Our second day of hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park started at McCormick Gap and finished 6.8 miles later at Sawmill Run Overlook. I've split the hike into two parts with a natural break at Beagle Gap for those wanting a shorter hike. As noted on a previous post, we decided to "slack pack" as much of the trail as we could and utilized two vehicles to avoid re-hiking a portion of the trail.
Our 2015 edition of "Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion" shows the distance from McCormick Gap to Beagle Gap as 1.8 miles. The trail was re-routed up the west side of Little Calf Mountain in 2012 from an old access road on the east side. Besides a gentler grade, the new path provides some great views from the top of the mountain. Except for the end points at McCormick Gap and Beagle Gap, the trail is not within the boundaries of Shenandoah National Park, but is on a separate easement held by the National Park Service with management delegated to the Appalachian Trail . We hiked in mid-April 2016.
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| Topographic map with GPS route |
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| Elevation profile |
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| The trail heads immediately into the woods from McCormick Gap |
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| Lots of undergrowth |
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| The undergrowth thins as the trail climbs |
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| An open field of dry brush |
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| White trail blaze on a rock outcrop |
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| Entering another field of dry brush |
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| Trail was re-routed through here four years ago |
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| More blazes on rocks |
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| Approaching the top of Bear Den Mountain, the trail merges with access roads |
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| Weather station monitors for foggy conditions |
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| Trail traverses a rock outcrop atop the mountain |
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| Another view of the weather station tower |
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| Short communications tower |
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| A newer short communications tower |
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| Taller communications tower |
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| Trail heads off the access road to the left |
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| Trail rejoins the access road |
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| A second set of communication towers on the east summit of Bear Den Mountain |
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| Tractor seats installed by landowners to watch firework shows in the valley |
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| Looking back at one of the towers |
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| Trail begins descending the mountain |
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| Remains of a fence |
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| The trail is just a path through a thicket of brush |
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| Looking southeast toward Sprouse, Tom, and Dudley Mountains |
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| Looking back at the weather tower |
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| Descending toward a gravel access road |
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| Beagle Gap parking area from the access road |
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| Waynesboro and the mountains beyond |
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| Zigzag walk through in fence |
A Shenandoah National Park entry fee of $20 per vehicle, $15 per motorcycle or $10 per person is valid for seven consecutive days. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($10 for lifetime), Access Pass (free with documented disability) and Military Annual Pass (free for active duty personnel).
The Shenandoah National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail website is https://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy website is http://www.appalachiantrail.org/.
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