4-5 days over Christmas in VA.... Any Help Please?

[Toolshed]

I've done Shendandoah N->NY. I have 4-5 days over Chrsitmas and would like to pick up a few miles. Any suggestions for VA would be greatly appreciated!!!

[The Solemates]

va highlands are always a favorite, esp in winter

[Donde]

Nobo ending at Mt Rogers NRA HQ. Work out start point based on your own pace, but Elk Garden would be a safe bet. Covers some of my favorite parts of the VA AT, also Grayson Highlands SP has some great trails you could do loops on off of the AT. Offers you two bailouts to Troutdale w/ resupply and a church hostel, if weather goes to hell or whatever. Did I mention there are ponies.

I also love the area around the James and the Tye, if in that area it behooves of you to visit the Dutch Haus, cause it is pretty sweet.

[HikerMom58]

Picking a spot in VA might be the easy part. Working out the logistics is the more difficult piece. I love the VA Highlands as well. Of course, you will hear raving reviews about hiking McAfee Knob, Tinker Cliffs and Dragons Tooth. Gotta go to the Homeplace... on and on :) They will not disappoint.

[joshuasdad]

I could help you in northern TN/NC then, but based on your trail sections to date, you might not want to do that much vertical. SNP would be your best bet if Skyline Drive is open or you can carry enough to make it to road crossings. Roanoke area would be OK as well considering your experience.

Logistics are an issue, but with enough lead time, you can likely find someone to help, perhaps someone traveling that way to, e.g., Northern TN/NC...

[HikerMom58]

Great points joshuasdad...I'll help anyway I can... you know that, right? I will be gone over Christmas this year. There are lots of people that can help you out though! :)

[RED-DOG]

I would suggest to start at, U.S 501, VA 130 thats the Glasgow road crossing and head north until Rockfish Gap that's roughly 77 miles, you should be able to do it in 4-5 days, but what ever section you choose, Go have lots of fun and enjoy your hike RED-DOG

[joshuasdad]

I would suggest to start at, U.S 501, VA 130 thats the Glasgow road crossing and head north until Rockfish Gap that's roughly 77 miles, you should be able to do it in 4-5 days, but what ever section you choose, Go have lots of fun and enjoy your hike RED-DOG

A fun section that I did last fall/winter. Keep in mind that you will have at least three nearly 3000 ft climbs on that itinerary, the first from the James River being particularly brutal, and Three Ridges, and the one near US 60 are no slouches either. If you have only done NY to Shenandoah N, you at best have experience with a single 2000 ft climb (into SNP). Descents are intense as well.

[johnnybgood]

Are you looking to stay on the AT or do some backwoods blue blazing where a map & compass is needed and your campsite is wherever you make it at the end of the day. SNP has loop hikes that use the AT as an artery to weave blueblaze trails together for multiple night hikes that showcase a part of Shenandoah that isn't seen hiking the AT thru the park.
I can assist you if you decide to do a hike in Shenandoah , just PM me if you have questions. To Joshuasdad ; While the Skyline Drive may be closed to vechicular traffic you can still park the car at any entrance station and hike into the park. No tourists , just you and other adventurous hikers.

I thoughly enjoyed hiking Rt.311 to Daleville (20 miles) and camping on Tinker Cliffs where the bright lights of Roanoke can be seen at night.
Adding another 21 miles to that will take you to Bearwallow Gap on the BRP in the four day window you wanted.

[BobTheBuilder]

There are a lot of good sections there, and it would be a neat hike. Having just done Macafee and Tinker Cliffs last spring, I would recommend anything that included them.

For what it is worth in your planning, my experience with winter hiking is that it is harder to make miles for two reasons. The first is the length of day. Over Christmas you probably have about 9 1/2 or 10 hours of light, maybe less if you start or stop for the day in the valleys. The second is that it is harder to get started in the morning. The cold makes it hard to even talk yourself out of your bag, and then you pack up slower because your fingers get too cold.

[Toolshed]

All, thank you for the great ideas. I should have mentioned I am an ADK 46er, as well as hiking some peaks in the greens and whites, and have hiked Katahdin, as well as some of the trail in NH, so I am familiar with big steep climbs . I am pretty much thinking of doing somethign linear and staying on the trail and grabbing a shuttle at some point.
LOL I agree about difficulties hiking in the winter but it is the only time I have free....
:D

[joshuasdad]

I guess I should have considered your avatar when determining experience...

OK then, any of the above suggestions should be good, just let us know if we can help w/ shuttles.

[Kingbee]

+1 on Va. Highlands. Hope you have better weather than me. I hiked in a cloud. :)