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Damascus has a peculiar claim to fame. Seven national trails run through the heart of the town, including the Daniel Boone Heritage Trail and the Virginia Birding & Wildlife Trail. This lively intersection has earned Damascus the warmhearted nickname of “Trail Town.”
Located in a corner of southwestern Virginia, the Grayson Highlands are speckled with lightly forested parts of Jefferson State Forest and vast open expanses of Grayson Highlands National Park, and mark the beginning of a slow transition from southern environs to more northern characteristics.
The Grayson Highlands and the area surrounding Mount Rogers is also home to around 100 wild ponies, and is the only place on the trail where you can find such creatures, who have apparently been inhabiting the area since at least the 1940s.
Close to Roanoke, Virginia, Carvins Cove is a long and thin crescent-shaped body of water nestled between two smaller hills in the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachian Trail.
This picturesque pool can be viewed from afar on top of Hay Rock, itself a picture perfect spot along the trail to stop for a quick snack and view the valleys of the Blue Ridge from above.
Located at mile marker 1,023 out of 2,190, the town of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, is considered the unofficial halfway point of the Appalachian Trail, and making it this far is already quite an accomplishment on its own. Wedged between the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, Harper’s Ferry is also home to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Headquarters, the organization that cares for and maintains all the trails from Georgia to Maine.
Harper’s Ferry is also of great historical significance, as it is the location of the famous raid on the town led by legendary abolitionist John Brown in 1859.
Located in Pennsylvania, just above the Maryland state line, Michaux State Forest provides a wonderful taste of northeastern wilderness. Black bears, woodpeckers, and salamanders inhabit this wonderful, mossy oak forest.
Michaux State Forest is also where the official halfway point of the Appalachian trail can be found. While the exact distance of the trail can vary slightly from year to year, a sign (not pictured) was erected deep in the woods in 2011 to mark what was exactly halfway between the Maine and Georgia tips at the time.
Farther up north, in Vermont, hidden away in Green Mountain National Forest, Stratton Pond stretches out beneath the towering Stratton Mountain. This is a perfect stop for hikers as they near the end of their long journey, and offers a moment to relax next to the water and admire the reflection of the forest dancing on the water’s surface.
Stratton Pond is popular among locals as well, and is a great place for fishing, swimming, and even sunbathing in the crisp Vermont air. The Stratton Pond Shelter is also just a short walk away, offering weary hikers a dry place to rest and recharge in the event of rain. Planks crisscross the marshy areas surrounding the pond.
Another picturesque spot along the Vermont section of the Appalachian Trail is Lye Brook Falls. This spot is hidden amongst a mixed hardwood forest and falls down steep stairs of rock, creating a beautiful rippling effect.
These cascades fall a total of 125 ft (about 38 m) down to pools that are a bit too shallow for swimming, but beautiful to admire nonetheless. While the energy of the falls is dependent on rainfall, there is almost always active water running down from the edge of the rocks, whether hikers pass through during cold winters or dry summers.
Nearing the end of the trail, in New Hampshire, rests the impressive Mount Moosilauke, the peak of which is at 4,802 feet (1,465 m). Moosilauke is the 10th tallest of the 48 “4,000 Footers” of the White Mountains, and offers stunning views of the rest of the range.
The name Moosilauke is taken from the local Algonquian Abenaki language. It’s commonly translated as “bald place,” but other interpretations include “at the place of ferns” and “good moose place along the brook.”
The Appalachian Trail finally ends at the peak of Mount Katahdin in northern Maine. After crossing through 14 states and taking most hikers around six months to traverse, the hardest leg of the journey is saved for last.
Sitting at 5,269 feet (1,605 m), Mount Katahdin is the highest point in Maine, and represents the achievement of a lifetime for many hikers and nature enthusiasts. The trails leading to the summit are rocky and treacherous, with one particular stretch ominously named Knife Edge forcing hikers to balance their way along a razor-thin ridgeline.
