Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Smith Mountain Lake State Park, VA - Turtle Island Loop


ABOUT THE PARK:  Smith Mountain Lake State Park - Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates  37.081694, -79.608133

View Larger Map
Third parking lot on Interpretive Trail.

TRAIL MAP:  Smith Mountain Lake State Park Trail Guide - Virginia State Parks

HIKE DISTANCE:  8 miles with 4.5 mile option

THE HIKE:
From the parking lot, cross the road and start on the red-blazed Chestnut Ridge Trail.
Tobacco barn ruins along the trail.
I don't think this is the Osprey nest with the web cam (don't see the camera) but it's somebody's nest.
Lake view from the Chestnut Ridge Trail.
Mountain laurel in bloom along the trail.
View from the Beaver Den Trail
Tobacco Run Trail view.
Tobacco barn where trail crosses over paved Interpretive Trail.
A mallard couple swimming in the lake.
An owl (?) in the wood duck nest.
Turtle Island
Bridge to Turtle Island.  A short trail loops around the island.
Looking back at Turtle Island from the Striper Cove Trail.
Up to this point I had come across SEVEN turtles on the trails - more than I have seen on all other hikes combined!
A White-breasted Nuthatch

HIKE SUMMARY:
[0.00]    From parking lot cross street on crosswalk to red-blazed Chestnut Ridge Trail
[0.05]    Left at first intersection then few steps later veer right staying on re-blazed Chestnut Ridge Trail when white-blazed Buck Run Trail goes left
[0.25]    Tobacco barn ruins on right
[0.30]    Keep straight at intersection
[0.60]    Left at fork to loop around
[0.90]    Keep straight at completion of loop
[1.15]    Keep left at fork
[1.40]    Tobacco barn from earlier visible through trees on right
[1.55]    Turn left on Beaver Den Trail (unblazed); at fork near water, keep right uphill then at paved road turn left and walk along guardrail
[1.85]    At end of guardrail, trail turns left uphill into the woods
[1.95]    Come out at paved road again, turn left and walk along road
[2.05]    Leave road turning left on blue-blazed Tobacco Run Trail
[2.20]    Turn left at intersection
[2.25]    Bench at end of trail; retrace
[2.30]    Keep straight on blue
[2.40]    Cross road to tobacco barn; turn left just the other side of the barn to continue
[2.50]    Pavilion at end with bench and lake view; retrace
[2.60]    Left on blue-blazed trail
[2.70]    Keep straight beyond tobacco barn, descend to deck and down steps
[2.80]    Straight on light blue-blazed Opossum Trot trail to left of guardrail
[3.05]    Left at fork
[3.20]    Left on green-blazed Turtle Island Trail
[3.25]    Side trail on left to bench loops around and joins back up with green-blazed Turtle Island Trail
[3.70]    At 3-way fork, keep straight on center trail towards bridge to Turtle Island
[3.75]    Cross bridge, circle around Turtle Island, return to bridge, cross and turn left at intersection to continue on the green trail
[4.20]    At intersection turn left on gold-blazed Striper Cove Trail or keep straight on green back to parking lot for 4.5 mile hike
[4.80]    Gold trail skirts parking lot (not the parking lot for this hike)
[4.85]    Cross bridge then shortly thereafter another bridge
[5.00]    Side trail to bench on left just before gold trail veers right
[6.25]    At T-intersection turn right on white-blazed Buck Run Trail when the gold-blazed Stiper Cove Trail goes left
[6.35]    Keep straight on white Buck Run Trail when orange Turkey Foot Trail goes left; cross paved road at crosswalk, continue on Buck Run Trail through parking lot
[6.55]    Turn right on white trail at T-intersection, left goes to campground
[7.25]    Cross bridge
[7.90]    Right on red-blazed Chestnut Ridge Trail then after a few steps, turn right leaving red trail back to parking lot
[8.00]    Cross road to parking lot

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Smith Mountain Lake State Park, VA - Osprey Point/Walton Creek Loop


ABOUT THE PARK:  Smith Mountain Lake State Park - Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 37.089491, -79.596133

View Larger Map
Hiker parking lot.

ACCOMMODATIONS:
The cabins at this park are pet-friendly!  I stayed in Cabin 8.  Click here for more information on cabin rentals.

TRAIL MAP:  Smith Mountain Lake State Park Trail Guide - Virginia State Parks

HIKE DISTANCE:
Hikes from base camp at Smith Mountain Lake State Park:

THE HIKE:
Trail intersections are well marked but take a map with you!
People were fishing from under the roof of the pier in the rain.
A dock across from the swimming beach.
The trail meanders through beautiful pine forests.
Picnic areas along the lake.
Smith Mountain Lake on a rainy day.
An osprey seen from the Osprey Point Trail.  For real!
I looked for it, but could not find the osprey nest at Smith Mountain Lake State Park.  This is the cam from that nest and maybe the osprey in the picture above is the daddy (mommy has spots on her neck). (Click here for information on the osprey cam.)


Video streaming by Ustream

A bench along the Walton Creek Trail.
The beginning of the Turkey Foot Trail.
You can't see it in the hiking pictures because the wording is printed too high up on the bandana, but this is what it says.  Shawnee wore it on all of the hikes on our trip.


HIKE SUMMARY:
[0.00]    Cross Interpretive Trail Road on the white-blazed Buck Run Trail; straight on white-blazed Buck Run Trail when orange-blazed Turkey Foot Trail goes right
[0.20]    Turn right on gold-blazed Striper Cove Trail
[0.65]    Turn left on gold-blazed Striper Cove Trail when White Tail Path to the right leads to Walton Creek Trail
[0.70]    Veer left at fork towards shore - there is a gold blaze but then they stop - the right fork might be the continuation of the Striper Cove Trail but you can stay left along the shore and around to the dock where the trail can be picked up again
[0.85]    Trails continue at sign to the right of the Tournament Headquarters building far side of parking lot
[1.05]    Left on gold-blazed Striper Cove Trail 
[1.35]    Picnic pavillion and tables on left
[1.60]    Come out into parking lot/picnic area; continue along playground on right, cross road and go through opening in stone wall into picnic area.  Watch for trail posts ahead to the left and right - take the left trail for Osprey Point but make note of the trail post on the right for the return route
[1.65]    Left at intersection on green-blazed Osprey Point Trail - straight goes to picnic area
[2.05]    End Osprey Point Trail; retrace
[2.45]    At t-intersection turn right into picnic area and veer left towards the other fence post from earlier in the hike
[2.50]    Take the burgundy-blazed Walton Creek Trail
[2.75]    Keep straight on Walton Creek Trail at access road and canoes
[3.20]    Keep straight on Walton Creek Trail when the White Tail Path goes right
[3.30]    Bench on the left overlooking lake
[3.70]    At T-intersection with park office straight ahead, turn right and follow trail to State Park Road
[3.75]    Cross State Park Road to orange-blazed Turkey Foot Trail
[3.95]    At T-intersection turn left on the white-blazed Buck Run Trail; cross Interpretive Trail Road
[4.00]    Back at parking lot

Monday, May 7, 2012

Blue Ridge Parkway, VA - Humpback Rocks and Humpback Mountain


ABOUT THE PARK:  
Humpback Rocks - Blue Ridge Parkway

DIRECTIONS:
My GPS had a very hard time with this.  If you see signs for the Blue Ridge Parkway but your GPS tells you to go a different way, ignore your GPS and follow the signs to the Blue Ridge Parkway, mile marker 6.  My GPS tried to take me around the back way to the Old Howardsville Turnpike which is not drivable and becomes part of the Appalachian Trail at the other end - there is no way to get to the parking lot that way even if you could drive on it.
GPS Coordinates 37.968531, -78.896580

View Larger Map
Humpback Rocks parking lot - pretty busy even on a drizzly, foggy Monday,

TRAIL MAP:
Humpback Rocks Trails - National Park Service
The map does not show the summit of Humpback Mountain.  It would be towards the bottom on the Appalachian Trail, near where the map says 2.9 to the right of the 8 mile marker.

HIKE DISTANCE:  6.15 miles

PEAK BAGGING:
Humpback Rocks - Peakery.com
Humpback Mountain - Peakery.com

APPALACHIAN TRAIL SECTION HIKING:
TrailHeadFinder.com - AT section miles 838.3 to 842.1


THE HIKE:
Start on the blue-blazed trail to the right of the kiosk.
Benches for resting along the steep incline.
Steps start out like this...
... then switchback up the rest of the way on rocks.
At the intersection, turn left to Humpback Rocks.  After returning from the Rocks, head in the direction of the Humpback Picnic Area which leads to the Appalachian Trail in a short distance.
On this particular day the mountain was in a cloud so not much in the way of views.
Just a little bit of the Blue Ridge Parkway down below.
The cloud whited out just about everything.
Foggy and drizzly on the Appalachian Trail.
Met Appalachian Trail thru-hiker "The Dude" from Florida on the trail.
No views from the summit of Humpback Mountain on this particular day either.
But lots of gorgeous spring flowers along the way.
The return route on the Appalachian Trail northbound is smooth and descends gently.
After the hike it is worth heading over to the Visitor Center for a short stroll through a restored historic farm.
Continuing on our trip south on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we got below the clouds and found some sunshine and views.
View along the Blue Ridge Parkway from under the clouds.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[0.00]    Parking at Blue Ridge Parkway mile post 6; start on blue trail to right of kiosk
[0.50]    Keep right on blue when an unmarked trail forks to the left
[0.60]    Wooden steps then rock steps switchback up
[0.85]    At intersection turn left following sign to Humpback Rocks; retrace
[1.00]    Back at intersection, keep straight on blue heading towards Appalachian Trail
[1.15]    Straight on the AT southbound when AT northbound goes left
[1.40]    Unmarked side trail on left to view; retrace
[1.45]    Continue southbound on AT
[2.10]    View to left over Rockfish Valley and Shenandoah Valley; retrace
[3.15]    Straight on AT northbound when blue trail goes left
[5.45]    At clearing Old Howardsville Turnpike joins in from right
[5.90]    Keep left at fork towards Humpback Rocks parking when AT goes right
[6.15]    Back at parking