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HIKE: Byrds Nest Shelter No. 4. Round trip 0.7 miles; total climb about
485 feet; time required :50. This is a fairly easy walk. Park in the paved
parking area. It's smooth most of the way, although the service road is rather
steep. See map, page 117.
Take the service road and climb to the shelter, which has a drinking fountain
(turned off in winter), a table, and a pit toilet. The shelter is one of four
"Byrds Nests" for which materials were donated by the late Senator Harry F.
Byrd, Sr.
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MILE 28.5, BEAHMS GAP. Elevation 2,485 feet. A. T. access, hikes. This
was formerly Beahms Gap Overlook, but the treetops are now at eye level,
and the view is gone. From one point in the parking area you can see the top
of the Massanutten, and from another the sharp angle of Neighbor
Mountain, ahead on the right. From most of the parking area you can see a
nearby knob to the right; Byrds Nest Shelter No. 4 is near its summit.
When the Park was created there was a good view here, directly down
Kemp Hollow; the slope below the overlook was grassy, all the way down.
But now it's covered with trees, and the slope is so gradual that vista
clearing is impracticable. (Across the Drive, diagonally to the left, is a rather
poor view of Hogback Mountain and the Marshalls.)
Geology: The boulders on either side of the trail at the north end of the
parking area, and those at the north end of the island, are epidotized basalt
brecchia that shows many colors: various shades of purplish and green,
with embedded white pebbles and fragments.
The A.T. crosses the Drive about 100 feet south of the parking area.
Distances on the A.T.: North (on the west side of the Drive) it's 1.6 miles to a
side trail that reaches the Drive at Mile 26.8. South (on the east side) it's 3.0
miles to the Drive crossing at Mile 31.4, near Thornton Gap.
I recommend three short hikes from Beahms Gap: a loop using the A.T. in
Beahms Gap; a hike south to a viewpoint on Pass Mountain; and a hike
north to Byrds Nest Shelter No. 4 and two viewpoints near it.
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HIKE: Beahms Gap and A. T. Circuit 0.4 mile; total climb about 60 feet; time
required 0:20. A very easy hike with no views and, in fact, no particular
attraction. But if you've been driving for a while, and have only 20 minutes to
stretch your legs, try this. Go to the north end of the parking area and take the
trail that starts toward Byrds Nest No. 4. It reaches the A.T. in a little more
than 200 yards. Turn left on the A.T., and follow it for about 300 yards to the
Drive, passing two or more old road traces that branch off to the right. Turn left
at the Drive, and return to your starting point.
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| Map of Beahms Gap Area |
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HIKE: Viewpoint on Pass Mountain. Round trip 1.6 miles; total climb about
495 feet; time required 1:40. A fairly easy hike; the trail is smooth, and only a
small part of it is moderately steep. See map above.
Take the A.T. south (on the east side of the Drive) from a point a hundred
feet south of the parking area. The first third of the hike goes through a former
clearing; there was a homesite nearby, on the east of the trail. About three
quarters of a mile from the start you'll reach a high point in the trail, beyond
which it descends a few feet. There's a rock ledge on your right, but the view is
overgrown. Continue another 25 yards, passing a boulder at the left edge of
the trail. Turn right; leave the trail and walk directly away from it for about 50
yards. Turn right again, and go another 20 yards to a ledge with a fine, open
view.
You're looking over Kemp Hollow. Straight out from the mouth of the
hollow is the town of Luray, and beyond it New Market Gap in the
Massanutten. To the left is Stony Man, seven miles away. To the right of
Kemp Hollow is Neighbor Mountain. Near the far right of your view,, Neighbor
Mountain joins the Blue Ridge. The high knob at the extreme right is the
location of Byrds Nest Shelter No. 4; the shelter itself is out of sight, but you
can see the clearing in front of it.
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MILE 30.1, PASS MOUNTAIN OVERLOOK. Elevation 2,460. Drinking
fountain (turned off in winter): short hike.
The overlook has a rather narrow view out through the mouth of Kemp
Hollow and across the Shenandoah Valley to the Massanutten. The low
point in the Massanutten is New Market Gap. The town that appears to fill
the whole valley between the Massanutten and the mouth of Kemp Hollow
is Luray. To the left of the mouth of the hollow is Pine Mountain, with
divided highway U.S. 211 passing on this side of it. As the highway comes
closer, it disappears between Pine Mountain and Pumpkin Hill. The ridge at
the right of the hollow rises to the peak of Neighbor Mountain.
From this overlook the lights of Luray make an enchanting display after
dark. Luray is the location of the famous Luray Caverns. Surprisingly, its
name is pronounced with equal emphasis on both syllables, or with a
slightly stronger stress on the first syllable. Origin of the name is in doubt.
Legend: One of the early settlers was a blacksmith named Louis Ramey.
The town was named by taking the first syllable of his first and last name.
Legend: The first settlers were French Huguenots from Lorraine.
"Luray" is a corruption of "Lorraine."
History: On August 13, 1812, the General Assembly of Virginia
authorized a surveyor to lay out a town at the present site of Luray.
Legend:
The parents of the man who drafted the bill were immigrants from Lorraine,
and he gave the proposed town that name to honor them. But because of
his poor penmanship the name he wrote appeared to be "Luray."
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HIKE: Pass Mountain Overlook Loop. Circuit less than 0.25 mile. Total
climb about 50 feet; time required 0:15. A pleasant, very easy walk on a
smooth graded trail. Go straight out from the overlook, downhill to a rock
ledge. The view here is a little wider than from the overlook. Continue
downhill, following the trail around to your left, and return to your starting
point via the gate in the fence.
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MILE 30.2, FIRE ROAD, east side. The entrance is 125 yards south of
Pass Mountain Overlook. The road goes a third of a mile up the west side of
Pass Mountain, to a concrete-enclosed spring that provides water for the
drinking fountain at the overlook. Just off the road, 200 yards from the
Drive, is a storage area for dirt and gravel. Explore if you wish, but I don't
think it's worth your time.
MILE 31.4, FIRE ROAD, east side; A. T. crossing. On the west side the A.T.
descends, crosses U.S. 211, then passes near the Panorama restaurant
(see below, Mile 31.6.) On the east is the service road for Pass Mountain
Hut. The A.T. follows it for a short distance, then turns off to the left.
There's no safe parking here. If you want to hike on the A.T., park at the
Panorama development on the south side of the overpass.
MILE 31.5, THORNTON GAP. Elevation 2,304 feet. U.S. 211 interchange. For
Luray, Luray Caverns, and I-81, exit here and turn right on U.S.
211. For Sperryville, Warrenton, and Washington, D.C., exit here and turn
left on U.S. 211. Exit here if you want to climb Old Rag Mountain (see page
138.)
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