The weather looks great. Was supposed to be there this week but it seemed far too hot. Planning to go in the last week of October now so hopefully I get weather like yours.
Awesome video, man. Whitetop is a spectacular area. I think the views are better there than in the Grayson Highlands SP or Wilburn Ridge areas, and as you noted far less crowds. I've only ever been on days during the week and I've never seen a sole there except for one time I saw a technician doing some work on the towers. Good call on saving the state park trails for a separate day. Those trails are short but Listening Rock and the falls are some ball buster climbs. The loop around the top of Haw Orchard is very easy and spectacular views. All the state park trails are very underrated, since most people only go there to hit Massie Gap and the ponies steal the show.
Views on Whitetop on about 180 degrees. The views on Pound Mountain looking back at Whitetop are 360 degrees and is about 5 miles southwest of Whitetop as the crow flies. I just recently visited Pound Mountain with insight gained from watching Zach’s videos the last few months.
Great Video Zach! What a beautiful day. At 22:25 the ridge you refer to as Pine Mountain, I believe is actually Brier Ridge, which runs north and south. Cabin Ridge, also running north and south, is on the other side of Brier Ridge. Pine Mountain is on the other side of Cabin Ridge and runs southwest to northeast and intersects with Wilburn Ridge at Rhododendron Gap.
(A bunch of wrong statements correctly pointed out by Bryan DeLay about the visibility of Cabin Ridge, Wilburn Ridge, Pine Mountain, and Thomas Knob condensed into one sentence.)
Zach, look at your Mt. Rogers High Country map again. At 22:25 that ridge in the foreground is definitely Brier Ridge. Cabin Ridge is on the other side of Brier Ridge and is not visible from you where you're standing. Wilburn Ridge, Thomas Knob and Rhododendron Gap are not visible either from where you are standing. The gap in the view between Mt. Rogers and the knob on Brier Ridge is about 5,100 feet. I've hiked the trails in that area many times and in a video named "Cabin Ridge At Mt. Rogers", that I did 8 years ago, I actually hiked out the bald on Brier Ridge and then bushwhacked down to the Helton Creek Trail. Also in my Mt. Rogers video I posted last June, on my last day I actually take the VHHT across Cabin Ridge, down to Middle Fork of Helton Creek, climb up to the gap on Brier Ridge in your foreground and finally drop down to Elk Garden where I started the trip.
I’m going to shuttle Massey Gap to Whitetop sometime soon. I’ve still not made it to Whitetop. The views look impressive from this video and the pics I’ve seen.
You might consider VA 603 instead for a longer trip so you don't miss the AT beyond Grayson Highlands. The Stone Mountain section is probably my favorite.
Here's our big mileage breakdown of the area. www.hikingupward.com/JNF/MtRogersGraysonHighlands/. You can also use the AT distance calculator too. www.atdist.com/
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Doing this same hike tomorrow.
The weather looks great. Was supposed to be there this week but it seemed far too hot. Planning to go in the last week of October now so hopefully I get weather like yours.
Well everything is between 4,500-5,500 feet, so it is the coolest you're going to get in VA. It is a lot of sun exposure though.
Awesome video, man. Whitetop is a spectacular area. I think the views are better there than in the Grayson Highlands SP or Wilburn Ridge areas, and as you noted far less crowds. I've only ever been on days during the week and I've never seen a sole there except for one time I saw a technician doing some work on the towers. Good call on saving the state park trails for a separate day. Those trails are short but Listening Rock and the falls are some ball buster climbs. The loop around the top of Haw Orchard is very easy and spectacular views. All the state park trails are very underrated, since most people only go there to hit Massie Gap and the ponies steal the show.
I'd like to knock out all those trails on a nice day.
Awesome Video again! Thanks for posting
Thanks!
Thank You Zachary
Thanks Robert
Views on Whitetop on about 180 degrees.
The views on Pound Mountain looking back at Whitetop are 360 degrees and is about 5 miles southwest of Whitetop as the crow flies. I just recently visited Pound Mountain with insight gained from watching Zach’s videos the last few months.
Great Video Zach! What a beautiful day. At 22:25 the ridge you refer to as Pine Mountain, I believe is actually Brier Ridge, which runs north and south. Cabin Ridge, also running north and south, is on the other side of Brier Ridge. Pine Mountain is on the other side of Cabin Ridge and runs southwest to northeast and intersects with Wilburn Ridge at Rhododendron Gap.
(A bunch of wrong statements correctly pointed out by Bryan DeLay about the visibility of Cabin Ridge, Wilburn Ridge, Pine Mountain, and Thomas Knob condensed into one sentence.)
Zach, look at your Mt. Rogers High Country map again. At 22:25 that ridge in the foreground is definitely Brier Ridge. Cabin Ridge is on the other side of Brier Ridge and is not visible from you where you're standing. Wilburn Ridge, Thomas Knob and Rhododendron Gap are not visible either from where you are standing. The gap in the view between Mt. Rogers and the knob on Brier Ridge is about 5,100 feet. I've hiked the trails in that area many times and in a video named "Cabin Ridge At Mt. Rogers", that I did 8 years ago, I actually hiked out the bald on Brier Ridge and then bushwhacked down to the Helton Creek Trail. Also in my Mt. Rogers video I posted last June, on my last day I actually take the VHHT across Cabin Ridge, down to Middle Fork of Helton Creek, climb up to the gap on Brier Ridge in your foreground and finally drop down to Elk Garden where I started the trip.
Thanks for the corrections, I made a note of it in the video info. I'm embarrassed how wrong I was and am very self-critical when I make mistakes.
Don't feel too bad, we all make mistakes. In fact the older I get I seem to misspeak more often and have to correct the video with a title overlay.
I know, I'm very hard on myself.
I’m going to shuttle Massey Gap to Whitetop sometime soon. I’ve still not made it to Whitetop. The views look impressive from this video and the pics I’ve seen.
You might consider VA 603 instead for a longer trip so you don't miss the AT beyond Grayson Highlands. The Stone Mountain section is probably my favorite.
Zachary Robbins thanks for the suggestion. I think I’ll do that when the time comes.
Here's our big mileage breakdown of the area. www.hikingupward.com/JNF/MtRogersGraysonHighlands/. You can also use the AT distance calculator too. www.atdist.com/
Nice balds! :-D
They definitely are
Just found your channel. Isn't Whitetop awesome? The campsite next to the spring is my go-to spot when I want to camp on a work night.
Yeah it's a great area, I want to return sometime this Spring.