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View Full Version : Lewis Fork / Little Wilson Creek Wilderness areas



scrabbler
04-01-2015, 13:01
Planning to do a multiday loop hike in this area, and it looks like a lot of the trails are mixed use that allow horses. I have nothing against horses per se, but I despise the landmines they are allowed to leave all over the trails. What are the conditions in these areas? Heavily traveled by horses? Any trails to specifically avoid?

Thanks.

Tipi Walter
04-01-2015, 13:23
I did two backpacking trips into the Mt Rogers backcountry, one of 19 days in 2011 and one of 20 days in 2012. See---

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Tipi-Walter-In-Mt-Rogers/

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/Tipi-Walter-Grayson-Highlands/

The two wilderness areas you mention have terrible horsemen damage as the forest service bends over backwards to accommodate these turd spewing beasts which churn up the wet soggy trail into giant rutted mudpits. I noticed it esp in the Little Wilson area and found the below horse shoe on the Lewis Fork trail. Apparently yanked off and never picked up by the saddle potatoes i.e. HORSEMEN.

Do the horsemen put poop bags on their horses? Hell no.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Tipi-Walter-In-Mt-Rogers/i-Wfnv7ph/0/M/TRIP%20123%20307-M.jpg
I did a rant about it on my trail journal---see---
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=355718

TheOneGuy
05-02-2015, 23:26
I did Whitetop to 603 this winter and turned the wrong way on Orchard/ Lewis Fork. Ended up looping all the way around Lewis Fork and adding an extra couple of hours to the hike. it was like walking in a dry creek bed for miles. Rocks everywhere.

JumpMaster Blaster
05-04-2015, 12:52
You can do the Mt Rogers Trail, Pine Mountain Trail, and of course the AT in the area. Best bet is to get a Nat Geo Trails Illustrated map and plan that way.

scrabbler
05-04-2015, 13:30
Finished this trip, and to be honest, the Lewis Fork mixed use trails (Lewis Fork/Fairwood Valley) were much cleaner than the AT (Rhodo Gap, yuk) in terms of horse crap in Grayson Highlands.