The main attraction of the High Peak hike, located in the George
Washington National Forest, is the unbelievable picnic area
at Elizabeth Furnace. It is huge! Although there aren't many
views and the trail is somewhat rocky it's a great hike to take
with a group in the morning and then picnic afterwards.
Start on the right of the main parking area where a forestry
service bulletin board marks the hikes beginning. Follow the white trail markers through the picnic
grounds
for 0.3 miles until the trail intersects Passage
Creek and turns left uphill following the creek.
After 0.7 miles the white blazed connector trail intersects the
pink blazed Sherman Gap Trail.
Turn left uphill on the pink blazed trail for 2.5 miles for the steepest
portion of the hike as it traverses
the mountain then ascends steeply before reaching the ridge line intersention of the blue/orange
Tuscarora/Massanutten Trail.
Side hike: If you like views and
don't mind a little more hiking go right/south on the old Massanutten
East trail from it's intersection with Sherman's Gap Trail
(Pink) for maybe 1/2 mile tops. To the left there is a small
rock ledge on a sharp point that juts out into the valley with
some stunted pine trees ... great view of the Valley and River
at the area of the river known as " The Point" for
obvious reasons. Just before this is a bit of a saddle. If
you find yourself hiking there in June you catch the sweet
scent of Fringe Tree (AKA Old Man's Beard). There is a thicket
of them to your left as you head south.
If you did not take the side hike above turn left/north and
follow the orange/blue blazed trail along the ridge for 2.3
miles, traversing High
Peak, before passing one of the only
campsites and arriving at a four way intersection where
the blue/orange trail now turns
left downhill.
Either turn left downhill on the blue/orange blazed trail or take the yellow blazed Shawl Gap Trail (opposite the camping area you passed 15 yards back) that is more direct, however this trail is no longer maintained and has many blow downs. Either trail brings you back to the picnic area. Continue straight through the picnic
area, arriving back at the car park.
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 High Peak hike:
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Hiker
Reviews For The High Peak Hike (5 Most Recent)
On the trail at 8:00am. With numerous rest stops and half an hour for lunch, the hike took a little over six hours. Gorgeous weather and saw not a single person all day. The first third of the hike is straightforward and quite pleasant. After that the trail becomes increasingly rocky. The detour out to the point is worthwhile but expect several sharp inclines. The point offers nice views and a clearing that makes a great location for lunch. Overall a good hike, but the rocks make certain portions of the trail a real chore.
By:
hiking goddess
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, July 28, 2007
The hike was very challenging. I would not recommend hiking this trail in the summertime due to the heat and humidity. I was hoping to find more opportunities for views since I had brought my camera along but the presence of leaves blocked any views. This could be a much better hike in late fall. I went with Alexandria Pokey-Boy who will also be reviewing this hike.
By:
Alexandria Pokey-Boy
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, July 28, 2007
Walked the entire hiking trail with Hiking Goddess, and due to the heat and incline I found the hike to be murderous, while the presense of leaves obstructed views thus taking away the hoped for payoff. We started from the lot at 10AM on Saturday, and returned by 4PM, seeing only three other hikers and two dogs during the entire trek. I am looking forward to doing this trail again, but only in the Fall when the weather is cooler. At that time, I expect to be able to rate the hiking trail much higher. Don't bring your children or grandparents to this hike in hot weather with the goal of completing the entgire route. There are lots of rocks, so may not be wise to bring your dogs. Absolutely carry a large canteen of water. Always bring water to any hike, even in the winter.
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