Dismal Falls

Description: A short, easy hike along the Appalachian Trail that takes you to a small waterfall nestled between Brushy and Flat Top mountain. The hike in is nothing special except for the fact that you follow one of the new sections of the AT.

Dismal Falls is a side trail of about 0.2 miles off the AT and is a welcome sight on a hot day. Dismal Falls is roughly 15 feet high and with the muddy bottom it is perfect for jumping off. If your looking for a quick hike and a place to relax then this hike is designed for you. However, do not expect to be alone at this water fall.

There is an access road only 20 yards from the falls. In the heat of the summer the falls seems to be a local pool, but atleast it’s clean.

Directions: There are two access points for the Falls. One off the Appalachian Trail and a much shorter trail. Here are directions to both.

Appalachian Trail route: From Pulaski: Take route 11 North to route 100. Take 100 North till 42. There is a little roadside stand with fresh fruit. Take 42 West for about 8 miles. You will pass through White Gate and route 606 will be on the right. The AT junction is only 2/10 of a mile. Take the AT North and your only 2 miles from the falls.

Short walk from road: Take exit 98 from I-81 going north on VA-100. Go 11.6 miles and turn left on VA-42. After 10.1 miles turn right on SR-606. After 1 mile, turn right on SR-671 which becomes unpaved after .4 miles. .5 miles after the pavement ends, there is a sign for the falls and a small pull-off on the right of the road.

Contact Information:
Blacksburg Ranger Station
5162 Valleypointe Parkway
Roanoke, Virginia 24019
(888) 265-0019

Directions: Starting from Blacksburg, VA drive west on 460W towards Giles County for about 7 miles. Turn right onto Mt. Lake Rd. and follow it to the top to the Mt. Lake Hotel. Year-round parking for hikers is now available at the new Trail Access parking lot, 9/10ths of a mile past the Mountain Lake Hotel entrance on your right. There you will find a kiosk with a trail map and other information.

Bald Knob Trail Sign

Trail Distance: ~2 miles round trip

Fees: $3.00 per vehicle for day use/$20.00 for a yearly Trail Access pass

A trail map and trail details can be found on the Mountain Lake Conservancy website. Besides the Bald Knob trail, there are also many others in the Mountain Lake area that you can check out.

Bald Knob in Winter (Picture from Mountain Lake Conservancy)

Location: Pembroke, VA – Jefferson National Forest/Cascades Recreation Area

Driving Directions: Take exit 118 on I-81 north on US-460, making sure to use the bypasses around Christiansburg   and Blacksburg. After 26.6 miles turn right on Cascade Dr (SR-T623) in Pembroke.  The entrance is in 3.3 miles.

Finding the Trail: Find the trailhead at the upper end of the parking lot. The Cascades National Scenic Trail follows Big Stoney Creek upstream, eventually forking into an upper and lower trail. If the lower trail is open, take it because it is definitely the more beautiful of the two. The upper trail ascends the gorge, continuing to follow the stream, albeit at a distance. It eventually descends again to the stream to meet the lower trail. The lower trail follows the stream closely past beautiful cascades and pools. After the trails rejoin, they snake their way through the narrow gorge between high cliff walls. After passing an old stone building, the falls come into view.

Trail Distance: Total hike is 4.0 miles round trip over sometimes steep terrain on a sometimes rough and often muddy path.

More details about the trail and hike can be found at the Giles County website – http://gilescounty.org/cascades.html

Park Fee: $3.00 per vehicle

For More Information call:
540-552-4641
Jefferson National Forest

Cascade Falls - Pembroke, VA

Cascade Falls - Pembroke, VA during Winter

Now – just a side note – the above picture is not mine and I do not know the person in it. However, it captures the beauty of the falls in the winter so I went with it. If it is yours, email me and I’ll gladly give you credit.

In the winter when the falls have frozen or are close to freezing was my favorite time to hit this trail.

West End

The West End of the Mount Rogers NRA includes the famous Virginia Creeper Trail, outstanding trout fishing in Whitetop Laurel, and picturesque Beartree Lake. The NRA’s largest campground, Beartree, is a great family campground and close to all west end activities. Damascus, the friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail, is a trail hub as four major trails go through the town: Virginia Creeper, Appalachian Trail, Iron Mountain, and Daniel Boone Heritage Trail.

East End

Are you looking for solitude? The family campgrounds at Comers Rock and Raven Cliff are lightly used and have several nice trails nearby. The Comers Rock Overlook has outstanding views and the Raven Cliff Furnace Trail takes you to a fascinating iron ore furnace from the early 1800′s. Looking for something more developed? Two rental cabins with outstanding views are located on the East End. The East End also has several horse trails and horse camps for the equestrian. Hussy Mountain and Collins Cove Horse Camps provide camping areas close to the famous Virginia Highlands Horse Trail.

High Country

The heart of the NRA, the high country contains over 25,000 acres of the highest lands in Virginia. The Mount Rogers NRA manages approximately 20,000 acres of the high country and 5,000 acres are managed by Grayson Highlands State Park. The high country consists of the following areas:

Lewis Fork Wilderness & Little Wilson Creek Wilderness
Combined, these two federally designated wildernesses total about 10,000 acres of primitive backcountry. These two areas are forested in northern hardwoods with red spruce and Fraser Fir at the highest elevations.

Crest Zone

The open areas on Brier Ridge, Cabin Ridge, Wilburn Ridge, Stone Mountain, and Pine Mountain are commonly called the Crest Zone and total about 2,000 acres. Views are spectacular, with rocky ridges and grassy areas. The area was once heavily forested, but over logging by private companies during the early 1900′s, and wildfire created the balds. Grazing by domestic livestock kept them open. The US Forest Service acquired the property during the 1960′s. Today the balds are kept open through prescribed burning and regulated cattle grazing by private farmers who lease grazing rights. Ponies- Two herds of free-roaming ponies make their home in the high country. A private association manages them. One herd is in Grayson Highlands State Park, and the other lives within the Crest Zone of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Enjoy the ponies, but do not feed them or harass them. In the fall, some of the ponies are auctioned at the Grayson Highlands State Park Fall Festival to manage the population.

Photo from High Nocturnal Style

Trails
There are over 400 miles of designated trails on the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Trails range from primitive single-track to old logging roads and railroad grades. Some are for foot only, others allow horse and/or bicycle use. Plan your trip carefully if you are looking for solitude. Trails in the high country as well as the Virginia Creeper and Appalachian Trail are popular destinations, particularly on weekends. Please be sure you use only those trails open to your particular type of travel. Please note that trails within wildernesses are always primitive with few or no signs or blazes and may be difficult to follow in places. Before heading into wilderness, you should be competent with both map and compass. Any type of motorized or wheeled vehicles (including bicycles and any type of wheeled cart) is prohibited in wilderness, but horses are allowed on designated trails.

The Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Creeper Trail both run through the Mt. Rogers area. On top of these well known trails, there is also a large number of independent trails that run through out the recreation area. They include Beartree Lake Trail, Comers Creek Falls Trail, Hale Lake Trail, Crawfish Trail System, and Seven Sisters Trail.

For more information about Mt. Rogers, check the US Forest Service website for the latest updates and news: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/mr/index.shtml

Today’s visitors will find the most modern of amenities and the Waterfallbarest of necessities. Use the Virginia Creeper Trail Info as a guide to help you experience the “heart” of the Creeper. Whether its biking the the Virginia Creeper Trail, hiking Virginia’s highest peaks, fishing the best trout streams in the East, exploring the same path Daniel Boone once traveled, or watching a performance at the world famous Barter Theater, the Virginia Creeper Trail Region is a fabulous recreational destination. Your copy of Creeper Trail Info will serve as a valuable tool in locating the area’s best dining, shopping and lodging establishments, the finest in arts and entertainment, and the best in family recreation all located within minutes of the Virginia Creeper Trail.

Websites with more information:

Virginia Creeper Trail Guide

Creeper Trail Info

Virginia.org

Total Distance: 3 miles

Location/Directions:

From I-77 in Bland: Take Rt. 52 west for 3.25 miles to Rt. 615. Take Rt. 615 north for 2.75 miles to parking lot on left (near road bridge). Trail is on the east side of Rt. 615 a short distance from parking lot. Total travel distance: 6 miles

Difficulty:

Moderate

2400 to 3100 feet

Tract Fork Trail is a nice wide trail along Tract Fork Creek. There are parking lots on both ends of the trail. One is on Little Walker Mountain and the other is on Tract Mountain. This trail is open to horse back riding, mountain bikers and hikers and provides good hunting access. Yellow diamond shaped markers blaze the trail. Polecat trail intersects Tract Fork approximately one mile from the eastern parking lot.

Total Distance:

4 miles

Location/Directions:

Directions from Pulaski: Take Rt. 738 north for 4 miles to Rt. 641. Follow Rt. 641 for 2.5 miles to its end. Follow FS 692 for 1.5 miles until it too ends. This is the Tract Fork trail head. Total travel distance: 8 miles

Directions from Wytheville: Take Rt. 603 from 4 miles to Rt. 600. Follow Rt. 600 east for 9 miles to the top of the mountain and the parking lot for the trail. Total travel distance: 13 miles

Difficulty:

Easy

Elevation:

2400 to 3000 feet

The Polecat Trail is marked with orange diamond shaped blazes. It is open to hikers and mountain bikers. No horses are permitted. This trail lies in the Peak Creek drainage basin and provides good hunter access to Walker Mountain. Polecat Trail ties into Tract Fork Trail on Little Walker Mountain. Parking for the trail is along FS 707.

Total Distance:

1.5 miles

Location/Directions:

From Wytheville: Take Rt. 603 for 4 miles. Turn onto Rt. 600 east follow 7 miles to FS 707. Take FS 707 east for 2.75 miles to trail hiker sign along south side of road. Trail is on north side of road. Total travel distance: 14 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Elevation:

2300 to 2500 feet

Total Distance: .75 mile

Location/Directions:

From Wytheville: Follow Rt. 52 north for 13 miles to the crest of Walker Mountain. Parking for Monster Rock is at the Walker Mountain Lookout Tower. Total travel distance: 13 miles

Difficulty:

Moderate

Elevation: 3500 to 3800 feet

The High Water Trail and a section of the Appalachian Trail combine to form a loop. A half mile walk on Rt. 615 will return hikers to their starting point. The lower section of the trail follows the Appalachian Trail up the Little Wolf Creek drainage. this is a scenic section of trail which crosses the Creek many times (trail should not be taken during heavy periods of rain.) The upper section of the loop is a blue blazed section of the A. T. used during heavy rainy season. This section runs along the top of Brushy Mountain.

Total Distance:

6.75 miles

Location/Directions:

From I-77 in Bland: Take Rt. 52 west for 3.25 miles to Rt. 615. Take Rt. 615 north for 2.75 miles to parking lot on left (near road bridge). Take A. T. to west across Laurel Creek on log bridge. Total travel distance: 6 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Elevation: 2400 to 3100 feet