Hike Paddy Mountain Trail with the Sierra Club

We hope you can join us Saturday, May 31 for a hike at Paddy Mountain in West Jefferson. The hike is 3.4 miles long with an elevation gain of about 350 feet, and will take 2-3 hours to complete. PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE HIKE USING THE LINK ON THE SIERRA CLUB'S BLUE RIDGE GROUP'S CALENDAR ON OUR HOME PAGE. That way we can contact you with any changes or additional information.

We will meet at the Paddy Mountain Park at 792 Ridge Avenue in West Jefferson at 10:00. There are no signs on 194 indicating where to turn for the park so look for the Ridge Avenue street sign. The parking area has restrooms and picnic tables and serves as the trailhead for the Paddy Mountain Trail. The trail itself is a stacked loop (a figure-eight pattern) with an access trail of 0.3-mile, a lower 1.1-mile Shagbark Hickory Loop, and a 1.7-mile Cohosh Trail Loop, for a total of 3.4 miles. We plan to hike the entire trail but people who want a shorter hike can skip the Cohosh Trail making it a 2.3-mile hike. The trail was finished in fall 2024 and is in excellent shape with generally a 5% grade. The trail goes through a beautiful, open second-growth forest. The hike will take about 2-3 hours depending on how often we stop for breaks and to discuss the natural history of the area. Be sure to bring whatever snacks you need, a liter of water, and appropriate layers and rain gear as the weather dictates.

There is no charge for this hike and it is open to both Sierra Club members and to non-members. We do require participants to sign a standard liability waiver at the trailhead or when registering. If you'd like to read the waiver prior to the hike please email us at BlueRidgeSierraClub@gmail.com.