On our sixth day of day hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Shenandoah National Park, we hiked from the Doyles River Trailhead across Skyline Drive from Big Run Overlook to the Ivy Creek Overlook. We split the 6.3 mile hike into two shorter hikes with a 0.7 mile hike down the northern leg of the Frazier Discovery Trail to the Mountain Loft Wayside before retracing our steps 0.7 miles back up to the AT.
From the parking area, a 200 foot stroll down the Doyles River Trail led us back to the AT intersection. Heading north, we climbed up to the ridgeline and followed it toward Big Flat Mountain and the Loft Mountain Campground. The AT is currently routed around the west, south, and east sides of the campground. Several trails lead into the campground and its facilities. However, the campground had not yet opened for the 2016 season when we hiked in mid-April. After nearly circling the campground, the AT then descends to a saddle before climbing to the 3317 foot summit of Loft Mountain. From the summit, we hiked down over 400 feet to the wayside for a hot lunch. This segment included 3.3 miles of the AT and 0.7 miles of the Discovery Trail for a morning total of 4.0 miles.
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| Topographic map with GPS route |
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| Elevation profile |
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| AT at Doyles River Trail |
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| Rock outcrop adjacent to the trail |
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| A relatively flat segment... |
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| ...before the climb continues |
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| Approaching a summit |
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| View from the 3120 foot unnamed summit |
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| Continuing along the ridgeline |
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| The campground amphitheater is up the trail to the left while the AT heads to the right at this junction |
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| A downed tree requires a bit of duck walking |
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| Side trail heads left to the campground |
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| View of Furnace Mountain to the west |
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| Another beautiful view from the trail |
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| Distant vistas |
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| Easy walking atop Big Flat Mountain |
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| The trail heads left, although that wasn't immediately obvious |
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| Post marks another side trail into the campground |
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| AT passes through a thicket |
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| Trail maintainers have already been working this spring |
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| A long straight segment of trail |
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| One of the employee cabins near the Loft Mountain Camp Store |
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| Trail post marks an abandoned roadway |
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| Passing through another thicket |
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| Trail runs just below and east of the ridgeline |
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| Just another walk in the woods |
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| Climbing toward the summit |
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| South leg of Frazier Discovery Trail to the left and northbound AT to the right |
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| View west from the summit of Loft Mountain |
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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