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.
Interactive Hike Map BelowPrintable
Topo Hike Map (PDF) Hike route in Drag the map with your mouse using the icon Zoom with the controls on the left Mouse-over the icons in the map below for location shots
Calculate roughly how many calories you could burn on the Big Schloss hike:
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Hiker
Reviews For The Big Schloss Hike (5 Most Recent)
Mid July had something I had never seen before. Lots of grass. The worn path was about a foot wide in parts and I had the fear of snakes ebbing in the back of my head the entire way. 3 other friends of mine and I departed at about 10:30 and had made the top at a little after 11:30 (none of us physically unfit). We had the entire Schloss to ourselves for an hour and a half, which was amazing, being able to crawl around and explore, and yell to friends without worry of weird looks or inhibiting someone else's experience. At about 1 o'clock a tour group lead by 4 guides arrived with 30+ guests. We took our leave.
Beautiful hike with lots to explore, if you can go on a day without tours.
By:
Zack, Ant, Logan, and Stephen
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 11, 2009
Would you not like to be, sitting on top of the world with your legs hanging free?
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Thursday, April 09, 2009
Extremely nice hike, other than the amount of people (25-30) the scenery was great. Have yet to try the tibet knob hike but sure to happen in the future! P.S. the spring on Wolf Gap rd is AMAZING water to drink!!
By:
VA Family Hikers
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, March 07, 2009
Great hike! With no leaves on the trees, there are views all along the ridge line portion of the trail. Four hours is extremely generous for the hike time. Our group of 4 adults, 5 elementary-aged kids, and a dog took 3.5 hours round trip - including time to enjoy the views, take photos, and find a letterbox and a geocache.
By:
Jessica
Rating:
Date of Hike: Thursday, July 31, 2008
This is a great hike! The best part is the end where you are treating to panoramic views of the surrounding area. Great spot for a long lunch. We did this just after setting up camp at Wolf Gap, followed by Little Schloss on day 2.
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