Ivy Creek - an Easy Day Hike

During my vacation a few weeks ago, I did three day hikes in the Shenandoah National Park. Today I will write about the second one, Ivy Creek, which begins from the Ivy Creek Overlook in the southern district of the Park. This sign about the AT greets you at the trailhead as you begin the 2.8 mile hike, which is also reviewed in the Easy Day Hikes book.

Here's a review from the ajheatwole.com (a good, comprehensive, on-line guide to the Park, by the way) site: "Take the A.T. at the south end of the overlook. You will reach the crest of a knob about half a mile from the overlook, then descends for 0.6 mile. There, with the Drive less than 100 yards uphill on the right, the trail swings left, descends, then swings right and crosses Ivy Creek—1.4 miles from the start. It follows the bank of the stream, climbing easily for nearly 0.3 mile before it swings away to the left. I find this miniature canyon delightful. The A.T. is mostly a ridgetop trail; this is the only place in the Park where it follows a stream. "

On the day I did this, the weather was hot and sunny - well into the 90's, and it was a little humid. So I had plenty of water with me. The destination here is a little pool on the creek in the canyon, I knew I could expect a refreshing cool breeze there and was looking forward to it. As the hike traces the AT its entire length, this was fairly easy going on a well maintained trail, and there was interesting scenery along the way, as in these two photos.

Here's a view of the pool that is the hike's destination. This is an out-and-back hike, so you get here, and you turn around. For that reason, and one other, I'm not sure I would recommend this hike for anyone but the most desparate for exercise.

A big negative is that you are never more than a quarter mile from Skyline Drive, and even on a Thursday when school is in, the sound of motorcycles invades the forest. Because of the proximity to big East Coast cities, the Park and Skyline Drive is practically over run by riders who come out for a relatively safe, scenic drive.

They are entitled to their recreation too, but the bikes are loud, and you pretty much hear them throughout the Park on any stretch of the AT.

As I walked back, as often happens on these hikes, a new viewpoint presented itself. The viewing angle inbound completely obscured this break in the trees and the overlook; but here it was opening up to the horizon coming back in the other direction. This view is to the Southwest, and it is a reminder of all that makes SNP a great recreation area - mountains and woods, and a view from the heights.