HIKING VIRGINIA

The term wilderness conjures visions of craggy peaks and untamed woodland far from the beaten track. Virginia’s newest designated wilderness area, Three Ridges and The Priest region, isn’t quite that. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Appalachian Trail (AT) traverses both peaks and the two AT shelters on either side of Three Ridges suit an overnight hike perfectly. The link between them, the Mau-Har Trail, follows Campbell Creek past a 40-foot waterfall and numerous smaller cascades. The treacherous terrain, soaring views, and sheer elevation gain makes this one of the most strenuous and dramatic hikes in Virginia.

THE RUNDOWN

Start: Swinging bridge over the Tye River, 0.1 mile downhill from VA 56

Distance: 13.8-mile lollipop

Hiking time: About 10 hours

Difficulty: Difficult due to the steep climb up Three Ridges via Chimney Rock, and rocky, eroded trail conditions along Campbell Creek

Trail surface: Dirt footpaths and old dirt forest roads run through steep mountain ridges, high-elevation rock outcrops, stream gorges, and sloping hardwood forests.

Land status: National forest and wilderness area

Nearest town: Lovingston, VA

Other trail users: Hunters (in season)

Accessibility: None

Canine compatibility: Dogs permitted on a leash.

Trail contact: Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District, Natural Bridge Station; (540) 291-2188; www.fs.usda.gov/gwj

Schedule: Open year-round

Fees/permits: None

Facilities/features: None

NatGeo TOPO! map: Massies Mill, Horseshoe Mountain, Sherando, Big Levels

NatGeo Trails Illustrated map: Lexington, Blue Ridge Mts; Appalachian Trail, Bailey Gap to Calf Mountain

From Lovingston, drive south on combined US 29/VA 56. In 4.6 miles, follow VA 56 west as it branches right, off US 29. In 4.9 miles, VA 56 merges with VA 151. Turn right and follow the combined VA 56/VA 151 north. In 2.7 miles, follow VA 56 west as it branches left off VA 151. Drive 6 miles on VA 56 as it crosses back and forth over the Tye River. Pass through the small communities of Massie Mill and Tyro. In 6 miles from the split from VA 151, turn left into a dirt parking area. GPS: N37 50.299′ / W79 01.370′. DeLorme: Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer: Page 54, B4.

The region surrounding the mountains of Three Ridges and The Priest packs gorgeous scenery and rugged terrain into a small area. Situated in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and spread over 10 square miles, the two peaks boast an elevation gain of 3,000 feet and rank among the hardest climbs in Virginia. Approaching Three Ridges from the Tye River, the mountain soars 2,973 feet in 6 miles to an elevation of 3,970 feet. The Priest, visible from Three Ridges’ southern cliffs and rock outcrops, offers an almost identical elevation gain. Standing at Harpers Creek and staring up the seemingly vertical ascent up Three Ridges leaves you with a feeling not often encountered in Virginia—that is, a feeling of being completely dwarfed by the land.

Hikes that start with this kind of bang are prone to ending with a whimper. The return along Campbell Creek on the Mau-Har Trail happily defies this notion. (The odd-sounding name Mau-Har is derived from the features it links: Maupin Field Shelter and Harpers Creek.) The trail downhill from Maupin Field Shelter is a narrow footpath etched into the steep-sided stream banks traversing loose rocks. Footing in some areas is as dangerous as the ascent of Three Ridges is difficult.

In 2000 President Clinton signed a bill designating 11,000 acres in The Priest and Three Ridges area as Virginia’s seventeenth wilderness area. The Forest Service and Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) have, since 1993, treated the area as wilderness in anticipation of this move. (This includes, by the way, volunteers maintaining the AT by nonmechanical means. The ATC has held workshops on Three Ridges on the proper use of crosscut saws to fell trees 3 feet in diameter.) When they took their campaign for wilderness designation to Washington, DC, in 2000, Nelson County residents and wilderness advocacy groups cited development pressures as a reason for protection. The land itself is too rugged for timber management, but it protects headwaters of three rivers: the Tye, Piney, and Rockfish Rivers. Two other streams, Campbell and Harpers Creeks, source from the slopes of Three Ridges itself. (Lest anyone think designating wilderness is a regular occurrence, the Three Ridges—The Priest Wilderness was the first for Virginia in 13 years.)

Another view of why Three Ridges deserved wilderness protection comes on Chimney Rock, a well-placed rest and overlook on the AT along the south tip of the mountain. From this elevation of 3,204 feet, the rugged aspect of Virginia’s Blue Ridge fills the horizon. Absent are long, parallel ridgelines that define Virginia’s mountains to the west. Here, it appears a force punched the earth’s crust from below, randomly pushing up steep-sided mountains etched with deep V-shaped gorges down their slopes. It’s as clear a picture a hiker will receive of Virginia’s dual mountain systems. The Blue Ridge Mountains originated in prehistoric volcanic activity. The Allegheny Mountains to the west, by contrast, evolved into long ridges and valleys during extensive folding and faulting of layered rock.

The ruggedness of Three Ridges has given rise to an unusual variation on old-growth trees. You won’t find the enormous trunks and towering heights normally associated with centuries-old stands of oaks and other ancient hardwoods here. Instead, it’s small oaks— called Virginia orchard oaks—that qualify as old growth. They occupy the highest portions of Three Ridges, a factor that shaped both their appearance and their preservation. Why were they spared? They were simply too difficult to get to and remove.

Designation of Three Ridges as a wilderness completes a triumvirate of specially protected lands in the central Blue Ridge of Virginia that includes St. Mary’s Wilderness and the special management area at Mount Pleasant. Special protection doesn’t necessarily mean solitude, however. The 20-foot waterfall on Campbell Creek, 3 miles from VA 56 on the Mau-Har Trail, will likely ensure Three Ridges remains a popular destination for day-trippers. St. Mary’s remains the most heavily used of all Virginia’s wilderness areas— reports of hikers carrying coolers up to the falls on St. Mary’s River persist. Thankfully, the ascent from Harpers Creek Shelter to the highest point on Three Ridges is so severe, a backpack is all the weight that can be safely transported. And that’s the way it should be.

MILES AND DIRECTIONS

0.0Start at a parking area on the south side of VA 56. Cross the highway and descend 0.1 mile to a hand-built cable suspension bridge (reconstructed in 1992 by AT club members). Walk across the bridge and follow the white-blazed AT as it climbs on switchbacks through a forest of mixed hardwoods.

0.3The AT levels out atop a small knob. It eases across the knob and in 0.1 mile begins another steep climb through an oak forest. During the climb, the slope downhill to the right segues into a field and apple orchard.

1.7Turn right and follow the AT at a junction of the AT and Mau-Har Trail. The next mile is a descent to Harpers Creek.

2.5Cross Harpers Creek and hike upstream with the brook on your left. In 0.1 mile, turn right as the AT switches back and begins a steep ascent. Note: At this turn, a faded dirt road leads straight to the Harpers Creek Shelter in about 400 yards. The shelter sleeps six and there is room to pitch tents around it.

4.4Pass Chimney Rock off the left side of the AT. This overlook, along with Hanging Rock on the north side of Three Ridges, offers the best views off Three Ridges. (The term chimney refers to the rock formation of solid, uniform blocks of granite beneath your feet.)

5.8Begin a traverse of the highest point on Three Ridges. The landscape is flat. The grassy forest floor and widely spaced maple and oak trees give this summit approach the appearance of a wooded meadow.

6.1Turn left at a double white blaze and follow the AT over the top of Three Ridges. Note: There are some well-used campsites in this area. Farther up, off the right side of the trail, are more secluded spots with access to small rock outcrops with views north to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

6.8The dirt AT turns to open rock face as the trail crosses Hanging Rock. Views to the south take in The Priest and the Harpers Creek stream valley. The view makes this one of the most coveted tenting spots on this stretch of trail.

8.4Cross Bee Mountain. After this 3,034-foot knob, the AT continues its descent on a narrow, rocky footpath. In 0.3 mile, it widens and turns grassy.

8.8Reach Maupin Field Shelter and turn left onto a wide road. Cross the headwaters of Campbell Creek at the shelter and, in 300 yards, turn right and descend on the blue-blazed Mau-Har Trail along Campbell Creek.

9.3Cross Campbell Creek twice in the next 0.3 mile. Note: Use caution on this narrow section of trail; portions are eroded.

10.0The trail climbs into and out of a gorge where a stream, tumbling off Three Ridges’ steep slope, empties into Campbell Creek.

10.5Mau-Har Trail bears left and uphill, departing the stream valley for a return to the AT. (There is a swimming hole here.) Downstream 0.1 mile is Campbell Falls, a 40-foot waterfall.

12.1Turn right onto the AT for a return to VA 56 and the Tye River.

13.7Cross the Tye River on the suspended bridge.

13.8Hike ends at parking lot on VA 56. (Author recommendation: Ditch the pack, return to stream, and soak yourself in the icy cool of the Tye River.)

Nelson County Visitor Information Center, 8519 Thomas Nelson Hwy. (Route 29), Lovingston; (434) 263-7015; www.nelsoncounty.com

Waltons Mountain Museum, Schuyler, (434) 831-2000, www.waltonmuseum.org. The school attended by Earl Hammer Jr., creator of The Waltons, preserves sets from this classic ’70s television series. Open first Sun in Mar until first Sun in Nov.

Wintergreen Resort, Wintergreen, (434) 325-2200, www.wintergreenresort.com. Lodging in ridgetop condos, a nature foundation, a wilderness school, and 30 miles of its own hiking trails.

Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club, Norfolk, www.tidewateratc.com. Maintains the Mau-Har Trail.

Wilderness Connect, www.wilderness.net, has good national wilderness information.

29. THREE RIDGES