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)
We decided to take this hike to celebrate the soltice. My wife and I have been avide hikers for years, mostly in the Monogahila National Forest. The GWNF is very close to our home so we took the dogs and headed out. Sugar Knob is very nice at the beginning but soon the trail was strewn with many fallen trees, probably from flooding. They had been sawed through so you could walk the trail, but blocked the view of the stream in many places.
By:
Cali Guy
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, June 19, 2011
This was a challenging hike for me that enjoyed very much, even in the downpour in the last 1/3. I got slightly confused at the clearing, but worked out the route after finding the Old Mail junction. One thing I should mention is that the little plank bridge shown with two pictures here at the end is nowhere in sight at the streambank. I chose to just trudge through the water and continue to the parking area wet. Carry lots of water or bring tablets for the stream water.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, May 01, 2011
This was my second backpacking trip & it was exactly as described by others. I had a great time and loved all the stream crossings. There are a few things I'd like to note.
When you get to Racer Hollow it says there are several camping spots. There are only 3 well established sites. The first one you hit immediately the next one is I'd say another mile and a half down the way and the third not long after that one. I passed the first one thinking it would be easy to find another one but there are a lot of boulders on this section of trail and not much flat space to pitch a tent. I finally settled near a small creek only to find the next morning I was around the corner from an established site.
When you are looking for the pink blazed trail where it says you reach the wildlife clearing you actually hit two before you hit the one you need. I didn't read that far along in the directions and had to hike back up a half a mile or so to check out the first one (which was also the biggest) before continuing on down.
The gates on the FS road have changed too. The first one you arrive at is only about a tenth of mile down the road. It's not for a half mile after that you hit the one mentioned (which is only posts now without a gate).
It was definitely a good beginners trip. There were a ton of stream crossings and a lot of mud but I didn't mind and neither did my dogs. I only ran into a few hikers and some people on horseback. I definitely plan to hike this area of the GW forest again.
I highly recommend bringing a walking stick of some sort. My staff was a life saver many times!
Enjoy!
By:
Mike A
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, October 03, 2010
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!!!
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