virginia regional hikes

updated: 2020/9/20

Southwest Virginia is currently our home. We are located in the middle of Appalachia where the Application Trail runs right through.

This portion of this site is dedicated to our experiences and opinions about hikes in this area (more in the form of a trip report). The order 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. 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. Peaks of Otter: Flat Top & Fallingwater Cascades
   34. Big and Little House Mountains
   35. Rock Castle Gorge Loop
   36. Overall Run & Beecher Ridge loop
   37. Franklin Cliff & Hawksbill Summit loop (hike video)
   38. Spy Rock via Meadows Lane & AT *
   39. Blackrock, Trayfoot Mountain, & Paine Run loop
   40. Buzzard Rock North
   41. Ramsey Draft & Jerry’s Run loop
   42. Dismal Creek and Sugar Mountain Loop with Dismal Falls
   43. Cold Mountain, aka Cole Mountain
   44. Bottom Creek Gorge loop
   45. Hoop Hole
   46. Falls Ridge Preserve *
   47. Petites Gap, Highcock Knob, & Sulphur Spring loop
   48. Hone Quarry Waterfall
   49. Cove Mountain loop (hike video)
   50. Angel’s Rest
   51. Poor Mountain Natural Reserve Loop
   52. Fort Lewis Mountain Tower Outlook via Angeline Trailhead
   53. Read Mountain & Buzzard Rock
   54. Hidden Valley *
   55. Bear Church Rock
   56. Blue Suck Falls Loop – Douthat State Park *
   57. Roanoke Star and Mill Mountain loop
   58. Kelly’s Knob via Piney Ridge *
   59. Fulhardt Knob via AT *