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Monday, January 25, 2021

Crescent Rock Overlook to Timber Hollow Overlook - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park


By mid-afternoon the fog had lifted, so we headed for Crescent Rock Overlook to continue our northward trek on the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park. While it had only been a couple of weeks since our previous visit, the fall leaf season was in full swing by mid-October 2020.

Between access trails, this segment of the AT is approximately 0.9 miles and has a net descent of about 125 feet. The first 0.4 miles is fairly level before climbing forty-five feet in 0.12 miles yielding an average 7% grade. From this high point, the trail descends 175 feet in 0.3 miles for an 11% average descending grade. Due to significant wind and rain during the preceding days, the trail was littered with wet leaves making for some slippery hiking. Besides good footwear, good walking sticks have proven to be one of my best hiking equipment investments. I would recommend purchasing carbon fiber sticks as they are very lightweight but strong and easy to use.

Topographic map with GPS route

Elevation profile

Part of the Crescent Rock Overlook parking area

Access trail

More of the access trail

Blue blaze

Descending toward the AT

Continuing the descent

AT trail junction

An ephemeral waterfall just south of the junction

Northbound on the AT

The trail is covered with damp leaves here...

...but mostly gravel here

Another ephemeral cascade

Skirting a very large boulder

The trail breaks away from a rock wall

Topping one of several hills

Entering an understory tunnel

Typical trail conditions

An unofficial campsite

Another white blaze

Another boulder field

Blaze on a dead snag

More boulders

Access trail junction

Access trail up to the overlook

View from the access trail

Another view from the access trail

Timber Hollow Overlook parking

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 https://www.appalachiantrail.org/.

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