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| By:
short walker
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Rating:  |
Date of Hike: Tuesday, April 30, 2019 |
| Used to love this hike. Locals don't like day trippers, which is why they shut off parking on the side of the road. I have been going in there for years and never saw the road blocked. Those pull offs are all off the one lane road. That part is a dog park for the locals. Don't believe me? Try being in there after they get off work and have 2 or 3 dogs in there off leash. Just ask them to put a leash on their dogs and watch the attitude develop. I have a family type car, not a suv or truck so I will not be able to park there anymore. THANKS local yokels!!
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| By:
bambamb
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Rating:  |
Date of Hike: Monday, November 19, 2018 |
| Somewhat scenic very peaceful and serene, especially with the snow and lack of people on a weekday morning. Saw one other person at the end. The trail is in bad shape right now after all the rain. Very muddy and at one point it literally becomes a stream. Bring waterproof shoes. Also lots of downed branches that you have to find your way around. I parked on the grass-covered service road that runs parallel and just above the main road. Did not get a ticket.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Tuesday, October 30, 2018 |
| Newly installed “No Parking” signs on Morgans Mill Rd where the AT crosses. I think parking is allowed off the road under the power line.
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| By:
jb
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Date of Hike: Saturday, September 22, 2018 |
| Good workout since the hike is primarily inclines or declines. No panoramic views but saw lots of red leaves on the ground and some of the trees are already changing colors. The hike took me about 3hrs 40minutes, which included a few stops to rest. There are several rocky portions, which were a bit slippery from the rain, so use caution.
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| By:
DB
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Sunday, July 3, 2016 |
| We agree with Dawn about the estimated time being too low. We turned around at the 2nd stream crossing (Bolden Hollow). It took us 3 hours total, including about 20 minutes to eat and small rest breaks on the uphills
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| By:
grc
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Thursday, June 9, 2016 |
| Hit this hike up after work. My understanding is this is part of the overall "roller coaster" from 50 to Bear's Den. Saw nearly a dozen thruhikers in the first half-mile. Solid trail, good mix of some choppy rocks and worn trail. Not terribly difficult on the incline, but had to stop on the bigger incline for a breather I'm not in great shape. The 'turn around' point doesn't offer any views in the summer as mentioned... would say you can keep going further south if you want.
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| By:
Tom & Suzy
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Friday, December 25, 2015 |
| Hiked this trail on a very warm (70F) Christmas Day. Pretty hike with 2 streams and several seeps. Well marked overall. Watch for the right turn off the fire road right after the second creek. The difficulty 3 rating is correct but deceiving because it is all up or down. Frequent airplane noise due to being under a flight path to DC detracted somewhat from the solitude.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Sunday, September 28, 2014 |
| Loved the cardio of the roller coaster but will have to do it when the leaves are gone and the views are clear..
I will say, I use this site religiously and while normally accurate -even conservative- this is definitely more than a 2.5 hr hike. Really. More like 4 hr.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Thursday, May 8, 2014 |
| Completed from Rt 50 , Ashby Gap to Rt 7, Bears Den. 14 miles 3700 foot elevation gain. As noted in the logs, if you come in on Rt 605, you are basically splitting the Roller Coaster. Very hot day for me with full gear but a great accomplishment. If you want a challenge, this is the toughest section in the area. The views are nice but not spectacular. Plenty of water at all the stream crossings.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Sunday, February 24, 2013 |
| I found the hike as described - scenic streams and limited views. Parking by the AT crossing is convenient. After I finished this hike, I stopped at my car for a drink, then hiked north on the AT to Buzzard Hill.
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| By:
b ridge
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Monday, February 18, 2013 |
| Great rocks, nice streams, good workout, but no views at all, even in February. Might as well stop at the top of the second hill.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, August 4, 2012 |
| Parking area is well situated allowing access to both Buzzard Hill and Ashby Hollow. I went out with my four year old and hiked first to the waterfall North on the Buzzard Hill trail then returned, grabbed gear from the car and headed south. Saw seven or so other hikers and learned that the creek at Rod Hollow shelter was dry so opted to stay at the Ashby Hollow creek camping area near the footbridge. The creek here is still flowing with a low but ample supply of water for drinking and cooking. Another group of three hikers stayed the night at the camping area with us and we enjoyed their company. Seems to be something of a thruway for wildlife as both during the first hours of dark and at dusk was passed by one single - suspected - ursa a (heard not sighted) as it was dark. Animal never bothered us (nor did we bother them, at least I think). Trail is quite green now but still beautiful. Never made the length of the marked trail but was a great 1st taste of the AT for my 4 year old:) Beautiful rock formations for photographs. The rock formations would be great for mild vista photography and with the right angle could look quite NatGeo.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, October 1, 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.
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| By:
Bigship11
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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!!
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| By:
Amy
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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.
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| By:
MiddleburgHiking
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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.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Monday, May 4, 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.
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