Easiest 30-40 miles

[Chris10]

I'll start off saying, I understand "easy" is subjective, but would like some opinions on what might be the easiest 30-40 miles between central VA and GA. I'm looking at taking my 10 year old on the trail for a few days next summer-

[FarmerChef]

Tennessee south of Damascus.

[johnnybgood]

Any 40 miles in Shenandoah Nat'l Park is easy enough for a 10 yr. old , plus there are bail out options. Hampton, TN to Damascus, Va. is an easy 40 mile section

[illabelle]

Agree with the suggestion, Hampton TN north to Damascus, or vice versa.

[jimmyjam]

The 30 miles between Loft Mountain Campground and Rockfish Gap in the Shenandoah NP are pretty easy and you get a nice view at Blackrock and a couple of other places. Plus if you need to bale out the trail is parallel to the Skyline Drive and it's easy to get a ride out.

[slbirdnerd]

Hi, Chris10! I'd have said VA too like those above. I am pretty confident the first 12.8 miles of GA might not be the best for a 10 year old.

[Chris10]

Not sure if any part of GA would be a great intro, the first 40 wore me out! Still going back for more though. Going to finish GA this summer, and hit Franklin, or a bit beyond. Will have to take my youngest latter, probably up in VA or TN.
Hope all is well!

[Cookerhiker]

Tennessee south of Damascus.

+1 to this - about 40 miles, quite easy. Not literally flat, but no long climbs.

[Zipper]

Catawba, VA -McAfee Knob to somewhere north of there is relatively easy and you can do super-short days if you want. 4 miles to just beyond McAfee Knob, 6-7 miles to Lambert Meadows, 8 miles to a hotel on night three in Daleville if you want, then four or 12 miles the next day. And keep going at that rate and stop when you want- a couple of road crossings to choose from on the BRP... The hotel stop on night three is great because you can regroup or get a meal or whatever you need from the convenience store. This is how I started my flip flop thru and it was perfect!
Good luck picking a fun section!

[Chris10]

Thanks for the suggestions-just what I was looking for. Will have to check out your ideas.

[shelb]

I took my 12 year old through SNP for 110 miles a few years ago. He loved the "treats" we could get.
Burgers at Big Meadow, blueberry pancakes at Skyline, blackberry shakes at Elkwallow.
Another plus was the ability to socialize with many other hikers.

Have fun!

[Chris10]

I took my 12 year old through SNP for 110 miles a few years ago. He loved the "treats" we could get.
Burgers at Big Meadow, blueberry pancakes at Skyline, blackberry shakes at Elkwallow.
Another plus was the ability to socialize with many other hikers.

Have fun!

That sounds like my son's kind of camping! Thanks for the suggestion!

[HikerMom58]

Catawba, VA -McAfee Knob to somewhere north of there is relatively easy and you can do super-short days if you want. 4 miles to just beyond McAfee Knob, 6-7 miles to Lambert Meadows, 8 miles to a hotel on night three in Daleville if you want, then four or 12 miles the next day. And keep going at that rate and stop when you want- a couple of road crossings to choose from on the BRP... The hotel stop on night three is great because you can regroup or get a meal or whatever you need from the convenience store. This is how I started my flip flop thru and it was perfect!
Good luck picking a fun section!

This would be a fun section... agreed!

[Coffee]

I enjoyed the AT in the north district of SNP earlier this year from Thornton Gap to Compton Gap where I took the Dickey Ridge trail down to Front Royal. The trail is pretty easy in that section and, if you choose to go directly into Front Royal rather than take the AT to 522, the Dickey Ridge trail is almost all downhill on a good trail. In addition to the AT, there are lots of nice side trips especially Jeremy's Run. And there's the Elkwallow wayside available for a meal or snack. A nice trip could involve starting at Thronton Gap late afternoon the first day and staying at Pass Mountain shelter area which is just a couple of miles. Then proceeding north on the AT to the Neighbor Mountain trail and taking a side trip there to the bottom of Jeremy's Run and camping along the run for the second night. The next morning, hike up Jeremy's Run (lots of stream crossings but otherwise easy), have lunch at Elkwallow and then proceed to the Gravel Springs hut area. The next day Front Royal would be reachable in a long day or end the hike at Compton Gap or take the AT to 522 to shorten it. SNP has many trip plans involving the AT: http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisi...c_at_trips.htm

[Astro]

Hi, Chris10! I'd have said VA too like those above. I am pretty confident the first 12.8 miles of GA might not be the best for a 10 year old.

I guess it depends on the 10 year old. Took mine from Springer to Neels Gap Thanksgiving 2010 and Neels Gap to Dicks Creek the next spring break. After that he quit because I was too slow and could not keep up with him (told him if you can not see me, I can not see you and you need to sit and wait for me to catch up). We would hike 10-12 miles a day and then get to camp and he was full of energy and would go around for the next hour or so gathering firewood. Some of the bubble hikers in the spring wanted to call him Sherpa.

So I have gone the last 600 miles without him. Who knows, if I could have kept up with him, he might not have gotten bored, and we might have made it to Maine by now!

[wookinpanub]

Sometimes more difficult parts seem easier when there are rewards associated with them. That's why I would suggest hiking south through Grayson Highlands into Damascus. It's not very hard (not the easiest, though) and the visual rewards are outstanding. And don't forget the ponies. What 10 yr old doesn't like ponies? Plenty of shuttle services in Damascus to help you out if you need it.

[Drybones]

Any 40 miles in Shenandoah Nat'l Park is easy enough for a 10 yr. old , plus there are bail out options. Hampton, TN to Damascus, Va. is an easy 40 mile section

Agree...there's nothing further south as easy as this section.

[fredmugs]

Tennessee south of Damascus.

I think most everything south the Whites is (relatively) easy but I completely disagree with this. Now it could be I thought it was tougher because I did Damascus to Dennis Cove (50 miles) in 2 days or that the first day was pouring rain but it certainly wasn't the "easiest" by a long stretch.

I agree that anywhere is SNP is cake.

[FarmerChef]

I think most everything south the Whites is (relatively) easy but I completely disagree with this. Now it could be I thought it was tougher because I did Damascus to Dennis Cove (50 miles) in 2 days or that the first day was pouring rain but it certainly wasn't the "easiest" by a long stretch.

I agree that anywhere is SNP is cake.

lol. I could see that on that pace. We did it in 2 days in drifts of snow 3 feet deep Without that snow, I honestly believe we could have knocked it out in 1. Now, just to be specific I'm only talking about Damascus south for 30 miles on the ridge before you descend to Lake Wautauga. After that, no it's not a piece of cake. Especially when you miss the turn around the stony point to Laurel Fork Falls and climb the blue blaze, high water trail by accident....oops.