The Sugar Knob hike up Pond Run Trail and down Racer Camp
Hollow Trail has some of the best stream scenery in the George
Washington National Forest. This is one of several great loops
in the Great North Mountain Area with fantastic
camp sites all along its route.
Just before
the bridge over Waites Run start the hike up Pond Run Trail. Pond Run Trail is both blue and green blazed
(green blazes designate deer study areas
and can be found throughout the Great North Mountain region).
It will cross the run a number of times as it winds its way
up
the valley. After 2.5 miles cross
a wooden ford placed over wet land area and arrive
at the ridge.
At the trail intersection you can make a quick
side trip by going directly ahead on the white blazed lookout
trail for 100 yards and a great view
to the west. Return to
the trail and turn right (left if you didn't go
to the
lookout).
In 0.5 miles the forestry road will turn right uphill,
continue straight on the blue blazed trail as it winds around
the mountain for 1.3 miles before reaching the intersection
of the orange blazed Mill Mountain Trail that continues
straight ahead.
Turn left continuing on the blue blazed trail as
it descends slightly on its way to Sugar Knob. In 0.6 miles
arrive at the four way intersection of the Peer Trail, to your
left, and the Stony Creek Trail, to your right.
Continue straight
on the blue blazed trail for 0.9 miles as it passes over Sugar
Knob then descends continuing to another four
way intersection.
Turn left downhill on the orange blazed Racer Camp Hollow
Trail as it passes several great
camp spots and crosses the
run several times before turning right uphill in 1.6
miles.
After climbing uphill for 100 yards the trail will turn
left
traversing the mountain for another 0.9 miles and reaching
the junction of the pink blazed Old
Mail Path and wildlife
clearing.
Turn left downhill
into the clearing and at the bottom of
the clearing enter the pink blazed Old Mail Path as it winds
downhill before arriving in 1.0 mile at a wooden
foot bridge and crossing Waites Run. Continue downstream
on the
pink
blazed trail for another 0.5 miles before arriving at the yellow
blazed FS road.
Turn left downhill on
the FS road and in 0.4 miles pass
a closed gate. Continue downhill on the FS road with Waites Run
now on your left for 1.0 mile and crossing a bridge arriving
back at the parking area.
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Hiker
Reviews For The Sugar Knob Hike (5 Most Recent)
This hike is very easy to get to from 66, though if you're going by Google directions, you could have difficulty finding the trail if you following them exactly. From 66 W to 81 S, you get on 55 W. Aftera bout 20 miles on 55, the directiosn say make a left onto Waites Run Rd--- this is incorrect. I think it has been noted previously that Waites Run Rd not called this at this point-- it's called Sanfield Rd (also marked with a 5/1 in a small white circle). It's fairly close to a gas station / car wash. Besides that, very easy to get to.
Did most this hike in combination with White Rocks. A nice slow uphill hike through the woods, most of the time along a creek. Not terribly difficult but tiring with a full backpack on. Nothing overly notable about this hike--but nice. No great overlooks or water features, and not a lot of wildlife (2 deers and a fat squirrel).
There is a large campsite along Racer Camp Trail at the intersection of the orange and blue trails to the south. nice fire ring, and a handy board/counter nailed into a tree that was useful for cooking.
We had the trail mostly to ourselves the first day of hiking, only passing a group of others setting up a campsite. Ran into a few others on day 2--but not at all crowded.
Overall, a beautiful weekend and nice to get out. The trail was well blazed and easy to follow, and generally pretty nice.
By:
Aaron Bagby
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, August 29, 2010
There's been some good reviews written here, so I'll just reiterate a few points and add my own experiences.
The trailhead is on the right hand side and easy to miss. There's a large faded brown sign and the trail goes uphill with the run.
Later in the season or during a dry spell, water is scarce beyond the first mile or so. Both of the Springs noted on the trail map were dry when I went, so carry extra water accordingly.
The climb of Mill Mtn is pretty challenging and consistently steep. When backpacking, I'd strongly recommend solid boots and/or trekking poles if you're carrying more than 20% of your own weight.
The main campsites I found on and near the Pond Run Trail were as follows:
-Roughly 1 mile in where the run forks on R (good spot for quick access and water)
-1st intersection at the lookout trail (highly recommended for view access)
-Before 2nd intersection (Stony Creek Trail) on right (flat area w/ lots of space and nice ring)
-Down Stony Creek Trail past Sugar Knob Camp 1/4 mile on left (I camped here - neat although somewhat uneven site)
I ended up heading back down the Pond Run Trail at this point, as I was running low on water and didn't want to rely on luck or dehydration. So, the rest of my review only covers that section.
In the Summer, you are under a fairly dense canopy most of the time. This is ideal for hotter days, but can also obscure the views. During late August, the bugs were noisy at night and fairly pervasive at camp, so I kept the spray handy. Didn't see many ticks, but lots of horseflies (a few monsters) and other flying insects. Not a whole lot of wildlife aside from a few squirrels and an owl that watched me and my dogs for a good hour.
Overall, this is a nice trail that is well-maintained and very scenic. The quick hike down the lookout trail is absolutely worth it and a very nice place to relax and have lunch while soaking in the view. There is some interesting fauna and rock formations along the trail and nice solitude, as I only saw one other hiker the whole time on a weekend. With plentiful campsites and easy access from DC, this can be done over the weekend with time to explore and just enjoy the woods. 3 1/2 stars.
A HUGE thanks for the HikingUpward folks for this incredible resource. You guys are much appreciated!!!
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, May 30, 2010
I was initially a little apprehensive about going on this hike since every time I have hiked in the GWNF, it has been a little disapointing. The beginning of this hike was great. 8 stream crossing in the beginning 2.5 miles were a lot of fun and made the first leg of the trip a 5 rating. It was a lot of fun even though it had stormed the night before and it was extremely humid and very slippery on the first part. If we had ended there, this would be one of my favorite hikes. The next 10 miles or so (we extended the trip wider by avoiding Racer Camp Trail to see White Rocks which was OK) were a little monotonous and were a walk in the woods. Nothing remarkable at all although I did see a lot more hikers than I would have guessed. Probably more hikers than I may see in the Shenandoahs on any given trail. The 1.5 mile road walk was a huge letdown and I thought it would have been better to do the road walk first and end at the car rather than the way listed. It was great to get outside but it may be fun to do a 2.5 miles up and then back down which would encompass all the exciting parts and save the rest of the day for somewhere else. Did see 2 box turtles on the way in which was very cool.
By:
J&D
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, August 30, 2008
My husband, dog, and I just got back from this hike - it was beautiful! We did this as a backpacking trip spread out over two nights. I am a beginner, and this was well-suited to my level - challenging, but not overwhelming. A few months ago for my first hike, we did the first part of Little Schloss, which was way too much for me. But Sugar Knob was perfect.
Sugar Knob has gorgeous streams - we slept next to a stream each night. Not much for views though. We saw several other groups, but it was Labor Day weekend after all (we had the campsites all to ourselves). As far as pests, we had some mosquitos, flies, and bees - but no ticks! I guess it depends on when you go. Our dog usually gets a ton of ticks.
Overall, I highly recommend this hike! Be sure to bring the Hiking Upward directions - they're incredibly accurate (great site).
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, June 21, 2008
***Ticks*** Just posting this as a warning to anyone hiking Sugar Knob or any hike in the area. This morning I did about a mile of the hike with my dog. A mile in I notice two ticks on his face near his eye - upon further inspection we found about 10 more at that point. We decided do head back b/c of the number of ticks. When we reach the car and inspected him again we pulled another 10-12 off. In all today I believe I have fould 50-60 ticks from the mile up and back.
I it were just us we could have continued on but it was not worth it with the dog. Thx.
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