A long trek that departs from White Oak Campground at Sherando Lake. Reach the lake via the Blue Ridge Parkway, milepost 16. This Blue Ridge hike has it all: mountains and streams, blueberries, rhododendron, and the convenience of a base camp with showers and flush toilets. (828) 348-3400, www.nps.gov/blri. GPS: N37 55.226' / W79 00.382'. DeLorme: Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer: Page 54, A3.
A challenging day hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway 6 miles south of Rockfish Gap and I-64. Trailhead located at milepost 6. Humpback Rocks is a 3,080-foot outcrop of greenstone with wide views west to the Shenandoah Valley. The hike to the rocks is 1 mile on the Appalachian Trail. Humpback Mountain and more views await another mile down the trail. (828) 348-3400, www.nps.gov/blri. GPS: N37 58.101' / W78 53.781'. DeLorme: Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer: Page 55, A5.
Trailhead is 17 miles northeast of Buena Vista on VA 56. This 3-mile trail runs along a creek that has five major cascades, overlooks, and ends at a parking lot on VA 828. The cumulative 1,200-foot drop in elevation along Crabtree Creek makes this one of the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. There are steps and railings along the trail to aid with hiking over treacherous terrain. (828) 348-3400, www.nps.gov/blri. GPS: N37 51.071' / W79 04.749'. DeLorme: Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer: Page 54, B3.
A point-to-point hike with the northern trailhead on the Blue Ridge Parkway, milepost 29, and southern access on VA 603, northeast of Buena Vista. This is the longest trail in the Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District of the George Washington–Jefferson National Forest. Notable for views of Three Ridges, The Priest, and Adams Peak. (540) 291-2188, www.fs.usda.gov/gwj. GPS: N37 52.179' / W79 08.867'. DeLorme: Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer: Page 54, B2.
Begin at Sunset Field Overlook near milepost 78 on the Blue Ridge Parkway for this 7.5-mile loop. Two-hundred-foot waterfalls and old-growth forest are the highlights of this National Recreation Trail. (540) 291-2188, www.fs.usda.gov/gwj. GPS: N37 30.458' / W79 31.420'. DeLorme: Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer: Page 53, D6.