We continued our late May 2019 visit to Shenandoah National Park with a 5.65-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail from the South River Picnic Grounds north to the Lewis Mountain Picnic Grounds. On this segment of the trail, we saw another bear. It was further away than the one north of the Ivy Creek Overlook. This time, I had enough presence of mind to take some shaky telephoto video as well as photographs of it grazing.
Heading north from the South River Picnic Grounds, the trail reaches the South River Fire Road in ½ mile. In that distance, the trail dips and climbs 60 feet yielding an average grade of less than 5% down and up. From the fire road, the trail climbs about 700 feet in 1½ miles to reach the summit of an unnamed mountain yielding a grade of less than 9%. Along the climb, pass a Skyline Drive access trail at 1.4 miles and a false viewpoint at 1.8 miles. Descending 240 feet in the next ½-mile gives an average 9% downgrade. At three miles, an incredible series of stone stairs begins a half-mile descent of 240 feet to the Pocosin Cabin Road at an average 9% grade. A second 60 foot dip and rise over the next 0.2 miles yields grades of over 11% down and up. This is followed by ½ mile of flat terrain, something very rare on the AT. Following the level at 4.2 miles is another descent, this time 80 feet over 0.3 miles yielding a grade of just 5%. From this point at 4.5 miles, the trail climbs 340 feet in 0.8 miles to reach the Lewis Mountain Campground at 5.3 miles. The final 0.4 miles sees a short descent of 60 feet, a rise of 40 feet, and a final descent of 40 feet. yielding average grades of 11% down, 7½% up, and 7½% down. A short, unsigned path to the left leads to the lower portion of the Lewis Mountain picnic grounds.
Paved parking areas are provided at both picnic areas. While the South River picnic area is well signed, some scouting is required at Lewis Mountain as there are no signs about the AT in the picnic area. The AT access trail begins at the northeast corner of the lower picnic grounds.
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Topographic map with GPS route
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Elevation profile
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Access trail
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Left is northbound AT, right is southbound AT, straight is South River Falls Trail
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Northbound AT
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Typical trail conditions: rocks and toots
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More rocks
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AT (left) crossing the South River Fire Road
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Growth spurt in the understory
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Waterbar and lots of vegetation
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Sidehill climbing
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Denser forest leaves thinner understory
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Intersection with Skyline Drive access (0.1 mile left)
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| The trail is nearly overgrown despite the best efforts of the volunteer trail maintainers |
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| Black beat (Ursus americanus) |
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Ferns and more ferns
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Approaching the false viewpoint
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There should be a view from here, right?
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View to the left
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View to the right
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Massive boulders line the trail
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AT passes through a young forest
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More ferns
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Too rocky for ferns to grow
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Another field of ferns
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Yes, this is the trail
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Rock ledges and stairs
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More stone stairs down
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Even more stone stairs
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The trail finally levels out
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Log stairs
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Intersection with a side trail to a spring and Pocosin Cabin
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The side trail
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Single track
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Pocosin Cabin Road crosses the AT
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Recently maintained trail allows for passing or meeting other hikers with ease
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A gap in the trees provides a view to the east
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A white blaze and fresh-cut grass
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The trail parallels Skyline Drive for a short distance
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The trail veers off from Skyline Drive and begins climbing again
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Nearing Lewis Mountain Campground
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The AT in an open forest
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The remnant of the Lewis Mountain Trail crosses the AT
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The side trail now ends at an overlook 0.4 miles distant
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Lewis Mountain Campground viewed from the trail intersection
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Descending log stairs
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| The end of this segment |
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This short, unblazed side trail leads to the Lewis Mountain picnic area
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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.
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