 Review the Thorton Hollow hike here! Average Rating:
Share Hike:
| By:
|
Rating: |
|
Date of Hike: Saturday, May 07, 2011 |
Did this one yesterday. It was a really nice hike, with lots of different terrain and surrounding vegetation. It is long but really not very strenuous--has probably the most gradual inclines and declines of any hikes I've done in the area. What I liked most about the hike, again, was moving from various types of forested areas--older and newer growth--to the rocky streamsides and points in between. The Piney Branch River was beautiful with lots of cascades and small waterfalls. Although my wife and I got all but skunked in terms of wildlife viewing, I get the strong sense this would be a great area to catch sightings of black bears.
One word of warning: During the course of the hike I pulled about 25 ticks of my dog and nearly 20 off myself! But my wife had only 2 or 3. Go figure.
Finally, we didn't have trouble parking--luckily--but had some difficulty finding the trailhead because you have to follow a little service road along the river for about 50 ft until you reach trail signs. We thought it could have been a driveway and with all the No Parking and No Trespassing signs in that area, we were reluctant to check it out.
|
|
| By:
|
Rating: |
|
Date of Hike: Saturday, August 08, 2009 |
My husband and I completed this hike yesterday. At 12.8 miles, it didn't have any really strenuous hill climbs or decents, it was just long. If you are looking for solitude, fairly old growth forest, and pretty streams, this is for you. I must say though, there were 3 main draw backs. First, there really only are 2 parking spaces and there is no way to improvise without adding quite a bit more distance. We lucked out and one of the spaces was empty otherwise we would have had to have gone else where. Second, the 1.2 mile section of ascent on the Fork Mountain Trail was riddled with poison ivy and overgrown. There was no way to avoid it, so wear pants or be prepared. We always hike in shorts, so it was a lesson learned. Finally, the bugs were atrocious. Oh, and this was the first time that the trail colors and markings given on the website were not exact. The written directions were correct, but the colors of the trails were not. It's a beautiful area and a great way to access the SNF without getting on the parkway. The next time we go to that area, we are going to try to access it from a different road.
|
|
| By:
Jeff
|
Rating: |
|
Date of Hike: Sunday, July 06, 2008 |
This was a great hike. While I was hiking it was raining and covered everything with a fine mist. This made for good animal sightings and I saw multiple deer, lizards, and even a black bear (it ran away from me as quickly as it could....thankfully).
The write up about the hike is very good, although i will say it didn't take me quite 7 hours either. My only suggestion about the directions. After you get to the Appalachian Trail, you are on it for .5 miles before crossing a service road and then continue on it for another .5 miles. While I agree with this, I didn't ever come across the Pole Bridge Link Trail. I am not sure if the name changed or anything, but the trail I took was actually the Piney Branch Trail, which is what you are on for much of the remainder of the hike.
All in all great hike. No great views, but there is something great about walking in the woods.
|
|
| By:
Atouk
|
Rating: |
 |
Date of Hike: Sunday, May 28, 2006 |
Warning To Backpackers: The two parking spots are now accompanied by a 'No Parking From Dusk To Dawn' sign, and a derth of 'No Parking Anywhere Else Either' type signs. I was planning to split the hike into two half day hikes, with an overnight camp in the backcountry... which is a very poor plan if you can't park overnight. Anyway, if you are planning an overnight trip, you can park at mile 21 of the Skyway inside of Shenandoah, and do essentailly the same hike from the northernmost point. The hike itself was nice, and the foot traffic was almost non-existant (especially if you're hiking in the evening and early morning like an overnighter). My hiking dog gives this hike 3 or 4 barks up... with a side of growl for the parking situation.
|
|
| By:
NickLucci
|
Rating: |
|
Date of Hike: Saturday, December 03, 2005 |
A great walk in the woods. I particularly enjoyed the ridge-line section towards the summit, and the riverside descent on piney branch.
To be honest, I'm a bit surprised by the posted mileage and hiking time -- they both seem a bit padded. 8 hours?! I know I pace faster than most, but including a 20 minute lunch and several photo-stops, I managed to finish this one in just over 5. hmm...
The network of trails can get a bit tricky, so for safety and peace of mind, be sure to print out and bring along hikingupwards' trail summery (which is superb by the way). Also, it's probably not a great idea to embark on this trek during a thaw or after heavy rains -- the three river crossings are described as such for a reason. Otherwise, bring plenty of water and a tolerance for black bears, it's likely you'll need both for this one.
|
|
|
|
|
icon 
