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| By:
Rainchell
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Rating:  |
Date of Hike: Sunday, November 3, 2019 |
| Solo hike on a blue bird day. This hike is a great length and elevation gain. The western view is unique and beautiful. Hike early and get the trail to yourself!
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| By:
aldikuma
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Rating:  |
Date of Hike: Saturday, May 18, 2019 |
| This was my second time on this hike and I had forgotten how much uphill there is, steep and rocky in some spots so bring sturdy shoes. Definitely a tougher hike if it's hot out, which it was today! But there is shade, and a nice breeze as you get closer to the top. The view was partially obscured with the trees full, so don't expect much. A nice place at the top to have lunch before heading back down. Ticks were really bad in the part before crossing Skyline. Overall a great workout and not many people.
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| By:
Elyse
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Rating:  |
Date of Hike: Sunday, April 28, 2019 |
| This hike is not for the faint-hearted. I think the difficulty should have been 4. It’s all uphill with some intense sections with all loose rocks underfoot. Be wary of your balance. I was a little disappointed in the view. For the hard work to get up there, there really wasn’t much to see. And if we had come a month later with the trees in full bloom, there would have been no way to see the view. Downhill was exhausting with all the loose rocks and by the time we got to our car, our knees were spent. Positive note: it was very quiet and we only met a few other hikers. So if you enjoy a strenuous and solitary hike, this is definitely for you.
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| By:
Sarah
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Rating:  |
Date of Hike: Tuesday, January 1, 2019 |
| This is a terrific hike. Reasonable effort required (not too hard and not too easy) and in an interesting setting with the creek, boulders, and rock garden. And the final vista is breathtaking, at least when we hiked it in winter and there wasn’t anything blocking our view. I was so glad we chose this hike for New Years Day 2019. It was a wonderful way to start the new year!
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| By:
Meg
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Friday, June 8, 2018 |
| I enjoy this hike. It’s quick and has a great view at the top. However, as a note, starting at the Hightop parking area will not make this a 2.3 mile hike like the description says. It’s definitely over 3 miles round trip, which isn’t bad unless you’re in a time crunch.
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| By:
Medic-G
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 21, 2018 |
Took advantage of one of the few NPS Fee Free Days this year and choose this hike because my wife said she wanted to do a hike with a view. We did the hike as described and didn't do the shortened version.
The overall description of this hike is accurate. The view at the first overlook is minimal and in the summer with full foliage it would be even less. So, a limited view at the first overlook. The second/main overlook does have good views. The clear spring day made the distance we were able to see very far.
I would say the difficulty rating is accurate.
The solitude rating may be a little high. I do realize there usually isn't too much solitude on hikes within the SNP especially on a Saturday when there is no entrance fee. When we crossed the drive at the Hightop parking area there were 7 cars parked in the parking area. We passed several people hiking down while we were hiking up and encountered a group of several college aged kids and another pair of hikers at the main overlook (top). On our way down (approximately noon), we passed quite a few people and there were 18 cars in the parking area and along the drive.
In conclusion, the views were good on the clear spring day. The trees were starting to bud and there were some flowers along the trail. Glad we hiked this before noon as I am sure the overlook was quite crowded later in the day.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, March 31, 2018 |
| We did this as a quick warmup overnight backpack for the coming season...the dog is also still recuperating from a foot injury! We parked at the Swift Run Gap entrance just to add some extra distance. Took us about an hour to hike up to the top, and we ran into a few people because the weather was so nice. There are actually a couple campsites near the summit...we stayed at one just off the trail near the overlook, but there is also a really nice spot if you follow the faint trail up to the true summit near the remains of an old firetower. It's nice and grassy up there. We had a nice sunset and breakfast the next morning and then were back at the car around 930. This is a great quick hike with a really nice payoff view.
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| By:
Jamey
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Sunday, November 12, 2017 |
| This is a great little hike. The ascent is a steady but moderate climb, with several interesting rock formations. The view from the summit is one of the best in the park.
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| By:
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Saturday, June 3, 2017 |
| Nice hike. We did as described. Wonderful view @ the summit. My main reason for writing is that we had wonderful coincidental interactions with so many individual (or in pairs) Northbound (NOBO) AT thru-hikers from all over the country.. We started @ the trailhead @ 7:55 AM, and began meeting them since most had broken camp earlier that morning at Hightop Hut. They were about 900 miles into their trek.
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| By:
Kate
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Saturday, May 20, 2017 |
| Spring foliage was beautiful. Great camping area if you take the trail to the left @ summit marker.
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| By:
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Saturday, January 28, 2017 |
| We had beautiful sunny weather for this Saturday hike. Did the 5.6 mile version. Our overall assessment is that this is a great short-to-moderate length day hike with a TON of visual payoff at the top (especially during winter when leaves are off trees) for very little work. If you’re looking to introduce friends to hiking, this would be a great starter trail! Read more about our hike & see lots of photos here: https://fergusandhenri.com/2017/01/30/hightop-mountain/
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| By:
Dan
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Wednesday, January 4, 2017 |
| I did the longer (5.6 mile) hike, and really enjoyed it. The view at the 2nd overlook is fantastic. Navigation on this hike is straightforward, although a sturdy pair of hiking boots is advisable. Once you cross Skyline Drive (mile 1.3), it's a steady climb until you reach the top, but not too difficult.
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| By:
Jen
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Sunday, October 30, 2016 |
| We did the full 5.6m out and back and thought the distance and effort required was just perfect for a couple hours on an unseasonably warm day. I was worried we missed the peak foliage due to Heather's 10/24 comments, but other than a few bare trees it was gorgeous. The view from the overlook is quite expansive. We were fortunate there weren't too many people up there given the outcropping isn't as spacious as others. The first mile and change on the AT to the Hightop Mountain parking area was a pleasant warmup -- I think we would have felt the hike was too short without it, but it all depends on how much time you have to spend. One word of wisdom is that they really do mean the parking area across the bridge from the park entrance...it looks more like a pull over area than a parking area as it's all parallel parking. We missed it at first!
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| By:
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Monday, October 24, 2016 |
| Not many leaves left on the trees at this point in the year. We drove up later afternoon just looking to grab a quick view, it was so windy and clear in the sky. The view was 10/10 worth it for the effort of hiking up. The hike was perfect for a quick walk up to a lovely view. The trail is easy to follow. I don't know what you'd gain by parking all the way down at the entrance station area- we enjoyed the hike from the high top parking area.
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| By:
Sean
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Friday, September 23, 2016 |
| Very nice shorter hike along a portion of the Appalachian Trail. Ran into about 5 AT section hikers. Everyone seemed in a good mood, I think because cooler fall weather was here. :) Great views from the second overlook. No streams or other water on the hike. I brought a quart but the weather was nice enough and the hike short enough I didn't need it. I don't understand the "N/A" rating for "Camping" as I saw several campsites near the top.
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| By:
Mona
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Saturday, May 28, 2016 |
We did the shorter hike because it was HOT out, so we started in the parking area off Skyline drive and did an out and back from there.
There is quite a bit of elevation gain and the view at the top is nice (go to the second view the first one at this time of year has trees blocking it). For folks with bad knees, hiking back down can be a little painful, but take it easy and you'll be fine. Very green at this time of year and great tree coverage from the sun.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, March 5, 2016 |
| Did this with my girlfriend last Saturday. There was no snow at the parking area but the trail became all snow as we got closer to the top (2-3 inches). It was a steady climb never got too strenuous. The view was really great from the summit. Even on a cloudy day we could see out to Massanutten, all of Elkton, and down to Skyline Drive. It was a great shorter hike to do in a couple of hours or so. Trail was well maintained and well marked the whole way.
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