| 4.5 mile Appalachian Trail route Route |
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| 4.5 mile Appalachian Trail route   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Virginia, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 36.65970°N / 81.5447°W Route Type: Hike Time Required: Half a day Difficulty: Walk-up
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| Page By: hgrapid Created/Edited: Mar 16, 2004 / Mar 8, 2006 Object ID: 160412 Hits: 1480 Loading... Page Score: 81.74% - 2 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
ApproachTo get to Mt. Rogers, take I-81 all the way down to Exit 35. Go South until you reach rt. 600. Once on 600 traveled a 2 or 3 miles, until you see a left turn to go to rt. 603. DO NOT TAKE rt. 603! Instead, go past route 603, and make the next left, 50 yards down the road This is Whitetop Road, which you can take for 5 miles to the Elk Garden Trailhead.)
The AT trailhead is at Elk Garden (4,450'). It is a small parking lot which indicates the Appalachian Trail. There is a registration box and information kiosk at the trailhead. Across the road from the rustic parking lot, is a gate. Open and close the gate behind you and you will find a sign which says, 4.5 miles to Mt. Rogers.
The trail starts across the road, on this meadow
Route DescriptionThe trail up goes over one a bare field. Then you see some light trees, and then you enter the woods, where you are greeted by a wilderness sign. Follow the Appalachain trail and you will see Mount Rogers through the trees. After a couple miles you start the ascent uphill. It is about 3 miles to Wilburn Ridge. You never get on the ridge. The trail curves around and goes back towards the Rogers summit. 1 mile later you get to a higher clearing above the meadows. This is a very pretty spot to sit and relax, and enjoy a splendid view. A little higher up is a sign that says, Mt. Rogers Summit, 1/2 mile. The trail to the top is in the middle of dense woods, without any view. Just a big boulder. When I went, the high point sign was gone. The people at the visitors center said it was stolen. It may be back up, but don't count on it being there.
Elevation gain is about 1,500 feet due to the ups and downs.
Round Trip hike is 9 miles.
-However, for a longer hike, I suggest playing around in Wilburn Ridge, which is quite pretty. But beware, because it is a very large area, where you will cover a lot of mileage. Plan for a long day if you want to explore Wilburn Ridge.
Essential GearThe trail can get icy in winter, so just be careful. I climbed in January and slipped a couple times, but I was okay. Just bring some nice shoes, because it is a long hike.
Miscellaneous InfoIf you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
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