Within one week, the green leaves gave way to yellows and reds. The quarter-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that leads from the Wind Rock parking lot to the overlook doesn’t exactly qualify as a hike, but it’s perfect when short on time. There’s a beautiful western view (think: sunset) though, true to its name, the overlook can be windy at times. Photo Date: October 16, 2016.
Coming back from Spruce Knob, we stopped at Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory for a short (2 mile round trip) hike to the observation tower. As you can see, it was still quite green in the area.
Hanging Rock is one of my favorite places. Also located in West Virginia, it features a 360 degree view, and although I’ve seen sunset from the observation tower, I have yet to hike up for sunrise. Photo Date: October 10, 2016.
On Columbus Day, we wanted to see the leaves in peak fall season, and since it was still quite green in the New River Valley, we drove to Spruce Knob, West Virginia’s highest point. There’s plenty of hiking in the area, but since we did this as a daytrip, with an 8-hour round-trip drive, we just walked the short loop around the observation tower and around nearby Spruce Knob Lake. Photo Date: October 10, 2016.
The wildflowers and brush at Rice Fields were evidence that fall had come to the Blue Ridge. The trees seemed a bit behind schedule, but a few were starting to show yellow and red colors. Rice Fields is a lovely, less-traveled hike on the Appalachian Trail near Pearisburg with an overlook toward West Virginia. Photo date: October 9, 2016.
Buzzard’s Rocks is the main attraction of Read Mountain Preserve on the north end of Roanoke. It’s a two mile hike to the overlook of Roanoke, which also features some interesting rock formations.
Going back, we took the CCC trail to the Rocky Way trail, which was slightly longer. It’s not the most interesting trail but a good less-strenuous hike for a warm day.
Rock Castle Gorge is one of my favorite hikes. It’s an 11-mile loop that cuts through woods, across balds, and along stony ridges. The diverse terrain is simply beautiful. Just be sure to start at the bottom and hike counterclockwise toward Rocky Knob. The first two miles are a brutal 1,900 foot elevation gain but well worth the effort. The rest of the hike is moderate, and it must be trauma on the knees to take such an elevation going down.
It’s a short hike up the ridge near the Rocky Knob campground on the Blue Ridge Parking to a phenomenal spot for viewing sunsets.
We hiked Potts Mountain via the Lipes Branch Trail, which was not as much a trail as a trailblazing opportunity. Although you can still make out the trail, it’s extremely overgrown to the point where there are trees growing in the middle of the path. The payoff was a stunning overlook that in early September was just picking up a touch of fall color. The overlook is just off the Jeep Trail, which runs along the mountain ridge. We took the Jeep trail down, which was a better option than trying to make our way down back through Lipes Branch. The last half mile or so of the Jeep trail, however, is very steep and treacherous in spots.
Buffalo Mountain is a state natural preserve in Floyd County. It’s a short two-mile round trip hike with a great overlook.
When we arrived at the summit of Pearis Mountain at the Angel’s Rest overlook, the fog was still breaking up in the valley.
The view from the second overlook was hazy but still a beautiful view of the countryside.