updated: 2020/11/27

Southwest Virginia in the middle of Appalachia where the Appalachian Trail runs right through was our home throughout our days as graduate students. Since then, we have moved to Washington D.C. giving us access to the Appalachian Mountains further to the north.

This portion of this site is dedicated to our experiences and opinions about hikes in the area (more in the form of a trip report). The ranking of these hikes reflect my personal preferences of the hikes. A big caveat of hiking in Virginia is that the same hike is different depending on the season, such as the fall foliage bump. So your own experience will definitely vary. For more of a guide to regional hikes and a great resource that I will cite throughout, see Hiking Upwards.

If there is a place you’d want us to report on within reason, I’ve set up a patreon that allows you to direct the time we spent out in the world and on this page.

trailhead map

Below is an interactive google map with the trailhead location for each of the hikes I’ve done. You can click on each one for the direct link of the report on the hike if available. Each hike is labeled with my personal rankings.

John’s personal rankings

* denotes a picture only for now, trip report of these past hikes to come in the future

1. 1. Old Rag Mountain
   2. Grayson Highlands Loop (hike video)
   3. Tinker Cliffs via the Andy Layne Trail
   4. The Cascades and Barney’s Wall (hike video)
   5. Apple Orchard Falls and Cornelius Creek Loop
   6. Channels of Virginia
   7. Dragon’s Tooth
   8. Devil’s Marbleyard
   9. McAfee Knob
   10. Maryland Heights Loop – Harpers Ferry *
   11. Great Falls Maryland in Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP: Billy Goat A & B Loop
   12. Devil’s Bathtub *
   13. Roaring Run
   14. Jones Run & Doyles River loop
   15. The Priest * and Crabtree Falls *
   16. Great Falls Park Virginia: Difficult Run Loop
   17. Catoctin Mountain Park & Cunningham Falls Loop
   18. Sherando Lake, Torry Ridge, & White Rock Falls Loop
   19. Compton Peak via the AT from Jenkins Gap to Chester Gap
   20. North Mountain near Lexington, VA
   21. Terrapin Mountain & Reed Creek Loop
   22. Stiles Falls
   23. Fridley Gap loop
   24. Strickler Knob via Scothorn Gap
   25. Goshen Pass and Jump Rock Loop *
   26. Big Schloss, Mill Mountain, & Little Stony Creek loop
   27. Mount Pleasant loop
   28. Grayson Highlands: Massie Gap to Wilburn Ridge via AT SOBO
   29. Little Rocky Row from James River Footbridge on the AT
   30. Carvins Cove and Hay Rock
   31. Wilson Mountain & Sprout Run Trail Loop
   32. Peaks of Otter: Sharp Top
   33. Little Schloss
   34. Peaks of Otter: Flat Top & Fallingwater Cascades
   35. Big and Little House Mountains
   36. Rock Castle Gorge Loop
   37. Overall Run & Beecher Ridge loop
   38. Franklin Cliff & Hawksbill Summit loop (hike video)
   39. Spy Rock via Meadows Lane & AT *
   40. Blackrock, Trayfoot Mountain, & Paine Run loop
   41. Buzzard Rock North
   42. Ramsey Draft & Jerry’s Run loop
   43. Dismal Creek and Sugar Mountain Loop with Dismal Falls
   44. Cold Mountain, aka Cole Mountain
   45. Bottom Creek Gorge loop
   46. Hoop Hole
   47. Falls Ridge Preserve *
   48. Petites Gap, Highcock Knob, & Sulphur Spring loop
   49. Angel’s Rest
   50. Hone Quarry Waterfall
   51. Cove Mountain loop (hike video)
   52. Poor Mountain Natural Reserve Loop
   53. Fort Lewis Mountain Tower Outlook via Angeline Trailhead
   54. Read Mountain & Buzzard Rock
   55. Hidden Valley *
   56. Bear Church Rock
   57. Blue Suck Falls Loop – Douthat State Park *
   58. Roanoke Star and Mill Mountain loop
   59. Kelly’s Knob via Piney Ridge *
   60. Fulhardt Knob via AT *