White Rock Falls Trail in Charlottesville on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Posted by Chris | Filed under Blue Ridge Parkway, Trail Information
The folks at Backpacker Magazine have a new trail posted to their website that I wanted to share with everyone. The map, GPS coordinates, and directions are for the White Rock Falls trail in Charlottesville, VA along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
“For solitude on the northern stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, skip the hordes at Humpback Rocks and drive southwest to MP 18.5. After parking, cross the parkway and look for the White Rock Falls trail marker. Follow the yellow-blazed trail as it unfurls beside lichen-covered rocks and gurgling White Rock Creek. The trail crosses the creek after 1.4 miles, where you’ll find boulder-lined pools ready-made for wading.
To finish the loop, rock-hop across the creek to switchbacks that travel close to the falls, tempering the scenic pay-off with a steep, 400-foot climb. An easy-to-miss side trail before the last switchback leads to hidden, but stellar views of the 35-foot falls. Once at the top, snap a photo of Priest Mountain then continue over rippling brooks and small wooden bridges. At the parkway, follow the trail across the road to Slacks Overlook, visible to your left. From the overlook, walk right to pick up the blue-blazed Slacks Overlook Trail, a narrow multi-use trail shared with mountain bikers. Turn right at White Rock Gap Trail (a left leads to Sherando Lake Campground) and continue for a half-mile back to your car.
-Mapped by Amy C. Balfour”
To view the full details of the trip, the trail, the submitted pictures, and the coordinates, you can head to the Backpacker.com website – White Rock Falls Trail.
Delaplane Strawberry Festival Recap
Posted by Chris | Filed under Appalachian Trail, Pictures, State Parks
This past weekend Courtney and I headed down to Sky Meadows State Park for the Delaplane Strawberry Festival. It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day out and a perfect day to eat some strawberries!
The festival featured the National Strawberry Eating Contest, lots of food vendors, all sorts of craft vendors and tents set up with goods for sale, games for kids, and more. Below are some pictures and a short (~15 second) video of the bagpipe band from Winchester that was there.
Even though it went to a good cause (Emmanuel Church) I still feel like $20 per car was a bit pricey to charge as entrance, especially for those of us who just came with two people (like us). If it was a family of 5 or bigger group, then the flat rate was worth it. I’d like to see a per person charge up to a certain number of people. I think that would even attract more people being more affordable. But, still, the parking “lot” was packed with tons of cars – so congrats on a great success for the 16th annual festival.
Delaplane Strawberry Festival this weekend!
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
Just a quick note – I’ll be heading to the Delaplane Strawberry Festival this weekend. The festival is taking place at the Sky Meadows State Park.
With things on the agenda like children’s games, live entertainment, hayrides, crafts, puppet shows and raffles, you don’t want to miss out. Oh, and I better not forget the National Strawberry Eating Championship offering an amatuer and professional round. View the full list of activities on their website.
Hopefully we’ll come home with some good pictures, videos, and maybe a story or two. The weather for the weekend looks good during the days so it should be a great time.
It’s a bit pricey in my opinion to get in – $20 per car for a one day pass (it runs Saturday and Sunday) – so it better be worth it and not rain! Get the full low down on the festival at the Delaplane Strawberry Festival website!
Virginia State Park Locations
Posted by Chris | Filed under Appalachian Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, Central Virginia, Eastern Virginia, Northern Virginia, Roanoke/New River Valley, Shenandoah Valley, Southwest Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information, Western Virginia
If you’re looking for a listing of all the state parks in Virginia, then look no further. Below is a list of all the Virginia State Parks and links to their individual pages within the Virginia State Parks website.
Bear Creek Lake (BC)
Belle Isle (BI)
Breaks Interstate (BR)
Caledon Natural Area (CA)
Chippokes Plantation (CP)
Claytor Lake (CL)
Douthat (DO)
False Cape (FC)
Fairy Stone (FS)
First Landing (FL)
Grayson Highlands (GH)
High Bridge Trail (HB)
Holliday Lake (HL)
Hungry Mother (HM)
James River (JR)
Kiptopeke (KP)
Lake Anna (LA)
Leesylvania (LE)
Mason Neck (MN)
Natural Tunnel (NT)
New River Trail (NR)
Occoneechee (OC)
Pocahontas (PO)
Sailor’s Creek Battlefield Historic (SC)
Shenandoah River Raymond R. “Andy” Guest Jr. (SH)
Shot Tower (ST)
Sky Meadows (SK)
Smith Mountain Lake (SM)
Southwest Virginia Museum Historical (SW)
Staunton River (SR)
Staunton River Battlefield (SB)
Tabb Monument
Twin Lakes (TL)
Westmoreland (WE)
Wilderness Road (WR)
York River (YR)
Enjoy all the beautiful areas that Virginia has to offer!
Virginia Hikes Planned for This Spring
Posted by Chris | Filed under Northern Virginia, Trail Information, Updates/News
With the spring quickly approaching, I have a few different hikes that I want to get to within the next few months in the Northern Virginia area.
1. Bull Run Mountain Conservancy area
2. Raven Rocks
3. Buzzard Hill
4. Sky Meadows
Some of these have been posted about here on Virginia Hiker, but I have yet to get out on them and hopefully that will happen before May!
Have you been to any of these trails? Are they as good as they sound?
Virginia Hiking Guide Books – 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles
Posted by Chris | Filed under Tips, Trail Information
There are always more and more hiking guides and books coming out about different trails, parks, and regions. The state of Virginia is no different. One series of books that spans places all across the United States is the 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles set published by Menasha Ridge Press.
A couple of their books will overlaps states depending on the area that it features. For Virginia hikes, the best two to check out would be 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Richmond and 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Washington D.C..
I’ll be featuring some more hiking trail guide books for Virginia trails soon, but I wanted to put out this set now. Check them out and let us know what you think!
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Posted by Chris | Filed under Northern Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
This 7,247-acre memorial parkway, running from George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon to just below the Great Falls of the Potomac River protects the natural scenery along the river as a memorial to the celebrated Revolutionary War general and first president of the United States. Numerous places of historic interest and natural beauty lie along the route. From the south to north, they include Fort Hunt, where batteries guarded the river approach from 1898 to 1917; Dyke Marsh, a habitat for birds such as herons, egrets, rails, and ducks; Daingerfield Island, an area with hiking paths, recreational facilities, and the Washington Sailing Marina; Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary, a popular birdwatching area; Gravelly Point, a spot that offers an excellent view across the river to the nations capital; access to Columbia Island, on which are located the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove, the Navy and Marine Memorial, and the Columbia Island Marina; parking for the pedestrian bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island; and Turkey Run Park, an area affording views of the palisades of the Potomac.
Mailing Address:
Turkey Run Park
McLean, VA 22101-0001
703-289-2530
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park
Posted by Chris | Filed under Central Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
This 7,787 acre national military park, comprising numerous scattered units in and near Fredericksburg, protects and interprets four major Civil War battles: Fredericksburg, December 11-13, 1862; Chancellorsville, May 1-4, 1863; the Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864; and Spotsylvania Court House, May 8-21, 1864. The park also features Chatham Manor, Old Sale Church, and the building in which Confederate General Stonewall Jackson died.
Fredericksburg
Following a number of intense clashes between Union and Confederate tropps at Fredericksburg in December 1862, one of the worst military disasters of the Civil War resulted in a devastating defeat for the Union army, with casualties totaling at least 12,500 men. The site of this killing field was below Marye’s Heights, a strategic hill that, as was known to the Union forces, was bristling with Confederate batteries of cannon and infantry. What the Union commanders did not know, however, was what lay hidden at the base of the hill, along a sunken road and out of sight behind the breastwork of a stone wall.
As the first Union brigade of soldiers charged across a 400-yard expanse of open ground in an attempt to storm the hill, they were suddenly mowed down by the massive volley of Confederate musket fire that erupted from behind the wall. From noon until dark, wave after wave charged across the field, but each suffered the same fate. The slaughter continued, with not a single Northerner ever reaching the wall. Feeling from this defeat, the demoralized Union army withdrew northward across the Rappahannock River.
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Virginia Section of the Appalachian Trail
Posted by Chris | Filed under Appalachian Trail, Trail Information
A fourth of the Appalachian Trail runs through Virginia. It varies from easy hiking to very difficult rock scrambling, from busy national parks to isolated wilderness areas. The Virginia section of the AT has a little bit of everything for all skill levels and close by any area along the western portion of the state.
The trail section within Virginia spans 550 miles and can go from elevations of 265 feet to over 5,000 feet! This will give you a vary wide range of weather conditions depending on the section of trail and time of year that you are hiking.
Where and When To Go:
Northern Virginia: April through early June, September through early November. Summer heat and humidity can be oppressive
Shenandoah: April—June, September, October. July and August are bearable except during a heat wave.
Central Virginia: April—June and September—October. July and August are bearable except during a heat wave.
Southwest Virginia: May—October.
Image from SherpaGuides.com.
The following comes from the ATC website for the Virginia section of trail:
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Breaks Interstate Park – Southwest Virginia
Posted by Chris | Filed under Southwest Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
You can’t go much more Southwest then Breaks Interstate Park! called the Grand Canyon of the South, Breaks Interstate Park is one of two interstate parks in America and encompasses 4,500 acres of woodland.
The Breaks Interstate Park is one of two interstate parks in America and encompasses 4,500 acres of woodland. The Breaks, home of the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River, also rises to lofty heights where golden eagles make their home. The Towers and other rock formations, caves, flora and wildlife make the Breaks Park a unique tourist destination. History, legend and lore combine with the scenic beauty of the Park which was the reported destination of several trips by Daniel Boone. It is the home of Pow Wow Cave, used by the Shawnee Indians and those who love mystery and adventure can search for the buried silver treasure of John Swift. For active visitors, the park also offers hiking, bike and driving trails, picnic and recreation areas, a lake with pedal boats, a swimming pool, horseback riding and an amphitheater. A rustic lodge, cottages and a large campground are available for extended visits. The Breaks Park also has a modern conference center, restaurant, gift shop and visitor’s center. The folks in Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia welcome you to the Breaks Interstate Park! Having been many times, this is incredibly true!
The park offers so many different activities and things to see/do, including more than 10 hiking trails, that I do not want to bore you with listing them all here. So instead, check out the Breaks Interstate Park website and you can get all the details there.
The park is an amazing place to go if you are in that area and well worth it. On any summer day, expect it to be busy and for crowds to be at the pool!
