APPALACHIAN TRAIL ACCESS

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The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a public footpath across 2144 miles of Appalachian Mountain ridgelines from Maine to Georgia. From Maine's Katahdin to Georgia's Springer Mountain, this footpath winds through scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Trail is primarily used for walks and day hikes by all manner of nature enthusiasts from birders to wildflower photographers.

One-fourth of the Appalachian Trail lies in Virginia. Shenandoah National Park has 100 miles of graded Appalachian Trail while The Skyline Drive intersects with it 32 times. The trail continues roughly parallel to but generally many miles removed from the Blue Ridge Parkway. It crosses the Parkway two times in this 70-mile stretch. It is then close to it, with several crossings, for a short distance in Jefferson National Forest. From here the Trail route crosses west of the Shenandoah Valley.

Appalachian Trail Access from Blue Ridge Parkway

A number of abbreviations have been used in the following list of Parkway accesses to the Appalachian Trail in order to make the listing as brief as possible.

Parkway Left (PWL) and Parkway Right (PWR) indicates which side of the Parkway as though you are traveling south.

Milepost (MP) mark every mile of the Parkway on PWR

AT is for the Appalachian Trail

USFS stands for United States Forest Service

BRP stands for Blue Ridge Parkway

Parkway Milepost Information Access:

	0.0 AT access, PWR, parking available
	2.2 AT crosses BRP, parking along VA Rt 610, PWR
	6.0 Humpback Gap Parking Area, PWL, AT access
	8.5 Humpback Rocks Picnic Area, PWL, AT access
	9.6 Dripping Rock Parking Area, PWL, AT access
	13.1 Three ridges Parking Overlook, PWL, AT access
	13.7 Reed's Gap, VA Rt 664, PWL, AT access
	15.4 Love Gap, PWL, AT access, No Parking
	16.0 PWL, AT access, parking along gravel road, .5 miles to Maupin Field Shelter
	34.4 Yankee Horse Parking Area, PWL, AT access; 3.5 miles south to Wiggins Spring Shelter
	51.5 AT crossing, PWR, .25 miles to Punch Bowl Shelter
	71.1 Petite's Gap, PWR, USFS Rd #35, AT crossing, limited parking
	74.7 Thunder Ridge Overlook, PWR, AT access
	74.9 AT crossing, no parking, .6 miles (left) to Thunder Hill Shelter
	76.5 Apple Orchard Overlook, PWL, parking allowed, AT crosses at 76.3; Thunder Hill Shelter on trail
	78.4 Sunset Field Overlook, PWR, 1.1 mile trail to Apple Orchard Falls; 2.5 miles on AT to Cornelius Creek Shelter
	80.5 Floyd Field, PWR, AT access; Cornelius Creek Shelter, right 300 feet down USFS road
	86 AT access north of Peaks of Otter area
	90.9 Parking available along Rt 43 (PWR) and Rt 695 (PWL); AT goes under the Parkway
	92.5 Sharp Top Overlook, PWL, AT crossing
	93.1 Boblett's Gap, PWR, follow old roadbed right for 100 yards, left on AT, .5 miles to Boblett's Gap Shelter
	95.3 Harvey's Knob Overlook, PWR, AT crossing, 2 miles north to Boblett's Gap Shelter
	95.9 Montvale Overlook, PWL, AT goes through Overlook
	97.0 Taylor's Mountain Overlook, PWL, AT crossing
	97.7 Blackhorse Gap, PWR, 2.7 miles south to Wilson's Creek Shelter and 4.9 miles north to Boblett's Gap Shelter
	101.5 Curry Gap, PWR, USFS Rd 191, 1 mile to AT