Hiking (Day Hikes)
Echols Dorm: Brick Wall By Side Door
Elliot Knob/Falls Hollow
Come join us for a nice sunday hike at Elliot Knob. We will leave C-ville around 8:15 before it gets hot. If you live near Afton, we can also pick you up from near exit 99 of I64, where we will meet with another trip leader. Just let us know.
Bring-
Lunch, snacks and plenty of water (2-3litter)
Sunscreen and/or a hat
raingear (there is a chance for a thunderstorm)
Sport sandals if you want to cross streams
Club will provide-
Transportation expenses
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It’s 1,361 meters (4,463 feet) tall, and this makes it taller than anything else in the George Washington National Forest. Elliott Knob is actually just the summit, the rest of the mountain is known as the Great North Mountain.
To get there: take route 250 west of Staunton, and take Route 42 south. The trail is 3.3 mi south of Buffalo Gap. The trail is actually a gravel road that is gated at the trailhead, but it is unmarked.
Trail info(from “Hiking Virginia’s National Forests”):
Length: 2.9 miles (4.6 km)
Elevation Gain: 713 m (2,338 feet)
Difficulty Moderate to Strenuous
Description:The trail is actually a broad gravel road that takes a straightforward ridgetop route all the way to the summit and is something of a long pull in sunny hot weather. It passes almost from beginning to end through tracts of head-high scrub of pine, oak, and laurel, indicative of past clearing. This makes for good views back over the Shenandoah Valley and, unfortunately, for a prostrating lack of shade. The road itself is rather steep and has somewhat treacherous footing (loose gravel) so watch your step carefully.
This mountain has a few other trails on it that either merge with Elliott Knob road, or reach the summit. In addition to exploring the other trails near the dummit, we may want to take Falls Hollow Trail on the way back: its trailhead is only about 0.5 miles from the beginning of Elliott Knob Road, and has four waterfalls. But since there are a couple of stream crossings, people may want to come prepared. We can discuss this once we get going.