New River Gorge and Shenandoah NP - VA and KY State HPs
A cold and blustery view on the shoulder of Mount Rodgers
October 7th - Day 1 - Mount Rodgers (VA State HP)
Another fall, another fall trip, this time the goal was to finish off the Appalachian state highpoints with Virginia and Kentucky, as well as visit two (and a half) national parks with New River Gorge and Shenandoah (and Great Falls Park). Our route would take us from Charlotte, NC to Washington DC over a 4 day road trip.
For day 1 we flew into Charlotte International Airport and made a beeline for Mount Rodgers (5,729 ft; 1,746 m), Virginia's state highpoint (HP). The weather was cold, around 45F with wind chill brining the feel closer to freezing so we bundled up for our hike starting at Elk Garden. A map of our route can be seen here. We saw no Elk, I assume because they also thought it was too cold. The best views on the trail were just before we took a turnoff for the summit. On the final stretch we entered a dense patchwork of spruce and other evergreen trees with a familiar mossy carpet. At the summit there were two rocks that looked equally high, but only one had a monument marker.
Racing against sunset we charged back down the mountain, making it back to the "Elk Garden" just after the sun had disappeared behind the ridge. It felt more like an Elk Tundra without the suns warm rays. We scooted down the mountain to our hole in the wall Motel along I81 in Chilhowie, VA. Subway was the dinner of choice which we devoured in our cramped room atop thoroughly examined (for bed bugs) mattresses. As always, the next day would be a long one.
Story continues after Day 1 photos.
A panorama on the Appalachian trail before turning off for the summit. We were late for the foliage at this altitude, but the sun was nice.
Entering the spruce forest on the upper mountain.
The summit marker of Mount Rodgers.
The last light filtering through the relatively open forest on the shoulder of the ridge.
Elk Garden (Tundra) just after the sun has gone below the far ridge.
October 8th - Day 2 - Black Mountain (KY State HP) and New River Gorge National Park
Day 2 was a long one as we needed to traverse between three states to hit Kentucky's state HP, West Virginia's New River Gorge National Park (NP), and arrive back in Virginia outside Shenandoah NP. Before the KY HP we wanted to see sunrise at a nice viewpoint, in this case High Knob Lookout Tower in far western Virginia, about a 2 hour drive from our hotel. After a long dark ride we made it to the to where we could see Black Mountain Kentucky to the west, the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, and Tennessee to the south.
Black Mountain (4,145 ft; 1,263 m), the Kentucky state HP, lies just over the Virginia border in a fairly remote section of western Appalachia, and the differences from the coasts of the U.S. are stark. The HP itself is a short walk along a ridge from a parking lot at a summit pass on the Kentucky Virginia border. With communication towers at the true summit, a commemorative plaque and benchmark are slightly offset. Heading back down the road into Virginia we saw a family of black bears, one mom and two cubs, the first I had seen on the east coast. On the way to and back from the HP we actually drove through the town of Appalachia VA, where it was clear the mining industry that once formed the backbone of the community was no longer, leaving only grim signs of its once dominating presence in place. The town, and many along our route toward West Virginia, felt ghostly and brought a somber mood to the rest of the day.
We arrived at the northern visitor center of New River Gorge National Park around 2pm and after a quick gawk at the marvelous arch bridge (I am a civil engineer after all) we headed for Fern and Diamond point just down the road to get a better view of the gorge. This was my second time at the park and it really is like a mini GREEN Grand Canyon. I love the sandstone cliffs around the top that help get the adrenaline running a little. We then traveled south to check out the Main Overlook where there are also some fun trails in and around some sandstone caves in the cliffs. Many a deer were spotted. Finally we traveled to Sandstone Falls Overlook for a brief gander before continuing on to our motel just north of Lexington, VA. A map of our routes for the day can be found here.
Story continues after Day 2 photos.
A panorama view atop the High Knob Lookout Tower. It was high, it was knobby, and the lookout tower did not disappoint.
The plaque at the summit of Black Mountain with a handmade sign someone has left for photo ops.
The summit benchmark for Black Mountain, KY.
The last of two baby black bears making its way across the road. The family had started sliding down the bank on the left right as I was rounding the corner, good thing I was already on my brakes, and that Tori was able to get her phone out for the photo!
What a bridge!
Looking north up the New River.
The big bend of the New River as seen from the Main Overlook.
October 9th - Day 3 - Shenandoah National Park
We spent day 3 exploring Shenandoah NP starting from the south. We watched sunrise from one of the eastern pullouts. Our hike for the day started at Browns Gap heading down into the head of the Doyles River and coming back up Jones Falls Run to loop back along the ridge. We were early for the foliage (most was still green) and late for the water (most of the falls were just a trickle), but enjoyed some of the great trees where the two watersheds met at the bottom. A map of our routes for the day can be found here.
After our hike we went to scope out Bearfence Mountain, supposedly a good viewpoint for sunrise and sunset. After a quick scramble to the top we decided it would be fun for sunrise and headed to Stony Man for sunset. Some scattered showers and cold wind seemed to be deterring many hikers but the sunset ended up being spectacular with sun shining in below the lower clouds. Stony Man at sunset has yet to be a bad bet for me when I am in Shenandoah. We settled into Big Meadow Campground that night after a nice day in the park.
Story continues after Day 3 photos.
The falls were dry dry dry, but the small trickle of water amongst the yellowing leaves had a very calming effect.
Some nice, BIG trees in the bottom of the two drainages.
A panorama of the sunset at Stony Man, never dull.
October 18th - Day 4 - Shenandoah National Park and Great Falls Park
Up early on day 4 we scrambled with headlamps on up Bearfence Mountain and found a nice crag to campout on for sunrise. The morning light on the Blue Ridge Mountains is always a joy. With the sun up we packed up our camp (having found our tent trying to fly away) and then hiked to the top of Hawksbill for one last incredible view before leaving the park.
Having a couple of hours to spare before needing to be back in DC to catch our flight out of Regan International Airport, we decided to check out Great Falls Park. Although run by the National Parks and being called a Park, it is not in fact a National Park. I would say if the arch in St. Louis gets to be a National Park, the Great Falls certainly should be as well. The sudden drop on a seemingly flat river, the volume of water, and the jaggedness of the rocks really makes quite a site. Having used all of our time we grabbed a quick lunch at a Safeway before jamming on to the airport and back home.
Sunrise atop Bearfence Mountain.
A panorama looking north from Hawksbill.
The Great Falls, maybe one day to be a true National Park (and only 30 minutes from DC!).