We continued our early May 2019 hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park with a 3.3-mile segment from Simmons Gap north to Powell Gap in the southern district of the park. At Simmons Gap, a small gravel parking area is available on the west side of Skyline Drive. While no designated parking area is available at Powell Gap, parallel parking well off of Skyline Drive on the grass has been tolerated by park rangers in the past.
Heading north from Simmons Gap, the AT climbs from an elevation of 2253 feet to 3025 feet at the summit of an unnamed hill in 1.5 miles with an average grade of over 9½%. The 1.8-mile descent to Powell Gap at 2294 feet yields an average descending grade of 7½%.
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| Topographic map with GPS route |
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| Elevation profile |
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| Fire road and parking area on the west side of Skyline Drive |
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| Northbound trailhead across Skyline Drive |
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| Typical trail marker in Shenandoah National Park |
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| Storm damage creates a clearing |
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| Step over a fallen tree |
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| More storm damage |
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| More typical trail conditions |
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| Green tunnel |
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| Ephemeral stream |
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| Older storm damage |
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| First sweeping switchback |
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| Heading west and climbing |
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| Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea) |
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| Detour around the tree |
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| Still climbing |
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| Meandering through the woods |
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| Flattening out |
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| Resuming the climb |
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| Nearing the summit |
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| Unofficial camping or picnicking spot at the summit |
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| Beginning the descent |
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| Moving through a substantial understory... |
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| ...to an open forest floor |
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| Wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa) |
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| More storm damage |
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| 899 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia |
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| Approaching the top of a bluff |
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| View from the bluff |
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| Bacon Hollow Overlook from the bluff |
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| Passing through a rhododendron thicket |
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| Steep sidehill descent |
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| Sweeping switchback |
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| More sidehill descent |
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| Open meadow at Powell Gap with a car parked parallel to Skyline Drive |
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| The AT continues north across Skyline Drive |
A Shenandoah National Park entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 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 ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Shenandoah Annual Pass for $55.
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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