Ashby Hollow Hike

Ashby Hollow - Mt Weathers, Virginia


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Length	Difficulty	Streams	Views	Solitude	Camping
6.5 mls
Hiking Time: Elev. Gain: Resources:	2.5 hours plus a half hour for lunch 2,005 ft Printable Topo Hike Map (PDF) Bluemont Weather Forecast Graphic Precip/Temp Forecast Current Weather Radar Loop (Java) Garmin (GDB), GPS eXchange (GPX) (What's this?) 3D View of Route!
From:	e.g. 12000 Government Center Parkway 22035 or Fairfax VA Park on Morgans Mill Rd where the Appalachian Trail crosses.

One of several out/back day hikes along this section of the Appalachian Trail. This 6.5 mile hike passes through several small hollows, unique different rock formations, as well as two mountain streams. The first stream, Ashby Hollow, has a wooden footbridge as well as several nice camp sites.

This part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) is affectionately known as the "Roller Coaster" as you can tell from the hike profile. The AT descends and climbs through several hollows and small ridges as it passes between Route 50 and Rt 7. One other nice aspect of this up/down/out/back hike is you can always turn around at any point if you want to cut the hike short.

From the parking area on Morgans Mill Rd. start downhill/south on the AT as it winds down to the largest stream in Ashby Hollow and nice camping area in 0.4 miles. At the stream there is a large wooden footbridge. Immediately after crossing the footbridge turn right and cross a fire road where the AT begins to climb Piney Ridge.

At the top of the Piney Ridge the trail descends through a hollow than climbs and descends to the second stream. After crossing the stream the AT will turn left following an old fire road for 100 yards before turning back to the right climbing to the next ridge.

At the ridgeline there are several views to the west of the Winchester valley through the trees. The views are best during the colder months when there are no leaves on the trees. From late spring through fall most of these vistas are obscured by foliage.

Follow this ridgeline for another 0.3 miles to a point on the AT where it passes through a small rocky area, and views to the west.

This is the turnaround point we have mapped here to make a 6.5 mile out/back hike. Continuing from here the AT will pass through another hollow and shelter before the trail arrives at Rt 50 just north of Sky Meadows.

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Hiker Reviews For The Ashby Hollow Hike (5 Most Recent)

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By:	Rating:	Date of Hike: Saturday, October 01, 2011
This is an ok hike along the rollercoaster AT trail. First of all No Streams, No Views, No Animals, and A few cool changing color trees. It took us 5 hours to hike this trail and we did keep going after the turn around spot and arrived at the Rod Hollow Shelter on the AT finishing up about 9.5 miles. I think the Shelter and the Geocaching by the P.A.T.C were the greatest part of the hike. The drive up Morgans Mill Rd is a gravel road all uphill but made it fine in my little Honda CR-Z hybrid.

By: Bigship11	Rating:	Date of Hike: Saturday, May 28, 2011
My husband I hiked Ashby Hollow after being out of commission, for a while... what a great work out! If you are looking for a hike that's challenging, physically, this is a great hike to complete. It is easy to see why this part of the AT is known as the "roller coaster"! On the other hand, this hike does not offer any views during the spring/summer months in fact, we were unable to find the "overlook", which is described in the hiking directions, and over-hiked the trail about a .5 mile or even a mile. The trail was well-marked and is nice and shady, which is great during the summer months. Even on a holiday weekend, the trail wasn't crowded, and we only passed a couple of back packers. The great thing about this hike is that it can really help build one's endurance!!

By: Amy	Rating:	Date of Hike: Sunday, November 28, 2010
I hiked this area in the summer, then came back for a winter view. It was just as awesome in November as in May. One issue I had was that the leaves made the trail extra slippery, but on the other hand, there was no need to swat at bugs. Also, I dressed quite warmly, since the temperature was in the 40s, but the ascent to Piney Ridge was such a great workout that I ditched several layers and got along just fine with a t-shirt and sweatshirt. It's really nice to go a little before noontime, and finish the hike several hours later with the sun melting into the trees.

By: MiddleburgHiking	Rating:	Date of Hike: Friday, August 14, 2009
Did this hike on a Friday morning and it was great! Although not necessarily a "destination" hike offering stunning views or exceptionally challenging terrain, this hike is a solid out-and-back day hike. Due to its location on the AT, this hike's parking area can also be used as a staging area for longer hikes along the AT. It's also very convenient to be so close to Rt. 50 and that there is good camping near a stream only 0.4mi into the hike. The terrain and landmarks in this hike's description is very accurate, although I was actually expecting more challenging climbs. I ran across one other hiker and one other car in the parking area, although weekends might be busier. Overall, a great hike and good workout! I'll definitely try it again during the winter months when the views will undoubtedly be better.

By:	Rating:	Date of Hike: Monday, May 04, 2009
I did this hike on a rainy early Monday afternoon. I choose this hike, because it was only a little over an hour drive from fairfax, virginia. I was prepared to do this hike in the rain. I had my rain suit (pants and jacket). My water proof hiking boots and my new Garmin Oregon 300 series GPS. All did there job. As I was headed towards the wooden bridge I notice another hiker heading towards me. I couldn't believe that there was another hiker out here in the rain. I swear I heard him mumble something about he "can't believe he is seeing someone else out here in the pouring rain". I gave him a friendly hiker wave. He just kinda gave me a smirky smile and walk on by. I stood over the bridge and watch the stream for a minute. It was a nice sight to see cause it was running high from the rain. I followed the rest of the trail and it did climb and descend most of the way. I was going to go where the trail arrives at RT 50, but because of the weather I turned around at the turnaround point on this sight. I did run into another hiker on the way back. We chatted for a few minutes and then headed our seperat ways. As for the terrain this hike had it all. Rocky and smooth at somepoint or another. Because of the weather there was no views of the valley, but the rain and fog made for some good scenery. This hike took me longer than I normally would. I'm a fast hiker and it took me about 2 and half hours. Overall this was a nice hike. End the end my feet were dry. My rain suit kept me dry and my Garmin Oregon 300 past the the test.

Early March