A reclaimed old iron ore mining area, St. Mary's Wilderness has an abundance of diverse scenery from waterfalls, fern forests, open meadows, valley vistas, and high mountain wetlands, in Virginia's largest designated wilderness area. No wonder it's one of the most popular circuit hikes in the northern section of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Note: The trails in St Mary's Wilderness are no longer blazed.
Both Hikes:
From the parking area, start down the narrow trail just to the left of the bulletin kiosk (not the wider road continuing past the closed gate), and walk 150 yards to the intersection of the Mine Bank Creek and Bald Mountain trails. Turn left downward on the Mine Bank Creek Trail as it descends into the valley, crossing Mine Creek several times, then passes through a rhododendron area before ending at the intersection for the St. Mary's River Trail in 1.9 miles.
For The Additional 5.5 Mile Out/Back To St. Mary's Falls:
Turn left downstream on the St. Mary's River Trail passing several campsites before reaching the intersection of the St. Mary's Falls Trail in 1.9 miles. Note: There is no camping permitted beyond this point. Turn right upstream fording St. Mary's River passing several swimming holes before there is a blowout on the trail in 0.4 miles. Follow the footpath to the left of the blowout that leads around the blockage back to the trail. At 0.6 miles from the last intersection the trail appears to end at a cliff about 15ft above the river. Climb down, re-ford the river, and climb up a steep bank. The falls are just ahead from this point. To continue, retrace your steps back to the intersection of the Mine Bank Creek and St. Mary's River Trails. (Thanks to MRHyker for the St. Mary's Falls trail notes.)
Both Hikes:
If you did the out/back to St. Mary's Falls continue straight on the St. Mary's River Trail. If you are doing the shorter hike, turn right onto the St. Mary's River Trail from the Mine Bank Trail.
Shortly cross a creek before passing a campsite on the left in 0.2 miles. Continue along the trail for another 0.2 miles, cross another creek, then directly ahead over a small mound is a large group camping area. Stay right climbing steeply for 50 yards and pass another campsite before reaching the main St. Mary's River Trail intersection in 0.1 miles.
Turn left (turning right would lead the 0.1 miles back to the stream crossing you just made), and follow the trail as it becomes considerably more overgrown with rhododendron before climbing out of the valley. The trail will level out in 2.0 miles from the last intersection and arrive at the Green Pond area. There is a bulletin board kiosk on the left, and following the small trail on the right leads to a multi-tent camping area. Look for a small trail that leads to Green Pond here.
Return to the bulletin kiosk and continue on the St. Mary's River Trail and pass another pond view on the right in 50 yards, then arrive at what looks like a trail intersection. Continue straight and in 100 yards the trail will veer right. Continue for the remaining 0.1 miles on the St. Mary's River Trail where it ends at Forestry Service (FS) Road 162.
Turn right. Note:FS162 is open to motorized traffic. Be prepared to see 4x4 vehicles and dirt bikes. Follow FS162 for 1.2 miles as it descends then climbs to the high point of Flint Mountain.
150 yards from the high point on FS162 there is a Forestry Service side grade used to clear debris. Look for an unmarked trail on the left that in 100 yards goes to the best vista of the hike. The view is of Kennedy Creek, with Kennedy Ridge on the left, and Kelly Mountain on the right. Return to FS162 and turn left continuing to descend the mountain. Follow the forestry road for another 1.9 miles, passing several campsites with views before arriving at a split in the road.
Stay right and in 0.4 miles, just before FS162 bears left, look for a single post and unmarked trail on the right. This is the Bald Mountain Trail, and is not marked at the junction. Turn right onto the Bald Mountain Trail as it descends the valley and arrives at a small campsite at its low point in 0.9 miles. Continue as it starts climbing back towards the ridge, then arrives at an unmarked trail intersection in 0.9 miles from the campsite.
Stay right for another 0.2 miles back to the intersection of the Mine Bank Creek Trail. Turn left uphill for the remaining 150 yards to the parking area.
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Hiker
Reviews For The St Mary's Wilderness Hike (5 Most Recent)
I've done (part of) the hike described here 4 times the last year as day-hikes, and have developed a love-hate relationship with this trail (hence the 3 stars). I start at the parking lot off of St. Mary's Rd, the point furthest downstream from the falls, hike up to the falls, then backtrack to St Mary's Falls Trail up to Green Pond, then reverse back out to the parking lot.
The Love parts: Beautiful scenery, especially in late spring with mtn laurel and rhododendron in bloom. After a good rain fall the river is up, the rush and roar of it is beautiful against the backdrop of the vertical mountain faces. Lots of interesting geological features. In summer time, some good swimming holes. Good wildlife sightings (saw a black bear last year 30 yards away, some snakes, deer). Usually pretty quiet and folks are friendly.
The Hate: Quite a bit of trash back here (empty bottles...water and beer), makes me mourn for humanity treating the environment this way. Moreover, I've encountered far too many hunters back here--mainly in the fall and winter time (hunting season). I've got no problem with hunters or the concept of hunting. It's just that I find it somewhere between disconcerting and not at all enjoyable to be in the vicinity of a pack of rabidly barking hunting dogs. And being withing earshot of gunshots makes me nervous ...hunting accidents happen. The hunters I've encountered have been friendly enough, and I'd like to assume they take proper safety precautions. But if I'm not going to be at ease, then I'd rather pick another place to hike.
In summary, can be beautiful and enjoyable--especially in summer. But you might wanna think twice before venturing out here during hunting season...if you just want to go on a quiet hike
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Date of Hike: Saturday, November 05, 2011
Did this as an overnight and hiked it in reverse as what is shown. Camped on the St. Mary's River trail towards the falls. This hike has alot of neat scenery and alot to look at if you care to get off the trail and look for it. One thing that made this trail not 5 stars is the fact that is no longer blazed and has seen alot of use which has created many false trails that look like where you should be going. You WILL take the wrong trail at least once. If you watch your map you will notice fairly quick that you took the wrong one. The river crossing to the falls is also fairly deep with no way to rock hop. You will need to shed your boots and cross barefoot or sandals. You will also need to cross alot of downed trees on the trail from the hurricane. There is no steady maintance of the trail. Overall a great place to backpack because of the enormous amount of camping spots and plenty of water.
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2dawghikers
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Date of Hike: Friday, September 17, 2010
While I do not consider myself an expert, I have done several hikes in and around the GW National Forest and Shenandoah mountains. The loop, as described on this website, was very challenging as an overnight backpacking trip. We hiked in as described from the Blue Ridge Parkway, and set up camp at the junction of the Mine Bank Creek Trail and the St. Mary's River Trail. We then attempted to hike down to the falls (without packs), but it was getting late in the day and the trail was taking longer than anticipated, so we did not actually make it all the way to the falls...I expect there was not much to see as the creeks and streams were all running fairly dry. The campsites we passed and the one we stayed at were all littered with trash, toilet paper, and even human waste. It is obvious that most visitors do not adhere to proper LNT practices.
On Day 2 we continued the loop hike east on the St. Mary's River Trail. The description on this website does not do justice to the steep uphill grade to reach the Green Pond area and the junction with FR 162 (900 ft elevation gain over 1 mile). It was extremely difficult with a pack on and would be challenging at the least w/o a pack. FR 162 also has some hefty uphills that are at least laid out as switchbacks. We took the Bald Mountain Trail down to Bear Branch as described. This trail was very narrow with a steep downhill grade. It was also very rocky and overgrown with rhododendron and mountain laurel, and there were many fallen trees blocking the pathway.
We had orginally planned to camp one more night and then make the remaining mile hike out the next day, but we decided it would be best to just get out of there and head home to a nice shower and comfortable bed. The hike back up to the Blue Ridge Parkway was not too terrible, although it felt almost impossible to me as my legs were mush by this point. My husband and our 2 dogs faired a bit better than I did.
The best part of the trip was the few encounters with other hikers and folks visiting the area by vehicle on the FR. Everyone was very friendly and out to enjoy a beautiful day in the mountains.
This would be a challenging, rewarding trip as a day hike, but with a back pack, it was unenjoybale.
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Date of Hike: Saturday, September 04, 2010
My son and I hiked in from the parkway entrance in the afternoon and camped at the group site shortly after heading east from the St. Mary's River and Mine Bank Trail intersection. We met few other hikers on our way in and the campsites we passed and stayed at were well kept and had no trash. Thanks fellow hikers! I immediately realized that this was going to be a challenge for a mid 40's, out of shape guy carrying 40 pounds on his back. Yes, I over packed. I also learned that this hike required lots of over and under downfalls and had to repack my bag so my tall load would be below shoulder level. There were also lots of rocky climbs and descents. Walking poles were a lifesaver! We saw no other hikers after we reached the campsite.
The next day we left our tents pitched and hiked to the Falls with a stuffsack packed with lunch. A few of the sights we passed had lots of trash, mostly cans and bottles. As we got closer to the falls foot traffic and the number of unleashed dogs increased greatly. I was surprised to see many campsites being used along this section even right at the falls - I thought no camping was allowed here but I guess I'm wrong. I scored a small emergency roll of duct tape that someone had discarded at the fire ring by the falls. A young couple was pitching their tent at another fire ring on the river about 50 yards from the falls. The falls were nice but a bit of a let down after all the hype and work to get there. I know the water was low this time of year but I was still expecting something more spectacular than what I saw. It was still pleasant nonetheless. We had lunch and made our way back to our campsite where we were joined by 2 other camping parties at neighboring sites.
Monday Morning we hiked back to the parkway on the Mine Bank Trail which was mostly climbing. I was pooped by the time I reached the parking area as this hike was a bit of a challenge for me. We hoped to see some wildlife but saw none - not even a bird. Just some hunting dogs and bear scat here and there. I can hike my local park in Williamsburg and see hawks, owls, many other birds, snakes, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, deer and foxes all in one short hike. Isn't that intersting? Anyway, I enjoyed it overall and we plan to go back for more exploring and hopefully some wildlife.
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Date of Hike: Saturday, July 31, 2010
My wife and I picked this hike to do on a summer Saturday because we thought it would not be crowded, and we were not disappointed. We did the 10 mile loop hike that excludes the spur out to St. Mary's falls. I suspect that's why we missed seeing so many people. We were just looking for a good workout in the mountains and a brisk walk for our two dogs. For that it was great. My wife was unnerved by the fact that there were so many intersections and forks to take with no blazing, and few trail signs, but we just followed the directions that accompanied this website, and it was no problem. I don't recommend taking the hike without the trail directions/maps or someone familiar. The overgrowth on portions of the trail really make you wonder if your heading the right way at times. But the ripe blueberries were a welcome treat! There are sections just lined with blueberry bushes. Lots of bear evidence, and a close call with a timber rattler made for an overall interesting hike. I recommend it.
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