67 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - VIRGINIA -Sección 21 -James River Foot Bridge -US-501 a Bluff Mt. y Blue Ridge Parkway- Punchbowl Mt
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 9.95 mi
- Elevation gain
- 5,860 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 4,203 ft
- Max elevation
- 3,301 ft
- TrailRank
-
87
5
- Min elevation
- 400 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 5 hours 47 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1234
- Uploaded
- April 20, 2016
- Recorded
- April 2016
near Snowden, Virginia (United States)
Viewed 1249 times, downloaded 16 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
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Stage 67
⇐ Link to previous stage: 66 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - VIRGINIA -Section 23 and 22 -From Parkers Gap Rd, USFS-812 to Apple-Orchard Mountain and James River US-501
⇒ Link to next leg: 68 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - VIRGINIA - Section 20 - From Blue Ridge Parkway- Punchbowl Mt, to Route US-60 - Long Mountain Wayside
Tour of the Appalachian Trail, as it passes through the state of Virginia (United States), from south to north. From the AT parking lot located just after the James River Foot Bridge, off US-501, to the trail's intersection with the Blue Ridge Parkway, at a place known as Punchbowl Mountain.
The stage runs entirely within the George Washington Jefferson National Forest .
During the first kilometer and a half of the route, the AT ascends very moderately from the banks of the James River, paralleling the course of one of its many small tributaries: the Rocky Row Run, crossed by two magnificent wooden bridges.
After the intersection with route VA-812, Hercules Road, we begin a continuous climb up the side of the mountain, towards Fullers Rocks, in very gradual sections and in other sections steep, rocky and winding. As we gain height, the panoramic views to the south and west, with the James River valley in the foreground, multiply and become more spectacular.
The Fullers Rocks (2,486 feet) are part of a set of rocky, quartzite cliffs, formed approximately 550 million years ago, that extend from Bluff Mountain to Little Rocky Row, and from which there is a sweeping panoramic view towards the south and west, with the entire immense valley of the James River in the foreground.
800 meters away, and another 600 feet of ascent, we reach the top of Big Rocky Row (2,974 feet), a rocky cliff that also offers a spectacular panoramic view of the James River Valley, Peavine Mountain, High Peak of Tobacco Row Mountain, and even, to the south, the distant and unmistakable silhouette of Apple Orchard Mountain, with the white sphere of the radar installed on its summit.
The next five kilometers run along the crest of the mountain, on relatively flat terrain, although there are small intermediate elevations, with their corresponding ups and downs (Saddle Gap, Silas Knob, Saltlog Gap), and finally, after overcoming a new slope 500 feet further, we reached the highest peak of the day: Bluff Mountain (3,391 feet), where until not many years ago there was a forest watchtower, whose foundations still remain.
Near the top, a commemorative plaque reminds us of a tragic event that occurred in that place, in 1891.
To the northwest is a magnificent view of Buena Vista, Lexington, and the Shenandoah Valley, and the Allegheny Mountains beyond. To the southeast, High Peak is visible on Tobacco Row Mountain.
The three kilometers that remain until the end of the route, are in continuous descent by the slope of Bluff Mountain, with the small elevation of Punchbowl Mountain, and leaving behind the detour towards the Punchbowl Mountain Shelter, we reach a parking area located in the Blue Ridge Parkway, where the stage ends.
⇐ Link to previous stage: 66 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - VIRGINIA -Section 23 and 22 -From Parkers Gap Rd, USFS-812 to Apple-Orchard Mountain and James River US-501
⇒ Link to next leg: 68 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - VIRGINIA - Section 20 - From Blue Ridge Parkway- Punchbowl Mt, to Route US-60 - Long Mountain Wayside
Tour of the Appalachian Trail, as it passes through the state of Virginia (United States), from south to north. From the AT parking lot located just after the James River Foot Bridge, off US-501, to the trail's intersection with the Blue Ridge Parkway, at a place known as Punchbowl Mountain.
The stage runs entirely within the George Washington Jefferson National Forest .
During the first kilometer and a half of the route, the AT ascends very moderately from the banks of the James River, paralleling the course of one of its many small tributaries: the Rocky Row Run, crossed by two magnificent wooden bridges.
After the intersection with route VA-812, Hercules Road, we begin a continuous climb up the side of the mountain, towards Fullers Rocks, in very gradual sections and in other sections steep, rocky and winding. As we gain height, the panoramic views to the south and west, with the James River valley in the foreground, multiply and become more spectacular.
The Fullers Rocks (2,486 feet) are part of a set of rocky, quartzite cliffs, formed approximately 550 million years ago, that extend from Bluff Mountain to Little Rocky Row, and from which there is a sweeping panoramic view towards the south and west, with the entire immense valley of the James River in the foreground.
800 meters away, and another 600 feet of ascent, we reach the top of Big Rocky Row (2,974 feet), a rocky cliff that also offers a spectacular panoramic view of the James River Valley, Peavine Mountain, High Peak of Tobacco Row Mountain, and even, to the south, the distant and unmistakable silhouette of Apple Orchard Mountain, with the white sphere of the radar installed on its summit.
The next five kilometers run along the crest of the mountain, on relatively flat terrain, although there are small intermediate elevations, with their corresponding ups and downs (Saddle Gap, Silas Knob, Saltlog Gap), and finally, after overcoming a new slope 500 feet further, we reached the highest peak of the day: Bluff Mountain (3,391 feet), where until not many years ago there was a forest watchtower, whose foundations still remain.
Near the top, a commemorative plaque reminds us of a tragic event that occurred in that place, in 1891.
To the northwest is a magnificent view of Buena Vista, Lexington, and the Shenandoah Valley, and the Allegheny Mountains beyond. To the southeast, High Peak is visible on Tobacco Row Mountain.
The three kilometers that remain until the end of the route, are in continuous descent by the slope of Bluff Mountain, with the small elevation of Punchbowl Mountain, and leaving behind the detour towards the Punchbowl Mountain Shelter, we reach a parking area located in the Blue Ridge Parkway, where the stage ends.
Waypoints
Car park
483 ft
Inicio de la etapa, en la ruta US-501, a orillas del James River y del Rocky Row Run
Start of the stage, on US-501, on the banks of the James River and the Rocky Row Run
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River
653 ft
Pequeño puente de madera sobre el Rocky Row Run
Pequeño puente de madera sobre el Rocky Row Run
Wilderness hut
Panorama
2,339 ft
Vista e intersección del AT con el Rocky Row Trail
Vista e intersección del AT con el Rocky Row Trail
Panorama
2,406 ft
Fullers Rocks (2.486 pìes). Espectacular panorámica
Fullers Rocks (2.486 pìes). Espectacular panorámica
Photo
Mountain pass
Summit
3,239 ft
Bluff Mountain (3.391 pies). Cima y vistas
Bluff Mountain (3.391 pies). Cima y vistas
Intersection
2,179 ft
Intersección del AT con el Blue Mountain Parkway. Punchbowl Mountain
Intersección del AT con el Blue Mountain Parkway. Punchbowl Mountain
Comments (8)
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¡Qué foto tan buena! :) https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/67-appalachian-trail-virginia-seccion-21-james-river-foot-bridge-us-501-a-bluff-mt-y-blue-ridge-par-13014411/photo-8018443
Bonita etapa con vistas espectaculares.
¡Estupendas fotos! La primavera ya se hace notar.
¡Gracias por compartir fotos e información!
Muchas gracias por el apoyo y el comentario:
En los valles y zonas resguardadas de las laderas de las montañas, los árboles ya comienzan a tener hojas y flores, pero en las cumbres aún es otoño....
Los animalejos, sin embargo, ya están en plena actividad.... :-)
Lo que más me costó fue convencerle de que posara :-) https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/67-appalachian-trail-virginia-seccion-21-james-river-foot-bridge-us-501-a-bluff-mt-y-blue-ridge-par-13014411/photo-8018443
¡Pues lo conseguiste! ;) https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/67-appalachian-trail-virginia-seccion-21-james-river-foot-bridge-us-501-a-bluff-mt-y-blue-ridge-par-13014411/photo-8018443
Wonderful https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-outdoor/67-appalachian-trail-virginia-seccion-21-james-river-foot-bridge-us-501-a-bluff-mt-y-blue-ridge-par-13014411#wp-13014420/photo-8018521
I have followed this trail View more
Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Easy
Bonita etapa.
Muchas gracias, Arturo.
Un gran abrazo