Weekend Trip report Mt. Rogers VA
This is a trip I did on the weekend of Oct. 17th from a friday around noon to sunday around 3.
We started off at Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands SP Virginia, got parked and then followed the AT Spur Trail to get onto the AT. We were hoping for Peek weak for the leaves but got their just a little late but it was still spectacular as this was my first trip to Mt. Rogers area. Weather was cool, mid 40's and foggy with a little rain or mist.
When we hit the AT we headed north towards wise shelter. The hike was fairly flat and passed some great woodland scenes. We stayed at Wise but not in the shelter as it was full and fairly crowded. Great facilities with plenty of places to hang and met some very nice people.
We continued north on the AT the next morning and the days high temp was 38 according to my thermometer. When we got up on the balds it was gorgeous and the views we wonderful but a bit hazy due to the cloud cover. We got off the AT and onto the Pine Mountain Crest trail which we followed until reconnecting with the AT and headed south towards Thomas Knob shelter and Mt. Rogers.
We camped there on a very cold and suddenly clear night. The wild ponies were all over the place and very fun to see. Hanging sites were abundant even with the crowds. Great views from the campsite and more great people. The privy however was overflowing.
The next morning we continued south on the AT and took Rhododendron trail back to massie gap, but unfortunately missed massie gap and walked about 2 miles out of our way. Trails were very hard to spot when they weren't marked with a sign due to all the leaves on the ground.
All in all great trip and great place to spend some time camping or backpacking. The length of the trip was great for me but my 56 year old father thought we walked a little too far saturday for his tastes. The trails were nice, rocky at times but nothing too extreme. Hope this helps anyone planning a trip.
