Since I was touring the "neighborhood" anyway, and since the weather was still quite nice for late fall, I decided to extend the tour by visiting Virginia for about three weeks. Being more of a mountains than a beaches kind of guy, I thought I'd follow the Appalachian mountain range down to see what there was to see and to do what I was interested in doing while there. A very easy and scenic way to do so would be to follow the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway (both units of the National Park Service) from Front Royal in the north to the North Carolina border in the south. A total of about 325 miles. I figured I'd do side trips to rivers, parks, and other points of interest along the way down and back.
The Appalachian Mountains are believed to be a very old mountain range, with mountains that were at some time in our geological past higher than the Himalayas or the Rockies. They have eroded and worn down considerably, and now range from about a half mile to a mile (above sea level) high. They are mostly tree covered, mostly with deciduous forests. The Appalachian Range runs from Pennsylvania down to Georgia, and many geologists believe the range even extends into Canada's Newfoundland and south into Arkansas and Louisiana. In the central states of Virginia and North Carolina, many of the native trees give off a gas called isoprene, which contribute to the characteristic blue haze in those Blue Ridges. It is really there, and it is quite beautiful.
I was assisted in my trip planning by a couple of friends who live in or know Virginia quite well, so I had a few destinations on my radar already. My travel buddy Nan joined me for a few weeks of hiking, biking, and paddling through the state. It didn't hurt that she lived in Virginia for some years, and that she hiked the entire Appalachian Trail (twice). She knew her way around. And a boating buddy, Lisa, provided some wonderful ideas about hikes and rivers in Shenandoah National Park and other parts of the state.
Here are a few highlights. I've grouped them into seven sections: Waterfalls, Hiking, Biking, Rivers, State Parks, Ridgelines, and Personal Faves. Each picture has a link to a google album with more pictures and detail about the destinations I visited. Hope you enjoy some of Virginia's Amazing Places!
WATERFALLS: There were LOTS of great waterfalls in the mountains at this time of year. Dark Hollow Falls, pictured here, was one of my favorites of the whole trip.
HIKING: There are many wonderful hiking opportunities in Virginia's mountains. Many of them go up or down into canyons, so lots of elevation change involved. Most of them included streams or waterfalls! Whiteoak Canyon Trail was probably my single favorite hiking trail on the trip. Six waterfalls in a mile of hiking. Pretty fabulous!
The Whiteoak Canyon trail has an extra little story. I hiked this short but strenuous trail in two days, because a little mishap involving a lot of blood from the top of my head stopped me from doing the whole thing in one day. That was the down side. The up side was getting help from Nan, meeting Keeley, and being reminded once again of the kindness of strangers!
The North Fork of Moormans River was another example of a fabulous hike. Rapids all the way along this 4 mile streamside trail; then the Big Branch Falls at the top, the "destination" of the hike. The falls were great, and Lisa and I did get all the way to the top of the highest cascade, but pretty much every step of the hike was wonderful. That's my idea of a great hike!
The Rose River Trail was a streamside hiking trail that offers practically continuous views of the Rose River as you hike down into the canyon it carved. Lots of little beauties like this:
Some of the hikes involved climbs to the tops of mountains. Two of the best were Old Rag and Mount Rogers. Old Rag is maybe the most popular "climbing" trail in Shenandoah National Park.
The top of Mount Rogers is the highest point in Virginia. That was reason enough to visit. But the real highlight was hiking with the ponies, who run wild there!
And then there was McAfee Knob, one of the most spectacular spots along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, said Nan. I figured she should know, since she hiked the whole trail. Twice.
BIKING: Virginia has lots of opportunities for easy as well as hard mountain biking. Some of the most scenic ones were in "linear parks," sections of abandoned railway that were converted to hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails. Probably the best one was the famous Virginia Creeper Trail, a rail trail that features non stop downhill riding for 17 miles! My favorite kind of biking!
And there were others, including trails along the New, the Shenandoah, the Appomattox, and the Maury Rivers. Of course I love trails that run along rivers and streams! Here's the Chessie Trail along the Maury:
And the New River Trail, through the New River Trail State Park:
RIVERS: Paddling friends recommended at a minimum that I check out and paddle sections of the James and the Maury Rivers. So I did. I also visited and paddled sections of a couple of other scenic ribbons of water in the state. The Maury is real beauty, starting high in a mountain canyon, at the confluence of the Calfpasture and the Little Calfpasture Rivers. It ends about 43 miles later, at the James River, in Glasgow. Along the way it offers great scenery and a nice variety of class I - IV whitewater.
The James River, at almost 350 miles, is a long, wide river with lots of good scenery and some fun whitewater along the way. It rained long and hard when I was here, so the river was waaay up! Here's a canyon view of the Mighty James!
St. Mary's River was quite the opposite. A tiny little trickle of a stream that carved a big gap through a mountain. And, as you can see, "St. Mary's Rocks!"
STATE PARKS: Along the way, I visited about a dozen state parks. Each one has something special to offer to visitors, and each is worth visiting if you have the time. Here's the lake at Hungry Mother State Park:
And here's a view of the Natural Bridge, a 200+ foot high arch carved by the tiny Cedar Creek, in Natural Bridge State Park. Loved how the morning light glows through the arch!
And more about the other state parks at:
RIDGELINES: Perhaps the most famous features visitors notice as they travel along the two scenic drives through Virginia are the Appalachian ridgelines. You get to see layer after layer of these things!
PERSONAL FAVES: And finally, here are a few of my favorite Virginian shots that I haven't already shared:
"Into the Mist" Dedicated to the memory of my mother, who died about a year ago.
"Little Bits of Fall" along the Whiteoak Canyon Trail
"A Matter of Perspective." Structure and shadows at the James River Foot Bridge, where the Appalachian Trail crosses the James River.
The collection of my 12 favorite Virginia shots is here:
Thanks for visiting!
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