These beautiful trails, mostly in Madison county, Virginia, are a little-known resource for riders wEvents/Alerts/Cool Stuff.
We are told the armies of the South marched across the mountains on some of these trails during the civil war. Others are really more like roads -- one was famously used by President Hoover and his guests as they traveled to and from the presidential “Camp Rapidan” to fish for trout or relax on the porches. Today, one can ride to what is now named Camp Hoover and visit the mothballed log cabins and, for non-riders, the trout fishing is still among the best in Virginia.
Deep in the hollows and woods of the Park are the ghosts of past inhabitants, (though never fear, they will not scare your horse). Tumbled down stone walls, odd piles of stones, graveyards, ruined chimney stacks, and even terraces where stones and rocks were cleared so corn could be planted on the steep hillsides; these are the remains of the homesteads and small communities that once dotted the area. The residents of these hardscrabble farms were disinvited from the area when the Park was created and rehoused courtesy of the U.S. government. Some were no doubt happy to leave, but some were coerced and others were just plain kicked out. Hollows such as Berry, Weakly, Shotwell and Gibson are named for the families who lived there, and many local people, (often with those same names), quite justifiably hold a grudge against the Park Service and the “government” for the loss of their heritage and the theft of their land. If they were native Americans, there would probably be a monument for them. Further back in history, Indians apparently moved up into the mountains with the seasons and those of us who live here are some people are lucky enough to find ammunition they lost while hunting.
Despite high fuel prices there is a renewed interest in riding in this area. Perhaps it is because Graves Mountain Lodge has an energetic new manager in the horse barn and he is upgrading horse-camping facilities, clearing the many trails on the Graves’ property and sponsoring horse events such as the Cowboy and Cowgirl Challenge, a Rodeo and more. Perhaps it is because local riders are volunteering and opening some of the less well known trails after years of disuse. Or maybe it is simply because a couple of days of horse camping and riding in this area beats the heck out of most other vacations – and, even with $3 a gallon fuel, it costs a lot less than many other far less interesting activities.
There are only two times of the year when it may be best to stay away. First, even though it is often 8 or 10 degrees cooler up here than it is elsewhere, midsummer is hard on the horses and few people ride on a humid August day. Snow and ice are not much fun and, on days when the ground is thawing, the footing can be slick and treacherous. So riders tend to stay off the trails in January, and the first two weeks of February unless, of course, a sunny day comes along when the ground is dry.
Hunting seasons need not scare anyone away since hunting is prohibited in the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) and, with a little planning, it is relatively easy to ride on back roads into the Park without fear of being mistaken for a deer.
Besides, what better time than fall, when the leaves are off the trees, to ride up to Skyline Drive? The views along the way are magnificent and nothing beats a cup of hot chocolate or coffee when you get to the top.
There are trails for every level of expertise from just-barely-able-to-hang-on beginners to people who are conditioning their horses for the Old Dominion 100 mile ride. There are wide, easy to ride trails that meander around Graves Mountain apple orchards for two, three, five or more miles. There are a couple of nice 15 to 20 mile loops that take you up 2000 feet and back down a couple of times - something your horse may feel is excessive. There are wide trails, narrow trails and everything in between. There are trails that are rough and trails that are smooth, trails that everyone knows, and there are a few that a darn near secret. The options are all there, and part of the fun is scouting the trails and figuring out which ones are worth revisiting. Hopefully, this site is going to help you get started or discover new places to go.
Jeremy Squire Syria Graves Mountain Lodge Trail Riding SNP Virginia horse trails weekend rides Big MeadowsHorse horse trails
