Summary

This will be a one-way north to south hike on the Appalachian Trail from the Punchbowl Mountain Crossing, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the James River (US 501).

The hikes begins at about 2200 ft of elevation and begins a climb of 700 ft. up Punchbowl Mountain at 2900 ft. After a little bit of level trail, the climb begins again to Bluff Mountain and the high point of the hike at 3372 ft., at 2 miles. From the summit there is a 1.5 mile descent of 777 ft. to Saltlog Gap.

At 3.7 miles we'll skirt a natural amphitheater on the west side of Siler's Knob. At 6.0 miles there is an excellent view from a cliff on the east side of the trail at Big Rocky Row. After passing the summit of Big Rocky Row we'll begin a descent of 666 ft.

At 7.2 miles we'll reach the crest of Little Rocky Row and begin a descent of 1630 ft. through a long series of switchbacks to the James River and the end of the hike.

Please allow 6 hours of hiking time for this clothing optional hike. This is a one-way hike and requires a car Shuttle.

Directions To Trailhead Parking Lot

We will be meeting at the Super 8 hotel in Lexington, Virginia. The address for the hotel is 1139 North Lee Hwy, Lexington, Virginia. Zip Code 24450.

We will be leaving the Super 8 hotel for the trailheads at 8:00 AM sharp. Please arrive earlier for planning and driving directions.  This is a one-way hike and requires a car shuttle. Driving time to the traileads is 49 minutes.