Fox Hollow, another easy SNP day hike

Today I thought I would review the third of five day hikes I took on my vacation last week, Fox Hollow, which is in the Northern District of Shenandoah National Park. It is the last of three that I chose from the Easy Day Hikes book, shown in the image here. I "freelanced" the two others after noticing one as I drove by it, and taking a recommendation from "Ranger Mike" for the other.

Fox Hollow is a short loop trail of 1.2 miles that includes an elevation change of just over 300 feet. The trail head is basically at the flag pole on the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, from there crossing Skyline Drive over to the old Fox family farm that was begun by Lemuel F. Fox in 1856.

Having completed 16 of the 26 hikes in this book, and only recently having begun to take in the ones that feature the anthropology of the Park, I am finding the ones like Fox Hollow, which give insight to the hardships and lifestyle of this area when it was cleared farmland, to be very enjoyable. Fox Hollow is one of four I’ve recently completed that fit into this category, along with Snead Farm (also in the North District), Pocosin Trail (Central District), and Calf Mountain (South District).



The path leads through piles of stone that were cleared from the woods and fields, descending into the farm, which is being reclaimed by the forest. There are traces of old stone walls, and about midway through the hike, the Fox family cemetery, where Lemuel is buried with a few other relatives. He lived until 1916, leading that family in their farming efforts here.

During the 45 minutes or so I was on this trail, I considered the legacy of places like these. On other trails, many of them out-and-backs, the guide book I’ve been using refer to views that have become overgrown with new growth forest – the views now are obscured or obstructed, really only plainly evident during the winter when the leaves are down.

The living, breathing forest is part of the recreation experience for me here, even though you are never far from a reminder of modern life in Shenandoah National Park, since it is designed around a highway.
But what to do about these hikes that feature the lifestyle of the early settlers, to say nothing about earlier sites that Native Americans may have used on this ridge. Is the current level of maintenance and interpretation enough to preserve these sites for educational and heritage purposes, as well as recreational use? I don’t have an answer for this, since my own experiences in the Park are just beginning to expose me to the question.

The guidebook says that much of the Fox Hollow trail is based on roads the family used to get to town. As such, this is a very easy trail to follow, even with the altitude change. It’s proximity to Northern Virginia makes it convenient for those visitors, and it does seem like an excellent destination for families with children who might want a little something extra from a walk in the woods.