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Monday, September 21, 2020

Smith Roach Gap to Hightop Mountain Parking Area - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park



Continuing our early May 2019 trip to Shenandoah National Park, we hiked on the Appalachian Trail from Smith Roach Gap north to Hightop Mountain Parking Area. A small, paved off-road parking area for about a half dozen vehicles has been provided at Smith Roach Gap. In addition, a paved, pull-in parking area for another half dozen vehicles is available at the Hightop Mountain Parking Area. Both parking areas are located in the southern section of the park, but near the Swift Run entrance station.

The trail climbs 965 feet from Smith Roach Gap to Hightop summit in 1.8 miles for an average grade of  10%. It then descends 950 feet in 1.5 miles to the Hightop Mountain Parking Area for an average descending grade of 12%. 

Mile Feature Elevation
0.0 Smith Roach Gap 2622 feet
1.0 False summit --
1.1 Hightop Hut Service Road --
1.2 Hightop Hut side trail --
1.45 Second false summit --
1.7 Spring --
1.8 Hightop summit 3587 feet
1.85 Overlook --
3.3 Hightop Mountain Parking Area 2637 feet

Topographic map with GPS route

Elevation profile

Trailhead

Typical trail conditions

Bollards keep motorized vehicles off the trail

Crossing the Smith Roach Gap Fire Road

Beginning the climb

Sidehill meandering

White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) turns pink near the end of its season

Fog beginning to move in

Approaching the Hightop Hut Access Road

A damp section of the trail

The side trail to the left leads to Hightop Hut

Straight and level

A well-rutted trail

A waterbar near the summit?

A mountaintop spring

Trillium and tree roots

Wide path to the summit

Hightop Summit

A mountaintop understory of ferns

Foggy view from the overlook

US 33 in Swift Run

The fog lifts as we start down the trail

More trillium

Straight and descending

Hillside of trillium

Beneath green boughs

A typical stone waterbar

More straight and descending

Sweeping turn

Stone path

More stone path

Giant stone dominos

Experimental plantings in a clearing

Approaching Skyline Drive


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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