Upcoming temporary closure in Shenandoah

[Lauriep]

Sometime in the next several weeks, Shenandoah National Park will conduct a prescribed burn affecting the Blackrock area in the southern district of Shenandoah NP. To encourage the growth of table mountain pine seedlings (a fire-dependent species), a controlled burn is planned. For up to five days (worst case, likely much shorter time) during the period of March 16 through April 12, both Blackrock Hut and 1.8 miles of the A.T. between Blackrock Summit parking area and Blackrock Gap will be closed to hiker use. The exact schedule cannot be predicted, since forecast weather conditions must be appropriate before the decision is made to start the burn. Hikers will have the option of walking the Skyline Drive between those two points, or riding a free shuttle (between 8:00 AM and dark) provided by the park. When ATC is notified that burn operations have begun, that information will be posted on our website. For other A.T. updates, see our updates page at http://www.appalachiantrail.org/updates.

Laurie Potteiger
ATC

[emerald]

Thank you for your post. Many hikers might have wondered what's happening and why without this notification.

[Sly]

Yea, officially sanctioned yellow blazing!

[rafe]

Yea, officially sanctioned yellow blazing!

There used to be a lot more of that. Cumberland road walk, etc. At least a few of the journals from the James Hare anthology talk about walking Skyline Drive just for a change of scenery.

[emerald]

A purist would walk Skyline Drive and thereby blue-blaze rather than yellow-blaze the AT, or would that be a temporary white-blaze route either way? I would think either under the circumstances would be quite acceptable and everyone should HYOH anyway.

[Sly]

There used to be a lot more of that. Cumberland road walk, etc. At least a few of the journals from the James Hare anthology talk about walking Skyline Drive just for a change of scenery.

I'm not speaking of the walking variety of yellow blazing, I'm talking shuttle!

Lots of the old timers miss the Cumberland valley road walk. Of course nothing is stopping them from doing it except purism and the need to follow every single white blaze. Kind of sad really.

[emerald]

I'm not speaking of the walking variety of yellow blazing, I'm talking shuttle!

Free shuttle! Just wondering, would walking a yellow-blaze be green-blazing?

[Jack Tarlin]

Funny thing: This past summer, I road-walked most of the Park, partly to favor a bad leg, and partly to see some overlooks and views I'd never been at.

In so doing, I probably saw MORE good views from the road than I ever did while sticking to the Trail. If you guys ever get the chance to drive thru the Park, you should, and give yourself lots of time to do it.

Sometimes, the best views aren't necessarily on the A.T.

In any case, thanx to LaurieP for passing this info along.

[rafe]

Funny thing: This past summer, I road-walked most of the Park, partly to favor a bad leg, and partly to see some overlooks and views I'd never been at.

In so doing, I probably saw MORE good views from the road than I ever did while sticking to the Trail. If you guys ever get the chance to drive thru the Park, you should, and give yourself lots of time to do it.

Sometimes, the best views aren't necessarily on the A.T.

In any case, thanx to LaurieP for passing this info along.

Of course, Bill Bryson made this very point years ago.

[Fannypack]

Funny thing: This past summer, I road-walked most of the Park, partly to favor a bad leg, and partly to see some overlooks and views I'd never been at.

In so doing, I probably saw MORE good views from the road than I ever did while sticking to the Trail. If you guys ever get the chance to drive thru the Park, you should, and give yourself lots of time to do it.

Sometimes, the best views aren't necessarily on the A.T.

In any case, thanx to LaurieP for passing this info along.

Jack, I believe LW and others have been suggesting taking alternate routes to get better views....

The same is true south of Rockfish Gap, if u walk the BRP from Reeds Gap to at least Humpback Rocks parking lot u will get some tremendous/contiouous views as well as meeting many persons at the overlooks...

Jack, keep enjoying the alternate routes. And don't forget to tell us about them.

[mudhead]

Sgt. Rock?

[Nightwalker]

Jack, I believe LW and others have been suggesting taking alternate routes to get better views....

The same is true south of Rockfish Gap, if u walk the BRP from Reeds Gap to at least Humpback Rocks parking lot u will get some tremendous/contiouous views as well as meeting many persons at the overlooks...

Jack, keep enjoying the alternate routes. And don't forget to tell us about them.

There's a great one early on. Tesnatee Gap to Hogpen Gap has some beautiful views that you don't get on that section of trail. I did it the first time because of heavy ice in December of 2005. I've done it once since for an Autumn view that I didn't want to miss by following the white blazes.

[Blissful]

The Skyline Drive has better views anyway. In the northern section we got off the trail and hiked the road for a few miles to the overlook. Superb views. The trail was in the woods paralleling the road.

[Appalachian Tater]

My first exposure to the A.T. was taking Skyline Drive down from Washington, D.C.

It's no wonder that the drive has the prime route and views. My understanding is that the Skyline Drive substantially supplanted the A.T., causing it to be re-routed.

There's a pretty good bit of yellow-blazing and blue-blazing in that area by so-called thru-hikers, regardless of burns and official re-routings.

[Sly]

There's a pretty good bit of yellow-blazing and blue-blazing in that area by so-called thru-hikers, regardless of burns and official re-routings.

Liars and cheaters! LOL...

[Appalachian Tater]

Liars and cheaters! LOL...

Well, I would just say that if you pass someone several times and they never pass you and then you see them getting out of a car at a crossing, the odds are they aren't night-hiking and passing you while you're asleep.

[eric_plano]

The BRP roadwalk has some nice views! So I've heard...