HIKING and BACKPACKING in Virginia, U.S.A.

Hello,

I’m thinking about backpacking at Cole Mountain, but it sounds like the parking lot only fits 5-6 cars. I don’t want to drive two hours only to not find parking. Are there any alternative parking spots, or is this unpopular enough to not worry?

Thanks!

Looking to do the AT "rollercoaster" during the next week with 1 overnight. I know there is water at the Rod Hollow and Sam Moore shelters. Are there other places to fill up (either specifically, or in general)? I am assuming the shelters will be relatively uncrowded with the through crowd creeping out of Trail Days.

The nominal plan is to park at one end and Uber back. It looks like going north to south does most of the difficult climbing earlier. However, finishing on the north end gives the option of having beer and pizza at Bear Chase brewery while waiting for an Uber. Or would it be better to prearrange a shuttle?

Thanks in advance for any insights/experiences.

I am searching for a suitable location in Southern Virginia for a 3-4 day backpacking trip for my organization. We are planning to take 4 groups of 15 guys on separate trails, but all in the same area. We are looking for dispersed camping areas that allow fires, and don’t require a permit. Ideally we would like a loop trail with some mountain top experiences, water crossings, and a centralized location for a base camp for all groups. We also need a place that has enough water. We are trying to avoid areas that will be crowded. We are looking at doing the trip in mid-October, and then again in mid-April. Thank you in advance.

So I know this is a long shot but... looking for a fellow VA Hiker I met Thursday night(May 2nd) at LAX before our flight to DC. We had a great conversation but I'm an idiot and didn't say bye, get her info or even her name. So here's what I got. She was in LA for about a week for a convention/meeting at a large company(can't remember the name) working for a corporate events registration company. I THINK she’s in her late 30's. Long brown hair. Has a 15yo son. Lives in DC area. She was bringing home a Frozen toy for her niece. And of course, she likes to hike :) .

So I’m wondering if she'd like to go on a hike sometime. If you know her(or are her) message me on here. Thanks 😊

Looking to do Old Rag tomorrow 5/4/24. looks like it is calling for rain (70% chance with about quarter inch of rain) I’m going with my girlfriend. We are both active and fit and have hiked long distances before, and are packing light, only water and snacks.

Do you think it’s ok to still go and hike? Obviously wish it was nicer weather tomorrow, but it is what it is. We’ve been looking forward to it. Let me know what you guys think!

I've hiked parts of the Grayson Highlands a bunch of times and although I am happy to keep going back summer after summer, I want to switch things up a bit by trying another 3 day loop in Virginia. Does anyone have a suggestion for a route with similar views? I've done a bit of research on Shenandoah, but haven't landed on anything quite yet. If you've got an Alltrails link, that would be even better!

I’m doing a landscape photography trip to Roanoke in mid April and would like to shoot on some of the less popular trails near there. Experienced hiker with the right equipment, but would rather not be surrounded by a bunch of other fellow hikers if possible. I know that’ll mean sacrificing some of the more epic vistas like at Sharp Top or Dragon’s Tooth.

I’m camping/hiking in the southern part of Virginia rn near Damascus. I’m in my hammock and heard what I thought was tire screeches but what felt like an animal. It went on for a bout 10 minutes in total. It was like short bursts of the sound then would stop for a few seconds before starting up again. Maybe it was listening for a return call? I’ve been camping all over Virginia for the last two years for weeks on end and have never heard anything like it. I tried looking it up but wasn’t able to really find anything. Wondering if anyone else has come across something similar or if there might be any information on it.

We have ideas to use headlamps in stationary modes such as on a tree or in the tent. We have some questions about your preferences and would greatly appreciate your input.

Answers will be anonymous

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I’m doing a quick study for a design-thinking project about the C&O Canal. The project is part of a dual degree program at Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland Institute College of Art and is in collaboration with the C&O Canal Trust. If you love the C&O Canal and outdoor recreation, please share your experiences by answering a quick survey!

C&O Canal Visitor Survey

Happy to answer anyone’s questions, as well!

so I'm headed to Dublin for approximately 6 weeks for work. with the planned schedule free time will not be any abundance but i plan on working out some time for some hikes while I'm there. just curious if anyone had ay recommendations preferably within 2 hours of the area. enjoy some urbex climbing and exploring to so will definitely be keeping my eyes open for that to.

Going to start the spring hitting some trails and enjoying the nature.

I was up at Dragon’s tooth this weekend and all of the established camp sites around the Boy Scout Trail area are roped off. It doesn’t look like that will be changing anytime soon.

Anyone know why that’s the case? There were some signs about regrowing the area for a native plant. However, that area is so established and contained, it seems like a pretext for something else.

Unfortunate because there are not many other options for car camping in that area.

Hi there!

I have chronic pain and am looking for an easy hike I can take in the Richmond area or about half an hour out. No more than 2 miles round trip ideal. Thank you!

Has anyone hiked Sugar Knob recently, and if so, can you give me some insight into the current trail? Is it well marked? I’m thinking about doing an overnight backpack this weekend given the unseasonable warmer weather.

Filtering on Hiking Upward suggests this is a Goldilocks trail for what I’m after, but the last post was four years ago. I’m looking for a medium difficulty hike with plenty of camping options, reliable access to water I can filter, and decent views. Mostly, I’m looking for a little solitude and a well marked trail.

TIA!

We're planning a combined backpacking/car camping trip in April. The idea is to do one trip that allows the older scouts (ages 14 - 17) to go backpacking and the younger scouts (ages 12 - 13) to do a couple of day-hikes from basecamp. Can anyone recommend locations that would be able to accommodate both groups? Somewhere with a large group campsite for basecamp, a couple of moderate day-hikes for the younger scouts, and a moderately difficult loop backpacking hike for older scouts would be ideal. Your recommendations are much appreciated. Thanks!

ETA: Due to travel constraints, we're most interested in hiking the Blue Ridge between Natural Bridge and Front Royal.

Looking for some beginner/intermediate over night trips anywhere.

Hello Virginia Hikers! I spend most of my time in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, but this weekend I’m taking a trip to Virginia and hope to tackle Old Rag.

Any advice on resources to follow for recent trail conditions or weather? I’ve been keeping an eye on Mountain Weather, but I haven’t come across anything more local in my research. I’ve done a lot of winter hiking in the northeast so I’m not too worried about the temperature, but would like to avoid the scramble in crazy rain.

Otherwise, open to any and all advice on the mountain or other things I should check out in the area.

Good morning all, I’m decently experienced with back packing but Im looking for trails in VA that are relatively flat, I have a buddy that wants to go but he has really bad knees. He can do fine on decently flat land but the proper backpacking trails that have a lot of elevation change wouldn’t work for him. We’re local to the VA Beach area, but don’t mind driving a good bit for a good trail. Both single and multi day trails are good.

Thanks!

I recently moved to Tysons corner! Any recommendations for solo hikes? Preferably less than 1hr drive!

Thank you