Inn-to-Inn Walking Guide: Virginia and West Virginia

by Su Clauson-Wicker

• ISBN13: 9780897323383
• ISBN10: 0897323386
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-04-01
• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press

Summary

If you thought hiking from one bed-and-breakfast to another was something only New Englanders do, you are in for a pleasant surprise. The Inn-to-Inn Walking Guide: Virginia & West Virginia offers readers 20 of the best country rambles found in the Old Dominion and Mountain State.

Typical hikes wind through America's cultural landscape, past living history sites and museums, as well as remote mountaintops and forests. Walk along the towpath of a former canal, meander along the level grades of a converted railroad bed, and hike through serene holdings of an elegant resort. Each chapter provides at-a-glance information to a hike's length, difficulty, scenery, lodging information, and more, while detailed trail descriptions get you from one inn to another with confidence and style. Detailed profiles of suggested inns are also included, as well as local dining possibilities. Don't let the idea of carrying a heavy pack and sleeping on the cold ground keep you from a pleasant walk in the woods. With this book as your guide, you can hike on some of the most pleasant,

Author Biography

Su Clauson-Wicker has made a living as a writer and editor for over 10 years in the Blacksburg Virginia area. In addition to editing the Virginia Tech and Radford University magazines, she has worked as a newspaper writer for the Roanoke Times & World News as well as edited Voices of Women, a series of essays on the U.N World Conference on Women in Beijing. When she isn¿t writing, she acts as an interpreter at historic Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg. Inn-to-Inn is her first book.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	viii
Introduction	1	(8)
West Virginia Hikes
The Allegheny Trail: Cass to Durbin	9	(8)
The Allegheny Trail: Huntersville to Cass	17	(6)
Canaan Valley State Park to Blackwater Falls State Park	23	(8)
The C&O Canal Towpath: Taylors Landing to Harpers Ferry	31	(10)
The Greenbrier River Trail: Marlinton to Beard	41	(8)
The North Bend Rail-Trail: Salem to Pennsboro	49	(10)
The North Bend Rail-Trail: Pennsboro to Cairo	59	(8)
Snowshoe Mountain Hut Hiking	67	(8)
The West Fork River Trail: Fairmont to Shinnston	75	(10)
Virginia Hikes
The Appalachian Trail: Big Meadows to Skyland	85	(8)
The Huckleberry Trail: Blacksburg to Christiansburg	93	(10)
Two Days in Bath County: Hot Springs to Meadow Lane to Hidden Valley	103	(10)
Lexington's Chessie Trail and Buena Vista's Elephant Mountain	113	(10)
The New River Trail: Allisonia to Draper	123	(8)
The New River Trail: Galax to Fries Junction	131	(8)
Pearisburg to Narrows over the Appalachian Trail and Wheezer	139	(6)
Virginia Beach: Beach to Bay	145	(8)
Virginia Beach: Bay to Grand Old Hotel	153	(8)
The Virginia Creeper Trail: Green Cove to Abingdon	161	(10)
The Washington & Old Dominion Rail-Trail: Leesburg to Hamilton	171	(16)
Appendices
Appendix A---Walking Equipment Checklist	181	(2)
Appendix B---Information	183	(2)
Appendix C---Trails by Category	185	(2)
Index	187

Excerpts

Some trails make your circulatory system scream, challenging you toward hard-won vistas until your heart throbs in your ears. Other trails pamper you, laying out their offerings¿a patch of brilliant lilies, a mossy waterfall, a great blue heron on its nest¿in rapid succession while you lope along comfortably with scarcely a catch in your breath. This is the nature of the Greenbrier River Trail in eastern West Virginia. / The Greenbrier River is one of the last few streams in this country to flow unimpeded by dams or other man-made obstructions throughout its course. In fact, the clear waters of the Greenbrier have consistently been ranked among the state¿s top three smallmouth bass spots. / The Greenbrier¿s namesake trail traces the path of the former Greenbrier division of the C&O Railroad through what was booming timber country. The trail snakes around the peaks of Marlin, Thorny Creek, and Thomas mountains, past sleepy little villages with names such as Stony Bottom, Seebert, and Buckeye

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Excerpted from Inn-to-Inn Walking Guide: Virginia and West Virginia by Su Clauson-Wicker
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