Backpacking Guides and Trips
Trips
Grayson Highlands State Park - Appalachian and Pine Mountain Loop
Virginia, United States
Backpacking | 12.0 miles
Backpacking | 12.0 miles
Great Smoky National Park - Mount Sterling Summit via Big Creek, Swallow Fork, and Benton MacKaye Trails
Mount Sterling, North Carolina, United States
Backpacking | 18.0 miles
Backpacking | 18.0 miles
Weekend trip with some buddies to the northern end of Great Smoky National Park. 4100 feet of elevation gain to bag this summit. An old steel lookout tower provides an outstanding view at the top, although it was much to cold to enjoy it too much when we went. Night-time temps on the mountain were at 4 degrees F. Burrrr.
This is an absolutely gorgeous backpacking trip. 20 miles packed with plenty of breathtaking views such as McAfee's Knob, Tinker Cliffs, Hay Rock, and Carvin's Cove. It is possible to make this hike in one day, actually it is called the Catawba Challenge if you are so up for it. For this trip, though, I went with some buddies and we made it into a 3 day - 2 night backpacking trip. ...
Dragon's Tooth via Dragon's Tooth, Boy Scout, and Appalachian Trails
Catawba, Virginia, United States
Backpacking | 4.9 miles
Backpacking | 4.9 miles
Dragon's Tooth has been on my list to hike ever since moving to Roanoke. I finally got to it when my good friend, Chris, called me up. He was taking his 5-yr old son for a backpacking trip and asked me to come along. We tackled about 2 miles the first day and set up camp. We were up early in the morning to tackle the more technical summit (technical for a...
Devil's Marbleyard via Appalachian and Belfast Trails
Snowden, Virginia, United States
Backpacking | 8.7 miles
Backpacking | 8.7 miles
I went on an overnight backpacking trip with some friends: Caleb, Justin and Brandon. Our destination was Devil's Marbleyard. We started at the James River Footbridge, a 600 feet-plus pedestrian only bridge, the longest on the AT. We started Friday night and hiked into Matt's Creek Shelter. The first two miles were easy. The shelter was taken so we set up tents. The next morning began with a steep 2.5 mile ascent. ...
Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area via Mt. Rogers Trail, Pine Mountain Trail, and AT
Fairwood, Virginia, United States
Backpacking | 13.3 miles
Backpacking | 13.3 miles
I had a wonderful time hiking with friends in the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area. What was supposed to be a colorful fall backpacking trip turned into a cold white winteresque one. The first day of hiking took us up Mt. Rogers Trail connecting to the Appalachian Trial. As we gained elevation, the temperature dropped significantly and the wind and precipitation picked up, making for some cold hands and toes, especially during the breaks. A...
Shenendoah National Park - Rip Rap Parking to Rockfish Gap via the AT
Dooms, Virginia, United States
Backpacking | 17.6 miles
Backpacking | 17.6 miles
Well, this backpacking trip was supposed to be a fun-filled weekend with my dad on the AT. Unfortunantly, in the first half mile, my dad fractured his ankle and couldn't go on. I took him back to the car, he headed to the ER and I headed back on the trail. The remaining trip went well. There are not a lot of spectular views on this section. I did see some birds...
Shenandoah National Park - Appalachian Trail (Beahms Gap to Compton Gap)
Fourway, Virginia, United States
Backpacking | 21 miles
Backpacking | 21 miles
I was accompanied by my father and one of his co-workers on this outing. It turned out to be a great trip. We left Friday evening and hiked a little over a mile to Byrd\'s Nest Shelter 4. Since this was a day use shelter, we had to set up our tents away from it, but we were still able to use the fireplace and picnic table to eat. The next morning...
