The Art of the Water Crossing

     Saturday brought our time in Shenandoah National Park to an end. We had two more hikes on the agenda before we departed south onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. Both hikes were close to the campground so commute time was minimal. We were up at sunrise and on the trail before the sun came over the mountains. Our first hike was short up to Blackrock Summit. There are two options to climb up the mountain from Skyline Drive. We took one way up and the other way down to make a small loop. It was only 0.5 miles up to the summit so we were up there pretty quickly. I was happy to not have much knee soreness today. Hopefully, I dodged that one. The moon was still up in the sky as the sun began to peak over the mountains to the east. That low layer of foggy clouds that hugs east coast mountains each morning was still in place down below us like a soft blanket surrounding the peaks.

Our first view of the morning

The cloud blanket in the distance

Getting close to the top as the mountain becomes a pile of rocks

The moon up above the top of Blackrock Summit

     Blackrock has a peak of exposed rocks. The top is a giant boulder pile, most of them with square edges. The trail takes you to the base of the boulders, then you can scramble the rest of the way however you want.  It was a fun little climb. We enjoyed the view and watched a few falcons soaring through the air before heading back down. We saw no other people on this hike. It was a quiet start to the day.

Looking south from Blackrock Summit

View from the tip top

     Just a couple of miles away was our second hike. This area had several waterfalls in it, but we planned to just hit one. The planned distance was 3.8 miles roundtrip, doing 1.9 miles to Jones Run Falls, then coming back out. Like every waterfall hike that starts at Skyline Drive, this one descended off the mountain to reach the falls. We packed lunch and planned to take our time and enjoy the woods on what would likely be our last hike in the park. Again, I planned to get in some riding after the hike as we headed toward the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Huge spider web along the trail to Jones Run Falls

Jones Run

     We were quickly into deep forest as we worked our way toward Jones Run Falls. It was absolutely beautiful, some of the best forest I have ever seen. Much like the South River Falls hike yesterday, water flowed next to the trail most of the way down, crossing the trail periodically. Shannon was still not having the best of luck with the crossings and ended up with wet feet again. I got a little wet, but not near as much as she did. The creek the trail followed kept growing, providing some rapids and cascades at times. After 1.8 miles, we hit a set of switchbacks with huge boulders sitting on the edge of the trail. Then Jones Run Falls came into view. It was yet another impressive waterfall. There was just enough opening in the trees to allow sunlight to come through onto the falling water so it appeared to glow. This waterfall was smaller in height than most we have see in the park, but I really liked how the water was spread a little more thinly and kind of made it look like a bright white sheet with the sun shining on the water.

Jones Run Falls comes into view

Jones Run Falls

Jones Run just below the falls

     The trail had been more beautiful than difficult and we were feeling good so we decided to continue around the full waterfall loop you can do in this area. In another 1.3 miles there was another waterfall, then a third waterfall a further 0.25 miles out. I was enjoying the rocks in the trail and the creek crossings as they were fun to navigate. Shannon didn't like them so much as she was not having good luck at getting across dry. The creek crossings went up a notch in frequency and difficulty beyond Jones Run Falls. At times, it appeared the trail was a creek. We took to a huge fallen log that was suspended across a gully to stay out of one of the deeper areas. Crawling across that log was so fun. It was a good 20 yards long. 

What we bypassed by taking the log route

     We stopped for lunch and ran into some other hikers going the opposite direction. They told us there was a deeper creek crossing just ahead, but that the falls up ahead were worth getting wet for. Shannon already had her fill of the creek crossings. We had gone over more than 10 just today, not to mention probably 20+ in the previous two days. The crossing they warned us about was just over knee deep in the middle and moving a lot more swiftly. I surveyed the area and decided to try leaping from rock to rock to log to make it across. The last jump from rock to log seemed a little too much for my jumping skills, but I went for it anyway. I figured I was going to get wet either way so why not just go for it. To my surprise, I made it! I got across this big creek without getting a drop of water on me. Shannon didn't want to try my Mario line, so she took off her boots and rolled up her pants. The rushing water nearly pushed her down a few times as she navigated the unstable, rocky bottom, but her walking stick kept her upright. She was wet when she got across, but she made it.

Other trail obstacles. You can go under or over.

Shannon heads into the deeper of the creek crossings

     We finally reached the turn to continue on the loop toward the other two waterfalls. The trail began climbing from that point and didn't stop until just before we reached the van. The forest in this area was not quite as thick and beautiful, but it was still really cool. Most of the creek crossings on this side had bridges which Shannon was thrilled to see. The trail got steep as we approached Lower Doyles River Falls. This area was pretty crowded. I had a hard time getting pictures without a bunch of people in them. We didn't stay here long, moving on to a place with less people. Upper Doyles River Falls was not crowded at all and was just a little smaller than the lower falls. This was the final waterfall along this loop. We were only about halfway through the hike at this point, so plenty of climbing remained. We ended up on a gravel road for about 2 miles of climbing. This was how most people were coming into the falls and why the Doyles River side of the loop was more crowded. The gravel road took us to a different trailhead than where we started, so we hopped on the Appalachian Trail to finish off the loop and return to our trailhead to wrap up a hike of just over 6.8 miles. That was way longer than planned. I am glad we packed lunch! We had shriveled feet and were ready to see get out of our damp boots. In total, we put in an even 26 miles of hiking while at Shenandoah.

Lower Doyles River Falls

Upper Doyles River Falls

     We decided to drive the rest of Skyline Drive while our feet dried out, and then move onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. We wanted to go through as much of the BRP as possible on this trip so we didn't want to waste the rest of the afternoon. Shenandoah was awesome! I highly recommend checking it out. The hiking is unbelievable. Every waterfall we saw was super impressive and the views are quite outstanding as well. A little video is posted below of some of the sights we saw while hiking in the park.

Another view along Skyline Drive before we left the park

Our last overlook in Shenandoah National Park

Video: Highlights from our hikes in Shenandoah National Park

     Shortly after we entered the Blue Ridge Parkway's northern terminus, we came up to another hiking trail. There were no campgrounds in the area, so we would have to continue south. This would likely be the only chance we would get to do this hike up to Humpback Rocks. We were both sore and tired, but I felt like I could do another short hike. It was only 0.9 miles up to the rocks. I put my damp boots back on and headed up the hill. Shannon stayed behind as she was ready for some rest. I didn't want her to have to wait on me for too long, so I practically ran up the mountain. The trail was steep and open at first, then went into heavy forest became tight, rocky singletrack. There were a couple sets of stairs, and some really steep, slick pitches near the top. It was a challenging hike for sure. I was amazed at how many people were using the trail. It's far from easy. The view at the top was totally worth the effort. The rocks stick out from the top of the mountain and provide stunning views. I climbed up the rocks to get to the very top. There's a drop of several hundred feet off the end. I never got super close to the edge, but I still felt the jell-o legs standing up there. It was such an awesome view! I got down the mountain pretty fast as well. It was treacherous in places with the wet rocks in the trail. I saw several people fall in the upper half of the descent. I made it down safely and we hit the road again to try to find a place to stay for the night.

Early parts of the trail to Humpback Rocks

At the top of the trail. That road in the center of the picture is the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Humpback Rocks

Looking west from the top of Humpback Rocks

Looking over Charlottesville

      We found a little waterfall next to the parkway, then came across a campground at the Otter Creek area. By the time we got a site it was almost dark, so yet again no riding for me today. It was Saturday night, so I listened to some college football while sitting in the dark with my feet propped up on the back of the van before going to bed. I kept seeing things glowing on the ground and found little glow worms wriggling down the pavement when I went to investigate. I had never seen those before. It was a great way to end another killer day!

Walking up to Wigwam Falls

A piece of an old railroad at the base of the waterfall trail. This railroad was built for logging in 1919-1920. This particular track went 50 miles into the mountains. Only this little piece remains and is preserved for historical purposes.

Wigwam Falls