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 The hike along Little North Mountain loop requires you to bushwhack for about 0.3 miles and the trail is hard to spot in places. This hike should only be done by/with experienced hikers. A map, compass and GPS are highly recommended.
The first half of the hike along the un-maintained, un-blazed forestry service road and the bushwhack to meet the unofficial, un-blazed Spur Trail is the most challenging portion of the route. About halfway up the FS road the blow-downs increase substantially and the road becomes hard to follow in places. Once the FS road disappears completely you need to bushwhack to the Spur Trail where the underbrush is heavily thorned, long pants are highly recommended. The reward for this heartache? Complete solitude on the Little North Mountain ridge with vista after vista that rivals Big Schloss.
From the parking area start up the Tea Mountain Hollow dirt forestry road with Cove Run coming in on your right in 150 yards. The FS road is un-maintained and un-blazed (marked here as red) and becomes more and more obstructed by blow downs and is heavily rutted.
Continue up the FS road passing several side tracks that climb the mountain on your left. In 2.0 miles from the start of the hike the Tea Mountain Hollow FS road will end. From this spot the bushwhacking portion of the hike starts, marked here as red-dashed.
Continue up the hollow keeping Cove Run on your right, but still visible. The run will disappear under rock screes in places. If you follow the run you will find a small spring. After bushwhacking for about 0.3 miles try to locate the un-blazed Spur Trail that runs in the center of the hollow. Follow the spur trail for 0.4 miles where it intersects with the blue blazed Tuscarora Trail. If you were unable to find the Spur Trail and have remained on the left of Cove Run you will eventually run into the blue blazed Tuscarora Trail that runs along the crest of the Hollow between Tea and Little North Mountains.
Turn left on the blue blazed Tuscarora Trail as it climbs Little North Mountain arriving at the ridge in 0.3 miles. For the first mile on the ridge you will have several great vista points, one with a 270° panorama and from another you can look west to White Rocks (White Rocks Hike). Follow the blue blazed trail before it drops just below the ridge on the left/west side on the mountain then ascends again before reaching a gravel road. Veer left following the blue blazed gravel road for 100 yards where it intersects VA600.
Turn left on VA600 (which you drove down earlier) for 1.0 miles and return to the parking area. |
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