Lewis Mountain Picnic Grounds to Bearfence Mountain Hut Access Road - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park

Our next hike on the Appalachian Trail was a very short 0.65-mile leg-stretcher from the Lewis Mountain Picnic Grounds north to the Bearfence Mountain Hut Access Road. We made the jaunt during our late May 2019 visit to Shenandoah National Park.

From the picnic grounds, the AT descends 180 feet in 0.45 miles before climbing 40 feet in the next 0.1 miles and leveling out the rest of the way. Both the descending and ascending average grades are 7½%.

Topographic map with GPS route

Elevation profile

Leaving the picnic grounds

Sidehill descent with Skyline Drive atop the hill

An opening in the forest canopy

View to the southeast

A ditch and a waterbar

Another understory of ferns

Typical trail conditions

Approaching the Bearfence Mountain Hut Access Road

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/.