Shenandoah Mountain to Great North Mountain

1.    Little Dry River Road (FDR 87) from Hall Spring Road (FDR 85) to German River Road (FDR 232), 0.5 miles.

2.    FDR 232 from FDR 87 to Carr Mountain Trail.

3.    Carr Mountain Trail from FDR 232 to Grove Hollow Road (FDR 302), approx. 5 miles.

4.    FDR 302 from Carr Mountain Trail to Bergton Road (VA 820), 8.2 miles.

5.    VA 820 from FDR 302 to Brocks Gap Road (VA 259), 1.3 miles.

6.    VA/WV 259 from VA 820 to Hunkerson Gap Road (WV 259/12), 3.8 miles.

Discussion:

1.  Hall Spring Road (FDR 85) ends as it joins Little Dry River Road (FDR 87) coming in from the left.  The two roads form a Y-junction here, and thus no turn is necessary to continue in the northbound direction.  FDR 87 is a cross-mountain gravel road that becomes VA 818, Little Dry River Road, after it emerges from the National Forest on the Virginia side.  There is a four-way street sign at the junction, of the type that you might expect to see on an urban street corner.

A quarter mile past the junction there is a broad, grassy saddle in the ridge, providing a great view of the Little Dry River valley to the east.  This would be a good place for a lunch stop.

2.  Turn L onto FDR 232.  This is not a perfect T-junction since most of the traffic turns to the right to continue on FDR 87, but the sign for 232 should be visible from the junction.  After 0.1 mile turn L again at another T-junction to stay on FDR 232.  The upper German River valley will be on your right as you follow FDR 232 down the stream from its source near Sand Spring.  After a half mile or so the road will cross over this small stream that is one of the headwaters sources of the Shenandoah River's North Fork.

Eventually there is a junction with FDR 232-B, which continues downstream or north, while FDR 232 goes off to the right and crosses the stream, which can be rock-hopped at this point.  On the other side of the valley there is a Y-junction with FDR 1117 as well as an adjacent campsite.  To continue on FDR 232 it will be necessary to make a turn at a reverse angle onto the other fork of the Y.  You will immediately dip down into a hollow where there is a rocky ford where the road crosses a stream.  The German River valley should now be on your left.

3.  The western trailhead for the Carr Mountain Trail is on FDR 232 about one half mile north of the junction of FDR 232 with 1117.  To the northbound hiker it would appear to be an old side road ascending steeply to the right, but it is not drivable for more than a few feet.  Watch for the spray-painted yellow blazes and/or orange flagging that identify the route.  Since the trail is still in the study stage during the growing season of 2007, the treadwork that is needed in places has not been done yet.

The northbound trail gradually ascends the Carr Mountain ridge.  For the first mile or so you can sometimes see the private inholding on the right.  Past the private land, the route sidehills to the right in places around knobs in the ridge.  At other times the trail follows existing hunters paths.  Eventually it passes a sizable pool of standing water on a saddle in the ridge, at the head of Beech Lick Run.

Caution is needed when following the yellow blazes on the summit ridge.  There is also a newly blazed trail leading up to a hunters camp on the ridge.  It has what appears to be yellow oil-based paint brushed onto ax blazes and thus is different in appearance from the yellow spray paint used along the Carr Mountain Trail.  There is a similar hunters path leading downhill from the Beech Lick spring, but it has red blazes.

The trail then traverses the rocky summit slope of Beech Lick Knob without actually crossing its high point.  East of Beech Lick Knob there is another well-established path that goes past a hunting campsite marked by a large blue and white bulls-eye blaze.

Following the ridge between Beech Lick and White Grass Knobs, the trail then descends to the right in a broad S-curve and wraps around the head of Marshall Run.  It then extends for some distance out onto Cabin Ridge.  Crossing over Cabin Ridge, the flag line now overlooks the Lairs Run valley.  FR 302 begins at the base of White Grass Knob.  This trailhead has an earthen barrier to discourage through motor traffic.  Continue through the clearing and start following the road downhill.

This map shows existing and proposed trails between FDR 232 and FDR 302.  See also the discussion on that page.

4.  Grove Hollow Road (FDR 302) is also known on the outside as Blue Hole Road.  The uphill portion of the road gradually descends from White Grass Knob through the uninhabited interior of the North River district toward the Blue Hole picnic area.  Some years you might encounter loggers somewhere in the vicinity.  The road is pretty open and thus can be hot to hike in the summer.  A detailed mileage summary for FDR 302 in the northbound direction follows:

5.  If you can't wait to get to the Green Valley General Store a couple of miles ahead on VA 259 or need to visit the Post Office anyway, the Bergton Grocery is 0.5 mile west (left) on VA 820 from Blue Hole Road, and the Bergton, VA Post Office (ZIP Code 22811) is another quarter mile past the Grocery.  Bergton is a rural residential community; the Grocery is really another general store, and the Post Office is attached to a local residence.  The Post office is open from 7 AM to 4 PM weekdays but closes for lunch from 1 to 2:15 PM.  Saturday hours are 7:15 to 11 AM.  The next good Post Office along the trail northbound from Bergton is Basye - about another 13 miles.

The main route to the right (north/eastbound) on Bergton Road (VA 820) from Blue Hole is relatively short but has blind curves and no shoulders.  It is simply not suitable for cyclists or those on horseback and should only be used by intrepid thru-hikers who are willing to assume the risk and are good at diving into ditches at the sound of approaching traffic.

This is one of the main problem areas on the entire link section.  A better hiking route into Blue Hole - or at least that end of the North River Ranger District - is needed.  We are currently checking into the possibility of adding shoulders since the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is in the process of doing something with the road anyway.

A direct trail crossing of VA 259 near this point might eventually be possible, connecting the Lee and North River districts.  The private land on the east side of the highway has a single owner.  It would still be a major project to build switchbacks down from the ridge trail on Great North Mountain (actually Church Mountain at this latitude).

6.  WV/VA 259, also known as Brocks Gap Road, is a two lane highway.  Brocks Gap is at the south end of the Great North Mountain group, where the North Fork of the Shenandoah River curves into West Virginia like a big J.  The German River, Capon Run, and other tributaries meet near Blue Hole to form the North Fork.  You ford some of these headwaters streams while thru-hiking the Great Eastern Trail.

The neighborhood to the west of Brocks Gap is also known as Fulks Run, but the trail does not turn in that direction.  The shoulders along this part of Brocks Gap Road are wide and grassy, so you should just hope that they have been mowed recently.  A hiker's cap might be blown off by a passing truck serving the local poultry industry, but otherwise the light traffic shouldn't be much of a problem.

There are a couple of interesting places along this stretch of road.  The Green Valley General Store is a rather tiny place that brings to mind the Siler Country Store on the Tuscarora Trail, the Mountain Grove General Store in Bath County, and other similar places.  There is a bench in front of the store where hikers could sit and enjoy their refreshments.  In addition to a freezer full of ice cream bars and a selection of home-made pies, there is a country diner in one end of the store, with enough seats for about 20 people.

Near here you should see an establishment known as the Highland Retreat.  Although it is primarily a church camp, primitive campsites with hot showers and a few other amenities are available for a modest price, so inquire at the office if you are interested.

A little further north the route crosses the Fairfax Line which is also the state boundary.  The Line was laid out in the fall of 1746 by a party of surveyors including Peter Jefferson, the father of our third president.  Ironically, the lands of Lord Fairfax in this area were on what is now the West Virginia side, extending out to the southwestern tip of Maryland.

See also an earlier scouting report covering this section.

This page last updated May 2, 2007