Explore 51 of Virginia's best options for short walks, hiking excursions, and backpacking adventures!
From the craggy summits of the Allegheny Mountains to the soft shores of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia north of US 60 is an unparalleled region. The area is diverse and beautiful, and the plants and wildlife are varied and abundant. To truly see and appreciate the land's natural wonders, a person should travel on foot.
In the eastern coastal plain, walk for miles upon quiet beaches, and see herons and egrets as they fish in swamps, ponds, and slow-moving streams. Upon the rolling piedmont of central Virginia, pass between grassy meadows with open views and mixed hardwood forests. Trails in the Blue Ridge and Massanutten mountains descend past waterfalls into valleys and coves. The mountains of western Virginia are the least populated. Here you'll find the most isolated and quiet hiking and have the best chance of viewing the state's abundant wildlife. Plus, hundreds of miles of the Appalachian Trail create opportunities for backpacking.
In Hike Virginia North of US 60, expert hiker and naturalist Leonard M. Adkins helps you experience the joys of walking and hiking throughout the area. The award-winning Virginia author spotlights 51 trails that traverse more than 360 miles. Routes range from easy walks on level ground to ambitious, multi-day backpacking excursions over rugged terrain. Each entry includes full-color maps and photographs, as well as driving directions and trail descriptions. Leonard also includes his fascinating insights on each site's history and culture, plus vital at-a-glance information about distance, hiking time, and elevation gain.
Inside You'll Find
51 hikes-popular trails and hidden gems-covering over 360 miles Short walks, day hikes, and backpacking excursions Full-color maps and photographs Trail information chart with key details about every featured hike
By:
Leonard M. Adkins
Imprint: Menasha Ridge Press Inc.
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 21mm
ISBN: 9781634043489
ISBN 10: 1634043480
Series: Virginia Hiking Trails
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 14 September 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Dedication Overview Map Map Legend Acknowledgments Introduction Hikes at a Glance Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Virginia Grandview Nature Preserve Newport News Park Hughlett Point Natural Area Preserve Hickory Hollow Natural Area Preserve Belle Isle State Park The Northern Neck Central Virginia Cold Harbor Willis River Trail Lake Anna State Park Spotsylvania Prince William Forest Park Mason Neck State Park Bull Run–Occoquan River Manassas National Battlefield Park Sky Meadows State Park Split Rock Blue Ridge and Massanutten Mountains Little Sluice Mountain and Cedar Creek Big Schloss Signal Knob Woodstock Observation Tower Duncan Knob Marys Rock Stony Man Old Rag Cedar Run and Whiteoak Canyon Hawksbill Rapidan Camp Rocky Mountain, Brown Mountain, and Rockytop Riprap Hollow Blue Ridge Tunnel Whetstone Ridge White Rock Falls and Slacks Overlook Trails Sherando Lake Saint Mary’s Wilderness Crabtree Falls Appalachian and Mau-Har Trails Mount Pleasant Cole Mountain Western Virginia North River Gorge Todd Lake Recreation Area and Trimble Mountain Wild Oak National Recreation Trail Ramseys Draft Shenandoah Mountain Elliott Knob and Falls Hollow Laurel Fork Hidden Valley Lake Moomaw: Greenwood Point Trail Rich Hole Wilderness Douthat State Park: Beards Mountain Douthat State Park: Tuscarora Overlook Dry Run Suggested Reading and Field Guides Index Become a Hike Virginia Trail Master About the Author
Leonard M. Adkins has logged more than 20,000 miles hiking the world's backcountry. Each hiking season finds him on some new adventure. He has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail five times; traversed the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico; followed the full Pacific Northwest Trail through Montana, Idaho, and Washington; and walked several hundred miles upon Canada's Great Divide Trail. He has also trekked the full length of the Pyrenees High Route from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and has explored Iceland's interior. With his wife, Laurie, he hiked West Virginia's Allegheny Trail, the Ozark Highlands Trail in Arkansas, and the Mid-Atlantic's Tuscarora Trail. Together, they tramped New Zealand's Milford Track and a number of the country's other Great Walks. And, of course, he has hiked every one of the trails in this book-along with many other pathways to determine which ones were the best to include. In addition, he walked each of these routes with a surveyor's measuring wheel to ensure the accuracy of the mileage and the description. Leonard is the author of more than 20 books and over 200 articles on the outdoors, nature, and travel and is the walking columnist for Blue Ridge Country magazine. His writing has received numerous awards, including the National Outdoor Book Award and SATW Foundation's Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award. He has also been a Ridge Runner and a Natural Heritage Monitor for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, helping to observe and protect rare and endangered plants, and he has been on the boards of directors of two Appalachian Trail maintaining clubs. He and his wife live in North Chesterfield, Virginia.
