Camping/hiking near Winchester (1 Viewer)

[Catskills]

Hey guys,

Planning a long weekend in April with my girlfriend @jvalex . We want to meet halfway which is about Winchester VA. Anybody have ideas about where we could backcountry camp and hike in that vicinity?

Thanks! Kris

 

[JohnVee]

The Cove?

 

[Catskills]

Nah.

 

[bkfj40]

My cabin just west of harrisonburg. There is lots to do including fishing on our pond or hiking/mtn biking our trails and you are adjacent to national forest. Lots of different trails for hiking biking or cruising.

 

[BCM]

Shenandoah National Park starting in Front Royal
Maryland Heights Overlook in Harpers Ferry
Hiking Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and North Carolina - lots of regional hiking options

 

[bkfj40]

there are two hiking sites to check out:

Hiking Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and North Carolina

as well as one that our friends run:

trail index on Virginia Trail Guide


further south are the wild ponies on the hike up to the highest peak in virginia - Mount Rogers

 

[Von Hayek]

My wife and I have always been partial to Elizabeth Furnace Recreation Area Campground, Strasburg, Virginia | REI Camping Project. You can find limited backcountry camping there, but the campground at Elizabeth Furnace is actually quite nice. The hiking all around is fantastic.

 

[MCDavis]

There are basic camping spots all up and down the roads leading into Flagpole Knob and around Switzer Lake. Lots of walking and hiking trails around those areas, and just to the south in/on Reddish Knob. All west of Harrisonburg.
Slightly closer to Winchester is the Taskers Gap/Peters Mill Run trail and campgrounds.

 

[fjman]

I did lots of hiking around there as a kid growing up in Front Royal. Elizabeth Furnace is pretty nice. Strangely didn’t do much hiking in Shenandoah NP despite being so close. You can hop on the AT at Bears Den on route 50 right outside of Winchester and obviously hike for as far as ya want. I’ve also heard there is some hiking on the Gore side of Winchester on Great North Mountain but I’ve never done it myself.

We’ve been heading down toward Charlottesville lately and finding some good 4 year old friendly hikes on Skyline Drive. It’s almost shocking I didn’t spend days on end getting lost up there as a teenager. There is some great hiking to be done up there
; short stuff and big day long loops. I never really thought I’d want to drive the 105 miles or so on Skyline drive end to end but after doing it, it really is a gem! They have campgrounds and a hotel that the NPS operates up there.
Get an annual pass for $90 or whatever and use it lots!

My wife and I have always been partial to Elizabeth Furnace Recreation Area Campground, Strasburg, Virginia | REI Camping Project. You can find limited backcountry camping there, but the campground at Elizabeth Furnace is actually quite nice. The hiking all around is fantastic.

 

[Catskills]

Thanks for all the recommendations! We are taking @bkfj40 up on his cabin offer and will look into hiking and boozing opportunities around Harrisonburg.

 

[DirtNap]

Thanks for all the recommendations! We are taking @bkfj40 up on his cabin offer and will look into hiking and boozing opportunities around Harrisonburg.

College town, shouldn't be hard to find booze. Are you into ice-luge shots?

 

[Crusha]

Are you into ice-luge shots?

Sound like a cheesy pick up line...

 

[DirtNap]

I loves me some Beavis & Butthead. But the passage of time has been tough on ol' Beavis.