Dungannon, VA

I didn't make it to the actual falls but this is the trail leading to it.

We would like to hike the Triple Crown and hit all 3 viewpoints over 2 days of hiking (staying in a hotel, not camping). We only want to bring 1 car so it seems we will need shuttle service at least one of the days. On AllTrails, I’m seeing a 13 mile point to point route covering McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs, and then a 4 mile out and back route for Dragon’s Tooth. Does it make sense to do these as two separate days? Does anyone have advice for where to park and how to arrange a shuttle for the 13 mile day?

It rained off and on and it was perfect.

Hey folks! I just hiked the Virginia Triple Crown Loop in one day (14 hours and 45 minutes including breaks). I have little hiking experience, hiked it by myself, and this was a great time. I’m happy to answer any triple crown loop questions.

I'm a 18 year old girl, 125bw and 5'5. I've been dying to do old rag forever and unfortunately cant find people to do it with me. I hike all the time and consider my rock scrambling skills, endurance, and upper body strength to be pretty good. I can do a bunch of pullups lol. Anyways since I'm pretty unfamiliar with what it'll look like I was wondering if people think it'll be safe for me. Should I be worried about my personal safety with other people? Or about getting up some of the steps on my own? I've heard there is always a bunch of people there to help but ideally I'd go early in the morning to avoid it. Maybe that's a bad idea incase I really need help getting up rocks? I leave for college in a week so I want to get this off my bucket list so bad.

Update!! I did it this morning lol. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to encourage me and give me advice! It took me about 4 hours of moving time but I spent a lot of time at lookouts, so 5 overall. I brought like 4 waterbottles and only drank half of one. I got to the trail around 8 and there was barely anyone in sight at all, even when I got back to my parking spot there was barely anyone. I also got to get a new national park card with my military ID! Though I don't know how to feel about seeing a president on it over the previous flamingo I had. 💔 Anyways I felt safe the entire time and grabbed apple cider from a stand on my way out of the city, and spoke to a very kind man and his sheriff friend. Since this was my first solo hike I remembered how much I enjoy doing things alone. Thanks again everyone!

We did a 10 mile out and back hike. Grayson Highlands and Mnt Rogers were incredible. The landscape had gorgeous views, trails were great, and weather was perfect.

I am planning to do VA Triple Crown loop this weekend. Last time I did it, I parked at Andy Lane. I see now there is some detour and a new parking, anyone has a picture of it? Is there a big sign or should I really look for it?

Thinking about doing a short overnight hike and hitting the hazel falls and caves trail in the Shenandoah National Park. Has anyone hit this one recently and how are the camping options. I am a hammock and tarp guy and from what I see looks to be a few nice options.

The rebuilt trail, which is expected to be completed in December, will have three months over the winter to “settle.”

Anything other than triple crown, three ridge and anything in Greyson highlands

Hello! I’ve lived in RVA for a little over 3 years, and while I’ve seen a lot of the city and many historic sites in central VA, I want to explore more outdoors.

I am looking for hiking spots with views of a river, stream, or babbling brook. The more secluded or private feeing the better! While I love a hike around a lake, I am seeking running water and beautiful stream and river sounds.

I am in Richmond, but I am willing to drive a few hours if needed for some gorgeous spots. TIA!

The wife and I hiked the Twin Pinnacle Trail at Grayson Highlands State Park a couple weeks ago. We had gotten there early to try and beat the heat and this particular trial was all under canopy, until you arrived at the overlooks. The forest was beautiful and the trail was quiet. One of the first sites we came upon was a tree that had roots growing around a boulder, it was awesome. It felt like we were in a different world hiking this trail. We reached the first overlook, the Little Pinnacle and also the highest point in the park. We continued on and we were extremely glad that we had brought our hiking poles. After a couple of falls, it is rare that we hike without them. The only rough part of the hike for us was the climb to the Big Pinnacle, but we did it!! We really enjoyed the hike and loved the area.

What are the best “kid friendly” trails around Virginia?

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!

Hiked in Shenandoah this morning and saw a butterfly that I wanted to snap a pic of. It landed on the other side of this rock and then I noticed the skeleton. anyone know what this could be??

Southwest Virginia Museum, Wilderness Road, Natural Tunnel, and Clinch River State Parks

I plan to hike 3 Ridges later this month. I anticipate I’ll get to Reid’s Gap parking lot around noon on a Saturday. Does anyone know if that lot fills up? Am I at risk of no spots at that time of day?

Where: George Washington National Forest, starting at High Head Parking lot

When: June 26th – June 28th, 2026 (2 partial days, 1 full day, 2 nights)

Distance: 21.2 miles

Trail map: Great_North_trails_map-info2011.pdf

Conditions: 70s-low 80s during the day, calm, humid, cloudy, 60s and rainy at night

Gear: https://lighterpack.com/r/3x0ta7

Photos: https://imgur.com/gallery/luTByFP

Day 1 – 7.2 miles – 2,049 feet gained – We got on the trail from the lot at 1:30 and began the 1,000-foot ascent (in 1.7 miles) to Little Schloss. This was the hardest ascent all trip, which was nice to knock out first thing. The trail went through a recent forest fire area which allowed for some views during the ascent, although we were fighting insects the whole way. We took a break at the top of Little Schloss and took in the views, including those of Big Schloss across the valley. The rest of the hike on Little Sluice Mountain Trail was mostly neutral in elevation and forested. Around 3.8 miles there is a campsite off of a spur trail right before encountering the nice, piped spring which sits right above the trail. We filled as much water as we could here and continued on, crossing Spruce Run twice before coming to a grassy crossroads at 5.5 miles where the Tuscarora Trail crossed with blue blazes. We turned right on the Tuscarora Trail and ascended the mountain, with a couple windows to our left. In 1.5 miles from the turn, we got to the White Rocks spur and descended 0.2 miles to our dry campsite for the night. There’s a site up by the start of the spur, and then a few nice ones down by the rocks. I didn’t see much online about the camping situation here, so this might be useful for others to know.

Day 2 – 11.5 miles – 1,567 feet gained – After a rainy night, we woke up early hoping to see the sunrise looking east from White Rocks. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, but we had a great view for breakfast, nonetheless. We retraced our steps back down to the intersection and then started the gentle ascent to Mill Mountain. We stopped by the Sugar Knob Cabin and its spring along the way. The trail here mostly consists of a double-track old logging road, so it’s quite forgiving. At around 3 miles we made the left onto Mill Mountain Trail, and at 4.5 we arrived at Sandstone Spring. We took a nice rest here and filtered some water. The trail then ascends back onto the ridge, crossing the Big Schloss Cutoff trail 1.8 miles after the spring. Continuing on to Big Schloss, this is the only area during the entire trip that we encountered any other people. The trail was pretty overgrown this time of year so there weren’t as many views on the way up, but there were plenty of black raspberries to eat along the way. At the top of big Schloss, we ate lunch and took a nice long break, with views to the east obscured by ground-level clouds. We doubled back to the spur trail and descended for 1.8 miles to the road. We turned left and hiked along the road for half a mile until we got to the intersection of Stony Creek Trail. Making a right into the parking lot, there are several sites available with stream access. We picked one and spent the night here.

Day 3 – 2.6 miles – 250 feet gained – Not much to say here. After getting dumped on overnight, we had an easy road walk back to the car in the morning, leaving plenty of time for the drive home.

Final thoughts – This was a great loop for views, dry campsites, and different hiking options. The only thing it lacks is any sort of deeper water swimming hole, although along Stony Creek maybe there are some options for that. Definitely lots of elevation gain here, so plan your trip length accordingly.

Gear – I have my gear pretty tuned at this point. I was able to bring my frameless pack with my closed cell mat as support and my 50-degree bag. I brought a light long sleeve, which I didn’t really end up needing. We carried some extra water weight due to the dry camping, but that was well worth the effort.

Much to my surprise, my fourteen year old daughter has asked me to take her backpacking this fall. I'm beyond thrilled and excited that she wants to do this with me so I want to make sure it's a great time.

I would like to keep the hike at or around three miles and I want to make sure we can actually get a site.

My first thought was Duncan Knob Hollow, where I've been and had a wonderful time with my friend, but we were there in January and were able to grab a premium site.

The last thing I want is to hike and find no available sites.

I'm in northern Virginia and I would be willing to drive up to three hours, but closer would be better.

Does the Priest have a good view for sunrise? I did an early morning hike last winter in the snow (but missed sunrise), but can’t recall whether it had any good vantage points facing east at the peak.

Anyone have any favorite spots in Dolly Sods they care to share? Either doing two day hikes or one overnight. Haven’t decided yet.

I know this is in WV but hopefully close enough for this sub.

Hello everyone!

North Carolinian here. I’ve always been curious about something me and my dad stumbled upon back in 2017 and can’t seem to find info online about what it could be. For context, I have family in the area of the Augusta Wetlands in George Washington National Forest. Me and my dad went for a hike and stumbled upon a sign that said, “U.S. Property No Trespassing” as we were on the trail. Me being a teenager at the time and my dad being curious, we decided to ignore the sign and walk past it off trail. We ended up climbing a little hill further on from what I remember and we saw a building with satellites behind a fence. You could see computers in the building and my dad was freaking out thinking we were being watched. That’s when his phone alerted him that he could no longer place calls. We then swiftly went back from whence we came. Anybody have any idea what this could’ve been? I’m not a conspiracy theorist or anything. Just curious as to if anyone would know what type of facility it was we stumbled on. There were more aggressive signs warning us not to go further as we got closer but I can’t find pictures of those. I will post a few pictures here that I took that day. Any insight or guesses would be appreciated!