Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023 - 13

THE GOOD WALK
WHEN YOU
GO
THE WALK: A moderately easy (barely 100
feet of elevation gain), 4.3-mile circuit in a near
pristine valley in the national forest of western
Virginia.
GETTING THERE: At the intersection of US
220 and VA 39 near Warm Springs, follow VA
39 westward for 3.3 miles, turn right on VA 621,
go an additional .9 mile, bear left onto Hidden
Valley Road (FSR 241) and bypass Hidden Valley
Campground in another 1.6 miles. Parking is in
an additional .5 mile.
MORE INFORMATION: The hike is described
in detail in " Hike Virginia: North of US 60, "
available through habitualhiker.com.
After breakfast, Laurie and I simply walked out the
B&B's front door and crossed the Jackson River on the
low-water bridge to the Hidden Valley Trail, which begins
in the area that served as Vine Hill, Tennessee, during
the movie's production. In a matter of months, the
company built about a dozen structures (some of which
were still standing when I walked here before), filmed
the movie, and then dismantled the set, leaving the
summer kitchen beside the mansion.
Today, the trail enters open meadows along the Jackson
River encircled by Back Creek Mountain and the
heavily-forested ridgelines of Cobbler, Warwick and Little
mountains. It's a quiet walk through fields of grasses
populated by wildflowers, including chicory, black-eyedSusan,
yarrow, Deptford pink and crown vetch.
Red-spotted newts crawled along ground-hugging
rhododendron limbs in the moist draws of the hillside
when the trail entered the woods. About two miles in,
Muddy Run Trail paralleled its namesake stream, providing
access to some purportedly good trout fishing. Just a
few yards beyond, our route took us onto one of the most
superbly designed and constructed backcountry suspension
bridges I've had the pleasure of walking across.
Beyond the bridge, the return outing turned left to
follow the Jackson River Gorge Trail. At one time, the
pathway descended into the moist bottomland, but has
now been relocated onto an old woods road along a
low ridgeline. We saw deer tracks in the soft soil, but, at
times, you may be able to observe the footprints of some
of the valley's resident black bears, bobcats, raccoons or
beaver. (Also, keep close watch throughout the walk for
the valley's nesting pair of bald eagles.)
TOP: Chicory is one of the defining plants of the meadows on the
Hidden Valley Trail.
ABOVE: The swinging bridge crosses the Jackson River.
We couldn't help feeling a bit pleased with ourselves
for having booked a second night at the B&B. We followed
a short afternoon nap with a stroll through the
meadows where the monarch butterflies became less active
as early evening shadows lengthened. The next day
we planned to walk downstream from the B&B.
Find out more about Leonard's walking and hiking adventures
at habitualhiker.com.
MAY/JUNE 2023 13
http://www.habitualhiker.com http://www.habitualhiker.com
Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023

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