 'The Climber'. We met at the Sunset Field Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Leaving one vehicle there, we drove to VA 714. Having carefully studied the trail map, I had identified a spot on VA 714 from which we bushwhacked to the north until we reached the AT, near the Bryant Ridge Shelter. The shelter had recently been built. It is a multilevel shelter, with a larger capacity than most shelters. (I think there is a commercial campground in this area with a trail to access the AT. I'd like to go back and find that campground and trail - so I can more easily access this unique shelter.)
The trail northbound from the shelter gains 2200 feet in elevation across 4.4 miles to the crest of Floyd Mountain (3560'). Our 72-year-old dad found the climb to be somewhat painful because of knee problems that eventually required knee replacement surgery. We left him at the Cornelius Creek Shelter (3145') - at 4.9 miles, while we continued on to the northern end of the section. We did stop at Black Rock (at 5.8 miles) which is a bit less than a mile past the Cornelius Creek Shelter. Black Rock offers a nice view to the west. We continued on to our starting point at the Sunset Field overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway
We then drove to Floyd field at mile post 80.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Cornelius Creek shelter is only .2 mile from this point via a woods road and trail. We picked up our dad, then continued on to the vehicle we had left at our starting point. Once there we traveled west to I - 81, exit 168 where we parted ways - my dad and brother back north up the Shenandoah Valley while I went south to return to my home. Little did I realize that would be the last time I would see my brother (‘The Climber') alive. Two months later, he died in a rockslide while returning from a climb of Capitol Peak, near Aspen, Colorado, his 30th Fourteener climb. His journals of these climbs are elsewhere on this site. Add link
This section begins with a 1300 foot ascent of Thunder Ridge. The trail guide indicates that there are views at 1.1 mile into the section - I don't really remember. The flat wooded summit of Thunder Ridge is reached at 2.1 miles. At 3.0 miles, the trail reaches the high point of Thunder Ridge, passing the top of the knoll. At 3.3 miles, there is a loop trail to the Thunder Ridge Overlook parking area (3501') at Blue Ridge Parkway mile 74.7. The trail guide indicates that there are extensive views from an elevated stone overlook at this point as well.
It was a cloudy day which gave way to some rain during the last mile or so of the walk. At 3.7 miles, the trail crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway (3550'), at mile 74.9. Then, at 4.7 miles, the trail reaches the Thunder Hill Shelter (3960'). The rain was clearly threatening as I got there. The trail again crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway (3900') at 5.0 miles - at Parkway mile post 76.3. At 5.6 miles, the trail passes through The Guillotine (4100'), which is a large boulder suspended directly over the trail in a narrow rock cleft.
Then at 5.9 miles, the trail crosses the top of Apple Orchard Mountain (4225'), on which there is an FAA air traffic radar dome antenna. The trail guide indicates that there are superb views from the rocky summit - I didn't notice because of the rain and clouds. The trail then descends, reaching Parkers Gap Road, USFS 812 at 7.3 miles. I may try to hike this section again on a day when the weather is better so that I can see (and appreciate) the views from Apple Orchard Mountain and Thunder Ridge.
To hike this section now, one would park along US 501 at the James River Foot Bridge (678'). At the time that I hiked this section, the trail actually crossed the Snowden (road) bridge over the James River. I parked at the trailhead south of the bridge on US 501. Now the trail completely bypasses the road bridge and that old trailhead, and crosses the James River on the James River Foot Bridge (678'), the longest foot bridge on the entire Appalachian Trail.
At 2.0 miles (from the James River footbridge), the trail reaches the Matts Creek Shelter (835'), which has several small swimming holes nearby. The trail then ascends to Grassy Island Ridge at 3.3 miles. Then for the next 2 miles, there are occasional nice views of the James River Gorge. At 4.7 miles the trail reaches the crest of the ridge (2588'), and the junction with the Sulfur Spring Trail. Then at 5.2 miles, there is a junction with the Belfast Trail at the crest of the western spur of Hickory Stand (2650'). After that intersection, there is a descent into a saddle followed by some additional ascending and descending.
At 7.5 miles, there is a campsite in a sag (2300'), and the trail begins the 773' ascent of High Cock Knob. The trail gradually becomes steep and rough (at 7.9 miles), indeed one of the steeper sections that I remember hiking on the AT. The wooded summit of High Cock Knob (3073') is reached at 8.5 miles. The trail then descends 704 feet (via several sags and rises) to Petites Gap Road (USFS 35 - 2369') at 9.7 miles. The day was sunny and pleasant and afforded a good workout.
Most of this section is in the James River Face Wilderness Area - blazes were particularly infrequent as a result. Based on my observations as I've hiked their sections as well as a discussion with one of their members, I've gotten the impression that the Natural Bridge AT Club is rather stingy with blazes.
USFS 36 is actually a paved road. It terminates at an old industrial site that is no longer being used. The walk between it and US 501 is a short pleasant walk along a branch of Cashaw Creek. By the time I walked this section, the trail had been rerouted to simply cross US 501 and then cross the James River Foot Bridge. I hiked this on a late August evening just before dark, indeed it was dark by the time I finished. I walked it in both directions in order to avoid having to do a car switch for this short section. It's worth noting that there is a very nice primitive camping spot on the right side of USFS 36, a couple tenths of a mile past the AT crossing as well as several others along the road.
Leaving USFS 36 (VA 812), the trail climbs over 1600 feet to the crest of Little Rocky Row. On the way, at .6 mile, the trail passes a blue blazed trail to the Johns Hollow Shelter (1020'). At 2.6 miles, the trail reaches the crest of Little Rocky Row (2431'). The views from the crest of Little Rocky Row (and Fullers Rocks just beyond) are among the best that I've seen from the AT. These views are towards the east and south. The trail guide indicates that there are also views to the west at 3.3, 3.4 and 3.7 miles (on Big Rocky Row - 2992'), however, I don't particularly remember them. The trail then descends to Saddle Gap (2590') at 5.2 miles. I then used the Saddle Gap Trail, which turns right off of the AT, to descend 2.5 miles to USFS 36. This is a nice trail in its own right, the lower part of which passes through especially nice woods.
To hike this section I began on USFS 36 - VA 812 (830') - Hercules (Amlite) Road, off of US 501. I climbed the 2.5 mile Saddle Gap Trail to the AT. Heading north, the AT reaches Salt Log Gap (2573') at 1.1 miles, It then ascends 777 feet to the summit of Bluff Mountain (3372‘) at 2.6 miles. Just before the summit of Bluff Mountain there is a memorial to Ottie Cline Powell. Ottie was a nearly 5-year-old boy who strayed from a group of other boys who were gathering wood for their school's stove in the late fall of 1891. Though hundreds of people searched for him, his body was not found until April 1892. He was nearly 4 miles from the school as the crow flies.
The view to the west from Bluff Mountain is very nice. There's also a view to the southeast. The mountain top was the site of a fire tower and some of the concrete foundation blocks are still present.
The trail then descends and crosses the wooded summit of Punchbowl Mountain (2870') at 3.7 miles. At 4.2 miles, the trail reaches a blue blazed trail to Punchbowl Shelter (2500'). There is a pond, and apple orchard nearby. Then at 4.6 miles, the trail reaches the Punchbowl Mountain crossing (2170') of the Blue Ridge Parkway, at mile 51.7. Then at 4.9 miles, the trail reaches VA 607 (Robinson Gap Road - 2150'). I actually walked this .3 mile both directions because the parking on the Blue Ridge Parkway is much easier to get to than the trail crossing at Robinson Gap Road.
I had a bright, sunny and pleasant - though somewhat hazy day to hike this section. The story of Ottie Cline Powell, which I had not known before, was a sobering reminder of the uncertainty and brevity of life. Since I don't know when my life will end, I want to always be "ready to go" to meet the intelligent designer (i.e. God) who created me and the beauty I so love to hike through.
To walk this section, I actually parked at the Punchbowl Mountain crossing (2170') on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 51.7 and began the hike there. The woods are nice on that first .3 mile section of trail, but the real interest begins immediately after crossing Robinson Gap Road (2150'). This portion starts with a long and profuse section of Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron. There seemed to be about an equal quantity of each, which I have not noticed being the case anywhere else on the AT in Virginia.
The trail in the first 2 miles from Robinson Gap Road crosses over seven high points on Rice Mountain. The second-highest knob on Rice Mountain is reached at 1.0 miles and the wooded top of Rice Mountain (2208'), is reached at 1.9 miles The trail then descends to Pedlar Dam (1000'). An the way, at 3.3 miles, the trail reaches a virgin-forest exhibit of White Pine and Canadian Hemlock. At 3.6 miles, the descent ends at a footbridge over Little Irish Creek. The trail crosses a couple of gravel roads, then at 4.0 miles, crosses a footbridge over the Pedlar River at the base of Pedlar Dam. The trail then ascends 200 feet and at 4.3 miles crosses a small ridge and begins to skirt the side of Piney Mountain. The trail "sidehill's" along this slope above Pedlar Lake, crossing nine gullies in the next 1.5 miles or so. Pedlar Lake is the water supply for Lynchburg, VA - no swimming, bathing or camping allowed. The trail then ascends briefly, reaching Pedlar Lake Road - USFS 38 (1320') at 6.1 miles.
I hiked this section on a day dominated by a strong high-pressure system. Of course that meant a crystal clear sky (no clouds or haze), low humidity and very pleasant temperatures. The splendid conditions added to the beauty of the hike over Rice Mountain and down to Pedlar Dam. But the most magnificent part of the hike was the sidehill traverse above Pedlar Lake. The reflection of the sun across the lake, along with the beautiful blue sky, made for a beautiful walk through this section. Also, I don't recall any section of the AT with such a succession of gullies along a slope. Through this succession of gullies, the trail remained at pretty much the same elevation, moving to the right to cross the gullies and then to the left as it left the gullies. This is a section that I would particularly enjoy hiking again, especially on a similarly nice day.
I hiked this section on the afternoon just before the section noted immediately above. The trail follows Brown Mountain Creek, crossing it at 1.0 and 2.0 miles. The Brown Mountain Creek Shelter (2065') is on the right, just past the second creek crossing. The shelter perches on a high "bench" above the creek. Most shelters along the trail seemed to be located on large flat or gently sloped areas. This one is certainly an exception. The ground that the shelter and the picnic table in front of it sit on are flat, but the ground drops off steeply in front of it and rises steeply behind it. At 3.8 miles, the trail reaches US 60 at Long Mountain Wayside (near the crest of long Mountain - 2105').
There were once settlements in this valley. The trail guide indicates that the valley was cleared and farmed by slave labor from around 1800 until the end of the Civil War. A rock known as Scare Rock is near the bridge across the creek (just below the shelter). The legend, briefly stated, is that a slave owner was scared to death when something jumped off the rock and grabbed him around the waist - just after he had beaten a slave nearly to death.
In the first 2.8 miles of this section, the trail ascends 2000' to the summit of Bald Knob (4059'). I was 50 years old at the time that I did this section and in good enough shape to maintain a pace of 2 mile/hour while gaining about 700 feet per mile. At 3.8 miles, the trail crosses an overgrown woods road in Cow Camp Gap (3428'). The trail guide indicates that a blue blazed trail leads right .6 mile from this point to Cow Camp Gap Shelter and some campsites. Between 4.3 and 4.5 miles is a flat section on which a young man was killed by lightning in 1975 - according to the trail guide. At 4.6 miles, the trail reaches the summit of Cold Mountain (4022'), then at 4.7 miles the northern summit of Cold Mountain. The trail then descends and reaches USFS 48 in Hog Camp Gap (3485') at 5.9 miles.
The weather on this particular day was predicted to be dry until late morning when rain would move in. It did move in as predicted, complete with thunder and lightning - perhaps an hour before I completed the section. For about 2/3 of a mile, the trail is on the grassy crest of Cold Mountain. I was in rain, thunder and lightning as I crossed over this crest, one of the more unpleasant of my trail experiences. However, I would enjoy going back to (at least) this part of the section to see it (and the views from there) in nice weather.
This is a pleasant short section. The trail begins at Lowmans Gap (3257') in woods. It then climbs 10 switchbacks and gains 590 feet while climbing the northern slope of Tar Jacket Ridge. At 1.3 miles, the trail reaches the crest of Tar Jacket Ridge (3847') and emerges into open grassland. At 1.6 miles, the trail reaches a second crest of Tar Jacket Ridge with nice views. The trail reaches Hog Camp Gap/USFS 48 (3485') at 2.2 miles. Just to the north of the gap, there is a large, flat and somewhat secluded grassy area to the west of the trail that is ideal for camping. An AT trail runner and her family were camping there at the time that I passed through.
This section began with the 1.1 mile walk (from the AT parking area just beyond the Fish Hatchery) up Spy Rock Road to its intersection with the AT. The road walk itself is interesting - with numerous driveways turning off of it.
The trail turns right off of Spy Rock Road at an elevation of 3454'. At .7 miles the trail reaches the crest of Porter's Ridge, then begins to descend. At 1.0 miles, there are a lot of haw bushes and wild crabapple trees along the trail - watch your step. At 2.2 miles the trail reaches a blue blazed trail to the Seeley-Woodworth Shelter (3770'). I enjoyed talking with a man and woman who were there while I was there. She had hiked the entire AT and was helping him do the same. At 5.0 miles, the trail reaches Wolf Rocks on the right. I think these were probably the rocks on which I stopped to eat some lunch. I especially enjoyed the pleasantly cool breeze blowing over the top of the ridge.
At 6.0 miles, the trail crosses USFS 1176A - Greasy Spring Road (3550'). The name comes from logging company cooks throwing greasy dish water into Spring Branch. At 6.5 miles, the trail crosses USFS 246 (3500'). A mile or so before I reached the end of the section, I met a member of the NBATC (Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club) who was sawing through a tree that had fallen over the trail. I had a pleasant chat with him, including a brief discussion about the frequency of blazes on the NBATC sections of the AT. I then continued on to Salt Log Gap and VA 634 - at 7.7 miles and 3257'.
It should be noted that most of this section is above 3500' in elevation. I specifically chose this section for this particular weekend, because the high temperatures in the valleys below, especially the Roanoke Valley, were running in the upper 90s. By hiking at this high elevation and also by starting early - and finishing by 2 PM - I never saw a temperature above about 82° while hiking this section. All in all, it was a pleasant hike in a pleasing location during some of the hottest weather of that summer.
The gravel Crabtree Farm Road (VA 826) from VA 56 to the parking area at Crabtree Meadows is quite satisfactory for passenger automobiles. However, the road beyond the parking area, quickly turns into a very rocky four-wheel-drive road. It was a .5 mile walk from the parking area along this (four-wheel-drive) road to the Appalachian Trail. The trail turns right off of the road in a sag (3319') called Shoe Creek Hill. The trail crosses a 50 yard open area, then begins ascending. At .8 miles, the trail crosses over the dirt Cash Hollow Road in another sag at 3280'. The trail used to ascend from this point to the top of Main Top Mountain, however, it now skirts around the mountain on the southeast side. At 2.1 miles, the trail reaches Cash Hollow Rock (3512'), which offers an excellent view. The trail also crosses over smooth sloping rocks in several places with some views.
Then at 3.2 miles, the trail reaches Spy Rock (3860') and a dry campsite. I had been told that it is fairly easy to get up on Spy Rock from the back. However I was beginning to run short on daylight and couldn't easily figure out how to do it. Perhaps I can get back there again sometime and get up on top of it. It certainly is a huge rock. It does look as though the view would be nice from the top of it. The trail then descends, reaching Fish Hatchery/Spy Rock Road (3454‘) at 3.7 miles. After the 1.1 mile walk down the road, I reached the Fish Hatchery AT parking area just before dark.
This is another section that I had long wanted to hike, but for many years had not had a high enough energy level to feel like I could (safely and comfortably) do it. The trail gains 3000 feet of elevation in 4.1 miles between the Tye River crossing on VA 56 (970‘) and the summit of The Priest (4063'). I was actually expecting it to be more difficult than Three Ridges (see next entry), but it was not. To be sure it is a long climb, but the trail is never unduly steep or exposed.
There is an interesting stream crossing over Cripple Creek (1780') at 1.3 miles. The stream is in a bit of a gorge and requires a somewhat steep descent to the stream and sharp sidehill ascent from the stream. Then at 2.7 miles, and 2891', shortly after reaching a ridgeline there's, a nice rocky overlook on the left. At 4.1 miles, the trail reaches a campsite on the first high point of The Priest. At 4.3 miles, the trail reaches the wooded summit of The Priest (4063‘) and begins the 743' descent to Crabtree Falls Road. Then just beyond, at 4.4 miles, a trail leads 150 feet to the right to some boulders which have the best views from the top of The Priest. It was enjoyable to look over at Three Ridges on the other side of the Tye River and reflect on the hike I had made there the previous October.
At 4.8 miles, a blue blazed trail turns left to The Priest Shelter (3840'). The trail then gradually descends until it reaches Crabtree Farm Road - VA 826 (3320') at 5.7 miles.
As I stepped onto Crabtree Farm Road (which is a four-wheel-drive road at that point), it marked my completion of all of the Appalachian Trail between Interstate 64 (at Rockfish Gap) and Damascus, VA (near the Tennessee line). This is a distance of nearly 390 trail miles. It took me more than 21 years to cover all of these sections. The end of this hike also marked the completion of 76 miles on the AT during 2010, the highest number of miles completed in a single year (at least up until then).
But I still needed to get to Crabtree Meadows to my vehicle. As I approached the intersection with the road, I had the thought that it would be nice to not have to walk the four-wheel-drive road back to my car (.5 mile). Just then, two jeeps approached the trail intersection with the road, heading in the direction I needed to go. One of them had space in his Jeep for me and graciously gave me a ride. What a wonderful way to conclude this milestone. It was a blessing from my heavenly Father and his son the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm thankful to him for his grace, strength and protection which were all necessary in order for me to be able to complete these 390 miles (as well as the additional 50 trail miles I'd also completed by this date).
This section is much like the section just above. The trail gains nearly 3000 feet in elevation between the Tye River (970') and the high point in this section. That high point is Third Ridge (3970'), the longest and highest of the Three Ridges.
The first 1.7 miles of the section is a 900 foot elevation gain to the top of a ridge where the Mau-Har trail turns to the left. At 2.6 miles, a side trail leads left to Harpers Creek Shelter (1800'). At 4.2 miles, there is a nice flat-rock overlook (close to 3000') on the left with views of The Priest and Harpers Creek Valley. Being late October, the leaves on the trees on the lower slopes were still displaying beautiful fall colors, but the trees on the higher elevations were pretty much bare. In the next 1/2 mile, the trail passes over the First and Second Ridges of the Three Ridges.
At 4.7 miles, the trail begins to ascend the highest ridge of the Three Ridges. Just before reaching Third Ridge, there is a section of trail that is very steep. I found it necessary to lean forward at an unnatural and uncomfortable angle to avoid falling backwards down the trail. At 6.1 miles, the trail reaches Third Ridge, the highest of the Three Ridges. The trail guide indicates that there is an overlook 200 feet ahead from this point. I missed this overlook and would rather like to go back someday and find it. At 6.3 miles, the trail reaches the high point of Third Ridge (3870'). The brief walk through the woods along the crest of Third Ridge was quite nice.
The trail then gradually descends from Third Ridge and at 6.8 miles reaches the rocky crest of Hanging Rock Overlook (3700') on the left. This vantage point affords a very nice view of the Three Ridges as well as The Priest and Harpers Creek Valley. It was nice to be able to see the ridgeline I had just walked from below First Ridge to the end of Third Ridge. There were a number of people at Hanging Rock Overlook and as I continued north, it became clear that it is a popular spot to which to hike from Reeds Gap.
From 7.3 to 8.4 miles, the trail ascends Bee Mountain (3034'). At 8.8 miles the trail reaches the Maupin Field Shelter (2720') and the northern end of the Mau-Har trail. Then at 10.1 miles the trail crosses the ridge of Meadow Mountain. The trail then descends, soon leaving the woods and following the edge of a meadow to VA 664 at Reeds Gap (2650'), the end of the section.
This section stays pretty close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Its primary appeal is several views to the north and west. At .5 mile, the trail follows the grassy ledge of Cedar Cliffs (2850'). Sherando Lake Campground is on the far side of the valley to the west of the trail. The rock slide(s) on the slopes above the area are particularly noticeable. The trail also crosses some small rockslides. The term rockslides is at best a misleading way to describe the rocky slopes in this area. These rocks haven't and won't be sliding enmasse down the slopes - they are simply rocks that have broken off of larger rocks in earlier years and come to rest on the slopes. The areas covered can be large and are often devoid of vegetation, though the trees do gradually overtake these areas and they become (at least partially) forested. At 4.3 miles, the trail crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway Overlook (2620') at the southern end of the Three Ridges parking area. At 4.8 miles, the section ends at the large parking area at Reeds Gap (2650').
9/11/2009 - The Dripping Rock Parking Area is small, large enough for only a couple of cars. Although there may be a view, it's not intended to be an overlook. As you leave the parking area, the trail immediately ascends to a small knoll at .2 miles. Then at .9 miles, the trail climbs a small but steep cliff to an overlook - one of the steeper and more unpleasant climbs I've seen on the AT. The trail then passes along this cliff with views to the south and the east. At 1.3 miles, a blue-blazed trail leads to the Humpback Rocks picnic area. The AT then crosses the flat top of Humpback Mountain with views to the north and east, reaching the crest (3597') at 2.8 miles. At 3.9 miles, there is a side trail (the old AT - 3362') to Humpback Rocks. On this particular day, I followed the old AT past Humpback Rocks to Looking Glass Overlook, also (at least previously) known as the Humpback Rocks Parking Area. Being in danger of running out of daylight and having previously been on Humpback Rocks, I bypassed the rocks without stopping to see the view.
6/11/2010 - On this day I began at the Glass Hollow Overlook. I followed the old AT to the left (north) until I reached its intersection with the AT. I then turned right (south) and followed the AT to its intersection with the Humpback Rocks side trail. This time, I climbed up on the rocks to see the view to the west. I then followed the old AT down to the Glass Hollow Overlook. The AT trail relocation that was done (in order to bypass the Glass Hollow Overlook) added 2.9 miles to the trail in this area. Part of this new trail follows an old road that was the primary route between Waynesboro and Charlottesville in the mid-to-late 1800s. By doing this loop hike, I was able to cover the new section of trail as well as all of the old trail in this area.
At the time of this hike, the AT still passed through the Humpback Rocks Parking Area/Glass Hollow Overlook. I hiked this section with my father. It's the only section that he and I did together - just the two of us. We had an enjoyable walk through the woods on this summer day. The trail guide indicates that there's a cleared overlook with views to the north and east at 1.2 miles, but I don't specifically recall it. Of special note is the Paul C Wolfe Shelter (1700') at 1.9 miles. It looked as though it had been recently built. It is a multilevel shelter, similar to the Bryant Ridge Shelter (see above). Indeed it looked as though it was an identical design.
The section ends at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway (1902'), which is at its intersection with I - 64. The trail continues north across the bridge which goes over I - 64. Skyline Drive begins immediately north of the I - 64 bridge. However, it is a few miles drive (or walk) before you actually reach the entrance to Shenandoah National Park.