There are few places in the world that can elicit a feeling of pure joy, nervousness and excitement…read moreas much as the Appalachian Trail. A few years back I read "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail" by Bill Bryson (Fantastic BTW) and that's when A.T. fever hit me. I've done some hiking before... nothing like I experienced here though. Nothing at all. There are so many different feelings that coursed through me during my 2 week hike... days when I had the energy and drive to do 15+ miles, days when I'd leisurely hike about 8 miles and stopping at every vista, meadow or creek I could find to relax, nap or take some pictures. And then there were days where just putting on the hiking pack was a challenge, days that I just wanted to stay in my tent or in the shelter (3 days of straight rain will do that to ya). On to the good stuff though, you're looking at this to plan your own adventure not hear mine. Here's some good need to know stuff for you. Gear - I'll mention it, but you won't listen to the advice (I didn't either). Pack LIGHT! There was nothing worse than the extra weight of stuff I could've lived without. Examples: Cans of soup - good treat, but super heavy. Extra Clothes - you only need one extra T-Shirt and pair of pants. Underwear is more important, especially socks... bring extra socks. Warm dry feet are happy feet. Large Roll of Duct Tape - it's a lifesaver for sure, but it's heavy. I only used about 10-12 feet of it (tent, poncho and hiking pack repair), bring a small roll instead. Extra Rain Jacket - WHY? one poncho was all I needed. Oh, and if you were in the military like me.. DON'T use your issued Rucksack as a hiking pack... Yes, it's got nice compartments and comfy padding, but they're WAY too heavy and you can use that extra weight for more food/water. A lot of folks I bumped into were using Osprey Packs, just a suggestion. Drop-off / Parking - If you're only planning on doing a day hike or an over nighter, there is a small parking lot near the trailhead. Park, cross the bridge and walk about a quarter mile, the trailhead will be on your right side and marked by the standard White Blaze of the A.T. Blazes - The main color to follow is White, Blue blazes that spur off the A.T. go to Springs and/or Shelters. Blue blazes can be a fun side trip, check your map for the following: Jones Run & Doyle's Run - beautiful Waterfalls Ivy Creek - nice place to camp Water - When you see a spring or stream replenish your water supply. I know that it's heavy especially a few days into the hike, but take it from me... you don't want to run out. Another pointer - you should either boil or filter your water. I didn't do either on a few occasions and was just fine though... up to you. Waysides - First one you'll run across is Loft Mountain. Get a hot meal, some pop (soda) and recharge any electrical devices there. There is a Camp Store to resupply as well but it's not in the same building. Camp Store opens in Mid-May usually. The next one is Big Meadows - They have EVERYTHING there. Fire/Backwoods Camping - No open fires except at the shelters. Backwoods Camping (between shelters) is awesome, just make sure to pitch your tent so that it disturbs as little vegetation as possible and follow the "Leave No Trace" ethics please. Terrain - The terrain throughout the Shenandoah National Park section varies quite a bit, everything from easy paths through the woods to mountain paths that will seriously test your mettle. According to most thru-hikers, the S.N.P. section is the "easiest" as for as terrain... I'd hate to see the hardest. If your feet/ankles need a break from the trail; one good thing is that the A.T. crosses Skyline Drive several times, if you want a break from the trail you can walk on the blacktop for a while. Wild Animals - Keep a lookout for the Shenandoah Salamander - http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/shenandoah_salamander.htm and Red Eft's they're pretty neat. I saw a couple Black Bears on the trail, they pretty much left me alone, just make sure to hang your food at night so they don't get to it. (10 ft up, 20+ yds from camp). There is A LOT of Deer in the park, you'll see plenty if you keep an eye out. Coyotes are what to watch out for, especially if hiking at night. My dog made me WELL aware if they were ever near. Most got skittish and ran after Rella barked, not all. We had one incident with a small male coyote that came at us, Rella ummm 'took care of it' I'll leave it at that. Guess those are all the big pointers I can pass along. I had a really great time on this section of A.T. and would highly recommend any avid hiker or outdoorsy folk to check it out. Even if it's only for a day-hike or weekend camping trip, it's well worth it.

Sorry for the 1-star (you may change my "review" to 5-star when this is fixed). Often referred to…read moreas "Afton Mountain," Rockfish Gap is not in Bedford, VA. This is the intersection of the Appalachian Trail (abt mp 863.5), Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, I-64 exit 99 (I think), and US Rt 250. To the west is Waynesboro, Stuarts Draft, and Staunton. To the east is Afton, Crozet, and Charlottesville. How do I know? The gap is about 2 miles out my back window. Not much commerce at rhe gap itself, except the wonderful old-time "King's Gourmet Popcorn" stand which has much more than popcorn. There is a motel and a couple of B&Bs a mile or so West on Rt. 250 near the Western edit of the famous Blue Ridge Tunnel (check it out on YouTube), which then pops you out in the village of Afton on the east side of the Blue Ridge. A longer walk back to the Gap, but adequate parking is at either terminus. Afton is in an area rich with wineries, distilleries, and breweries. Blee BleesRockfishRetreat.com

I can't believe that this amazing park has never been added to Yelp before. Ridgeview Park (RP) is…read more85-acres full of wonderful amenities. When I climbed out of my van the other day, all I could see was green everywhere. Kids could run around the grassy fields forever and not get bored. The hills were extremely tempting to my youngest son who had to run up them and then roll down. Beautiful trees, lovely flowers, a gorgeous view of the mountains--but the best part was the river. You are able to walk up to the water's edge and play with the rocks. Here are some features: * Amphitheater * Baseball/Softball Diamond * Basketball Court * Soccer Field * Tennis Courts * Trails (there are supposed to be trails in the woods, but I didn't get a chance to check them out) * Playground * Picnic tables and grills * Restrooms * Serenity Garden * Swimming Pool * Fishing in the South River throughout the park (trout, bass, perch, bluegill, and catfish) * Handicap-Accessible Fishing Pier I was here for vacation and I always try to look for parks. I found RP online and it was way better than I ever imagined it would be. In fact, I kind of started to fall in love with it and Waynesboro. My boys and I greatly enjoyed our short time at RP and I highly recommend you visit. I wish RP was closer to my house.

This is, I think, one of the better parks in the Waynesboro and Charlottesville area. Plenty of…read moreplayground equipment for the kids to play on. Lots of fields and area to run. You can stop down at the river and feed the ducks and geese. The kids love it here. My only issue from our most recent visit was the garbage all over the park. All of the trash cans were completely filled and overflowing. Trash around the picnic tables. Yuck. Let's keep our parks beautiful, people!

My daughter and I had a great time hiking Humpback Rocks. Others give the directions so I will not…read more The Visitors Center has restrooms and more. The parking for the trailhead is across from the Visitors Center. Wear sturdy shoes, no flip flops or sandals. Take water you will need it, especially on hot days. Only attempt if in good health. Some will bring a good camera, if you have bring it. Obviously take your phone for photos, but keep in mind of weak reception at the top. My recommendation is to start out early AM, but after day break as the trail is too difficult in my opinion to navigate while dark. The trail is around a mile and a half and can take over an hour with breaks. Many can reach the top in 35-45. The view is 100% worth the effort. Be careful up there, it's no joke. Elevation is over 3000 feet.

Lyndhurst, VA (Milepost 5.8 on the Blue Ridge Parkway)--Road Trip #2…read more The next spot on the trip was Humpback Rocks Visitor Center and Farm Museum (HRVC). Since I had done my research, I knew the visitor center would be closed at this time of year. Actually, a lot of Skyline Drive was closed during the winter because of the harsh weather this year. However, when I arrived that day, it was beautiful--sunny, 70s, and gorgeous! Since I couldn't go inside the visitor center, I walked around the grounds and the farm museum. There was no staff that day, but usually they have costumed interpreters to explain about life back in the late nineteenth century. I was still able to look around--they have a single-room log cabin; many outbuildings that represents the regional architecture; and nearly 3,000 acres of forested lands surrounding the museum. Amenities: --Restrooms (Not during the winter season though--you're out luck if you show up like I did. Not even a port-a-pottie. Make sure you go to the bathroom before you visit!) --Exhibits and programs (During the season, roughly May - October, the hours are Thursday - Tuesday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) Some of the demonstrations include weaving, basket making, and gardening. --Picnic Area (Milepost 8.5--If you leave HRVC and turn right, you will see the picnic area on the left. This is called Humpback Gap Overlook, and this is where you will find the trail to Humpback Rocks.) --Visitor Center, information, restrooms, and exhibits are wheelchair accessible. Interpretive programs are accessible with assistance. I am hoping to get back to the area this summer and, if time permits, I will check out the visitor center and take pictures. I have a feeling that HRVC could be one of the best visitor centers around when it is fully staffed. Still, walk around the grounds, have a picnic, and, if you're brave, climb Humpback Rocks. Just driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway is a treat!

We chose to park in the West Trailhead side and walked in from that direction of the tunnel. We…read morestarted out with our flashlights on but wanted to walk the tunnel without the flashlights. The Experience was fantastic. We did turn on our flashlights when we saw people approaching so we would not startle them. It is dark, damp, and cold in the tunnel. You hear the little water falling inside. We had pocket warmers and I think they were needed. We were both happy we had our pocket warmers. The hike to the tunnel has wonderful forest views and an excellently maintained trail. They also have some plaques with historical information on them. We really thought that was a nice additions to our hike. Both sides of the tunnel has picnic tables. The picnic tables are brand new this year. We stopped and had lunch. There are 2 parking areas. East Trailhead Blue Ridge Tunnel and West Trailhead Blue Ridge Tunnel. Both have a porta potty but no running water. So you will want to take some hand sanitizer. Easy hike, 4.6 miles. Out and back. 370ft elevation gain. The best maintained trail I have ever seen. Hiker friendly, kid friendly. Dogs on leash, Forest view, tucked away on the side of a mountain, Historical tunnel view. Some of the trail is paved, then gravel, and then dirt with gravel mix. Make sure you leave no trash behind

We had a group of eight for the hike. We started on the east side. The walk through the tunnel…read morewas great. I was thankful that started on the east side because it was a pretty steep and long climb after the tunnel. It was 4.5 miles total for the walk. To have the steepest part at the middle was perfect rather than having it at the end. Highly recommend. The tunnel is not claustrophobic at all as it is large inside and you can see the end the entire time. It was a perfect fall hike with the leaves changing. We stopped at Blue Mountain Brewery afterward (only 6 minutes away) for lunch.

This is the best spot I have found for beautiful views of the Shenandoah Valley. However, a word…read moreof caution- it is an extremely steep, narrow, gravel road with sharp curves and scary edges. And calling it a road is generous: it is actually rocky, bumpy, and has many holes. My SUV would have been fine but I happened to be driving a rental car with low ground clearance. There is a cautionary sign as you enter that says "Narrow 2 Lane Road." TWO LANE? I have seen goat paths that were wider. Twice I came upon cars going the opposite direction. and one of us had to pull way over to the mountain side, and the other had to hug the scary drop off edge (hint: it wasn't Indiana girl who pulled over toward the edge, I was perfectly happy getting as close as possible to the mountain side while the other driver inched around my car) The next time I come here I will definitely park at the bottom and walk up. Besides the difficult navigating, there were some places I would have liked to take pictures but there weren't any safe places to park. The views are simply spectacular, and my photos don't come close to capturing the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. It is very definitely worth the inconvenience of driving or hiking up the mountain. The only amenities I saw were two trash cans, one at the bottom and one at the top, near the observation deck. I wanted to watch the sunset, so it was nearly dark when I drove back down. I'm planning to return soon, and I will get here earlier in the day so I will have more time to explore.

Great recreation area. Nice campgrounds, lots of shade, clean restrooms, small lake and a store,…read more We'll be back.

Our family came for a day visit so I can't vouch for the campsites. The lake itself, though, is…read moreincredibly gorgeous. I love the beach area where our kids happily played and dug streams and tunnels for hours. A little island that you can walk to or paddle out to on a float. Lots of space to spread out with a picnic or a bbq. Small park entrance fee (per vehicle) that is totally worth it.

Shenandoah National Park is beautiful. There is a lot of history here and I recommend doing a bit…read moreof reading before arriving. Or not. You will enjoy it either way. Skyline drive was a CCC project that ran from 1933 - 1941 and it is clear they did an excellent job. All those stone walls, all over the park, are hand crafted by CCC. Besides the 105 miles of paved road and multiple scenic over looks, there are many, many trails leading into the wilderness. Some are easier, others for a more advanced hiker. Cabins, campgrounds, a gas station, gift shops, restaurants, ev charge station and public restrooms are dotted along the road. You can spend a day, or a week, soaking in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Such a beautiful and scenic ride along the stunning mountains!…read more Def coordinating this into all my drives down South!

Fantastic trails and so well groomed. Love the amenities- water bowls for dogs and restroom…read morefacilities for humans!

Cute, wide ipen spaces for your dogs to run and play. Trails and an off leash area. Two parking…read moreareas, one upper and a lower one next to a creek. There is a picnic area at the lower parking lot.

Went here b/c some of the locals made the recommendation. Had no idea what to expect but figured…read morewhy not? First thing to note: If you have Verizon, the signal gets lost in this area. Do yourself a favor and download the map of the area so you don't freak out like I did and almost get lost coming back to wherever you were staying. The parking here is decent. There's enough spots for about 10-ish or so cars. When you get out, you can kind of explore a little bit. There's some cool seating and a few spots that give you a neat background/foreground experience to take pictures. The picture I supplied is just a snippet of what was happening as we watched the sunset. Hands down a winning spot. Food Taste: bring your own :) Overall Service: it's your own service Value of service to cost: 5 - I did great! Facility: 5 Repeat customer: yes! Dog Friendly: yes - probably don't get all wild on this one though