Hightop Mountain Hike

We parked at Smith Roach Gap parking lot around 12:30pm on a rather foggy morning although it was pleasant for shorts and a T-shirt.  We started the hike late due to the heavy fog at the campsite fearing that the overlook at the peak of the mountain would be shrouded in fog.

We began the hike on an old fire road with a yellow chain spanning across the entrance then jumped on the Appalachian Trail walking through green grass and little overhead canopy of trees and then back into more dense forest.  The trail got steeper and so we modified our pace a little, stopping on the way.  We finally got near the top and stopped by a spring, marked by a concrete post.  We continued on another ¼ mile and we got to the Hightop Mountain overlook and had a fantastic view that was occasionally obscured with a misty cloud. 

We had our lunch at the top in the sun and cool weather then headed back down the AT that we had just come up.  We stopped by an AT hut to check it out and then headed down the Hightop Fire Road noticing heavy rains had cause some ruts over the summer.  The Hightop Fire Road ended and we continued on to the parking lot on the Smith Roach Gap Fire Road.  We arrived back about 2 hours 15 minutes after we started and had gone about 3.3 miles.  It was a great hike.

Join us for a night, moderately difficult hike for a climb to the highest peak in the Shenandoah South District.  Total hike is 4 miles and about 3 hours.

Bring at least a liter of water, hiking boots, hiking sticks, lunch/snacks, a hat, sunscreen, bug spray and sweat rag.

Located at mile 68.9 of Skyline Drive, Smith Roach Gap parking lot.  10 a.m.