Hiking Rocky Brown Mountain Loop in Shenandoah

First weekend of October, I went hiking in Shenandoah National Park among early autumn colors.

Rocky Mountain of Shenandoah National Park

It’s almost a yearly tradition for me to head to Virginia in autumn when the mountains put on a palette of colors. This time, I picked one of the few trails in Shenandoah National Park that I hadn’t visited before, and hiked Rocky and Brown Mountain Loop.

While I envisioned hiking in cool autumn conditions among vivid colors, the day turned out to be hotter than what I’d like. After setting out from my home in Washington DC suburb, I had to occasionally use air-conditioning in my car during the drive to the trailhead. The southern part of Shenandoah National Park wasn’t that popular, and by the time I got to the trailhead “Brown Mountain Overlook”, the small parking lot was less than half filled.

I woke up sort of early today so I decided to have my lunch at the trailhead before my hike, and I was greeted with the first nuisance of the day, bugs. They were out in full swing, probably due to the warm autumn weather, and really bothered me while I was arranging my gears for the hike.

Brown and Rocky Mountain Loop

Eager to escape the bugs, I readied myself and headed onto the trail at 11:50am.
Here’s GPS tracking:

Since Skyline Drive was built along a ridge, the first part of the trail was actually heading downhill, as a typical walk in the woods.

Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail

About 900m from trailhead, the trail reached a three-way intersection. Both branches formed the loop that I was to hike, which I chose the counterclockwise direction. So I made a right turn and continued towards Rocky Mountain.

I saw the highest concentration of wildflowers close to the intersection. Theri uplifting presence certainly made the hike more enjoyable.

Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Berries

In addition, next to the flowers I had a few insect sightings today, mostly bees at work, but I also ran into a moth that wasn’t camera shy.

Bee
Bee
Bee
Bee
Bee
Bee
Bee
Bee
Moth
Moth
Moth
Moth
Spider

Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Exposed Trail

After the intersection, the trail went on a steady incline to recover elevation. 1.4km after the intersection, the trail reached an overlook which in my opinion offered the best views along the entire loop.

First Overlook

View of Mountains
View of Mountains
Forest
Where the trail was coming from.
Rocky Mountain
Skyline Drive
Skyline Drive

With most of the trail in shaded woods, this overlook (2.3km from trailhead) provided a rare opportunity to appreciate the rolling hills towards the south. Unfortunately, it wasn’t marked on maps, and I regretted not staying there for longer. While the remainder of the trail would cross Rocky and Brown Mountains, it didn’t reach the summits of either and there weren’t great views like this one.

Leaves Changing Colors
Leaves Changing Colors
Red Leaves
Red Leaves
Red Leaves
Red Leaves
Burnt Tree

Trail
Autumn colors visible along trail.
Trail
Autumn colors visible along trail.
Trail
Autumn colors visible along trail.
Trail
Autumn colors visible along trail.
Trail
Autumn colors visible along trail.
Trail
Autumn colors visible along trail.
Trail
Along forests that were still lush in green.
Trail
Along forests that were still lush in green.
Trail
Along forests that were still lush in green.
Trail
Along forests that were still lush in green.
Trail

About halfway between Rocky and Brown Mountain, the trail entered what seemed to be a burn area where plants along the trail were a lot shorter.
Trail

About halfway between Rocky and Brown Mountain, the trail entered what seemed to be a burn area where plants along the trail were a lot shorter.

After leaving the previous overlook, between Rocky and Brown Mountain, I entered a section of the woods where autumn colors arrived earlier than the rest of the park. These enchanting colors were certainly a highlight of the day.

Forest in Autumn Colors
Forest in Autumn Colors
Leaves in Autumn Colors
Leaves in Autumn Colors
Leaves in Autumn Colors
Forest
This part hadn’t started the turn of colors.
Pile of Rocks
Finally, there was something to correspond to the name of “Rocky Mountain”.

Trail
It’s enjoyable to cross a forest in these warm colors.
Trail
Trail
Trail
Occasionally the trail made its way across a few rocks.
Trail
Occasionally the trail made its way around a few rocks.
Trail
Occasionally the trail made its way around a few rocks.

Between Rocky and Brown Mountains the trail passed through a field where a few scorched trees stood testimony to the fire that this forest had been through not that long ago. The dense but short vegetations around the trail spoke of its recovery from fire. It’s the only section of the trail that’s without shade.

Field

Out of forests and into sunshine. This patch of forests seemed burned a while ago, so the plants along the trail were mostly short.
Field

Out of forests and into sunshine. This patch of forests seemed burned a while ago, so the plants along the trail were mostly short.
Trail
Trees
The few scorched trees still dominated the background in a striking manner.
Trees
A few pine trees that probably survived through the fire were dominating this shot.
Trees in Autumn Colors
Trees in Autumn Colors

After that, the trail passed Brown Mountain and started its descent down to the adjacent valley.
It’s worth noting that at higher elevations, I frequently ran into spider nets which was another nuisance of the day. But probably due to their presence, I wasn’t as bothered by bugs. But as I got lower in elevation, the trouble of bugs seemed back. It’s like I had to choose between two evils, which wasn’t pleasant.

Obstacle

A fallen tree that required some work to get through/around. The Rocky Brown Mountain Trail wasn’t as well maintained as some more popular trails in Shenandoah. Throughout the day I had to work myself through a few fallen trees like this, which wasn’t pleasant. This photo depicted the worst of such encounters.

Second Overlook

Past Brown Mountain and approximately 700m of elevation and 5km from trailhead, the trail made a U-turn. Near that turn, I found a few rocks just steps away from the trail overlooking the valley to the south. I’d hoped that either Rocky or Brown Mountain would offer some sort of views at their summits, but that didn’t happen. So I was thrilled by my discovery and hopped onto the rocks where I sat and soaked in the scenery.

View at Overlook

Mountains
Rockytop
Distant Mountains
Rockytop

I took a 15-minute rest at the overlook before continuing downhill. Soon after that, the trail passed through another section of burnt forest. This time, the bushes along the trail were still wearing their summer green colors.

Cliff
Cliff on Opposite Hill
Forest before Opposite Hill
Forests
Signs of scorched trees.
Forests
Signs of scorched trees.
Forests
Signs of scorched trees.
Scorched Trees
Scorched Trees
Forest
A few scorched trees among a recovering forest.
Forest
Out of the burn zone things liked just as fine.
Forest
Out of the burn zone things liked just as fine.

Trail
The final part going down Brown Mountain.
Trail
The final part going down Brown Mountain.
Trail
The final part going down Brown Mountain.
Trail
The final part going down Brown Mountain.
Trail
The final part going down Brown Mountain.
Trail
The final part going down Brown Mountain.
Trail
The final part going down Brown Mountain.
Trail
The final part going down Brown Mountain.

Leaves
Transition of colors within individual leaves.
Leaves
Transition of colors within individual leaves.
Cliff
Opposite Mountain

Finally, just past 3pm and 7.5km from trailhead, I reached the lowest elevation point of the trail next to a creek called “Big Run”. After that, I would take the trail along the creek back up to the trailhead.

Along Creek

Creek
Just after I came down from Brown Mountain. The creek was a bit rocky downstream.
Creek
Just after I came down from Brown Mountain. The creek was a bit rocky downstream.
Bridge

For those that wanted to access Shenandoah National Park from its western boundary. I was a bit puzzled as to why this bridge was so wide that it’s vehicle accessible. I didn’t see any fire roads extending into Shenandoah beyond this point.
Creek
Near the water crossings.
Creek
Near the water crossings.
Creek
Near the water crossings.
Creek
Near the water crossings.

As the trail followed the creek upstream, it would make a total of 4 water crossings, which might be a deterrent for some people to try out the trail. During my visit, there were enough exposed rocks at each of the water crossings, that I made all 4 without getting my feet wet. I did this with the help of hiking poles, but they were certainly manageable without poles.

First Water Crossing
Second Water Crossing
Second Water Crossing
Third Water Crossing
Fourth Water Crossing

The trail along the creek was wider and easier to tackle. Unfortunately, the width of the trail didn’t stop spiders from setting their nets across, much to my annoyance. To make matters worse, I was also plagued by a few bugs along the creek. These bugs seemed particularly interested in areas around my ears, and they followed me persistently for that, creating intermittent and disturbing noises along the way.

Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail
Trail

Not long after the fourth water crossing, the trail reached another intersection. I took a left here to stay on the path back to Brown Mountain Overlook.

Snake

It seemed to be enjoying the warmth of sunshine on the trail. I tried to scare it away, but it didn’t budge. So I took a leap across it and continued my hike.

Forest
Gradually I started to see the gradient of the hills nearby.
Forest
Gradually I started to see the gradient of the hills nearby.
Pile of Rocks
Next to the trail, it’s a sign that the mountain was starting to take shake around me.
Trail in Forest
For now the trail was still an easy stroll in the woods.
Trail in Forest
For now the trail was still an easy stroll in the woods.

After leaving the intersection down the valley, the trail started to pick up elevation gain going back towards trailhead.

Trail
A gradual incline in the woods.
Trail
A gradual incline in the woods.
Trail
Then it picked up the pace of elevation gain. The trail also grew narrower in this section.
Trail
Then it picked up the pace of elevation gain. The trail also grew narrower in this section.
Trail
Then it picked up the pace of elevation gain. The trail also grew narrower in this section.
Trail
Then it picked up the pace of elevation gain. The trail also grew narrower in this section.
Trail
Closer to the intersection where colors were more vibrant along the trail.
Trail
Closer to the intersection where colors were more vibrant along the trail.

In the end, I reached the first intersection at 5:10pm, completing the loop. After some rests there, I continued on and got back to my car at 5:40pm.

Mountains to the West

After getting back to the trailhead, I took some rest enjoying the scenery. The Rocky and Brown mountain that I just hiked were on the right of this photo, bathing in the warm afternoon sun.

Rest of Shenandoah

After some snacks to refresh myself from the hike, there was still about an hour left till sunset. Thus on my way back, I stopped at a few roadside turnouts and appreciated the scenery.

Loft Mountain Overlook

County Line Mountain

Separating Greene County and Albemarle County of Virginia. The typical view from Loft Mountain Overlook.

Mountains from Loft Mountain Overlook

Rocky Mountain Overlook

I was hoping to catch a sunset somewhere in Shenandoah National Park. Unfortunately, most of the west-facing turnouts in the southern part of the Park didn’t have very open views. In the end, I decided to stop at Rocky Mountain Overlook, and joined a group of people waiting for sunset.

By the way, despite its name, this overlook was right across “Rocky Mount”, which was different than the “Rocky Mountain” that I hiked earlier today.

Sunset

Unfortunately, I didn’t have good lucks with sunset recently, and today was no exception. Thick clouds were over the western horizon, so there were no sightings of the actual sun this afternoon. Instead I ended my day with the fiery colors of those clouds under sunset.

Sunset through Clouds
Sunset through Clouds
Sunset through Clouds
Sunset through Clouds
Sunset through Clouds
Rocky Mount

Another mountain in Shenandoah National Park. Despite similar in name, this is different than the “Rocky Mountain” that I hiked today.