Archive for the ‘State Parks’ Category
Beartree Lake Trail, Mt. Rogers NRA
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
This leisurely trail winds around Beartree Lake, a popular area for fishing, swimming and other relaxing activities. This trail receives moderate to heavy use. About half of the trail is paved and suitable for wheelchairs. It gives access to two wheelchair accessible fishing docks. The lake is well-stocked with trout. All state fishing regulations and license requirements apply.
Length:
0.8 mile
Difficulty:
Easy
Elevation
: 3,000′
Blazes:
None
Uses:
Foot, wheelchairs only, no bikes
How to Get There:
The Beartree Recreation Area is north of U.S. 58, 8.2 miles east of Damascus. From U.S. 58, turn north (left) onto FS 837. Watch for the Anglers Parking Lot on you right. Or you may continue on, pay a small fee per car and drive to a parking lot near the beach and bath house.
Booker T. Washington National Monument
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
This 224 acre national monument in the southern Virginia piedmont honors the life and accomplishments of Booker T. Washington (1856 – 1915), who rose from humble beginnings as a slave to be known ultimately as America’s leading black educator. The monument protects and interprets the historic James Burroughs tobacco farm, where Washington was born and spent his childhood. At age 23, he became a teacher at the Hampton Institute, from which he graduated with honors. Two years later, he was named the principal of Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama.
The visitors center provides interpretive exhibits, an audiovisual program, and publications. The Plantation Trail leads visitors to a number of reconstructed farm buildings, and a picnic area is available. The monument is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Access from I-81 is by the way of I-581 through Roanoke to U.S. Route 220, then south 16 miles to Rocky Mount, and north through Burnt Chimney on State Route 122 to the monument entrance.
Address:
12130 B.T. Washington Highway
Hardy, VA 24101-9688
703-721-2094
Website:
Colonial National Historical Park
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
This 9,352 acre park in the Tidewater are of eastern Virginia protects and interprets two sites: part of the site of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 on Jamestown Island in the James River; and the site of the decisive American-French victory over British forces in 1781 in the Battle of Yorktown at the mouth of the York River. The two park units are connected by the 23-mile Colonial Parkway.
Jamestown
Hardships beset the budding community from the outset. A fever that was likely typhoid claimed many lives; the island’s brackish water was undrinkable; perishable food spoiled; was virtually unbreathable; prolific mosquitoes and other insects made life miserable; and in the first cold, damp winter, more than 60 settlers perished from illness and starvation. Two winters later, the death toll reached 500, leaving a mere 60; but 1610, a large group of new settlers arrived from England just in time to save Jamestown from almost certain abandonment. From the beginning, there had been almost constant conflict between the settlers and the native Indians, who were alarmed by the rapid takeover of their traditional and, especially with the settlers’ clearing of land on which to grow tobacco. In 1622, the Powhatan Indians finally retaliated: close to 350 settlers were killed (about one-third of the population), and nearly all outlying settlements were destroyed.
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Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
This 28 acre memorial, located in Arlington, Virginia protects and interprets the elegant antebellum home known known as Arlington House, which was completed in 1817 and owned by the Curtis and Lee families. Robert E. Lee lived in this house for 30 years, before the outbreak of the Civil War. On April 17, 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union; on April 20, Lee resigned from the U.S. Army; on April 22, he was appointed commander of the state’s military forces; and in May, Virginia and Lee’s forces joined the Confederacy. On April 1865, the war ended when Lee surrendered his army’s weapons to Union Commander, Ulysses S. Grant, at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. In 1955, Arlington House was designated as a memorial to Robert E. Lee, a man who had gained respect of Americans in both the North and South.
Visitors touring Arlington House enter by the impressive marbled-columned, front portico and continue through rooms on the first and second floors. The house, which is located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, is open daily except Christmas and New Year’s Day. Access from Washington D.C. is a short walk or drive across the Potomac River by way of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, to the Arlington Memorial Cemetery visitor center parking area, and a short walk up the hill to the mansion. From within Virginia, the area is reached by the George Washington Memorial Parkway. A shuttle service and the Metro subway’s Blue Line stop at Arlington Cemetery.
Address:
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Turkey Run Park
McClean, VA 22101-0001
703-557-0613
Website:
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
The 1,775 acre national historical park, at the village of Appomattox Court House in central Virginia, protects and interprets the Civil War site where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his 35,000 man Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865. It was there also that Confederate weapons were surrendered, on April 12 – four years to the day after the way began.
The visitor center in the reconstructed county court house provides interpretive exhibits, audiovisual programs, and publications. Living history programs are presented during the summer, and a walking tour of the reconstructed buildings is offered. Access is by the way of the Appomattox exit of U.S. Route 460 (about 20 miles east of Lynchburg), and just north of State Route 24.
Address:
PO Box 218
Appomattox, VA 24522-0218
Website:
Little Devil's Staircase Trail – Shenandoah National Park
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
Description:
This is a strenuous 5.4 or 7.8 mile loop in the Shenandoah National Park. Most of the work comes early on as you climb steeply up and over rocks, gaining 1500 feet of elevation in about1.8 miles (1000 ft over a mile). If you think your buttocks muscles need some tightening-up then this is your hike! But honestly, once you’ve gained the ridge top almost all of the strenuous part is over. The short version of this hike utilizes a fire road as a return route and passes a graveyard along the way. The longer route follows Piney Branch with several nice little falls and cascades along the way. You’ll have to cross it twice but usually without much difficulty.
Trail notes:
From the parking area follow the blue blazed Little Devil’s Staircase Trail North. At first the gorge is wide and the tread is rocky. As you proceed along the gorge will get much narrower and steeper … and, of course, rockier. You’ll cross Keyser’s Run several times as it percolates between all of the rocks and boulders. Be sure to look behind you as you climb for partial views. Near the end the trail gets very steep and then makes a hard left and reaches the ridge on a much more gradual pitch.
At 1.88 miles from the start reach a 4-way intersection. To the left and right is yellow blazed Keyser Run Fire Road. Straight ahead is blue blazed Pole Bridge Trail. If you opt for the shorter route turn left onto Keyser Run Fire Trail. In about 2.2 miles pass Bolen Cemetery and arrive at the intersection of Hull School Fire Road. Turn left, remaining on Keyser Run Fire Road and follow it back (1 mile) to your cars.
For the longer loop, continue straight through the 4-way intersection onto blue blazed Pole Bridge Tr. In about 0.93 miles turn left onto blue blazed Piney Branch Trail. Descend 2.8 miles to the intersection of Yellow blazed Hull School Fire Road. Turn left here.
At 0.78 miles from the last trail junction arrive at the junction of yellow blazed Keyser Run Fire Road (left and straight). Proceed straight on Keyser Run Fire Road for about another mile to get back to your car.
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Originally Published at MidAtlanticHikers.com/VA http://www.midatlantichikes.com/id156.html
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Jenkins Gap/Hickerson Hollow Circuit – Shenandoah National Park
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
Description: This is a pretty arduous but rewarding hike in the northern section of SNP. It can be done either as a moderate 7.5 mile loop w/ a 1500 foot gain in elevation or a strenuous 12.2 mile “lollipop” circuit with over 2000 feet of elevation gain. There are views both east and west from Compton peak although the west view is by far the best. There is another vista as you leave the park on the AT and a nice lunch spot at the Tom Floyd’s Wayside. A one mile road walk will bring you back into the park on the Hickerson Hollow Tr along a picturesque stream of the same name. If you opt to do the shorter loop but still want to take in the views on Compton Peak add a 2mile out-and-back at the beginning or end of the trek for a total distance of around 9.5 miles.
If doing the shorter loop follow Skyline Drive to about Mile Marker 10.2 and park at the Compton Gap Parking Lot on the left. If doing the entire trek continue past mile marker 12 and park at the Jenkins Gap parking lot on the west side of the drive.
Trail Notes:
For the long version start at the Jenkins Gap Parking Area. Follow a spur trail a short distance to the junction with the white blazed AT. Turn right on the AT and follow it for 1.2 miles to a concrete post marking a 4X intersection.
Take in the views and then continue to follow the AT as it switchbacks down to Skyline Drive in 0.76 miles. Cross the drive into the Compton gap Parking area. This is the start of the shorter hike.
Seven Sisters Trail
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
Description: Seven Sisters Trail terminates inside of Stony Fork Campground. Trail users must park outside the Campground (fee area) and access the trail from Stony Fork Nature Trail (located within the campground), or use the parking lot at the east end of trail. Car shuttle or road walking distance is 2.5 miles between termini. Seven Sisters trail is known for its variety of terrain. Vegetation changes from the creek bottom with giant old growth white pines and rhododendron to hardwood forest at the top of the ridge. Good views are plentiful during leaf off season.
Total Distance:
4.8 miles
Location/Directions:
From Wytheville: Take Interstate 77 north for about 6 miles to Exit 47. Turn left onto Rt. 717 west. Go about 1.25 miles to the trailhead parking lot. Trail pickup point is at Stony Fork Campground 2.5 miles west of the trailhead parking lot. Total travel distance: 7 miles
Difficulty:
Moderate
Elevation:
2500 to 3300 feet
Greenstone Self-Guiding Trail
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
Description:
The twenty-minute self-guiding loop trail will help you learn about the geology of the northern Blue Ridge and see how mountaineers used their most abundant resource – rock – to wrest a living from harsh surroundings.
Total Distance: 0.2 miles
Location/Directions: Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 8.8
Difficulty:
Easy
Maps:
No parkway map available; USGS Sherando
The Hike: This engagingly educational self-guiding interpretive trail will simultaneously explain the natural setting and alerts you to the telltale signs of human habitation that are a stirring subtext to the Parkway experience.
Crabtree Falls
Posted by Chris | Filed under State Parks
Description: One of the South’s best waterfall walks also has barrier free access.
Total Distance: 6.0 mile round trip; the upper falls make a nice turnaround point for a 3.4 mile hike from the bottom trailhead or a 2.6 mile hike from the upper trailhead.
Location/Directions:
Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 27.2
Difficulty:
Strenuous from the bottom of the falls, moderate from the top
Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet for the entire falls trail from the bottom; 1,000 feet to falls from the bottom; 500 feet to falls from the top
Maps: USGS Montebello and Massies Mill; Appalachian Trail Conference, Pedlar Ranger District, George Washington National Forest.
Finding the Trail:
Exit the Parkway at Milepost 27.2 and descend east on VA 56 for 6.6 miles to the lower trailhead on the right side of the road. The lot was expanded in 2002, and a new rest room facility has been constructed. The fall’s upper trailhead is on VA 826, an unpaved road suitable for use in good weather by higher clearance vehicles. To reach that trailhead, go east on VA 56 from the Blue Ridge Parkway; in about 3.8 miles turn right on VA 826. The upper trailhead is on the left in just under 4 miles.
The Hike: The Crabtree Falls isn’t the last cataract you’ll encounter with that name while driving south on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This Virginia hike is in the George Washington National Forest. The second is actually a Blue Ridge Parkway trail, a strenuous 2.5 mile hike in North Carolina, at Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 339.5.
Various publications describe Crabtree Falls as “the highest in Eastern America,” the “highest in Virginia,” and the “highest in the Virginia Blue Ridge.” Which of those claims to believe probably depends on a list of qualified terms and arguable assumptions. This path follows Crabtree Creek’s 1,800 feet descent to the Tye River. Along the way, five major waterfalls create a truly spectacular cascade.
The trail area includes in renovations as of 2002 including a seventy car parking area, new barrier-free rest rooms, and an extensively reworked approach that provides barrier-free access to the first overlook on the falls. The trail’s improvements are largely designed to keep hikers away from the cascades, which have claimed more than twenty lives.
Developed observation areas overlook the falls at four places along the trail, the first just above the parking lot on the new trail. There’s a wood deck overlook at 0.7 mile, and at 0.8 mile you can use a small vace to rejoin the trail above. An overlook at 1.4 miles looks up at the upper falls. The last overlook, at about 1.7 miles, surveys the Tye River Valley from above the upper falls. A return from that point makes a nice 3.4 mile hike.
