Trail Map: The Hike: We debated over including this hike. It’s mostly a paved road and even on “no car Wednesdays”, it’s very crowded. We finally flipped a coin, and here it is. Located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove is a scenic valley surrounded on all sides by mountains. A popular 11-mile […]
Trail Map: The Hike: Natural Tunnel is one of the six original Virginia State Parks. The park’s trails and facilities were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. This hike combines two of the park’s most popular (and short) hikes: Tunnel Trail and Lover’s Leap Trail. Both hikes begin and end near the
Natural Tunnel State Park Read More »
Trail Map: The Hike: This hike packs in a lot in just under ten miles: a waterfalls, mountain views, two lakes, and a ridge line. We hiked over Labor Day weekend so the water levels in the falls were a bit low and peak foliage is still weeks away—but this was still a great hike.
Torry Ridge & Sherando Lake Loop Read More »
Trail Map: The Hike: This hike in the George Washington National Forest is a nice walk in the woods with some nice river views. The trail is marked and maintained; however, there are many interconnecting trails and some of the junctions were confusing. We suggest downloading the AllTrails map in advance as cell service in
Jackson River Gorge-Hidden Valley Loop Read More »
Trail Map: The Hike: We are working our way through the AT—one state at a a time. This loop hike has almost 4 AT miles, passes by the traditional half-way point on the AT, has a half-mile rock scramble, and finishes with some history and ice cream at the state park. The trailhead in Pine
Sunset Rocks & Appalachian Trail Read More »
Trail Map: The Hike: This is one of the most popular hikes in Maryland. It has two great views: Annapolis Rocks and Black Rock Cliffs. We were joined on this hike by Pete’s sister Nan and our niece Hannah. They had hiked this section of the AT before and were excited for a repeat. The
Annapolis Rocks & Black Rock Cliffs Read More »
Trail Map: The Hike: The popular trails in Shenandoah National Park get crowded on summer weekends. This hike is a hidden gem. It has some solitude, lots of stream crossings, and great views from the summit of Turk Mountain. A cement post near Skyline Drive marks the trailhead. Pass through the yellow posts and chain
Jarman Gap-Turk Mt. Loop Read More »
Trail Map: The Hike: This hike in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is challenging. The Ewing Trail is steep and rocky in places, although the elevation gain of 2,000+ feet is spread over 3+ miles. There are a series of steep steps to descend down to the cave and a rock scramble to climb up
Sand Cave & White Rocks Read More »
Trail Map: The Hike: This hike is an easy walk on the Appalachian Trail through mountaintop pastures, with scenic views of surrounding mountains. A half-mile section of the trail is ADA compliant and wheelchair accessible. The AT winds through several pasture areas before entering the forest at just under one mile. We were greeted at
AT: Cross Mountain & Osborne Farm Read More »
Trail Map: This is a nice walk in the woods on the AT with some decent mountain and lake views. The AT crosses over the Watauga Dam which spans the Watauga River Gorge. The AT enters the Shook Branch Recreation Area near the beach. Follow the AT northbound through a hardwood forest with several nice
Watauga Lake & Dam Read More »
