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+1
We walked only a tiny section of the AT, but even stepping foot on this iconic trail was a thrill. Left me dreaming of future hiking adventures still to come! Must do, whatever you are able.
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Date of experience: October 2020
1 Helpful vote
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+1
The AT through Shenandoah National Park is extremely well maintained. There were very few blowdowns and the trail was mostly even, ie - not lots of loose rocks or roots tripping you up. Nothing was super steep / requiring hands to climb. The trail passes a number of great viewpoints - some accessible from Skyline Drive so you'll see a lot of day hikers, but many were just good viewpoints along the trail (see the Guthook App to find them all) - some with stealth camping spots nearby - see my campsite / sunset photo. We did an early fall (late Sep - early Oct) hike and there were almost no bugs and lots of water available [to be filtered], except for a single 13 mile dry section in the Southern end of the park. There were plenty of opportunities to pick up snacks / burgers /etc at Waysides, although there was not a lot of dehydrated / backpacker style food. The only thing missing on the AT section of SNP was waterfalls - and there's plenty of those available if you choose to do a side trail. We did a few side trails via loops to see those. Overall, a great / relatively easy backpacking trip. I would do it again in a heartbeat!…
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Date of experience: October 2020
1 Helpful vote
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We were on our way to Hawksbill and took the wrong route. We went on Salamander Trail and I need to applaud myself. It took us 2 hours to get to the top and it was amazing and I did it. Came back down Hawksbill lower trail. Remember there are 2 different parking lots. It is not easy but definitely worth it. …
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Date of experience: September 2020
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We have been on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah Natl Park several times and we enjoy the drive, the views, and the photo opportunities. This trip was the first time we actually decided to hike. We were able to find an easy trail via the NPS app (highly recommend), since we had not packed good hiking shoes. We hiked the Piney River Trail (accessed near the Thornton Gap entrance to Skyline) which led to the Range View Cabin. We backtracked, as instructed, and then also took a portion of the Sugarloaf Loop on the Appalachian. Sugarloaf Loop had much more of an elevation gain (the NPS app says 956 foot gain over the course of the loop), so we did about a half mile and backtracked to Piney River and back to our car. Next time, we'll definitely return to this loop, with the appropriate shoes/attire! …
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Date of experience: July 2020
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Lots of shade on trail and did various portions in/around Big Meadows Lodge. Saw a few thru-hikers on trail.
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Date of experience: July 2020
3 Helpful votes
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