APPALACHIAN TRAIL ACCESS

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The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a public footpath across 2,144 miles of Appalachian Mountain ridgelines from Maine to Georgia. From Maine's Katahdin to Georgia's Springer Mountain, this footpath winds through scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Trail is primarily used for walks and day hikes by all manner of nature enthusiasts from birders to wildflower photographers.

One-fourth of the Appalachian Trail lies in Virginia. Shenandoah National Park has 100 miles of graded Appalachian Trail while The Skyline Drive intersects with it 32 times. The trail continues roughly parallel to but generally many miles removed from the Blue Ridge Parkway. It crosses the Parkway two times in this 70-mile stretch. It is then close to it, with several crossings, for a short distance in Jefferson National Forest. From here the Trail route crosses west of the Shenandoah Valley.

Appalachian Trail Access from Blue Ridge Parkway

A number of abbreviations have been used in the following list of Parkway accesses to the Appalachian Trail in order to make the listing as brief as possible.

• Parkway Left (PWL) and Parkway Right (PWR) indicates which side of the Parkway as though you are traveling south.
• Milepost (MP) mark every mile of the Parkway on PWR
• AT is for the Appalachian Trail
• USFS stands for United States Forest Service
• BRP stands for Blue Ridge Parkway

  
  Milepost Information

  0.0 AT access, PWR, parking available
  2.2 AT crosses BRP, parking along VA Rt 610, PWR
  6.0 Humpback Gap Parking Area, PWL, AT access
  8.5 Humpback Rocks Picnic Area, PWL, AT access
  9.6 Dripping Rock Parking Area, PWL, AT access
  13.1 Three ridges Parking Overlook, PWL, AT access
  13.7 Reed's Gap, VA Rt 664, PWL, AT access
  15.4 Love Gap, PWL, AT access, No Parking
  16.0 PWL, AT access, parking along gravel road, .5 miles to Maupin Field Shelter
  34.4 Yankee Horse Parking Area, PWL, AT access; 3.5 miles south to Wiggins Spring Shelter
  51.5 AT crossing, PWR, .25 miles to Punch Bowl Shelter
  71.1 Petite's Gap, PWR, USFS Rd #35, AT crossing, limited parking
  74.7 Thunder Ridge Overlook, PWR, AT access
  74.9 AT crossing, no parking, .6 miles (left) to Thunder Hill Shelter
  76.5 Apple Orchard Overlook, PWL, parking allowed, AT crosses at 76.3; Thunder Hill Shelter on trail
  78.4 Sunset Field Overlook, PWR, 1.1 mile trail to Apple Orchard Falls; 2.5 miles on AT to Cornelius Creek Shelter
  80.5 Floyd Field, PWR, AT access; Cornelius Creek Shelter, right 300 feet down USFS road
  86 AT access north of Peaks of Otter area
  90.9 Parking available along Rt 43 (PWR) and Rt 695 (PWL); AT goes under the Parkway
  92.5 Sharp Top Overlook, PWL, AT crossing
  93.1 Boblett's Gap, PWR, follow old roadbed right for 100 yards, left on AT, .5 miles to Boblett's Gap Shelter
  95.3 Harvey's Knob Overlook, PWR, AT crossing, 2 miles north to Boblett's Gap Shelter
  95.9 Montvale Overlook, PWL, AT goes through Overlook
  97.0 Taylor's Mountain Overlook, PWL, AT crossing
  97.7 Blackhorse Gap, PWR, 2.7 miles south to Wilson's Creek Shelter and 4.9 miles north to Boblett's Gap Shelter
  101.5 Curry Gap, PWR, USFS Rd 191, 1 mile to AT