Hawksbill, Rose River, and Franklin Cliffs Circuit Hike-10 Miles-Strenuous
Details
Starting Point - Lower Hawksbill Gap Parking Area
Ending Point - Lower Hawksbill Gap Parking Area
Hike Distance/Rating - 10 Miles/Strenuous
Trailhead GPS Coordinates - [38.555621, -78.386549]( "Get Directions")
PLEASE NOTE - Since this hike is rated as a strenuous hike, all hikers are going to start on the wait list for this hike until I can verify the hiking experience of all hikers on the wait list. Those who have not hiked a strenuous hike with me have 3 days to answer the following vetting questions.
- How often do you hike?
- What strenuous hikes have you done?
- When and what was the last strenuous hike that you completed?
Failure to answer the vetting questions within 3 days will move those hikers to NOT GOING. The answers to the above questions need to be emailed to me patrickcory@hotmail.com.
Hike Highlights - Lower Hawksbill Gap, Cedar Run Trail, Horse Trail, Frozen Rose River Falls, Fishers Gap, Appalachian Trail, Multiple Vista Points, Hawksbill, 270 Degree Vista from Hawksbill
Hike Details - This is one of my favorite circuit hikes in Shenandoah National Park. We are going to start from the Lower Hawksbill Gap Parking Area. We are going walk down the Cedar Run Trial and turn right onto the Big Meadows Horse Trail. We will parallel Skyline Drive before we start going downhill. We will have 2 stream crossings before we reach the Rose River Falls Loop Trail. We will turn left and continue downhill to the hopefully frozen waterfalls of Rose River. After enjoying the waterfalls, we will retrace our steps and climb up to Fishers Gap and Skyline Drive. We will cross Skyline Drive to the Appalachian Trail. We will turn right and hike the Appalachian Trail to the Salamander/Summit Trail. We will make our way to the summit of Hawksbill and the 270-degree views of Hawksbill. We will finish the circuit hike and descend back down to the cars at the Lower Hawksbill Parking Area. There will be an optional post hike at a restaurant in Ruckersville.
What to Bring - Broken in Hiking Boots, Trekking Poles, Lunch/Snacks, 3 to 5 Liters of Water, First Aid Kit, Good Day Pack, Camera, Tick Repellent, Money for Your Driver, Traction (Microspikes)