Appalachian Trail – Rockfish Gap Trailhead

Love me some nature

How can you NOT give 5 stars? It’s the freaking APPALACHIAN TRAIL! Doesn’t matter how tired or sore you are, you’re on a trail that runs from GA to ME, and you’re just one of so many people on it. What a cool feeling! The trail is well-​maintained and crosses Skyline Dr several times through Shenandoah NP — have a great hike, and enjoy the view!

There are few places in the world that can elicit a feeling of pure joy, nervousness and excitement as much as the Appalachian Trail.
A few years back I read «A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail» by Bill Bryson (Fantastic BTW) and that’s when A.T. fever hit me. I’ve done some hiking before… nothing like I experienced here though. Nothing at all.
There are so many different feelings that coursed through me during my 2 week hike… days when I had the energy and drive to do 15+ miles, days when I’d leisurely hike about 8 miles and stopping at every vista, meadow or creek I could find to relax, nap or take some pictures. And then there were days where just putting on the hiking pack was a challenge, days that I just wanted to stay in my tent or in the shelter (3 days of straight rain will do that to ya).
On to the good stuff though, you’re looking at this to plan your own adventure not hear mine. Here’s some good need to know stuff for you.
Gear — I’ll mention it, but you won’t listen to the advice (I didn’t either). Pack LIGHT! There was nothing worse than the extra weight of stuff I could’ve lived without.
Examples:
Cans of soup — good treat, but super heavy.
Extra Clothes — you only need one extra T-​Shirt and pair of pants. Underwear is more important, especially socks… bring extra socks. Warm dry feet are happy feet.
Large Roll of Duct Tape — it’s a lifesaver for sure, but it’s heavy. I only used about 10 – 12 feet of it (tent, poncho and hiking pack repair), bring a small roll instead.
Extra Rain Jacket — WHY? one poncho was all I needed.
Oh, and if you were in the military like me. DON’T use your issued Rucksack as a hiking pack… Yes, it’s got nice compartments and comfy padding, but they’re WAY too heavy and you can use that extra weight for more food/​water. A lot of folks I bumped into were using Osprey Packs, just a suggestion.
Drop-​off /​Parking — If you’re only planning on doing a day hike or an over nighter, there is a small parking lot near the trailhead. Park, cross the bridge and walk about a quarter mile, the trailhead will be on your right side and marked by the standard White Blaze of the A.T.
Blazes — The main color to follow is White, Blue blazes that spur off the A.T. go to Springs and/​or Shelters. Blue blazes can be a fun side trip, check your map for the following:
Jones Run & Doyle’s Run — beautiful Waterfalls
Ivy Creek — nice place to camp
Water — When you see a spring or stream replenish your water supply. I know that it’s heavy especially a few days into the hike, but take it from me… you don’t want to run out. Another pointer — you should either boil or filter your water. I didn’t do either on a few occasions and was just fine though… up to you.
Waysides — First one you’ll run across is Loft Mountain. Get a hot meal, some pop (soda) and recharge any electrical devices there. There is a Camp Store to resupply as well but it’s not in the same building. Camp Store opens in Mid-​May usually. The next one is Big Meadows — They have EVERYTHING there.
Fire/​Backwoods Camping — No open fires except at the shelters. Backwoods Camping (between shelters) is awesome, just make sure to pitch your tent so that it disturbs as little vegetation as possible and follow the «Leave No Trace» ethics please.
Terrain — The terrain throughout the Shenandoah National Park section varies quite a bit, everything from easy paths through the woods to mountain paths that will seriously test your mettle. According to most thru-​hikers, the S.N.P. section is the «easiest» as for as terrain… I’d hate to see the hardest. If your feet/​ankles need a break from the trail; one good thing is that the A.T. crosses Skyline Drive several times, if you want a break from the trail you can walk on the blacktop for a while.
Wild Animals —
Keep a lookout for the Shenandoah Salamander —
and Red Eft’s they’re pretty neat.
I saw a couple Black Bears on the trail, they pretty much left me alone, just make sure to hang your food at night so they don’t get to it. (10 ft up, 20+ yds from camp).
There is A LOT of Deer in the park, you’ll see plenty if you keep an eye out.
Coyotes are what to watch out for, especially if hiking at night. My dog made me WELL aware if they were ever near. Most got skittish and ran after Rella barked, not all. We had one incident with a small male coyote that came at us, Rella ummm ‘took care of it’ I’ll leave it at that.
Guess those are all the big pointers I can pass along. I had a really great time on this section of A.T. and would highly recommend any avid hiker or outdoorsy folk to check it out. Even if it’s only for a day-​hike or weekend camping trip, it’s well worth it.