View Full Version : Trail Conditions near Pearisburg, VA?
joshuasdad
01-10-2013, 14:33
Getting some signs that the ridgelines are melting (BRP now open south of Peaks of Otter), but if anyone has better information about the VA42 to Pearisburg section (SOBO) it would be much appreciated.
Check out this site. It has been fairly accurate with past winter trips...
http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/interactive/html/map.html
joshuasdad
01-10-2013, 17:12
Thanks for the link. I am a bit concerned that BRP is closed south of SNP, yet there is no snow shown on that map.
That being said, just got an update from Don Raines from Pearisburg, and he thinks the ice has melted.
May pack the spikes just in case, but should be a good weekend.
HikerMom58
01-10-2013, 19:39
Thanks for the link. I am a bit concerned that BRP is closed south of SNP, yet there is no snow shown on that map.
That being said, just got an update from Don Raines from Pearisburg, and he thinks the ice has melted.
May pack the spikes just in case, but should be a good weekend.
It could be closed from blow downs. The southern part of the BRP was open near Roanoke but there was evidence of major blow downs all along the sides of the Parkway. It was weird!
joshuasdad
01-10-2013, 20:03
It could be closed from blow downs. The southern part of the BRP was open near Roanoke but there was evidence of major blow downs all along the sides of the Parkway. It was weird!
That makes sense, although it is probably "ice downs" which are the problem. 1" of ice is enough to take lots of branches down.
Blissful
01-10-2013, 22:10
I know SNP still has snow. Hiked in it today. Some deep drifts too. But should get good melting this weekend.
HikerMom58
01-10-2013, 22:31
That makes sense, although it is probably "ice downs" which are the problem. 1" of ice is enough to take lots of branches down.
Hey Rick... it looked like trees down from a strong wind b/c it was more than branches... whole trees were down.
Stalking Tortoise
03-06-2013, 13:23
Anyone have an update on trail conditions between Pearisburg and Catawba? Did the 12+ inches of snowfall happen or did the storm fizzle out like it did here in Central PA?
I'm also curious about the trail crossing at VA Route 624 just above the Catawba Grocery store. I recall it being a tight fit to get my car away from the edge of the highway and wonder if there will be any residual snow that will limit room for parking.
Three more days until I'm back on the trail! :D
HikerMom58
03-06-2013, 13:31
Anyone have an update on trail conditions between Pearisburg and Catawba? Did the 12+ inches of snowfall happen or did the storm fizzle out like it did here in Central PA?
I'm also curious about the trail crossing at VA Route 624 just above the Catawba Grocery store. I recall it being a tight fit to get my car away from the edge of the highway and wonder if there will be any residual snow that will limit room for parking.
Three more days until I'm back on the trail! :D
That's exciting ST... don't worry about the snow... it was NOTHING. The sun is out now and the 2 inches is gone. The snow went way north of us. This weekend the temps are supposed to be nice... in the 50's! I wouldn't worry about parking... Like i said, there's no snow on the ground! Have fun! :D If you have any problems... I'm around.
Stalking Tortoise
03-18-2013, 10:39
Might as well answer my own question now that I'm back...
There were blowdowns between VA Route 606 and VA Route 624 but they were minor inconveniences, not roadblocks. The worst section was the descent from the ridge to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter and they were mostly thin rhododendron branches.
Hat's off to the Roanoke AT club - they were either out last fall after Sandy or early this year and I noticed a lot of completed work to remove the blowdowns in their area of responsibility.
Water was plentiful along this section last week and there were still some areas that had 4" of snow on the ground. All-in-all, the trail conditions were good and I had no major issues.
FarmerChef
03-18-2013, 10:41
Thanks for the update ST. We were hiking that section last fall and noted a lot of down rhododendron branches from Sandy that made for some really slow going at times. But on the whole we were very pleased with the Roanoke AT Club's efforts. Look like they came through again and did another great job. Thanks RATCers!