Great place with great views!…read more Pop "Woodstock Tower" into Google Maps, and it will take you to the right spot (Apple Maps only took me to the trailhead a distance away). This will put you near a little overlook off the dirt road or if you keep going, a small gravel parking lot. Be prepared to drive on dirt and gravel roads for over a mile to get here; you are going the right way! This end of the trail has a clearly marked sign saying it is the Woodstock Tower. From either of those parking lots it's only about ¼ mile walk to get to the tower. The path varies from rocky to flat dirt. Loads of hickory nuts line the path. You could also come from the other end of the trail, which is over a mile away in the other direction. The climb up is steep but manageable (I'd recommend being more careful descending!) with metal steps. Considering she's still standing 90 years after her construction, I'd say the tower is stable. Hats off to the Civilian Conservation Corps for building this lasting landmark! The views from the top are great and worth the short walk and short climb. I met a local man at the top who shoots a lot of videos from up there. He did warn that sometimes there are black bears in the area; I never saw one my whole time, but just keep alert. It was a little cold on the mid-October day we were there and the top of the mountain did mean lots of cross wind, so dress appropriately. Unless you're weird about heights (apologies to my wife; thanks for walking out to it with us, Baby), this is a worthwhile visit. Definitely recommend!

What a pleasant surprise! We drove up the mountain on Christmas Eve and simply enjoyed the views…read more Our goal of finding the tower wasn't easy being that my bf hadn't been up there since he was a kid. Nevertheless we found it :-) I was a bit apprehensive of climbing it at first but took baby steps lol. What a beautiful scenery once you reach the top. Great experience!

if thethe dogs are happy, I'm happy. they loved it! it's our second trip here and we will be back…read moreagain!

The big Schloss trail from the wolf Gap Recreation Area is what I would consider a moderate hike…read more It's just a few miles to the summit and the first mile or so is a forestry Road leading up out of wolf Gap. When you reach the Ridgeline and head north along the mountain it's more of a typical Appalachian type Trail. There's no water along the ridge although there are some campsites. The last scramble to the Rock Summit is fairly steep and not for the faint of heart. If you go during warm weather watch your footing, because there are numerous rattlesnakes in the area. You can continue to the north and make it all the way to Half Moon Mountain, or turn right and go east towards the white rocks Lookout.

Absolutely beautiful landscapes and views of the valley and ridge lines. The hike is a short…read moredistance (0.8 miles) to the view point, but the change in elevation makes it a great workout.

- Update - *Several…read morepeople have advised me that the bird that tried to attack me is a Ruffled Grouse!* Apparently, they are well known in the area and confirmed to be aggressive and make strange noises! *Don't say you haven't been warned! :-) Saturday for the Memorial Weekend, I went to Wardensville WV to hike the Eagle Rock. AKA Tuscarora Trail. It's a simple 1 hour from my house. It's part of the Great North Mountain that acts as part of a natural border of WV and VA for some miles. The total miles of the Tuscarora Trail is 252 miles. It runs through PA/MD/WV and VA. It catches some of the Appalacian Trail at the Matthew's Arm Campground area. This trail was built as an alternative route for the Appalacian Trail due to the fear of the AT being shut down from development along the areas. The Tuscarora Trailhead for this location starts on the tippy top of The Great North Mtn on US48/VA55. At this location also you are in George Washington National Forest. You honestly can't miss it. 66w to 81s. Strasburg Exit to US48/VA55 follow for about 17 miles and you crest the mountain. There is a sign at the crest on the left near the wooods saying Tuscarora Trail. You can see it from the road. It slightly catches your eye but on the right side, you will see a big brown sign that says Entering Wardensville Cooperative Wildliffe Management Area. Park at the sign. Do not block the fire gates. I started out a little upset by the amount of hiker garbage on the o/s guardrail. Tons of Ice tea and water bottles littering the entire area. Not just a couple. It's like a ground of plastic bottles here. Also a bit worrisome was the constant gunshots. Over and Over until about the 1.5 mile stretch ends. I even saw Shot gun casings on the path, but I guess the sign did say Wildlife management Area. Geeze. The first mile was strenuous. There, I passed my first and only group of people I ever saw. They seemed to be teens chaperoned by 3 adults. They were catching their breath on the first mile. It was steep. Afterward, it leveled out and you could see you were walking the ridgeline of the mountain by looking o/s the trees to the mountain next door. Same height. From here it went from breathlessly uphill to muscle scortching downhill and leveling out.. over and over.. so overall there was give and take. A lot of the path became weedy and made my legs itchy. Some times it was almost knee length weeds. and the bugs. oh... the bugs. Don't stop for too long. I was breathing in a lot of bug protien on Saturday, let me tell you I had bugs for prelunch, lunch and snack! You could hear them around your head like a beehive. It was very much more wild than SNP. You could feel the wildness out here... I swear I am surprised I didn't see a bear. It was definately Bear Country! Speaking of this, let me also tell you what scared the living heck out of me up there. (Turns out after the scare I was laughing out loud all to myself but at the the time... I thought I was going to die) I heard some leaves russling... I slowed down and made a little noise...This...This... Turkey Bird Thing races out of the woods at full turkey bird speed and is coming right at me. It puffs up it's whole body and the tail spreads out like a Turkey but it's not big like a Turkey, more of a chicken size but fatter.... anyway this thing runs to me with his body puffed out and all I could do was walk backward and shout No over and over and over.. It's amazing I didn't fall down! That bird was litterally attacking me. I guess there was a nest along the patch in the woods and I was a bit close but OMG, If it were a bear, I'd be dead. That simple. Freaking Bird. OMG.... so it went off to the right and made this sound like a beaten dog.. wimpering..it was terrible. and When I started on my way, it followed me ! It was walking in the woods making that sickening noise for a good couple yards...That whole situation made me wonder about this dumb whistle I brought with me for safety. wow. wth is this whistle going to do! I forgot it was even in my hand! and that was a bird! lol. So later at a rock outcrop I almost sit on the one snake I saw the entire time. He was identical to the rock. Identical. I looked right at him and sat next to him. (?!?) The views were nice. A good change from SNP views. I'm glad I chose to hike this mountain this summer. There's so much more of it to hike and it even meets up with the Stairway to Heaven I did a couple weeks prior. I'm interested in exploring it a bit more. I may need to invest in a bigger whistle and perhaps a nice size knife as well. In the end, I was trying to outhike the storm on the way back to the car. I almost made it. But I was dripping wet once I turned the key! It was a great day and a great hike.

11 years later, Saturday June 25th I finally came back to finish what I started…read more . Let me say, I hike a lot! I don't mind 10 miles flat or up and down. This trail however, was brutal! Rocks, boulders and more rocks. That was my trail path. It takes more time and more energy. Know this* My foot hit the path at 1pm. I got in my car for home at 7:39pm. Not bad considering the situation, but tbh, I didn't think I was going to make it. It was exhausting but great part is, it's a round trip. Not one way, turn around and go back. Start out on Massanutten trail to reach the TV station (hence Signal knob) then return to parking on the Tuscarora trail. So silent, unlike the A.T and NPS in the area. The Tuscarora is more wild and silent. How I feel about it, anyway. . I need a badge for hiking this for real. You know how you get tired and you don't pick your feet up high enough you stub your feet on the rocks? Well with the trail being nothing but rocks, my toe is feeling it. Check my toe pic. I literally started cursing the trail everytime I stubbed my toe. Such an adventure!!! I love to hate it.

One of my new favorite local hikes - this 10.5 mile loop is a great workout and only 1.5 hours from…read moreDC. This trail also has more than its fair share of gorgeous vistas. In the first few miles, you'll climb over 2,000 feet and be rewarded by a view of the surrounding mountains. The valley below acts as a fog basin some mornings, making for a beautiful sight. The Fort Valley overlook comes a bit later. This one is great in the fall and winter, but offers less of a view when the leaves are out. When you reach Signal Knob, there is a panoramic view of Strasburg. This area is more developed, but still picturesque and a perfect lunch spot. Be careful when hiking this trail after a storm. The ascent is narrow, steep, and rocky at points - icy or wet rocks add to the difficulty factor. Solid shoes and sure feet are a plus! After all that hard work, you probably need some fresh apple cinnamon donuts. Happily, that's easy to accomplish. On your way back to DC, stop at exit 13 and pick some up from the Apple House.

This is a 1.5 mile out and another 1.5 miles back for a total of 3 miles round trip hike to the…read morelower falls . The hike is not too bad majority is tripping hazards , it has a few spots that get a little steep . As someone who has had double digit knee surgeries I would say it falls in between easy and moderate . Took just under an hour to make it out to the lower 3 falls . Now the trail gets very steep and rough after the 3 lower falls so unless you are in some good shape you might want to just take in the lower falls and call it good .

Beautiful hike with lots of waterfalls. The trail was supposed to be a loop but we couldn't find…read morewhere to cross above the waterfall so ended up doing an out and back.

Kepler overlook Trail in the Monongahela National Forest can be accessed either from Route 600 in…read moreFetzer Gap Virginia or off of Van Buren Road in Mauer town. The latter trailhead is near Cedar Creek and proceeds about 3 miles up the mountain with a fairly steep elevation gain. The trail in from Route 600 takes advantage of the Tuscarora Trail along the ridge line. It is about 4 miles to the campsites at Kepler overlook. First and foremost you need to know that the campsites are dry so you'll have to pack in all the water you want. The Tuscarora Trail is well-marked but it is a fairly moderate Trail including some rock scrambles. There are three or four good campsites on Kepler overlook with fire rings and log seats. Firewood is plentiful due to downed trees. There is parking for about 10 cars in the Van Buren Trail head, but only about two cars off of Route 600.

Awesome hike. I wouldn't say it's "hard" but "moderate" is fair, mostly for the distance I guess…read more The trail is not flat or even, so don't expect that. There are easier shorter trails in the area if you need them. VERY close to Bear Chase which makes a great post hike drink and meal!

Great hike, go on a weekday morning. Otherwise there is way too many hikers on the trail.read more

CAUTION: Bring an extra pair of socks or two. There are a lot of streams you need to cross (by…read morehopping over rocks which aren't all stable to the ground) so you could easily just drench your shoes if you're not the most agile like me. If you're looking for a workout hike, then this is for you. Especially on a cloudy winter day, you're mainly looking at dead trees - lots of brown and more tan-ish looking brown scenery, so really not the best views. However, there are mini waterfalls and streams every now and then. The overlook is also small and pretty sad in terms of views. Overall, the hike is pretty hard for people who don't go hiking very often, but it was very satisfying after making it up to the top. There's a lot of rocks you need to hike up (mainly rocky paths and trails) and streams. Make sure you enter through the right side of the parking lot if you're looking for the Little Devils Stairs Trail (there should be a long pole looking sign with the name on it). You will be hiking up about 3 miles (~1500 feet of elevation). Be careful and make sure you are following the blue markers. They weren't very obvious to me, but fortunately, one of my friends have gone on this hike before so he knew where he was going. Afterwards, you can take the fire road down (super easy downhill walk on a trail). The entire hike is about 5.5-6 miles - it was tough going up, but an easy and relaxing walk to the bottom. Note, if you want to go to the overlook, it's on the way down on the fire road, not on the top. It's pretty small so it can be easy to miss.

My husband and I hiked this trail and found it to be pretty strenuous for us, personally. We are…read moreaverage middle age folks that love the outdoors. We went up the trail side and came down the fire road, as most people we saw. Our tech devices measured 7.4 miles total which is more than we anticipated. An unexpected burial site and a small overlook on the fire road. Some scrambling necessary. Pretty steep and I'm glad we chose to go up the trail and down the fire road rather than the opposite. We would have struggled coming down! Really beautiful hike with lots of water crossovers. Will go again!

Moderate due to rocky terrain but well maintained, nice shade up and down trail crosses creek…read more Beautiful view.

This hike is a great out and back trail and not too far out there especially if you're coming from…read moreDC. It's not in a National park either so no fees! Roughly 2 miles out and 2 miles back in, this hike doesn't get particularly steep until maybe the last .5 mile up the ridge. But of rock scrambling and cobbles on the trail so ankle support is recommended but not necessary. The white blazes are well marked and helpful with all the fall leaf litter. Dog friendly but probably nicer if your dog is a little bit taller (saw a corgi and a dachshund being carried by their owners for the rock scrambling). Our coonhound had a great time. No trash can so be prepared to pack out all garbage. Only con is limited and steep parking which can get dicey if the lot is full. Come early on a nice weekend day and you should be fine. Trail itself did not feel overly crowded.

Great family campground that is a first come, first serve location in the Shanandoah Valley. We…read morelucked out by getting a site on the river with a small waterfall behind our tent. We stayed for a week and although there were several small kids, noise level was minimal during the day and nonexistent after 9 pm. The camp host worked endlessly to keep the grounds free of trash/leaves on the main roadways and walking paths. There was a sheriff's vehicle that drove through periodically which was an added security. There are a variety of walking trails from easy to more advanced adventures. Sites are $10 off season and $20 for in season. They do have bath houses open for in season campers and several bathrooms that are well kept all year long.

This is a great place to take the family or just go alone and enjoy the out doors, there is…read moreprimitive camp site for the guys and gals that are up for roughing it and sites that have water and showers if you feel like relaxing a bit more. The trails in the area aren't difficult to hike at all even kids can do most of them. Passage creek is a great place to trout fish, but please make sure you have your trout stamp and national forest stamp for your fishing licenses. In the summer the creek is a fun place to swim and there is lots of history in the park go explore and have fun.