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September 30, 2009 VA 606 (Sulfur Spring Road) to FDR 125 (Smith Creek Road) over Middle Mountain (9.2 miles)
This section is on the proposed reroute of the Great Eastern Trail in Alleghany and Bath counties (middle part of three). It goes on the Fore Mountain Trail (Alleghany County/James River District) and Middle Mountain Trail (Bath County/Warm Springs District). It is mostly foot trail. It was a comfortable day. With me were my hiking partner David, and my dog Sid.
Some observations:
� There is some confusion on the Trails Illustrated Map #788 for this trail. It designates the northern part of this trail as "South Middle Mountain Trail" (#15) and the southern part as "Greenwood Point Trail" (#10), which is plain wrong, as this trail is over by Lake Moomaw. Obviously a misprint.
� There is one continuous trail over Middle Mountain, FS 473, but it has different names. South of the Bath/Alleghany County line, which is also the boundary between the Warm Springs and James River districts, it is called the Fore Mountain Trail. It is all blue blazed, although in the James River/Alleghany side the blue looks more like turquoise. There are numerous trail intersections on this segment, and the south end has been relocated since Map #788 came out (2001).
� The north end of this trail ascends by switchbacks up on the ridge. There is some poison ivy in this part, but not growing into the trail. No horses are allowed on this part. At about 2100� elevation there is an intersection with the yellow-blazed Brown Hollow Spur, which is the horse access. This trail is not on the map.
� Most of the trail across Middle Mountain is fairly well graded and open. Only minor clipping would be needed. As the trail passes the edge of Douthat State Park, there are three trails going east into the park, plus two going west to Smith Creek Road. The map is wrong on this, both on number and place of the trails.
� The northernmost intersection on top is the Salt Stump Trail, leading mostly south from the northern corner of the park. Next is a new one, apparently not named, leading to Smith Creek Road, but north of the Sandy Gap Trail while reaching the road at the same location. Third is a four-way intersection, sort of. To the west is the Sandy Gap Trail (with a sign that looks like it is facing a direction opposite what it should), then just south of it is a trail going east into the park, but I didn't see an identifying sign for it. I think that is the Blue Suck Trail. Both of these trails tend north from their intersections. The final Douthat Trail is the Stony Run Trail, from which the Middle Mountain Trail must turn right. In this area are two Bath/Alleghany Line signs, on the ground, about one mile north of the actual line. Also there were two stone benches beside the trail.
� There is a relocation in progress where the trail (now Fore Mountain Trail) leaves the Middle Mountain Ridge and goes over to Pine Spur Ridge. The relocation has been blazed and cleared (although grown back some), but the tread has not been built, and it is not packed down. At the north end, the old trail is descending on the Middle Mountain ridge and the relocation goes to the left, and it rejoins it about 0.3 miles just below the crest of Pine Spur Ridge. There is a patch of White Snakeroot that has many Tickseed plants (with stick-tight seeds) that caused us some delay as we pulled them loose.
� The trail descends from Pine Spur Ridge with more switchbacks than shown on the map. At about 1750' elevation there is another relocation that goes off to the east, about to the apparent dead-end point of the road up McGraw Hollow, as it appears on the map. From there it goes south to the road with the parking at the crossing of Smith Creek (it is not clear from the map where the parking is, but it is at the end of the side road by the creek).
� The trail has been relocated from where the map shows it crossing VA 606. It now crosses it near the side road to the parking. It follows the road to the parking, then crosses Smith Creek over a huge culvert, then takes a trail up the left bank to a forest road. It follows the forest road about a quarter mile, then makes a SHARP left turn on a new trail--this is very easy to miss if you are heading north! There is a double blaze, easy to miss, and there is little wear for trail traffic, that is, it looks like traffic going other ways. Once on this new trail, there is considerable distance before the next blaze (typically, blazes are seen about once a minute. Not here.). Due to this relocation, I've added 0.5 mile to the trail distance given by the map. Note--there are no signs indicating Fore Mountain Trail or Middle Mountain Trail from Va. 606, but there are turquoise blazes along the side road.
� Except at the north end and the 0.4 mile gravel road just north of Va. 606 at the south end, I saw little or no poison ivy on this trail section.
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