Here’s a fall color photo taken this past Sunday in our yard. We have mostly yellows from tulip poplars, but we get some red (in the foreground) from a couple of maples and hickories turn a golden color darker than the poplar.

Fall Color in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

This photo of Old Rag Mountain was taken from the trail up Robertson Mountain towards the end of last fall.  The tulip poplars were still in fall colors, but the leaves had turned brown or already fallen at higher elevations.

An Alternative to Old Rag

Old Rag is a spectacular hike, but it can be quite crowded.  It is common to have to wait several minutes for hikers to make their way through some of the trickier rock scrambling sections.

Robertson Mountain is a nice alternative if you are trying to avoid some crowds on the mountain.  The peak of Robertson Mountain is actually higher than Old Rag.  The trail lacks rock scrambling sections, but is very steep, challenging and rewarding.

Getting There

Old Rag Mountain is located near Sperryville, Virginia (U.S. Route 211). From Sperryville, take Route 231 South, make a right on Route 601, make another right on Route 602 and continue to the large parking lot on your left.  Note:  The road changes numbers a couple of times.

From the lower Old Rag Parking Area (fee charged), hikers continue walking 0.8 miles along State Road 600 to the Weakley Hollow Fire Road trailhead.  In Shenandoah National Park, trailheads are marked with concrete signposts containing trail name and distance information.  After about 1.5 miles of walking up the Weakley Hollow Fire Road, the Robertson Mountain trailhead is on the right.  Once the Robertson Mountain Trail climbs near the top of the mountain, there are some sidetrails that lead to nice views.

You can return the same way you came or make a longer circuit by continuing on the Robertson Mountain Trail, making a right on the Old Rag Fire Road, making a right on the Corbin Hollow Trail, and a left on the Weakley Hollow Fire Road.

Resources

The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club offers a detailed guide to the trails in Shenandoah National Park, which includes three maps covering the entire park.  These trails are contained in the Central District of SNP, PATC Map 10.

See Also:  Tulip Tree Damage (Image 1)

Last week 60+ mph winds came through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.  This was part of the same weather system that caused the deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma.  Here, a tulip tree (aka yellow poplar) was ripped by gusts along the Appalachian Trail.  Fortunately for the trail maintainer, the tree chose not to fall across the trail.  I’ll post another picture tomorrow.

This photo was taken along our road.  Tulip tree leaves turn yellow in fall.

This tree is also often referred to as a tulip poplar.