Big Schloss is another treasure in the George Washington National
Forest. Relatively easy at only 4.4 miles and 1,000 vertical feet,
it's the sister hike to Tibbet Knob which heads to the south from the same parking location. Tibbet Knob has two short rock scrabbles, but a 10th of the hikers, and just as good views.
Big Schloss peak, named by German immigrants
provides a wonderful view of the surrounding valleys. Make
sure to bring a packed lunch because you will want to linger
at the Big Schloss rock outcropping and soak in the view.
If you want to make a weekend out of it, the Wolf Gap recreation
area has 9 well maintained
campsites with bathroom facilities. If you have some
extra hiking time consider hiking the Tibbet Knob route as well. The views are every bit as good.
Leave the Wolf Gap Campground (near campsite #9) and start
up the orange blazed Mill Mountain Trail to begin the steepest
portion of the hike. The first mile has several switch
backs before arriving at the ridge
line of Mill Mountain.
Once getting to the ridge line, turn left and continue following
the now narrower trail as it follows the ridge before arriving at the junction
of the Big Schloss Trail in 1.9 miles.
Turn right onto the white blazed Big Schloss Trail for another
0.3 miles before crossing a wooden
bridge that will take you to the overlook just 50 yards
further along. Enjoy the view it's one of the best! To return, just retrace your route back to the Wolf gap Campground.
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Hiker
Reviews For The Big Schloss Hike (5 Most Recent)
This was a phenomenal hike with beautiful views. We made it an overnight trip and stayed at the Wolf Gap Recreation Area. The temps were some of the coldest yet this year and we even had some unexpected snowfall during the hike. The temps dropped to 16 degrees overnight and the wind was rather blustery but I wouldn't have changed a thing. Gear worn on the trip was kept to a minimum with sweatshirt, jeans, and a stocking cap. Can't wait to hike it again in the Spring. See pics from the trip at www.keithmoore.smugmug.com/hobbies/the-great-outdoors/
By:
RD
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, November 26, 2011
Great hike, especially when combined with Tippet's knob. Definitely some traffic on the trail, but not so much as to detract from the experience. However, we apparently didn't get the memo about blaze orange, which about half the hikers were wearing. After encountering a hunter carrying a rifle hiking down the trail on our way up, we began to worry a little, but didn't hear any shots while we were on the trail (11:30am - 2:30pm) (but we did later in the afternoon while hiking Tippet). Getting the climb out of the way at the start was nice, and with the leaves off the trees the hike along the ridgeline provided lots of view opportunities.
By:
zygote2k
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, November 12, 2011
We decided to camp out here in hammocks. Got the prime spot just before the bridge and had a great time. Great moon, bright stars, toasty campfire.
What more could you ask for?
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, October 30, 2011
What a great hike! The first leg climb is well worth the views! The walk along the ridge line is spectacular and the 6" early snow yesterday made for a beautiful, crisp day. Blue sky and warm sun made this a memorable hike. Perhaps because of the snow we felt like we had the entire trail to ourselves. Only 2 other couples were on the trail. I rate this 5 star for an enjoyable, lots to see, hike.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, September 17, 2011
We hiked Big Schloss & Tibbet Knob together. Both hikes took about 5 hours with lots of stoping for pictures. I am giving this a 4 star as both hikes but if I was only doing one hike at a time I am sure it would only be a 3 star. The Views were great the hand over hand hiking was ok on Tibbet Knob. We hiked this on a rainy day and still ran into lots of hikers and campers so solitude is like a 0. But overall a good hike great workout doing both hikes
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