virginia hikes: Fridley Gap loop, May 23 2020

If you’ve read enough of these hike reports, a common theme you’ll find is that I love hiking next to running creeks, streams, and rivers. As we get into the summer in Virginia, they can also provide a perfect respite to the hot and humid weather in the form of swimming holes. So after a week of none stop rain, I was excited to go check out a hike featuring some swollen creeks and wide swimming holes.

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virginia hikes: Rock Castle Gorge, May 9 2020

A different season in Virginia can make the same hike a completely different experience. It was winter the last time I visited Rock Castle Gorge. When we returned for a spring hike, we found a completely new experience.

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my first time here was different experience with the Roanoke Outdoors Meetup group

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virginia hikes: Bottom Creek Gorge loop, November 3 2019

Foliage season is always a fleeting prospect. One day of bad weather and it’s all over. At least that’s how it seemed this year as a heavy wind storm with tornado advisory passed Southwest Virginia a few days after peak weekend. I headed out on the trails after the storm and found much of the foliage on the ground. At least Bottom Creek Gorge hike has some cascades and a waterfall to hold our attention.

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For weekly reports, you can also check out Virginia.org,  Virginia Department of Forestry reports, or Shenandoah National Park.

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virginia hikes: Great Falls Park Virginia & the Difficult Run Loop, April 15 2017

Last weekend, we traveled up Boston to help celebrate Juan & Rose’s wedding. Rose, who is one of Meg’s best friend, reminded me that I still had not written about the hike we did together when she visited the D.C. area in the spring. So here is the report and the pictures on the the first of our hikes that weekend.

 

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virginia hikes: Flat Top & Fallingwater Cascades, May 20 2017

Previously, I had covered Sharp Top, one of the two peaks making up the Peaks of Otters. This is one of the more popular spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Earlier this year, Meg, Mark, and I headed up the second peak, Flat Top (FT) and tacked on an addition loop to the Fallingwater Cascades (FWC). Read More

virginia hikes: Old Rag, July 30 2017

Living in Southwest Virginia and around Virginia Tech, majority of the day hikes we can feasibly do are around a 3 hour radius. We don’t get to the trails out in Northern Virginia much, but recent events will have us exploring there more often now. Read More