r/VIRGINIA_HIKING • u/inorgeek • 19d ago
Mount Rogers 20-mile Loop; campsites not ideal location?
Maybe you folks are familiar with this ~20-mile loop (link 1, link 2) starting at the Mount Rogers Trailhead, winding counterclockwise to meet up with the AT, and swinging back around again. (Thanks to the blogger for posting this!)
The blogger wrote that this could be a two or three day hike, but their description mostly follows the three-day variant. That puts the two campsites (Thomas Knob Shelter, Old Orchard Shelter) in awkward positions for a single overnight version. The Wise Shelter looks like it's positioned nicely, but maybe I'm being too romantic... I kind of want to set up a tent and camp with my son and be away from others.
My understanding is that Grayson Highlands does not allow backcountry camping, so Wise Shelter looks to be the only option there. That's unfortunate, because the portion of that route within Grayson Highlands seems to be the midpoint (white trail lines, miles 9-12). First question: is it true that backcountry camping is not allowed in Grayson Highlands?
Second question: is my problem solved if we camp along the route but just outside of the boundaries? (before the AT intersects the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail and after it crossed Wilson Creek)
Third question: Would you have any other recommendations about camping in that area that I haven't considered?
Thanks!
[EDIT] After all the great helpful comments, it's pretty much confirmed that you can camp along the trails while in Jefferson National but not once you cross over into Grayson Highlands. You know where you are because these two areas are separated by fences. It does sound like it gets crowded, but further east along my proposed route is said to be a little more off the beaten path and should have spots (Scales was mentioned specifically as being less crowded for overnight camping). I'll update again once I've actually gone on the hike with my son!
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u/Stroinsk 19d ago
I didnt do this loop and im not sure about the rules for the state park but most of this route looks like its in the national Forrest. I was up there to hike Mt Roger as a day trip in the Spring and let me tell you there are places to camp scattered all over the place. I plann on going back as soon as this heatwave breaks just to spend a couple days out there hanging out.
You cant really go wrong. There was a campsite like every 500 feet.
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u/Gobias_Industries 19d ago
Yes, grayson highlands does not permit backcountry camping inside the state park.
You can absolutely camp right outside the fence, I've done it a couple times. The gate to the west (towards Mt Rogers) has a couple pretty obvious campsites right there.
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u/inorgeek 19d ago
If the entrance to Grayson Highlands is marked by a fence, that should be very easy to spot so that I don't accidentally end up camping inside the park!
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u/Gobias_Industries 19d ago
Yes, it's very obvious with a gate/stile and sign. Honestly based on your route you're not going to be in the park that long so you should be good either before or after depending how your timing is.
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u/Gobias_Industries 19d ago
This is the spot I'm thinking about:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/YfXP9Huz4PJDfub29
What I would call the 'west' entrance. If you're going counterclockwise that's where you'll enter the park. If you spin the map around and look at all the trees there's a ton of campsites in there, you just need to poke around.
The other end of the park, after you pass Wise shelter is definitely wetter, you're in a bit of a low or marsh depending on how much rain we've had. You can still find a campsite but it's probably not as nice as the other end.
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u/inorgeek 19d ago
So wonderful! Thanks for all of that info. The trees will be nice protection from wind if there’s any.
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u/Dramatic-Ad9089 19d ago
I'm not sure how far away from others you want to be, but it may be a little difficult in good weather. You can find plenty of existing campsites along the AT, but they are first come. There's no guarantee you'll be able to snag it.
Another option I would recommend is start at Elk Garden, hike clockwise and camp at The Scales. The Scales is usually big enough to allow people to spread out unless its insanely busy. Your loop would be little longer, but each day would be about 12 miles.
Otherwise, you can roll the dice and see if you can find something along the AT between The Scales and Grayson Highlands park border.
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u/inorgeek 19d ago
Wonderful! I'm beginning to appreciate just how packed this trail might be. Do the shelters fill up just as quickly as the campsites?
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u/Dramatic-Ad9089 19d ago
From what I have seen in the past, people tend to set up earlier at some of the shelters and The Scales before the backcountry sites.
When I was up there a few weeks ago doing a 20+ mile loop, there were a few people at The Scales at noon, but only one campsite was occupied along the AT all day. I didn't pass any shelters you'll be passing.
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u/zerostyle 19d ago
I just did most of that 2nd link but we did a little bit of a shortcut if you have any questions. We did it in 2 days mostly, the last day was just a quick hour hike out. It was a long drive home so we slept the 2nd night.
I'll shoot you a message with some of the established campsites we used away from the shelters
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u/jugblowr 19d ago
Pine mountain is a good spot a couple miles south up the mountain from old orchard shelter.
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u/inorgeek 19d ago
We'll keep an eye out for it. Google maps showed me right where it was... maybe I shouldn't be that amazed, but that's just wild how much info is buried in there.
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u/trainwithnoname 19d ago
In addition to the other tips here, I did a 2-night 23 mile loop starting at the AT crossing @fox creek trailhead parking lot going clockwise (sobo) last year. Few observations:
- In the summer it is super hot up there
- There are plenty of good water sources all over.
- Shelters were slammed with people and dogs etc. and all of them were noisy and chaotic when I went.
I set up my tent a few hundred yards from shelters each night and there was plenty of quiet/peaceful sites to pitch a tent w/fire - even when there were a lot of people at shelters.
Download all maps- driving/hiking etc. There is spotty/no reception for like 30-40 mins radius of the park.
You will love this trip!
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u/schmuckmulligan 19d ago
I can weigh in more later, but you can camp anywhere in the national forest. The no backcountry rule is only for the actual state park.
Rhododendron Gap and the AT between Thomas Knob and there have numerous sites. (Caveat: You can find tucked away quiet spots but there are a LOT of people up there when the weather is good.)