The
Corbin Cabin hike provides a wonderful look at of some of the
most diverse areas in the park. Starting on Skyline Drive ridge
you hike along the Appalachian Trail for a short distance before
descending to the Corbin Cabin area getting a glimpse
of how the settlers lived here many years ago.
Another
hike to Corbin Cabin is also available from the bottom of the
valley on the Nicholson
Hollow hike
Start by turning left on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail
on the ridgeline for 0.7 miles before coming to the intersection
of the Crusher Ridge Trail.
Turn left on the blue-blazed Crusher Ridge Trail for
0.1 miles where you turn left again on the Nicholson Hollow
Trail as it intersects Skyline Drive in another 50 yards.
Cross Skyline Drive and turn left and walk along the edge of
the road for 100 yards to the Nicholson Hollow Trail post.
Be careful as traffic can be quite heavy.
Turn right descending the Nicholson Hollow Trail for 1.8 miles
as it loops back to the right and descends the valley past
a small spring before coming to the intersection of the Indian
Run Trail that comes in from the right. Continue straight
crossing Indian Run and arriving at the Corbin Cabin area in another 0.2 miles from the last intersection.
At this point you will begin the ascent.
Cross Hughes River
at the Corbin Cabin Cutoff Trail marker, which is 10 yards past
Corbin Cabin, and begin the ascent on the Corbin Cabin Cutoff
Trail.
After 0.1 miles there is a small side trail that leads in
50 yards to an old cemetery. In 0.5 miles the Corbin Cabin
Cutoff Trail switches back to the left and becomes steeper
for the final 0.9 miles back to Skyline Drive and the parking
area.
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Hiker
Reviews For The Corbin Cabin Hike (5 Most Recent)
My husband and I enjoyed this hike, we didn't even know about Corbin's Cabin's historical reference until it was featured in an older issue of Backpacker magazine. The cover story highlighted "Dream Cabins/Hideaways" across the country and we decided it would be a shame not to check it out since we're from Va. The 8+ mile round trip was perfect for an easy day hike on a clear cool day. We reached the cabin in time for lunch and we relaxed for about half an hour. The "out-house" was quaint and it was enjoyable to see how this historical landmark has been well-maintained. We didn't see any wildlife but that's okay, Corbin's Cabin was a treat to visit,and we might stay overnight next time when we bring our daughter with us. We'll definitely come back and do the tougher trail off Old Rag Mtn., Shenandoah Nat'l Park is full of wonderful trails and I would love to see the waterfalls next time. Being an avid hiker, I highly recommend this hike, if for nothing else...get an idea of the old "mountaineering" way of life back in 1909-1938.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 28, 2012
Hiked into the cabin on Friday afternoon and stayed there for two nights. Packed in heavy only to realize we didnt need half the supplies we brought because the cabin is fully stocked with all your needs. Bring clothing, food and sleeping bag is about all you need. Sleeping next to the stream and hearing the running water all night is just so relaxing and tranquil. Not many views to speak of on the trail but the solitude and history of the area make it a well worthwhile trip. Elevation gain/drop is something to consider if your not in shape, The pack out is a good little workout but was exactly what I look for in a hike. Plenty of wildlife in the area to watch including bears. Mom and two cubs were at the trail head when we started in and an adult male was spotted a couple hundred yards from the cabin on Friday afternoon. A good day hike to Whiteoak canyon falls was done on Saturday. Figured it to be about a 10 mile roundtrip. Plenty of springs along the way to quench your thirst but the Indian Run trail is a little steep and rocky so the moving was slow but very enjoyable. Will definetly consider doing this trip again.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Friday, August 12, 2011
Did this hike as a quick overnight. The cabin is quite interesting and met the caetaker when I was leaving. Cutoff trail is definitely a hump and can be very slick when wet. Ran across a Black bear and her cub on the way out. Cub climbed a tree and mother went across the trail. Not that many views after the cabin on the trail out. Was lucky to catch a cooler weekend in August but this trail would be nice later on in the year also.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, July 31, 2010
Got an early start on Saturday morning to avoid the afternoon precip that was forecasted and avoid the crowds. We saw a nice sized black bear run across Skyline Dr. on the drive from our campsite at Big Meadows to the trailhead parking. The first section of the hike was ok. Nice to hike a section on the AT. My favorite part of the hike was descending Nicholson Hollow Trail. VERY nice views on our right of Skyline Drive and the valley below. We only saw three other groups of hikers on this section of the trail. After passing the spring, we went through a long-dead stand of hemlock trees that was creepy-eerie (but in a cool way). I got slightly confused on the directions, because you cross a small run BEFORE the Indian Run Trail comes in from the right, THEN you cross Indian Run. I thought I had missed the Indian Run Trail intersection. But, we arrived at the cabin safely. No one was there, so we had a nice private and leisurely lunch on the front porch of the cabin. Even our dog flaked out on the porch. Butterflies were all around, and one even helped himself to some of my peanut butter when I wasn't looking. After packing up to leave, we heard a couple of grunts from the woods off to the front-right of the cabin. Found out later after running into a PATC worker that a large male black bear hangs out about 30ft up a tree down there. He was no-doubt watching us the entire time! On our way out, we never did see the cemetery trail (we didn't know if it was on the right or left). Once we realized we missed it, we didn't feel like backtracking to find it. The hike out was a bit steep, but a good workout. We saw more hikers on this section of the trail doing the short out-and-back from Skyline down to the cabins and back up. Also saw LOTS of bear scat and bear sign, but nothing alarmingly fresh. The PATC guy told us there were at least three bears in that area: the large male up the tree by the cabin, another adult bear, and a yearling. On our way back to Big Meadows, we stopped at the Hemlock Springs Overlook and admired from a distance how much wilderness we covered.
By:
Catherine and John
Rating:
Date of Hike: Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Super, saw a mother bear and 2 cubs about half way going up Nicholson Hollow... Very exciting. They crossed the path about 40 yards ahead of us and ran away to the right. After the cubs had disappeared from sight, the mother stopped and looked back to make sure we were going away... After that peaceful encounter every burned trunk or dark stump along the trail looked like a bear...
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