Reddit reviews AMC's Best Backpacking in the Mid-Atlantic: A Guide To 30 Of The Best Multiday Trips From New York To Virginia

AMC's Best Backpacking in the Mid-Atlantic: A Guide To 30 Of The Best Multiday Trips From New York To Virginia https://www.amazon.com/dp/193402886X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_w9BRBbF0HDNER

The Trout Valley hike from this guide is really close to you. Trail head is near intersection of 66 & 81.

Here’s an online guide to that hike.

http://midatlantichikes.com/troutrunvalley.htm

Book does it clockwise and the online guide goes counter clockwise. I did the hike a month ago. I can see the advantages to either way.

I’m on vacation and don’t have that AMC book on me, but there’s a loop that has you summit several mountains in the southern section of Shenandoah that is one of my favorites. It’s very easy to scale that trip based on how many days you have or how many miles you can do in a day.

I’ve done a variation with my wife that was two days, two nights, ~25 miles, and a another solo three day, two nighter of ~50 miles. You gain and lose a ton of elevation in this part of the park. So, careful with how many miles you plan per day.

Loop has you summit Trayfoot, Furnace, and Blackrock mountains at a minimum.

Highly recommend that AMC book. Great maps with camp spot and water info for every trip.

If you too cheap for a proper guide, this is a decent list:

https://www.desktodirtbag.com/best-hikes-in-virginia/

DC Ultralight’s Meetup page can also you give ideas. I’m not a member but have used their trips for ideas for my own hikes.

https://www.meetup.com/DC-UL-Backpacking/

I recommend picking up a copy of the AMC's best Mid-Atlantic backpacking trip book: https://www.amazon.com/AMCs-Best-Backpacking-Mid-Atlantic-Multiday/dp/193402886X

Has 30 trips from easy to advanced skill level and a good variety all over the Mid-Atlantic with turn-by-turn instructions and general insight on the area. Shenandoah is also a great place to go if you're in DC. (My girlfriend and I go all the time.) On their site, they have pre-planned trips that are great for people just getting started.

http://midatlantichikes.com/troutrunvalley.htm

AMC's Best Backpacking in the Mid-Atlantic: A Guide To 30 Of The Best Multiday Trips From New York To Virginia https://www.amazon.com/dp/193402886X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_j6B2Bb6W2Q91K

Trout valley is awesome. The online guide does it counter clockwise. The book does it clockwise. I hiked this in September and can see the pros and cons either way.

Highly recommend that AMC book. Great maps and detailed descriptions of water and camp spots.