Wolf Gap Recreation Area

“Will has a keen ability to match people with beautiful locations and experiences based on their level of skill and special circumstances— like having a three-year-old!” — Tim and Tracey, Arlington, VA.

Happy #NationalForestWeek! Not every trip has to be hardcore wilderness backpacking. This weekend, I headed out to one of my favorite “car camping” spots just two hours from DC with a couple-friend and their three-year-old daughter. It was their first trip as a family and we enjoyed the Appalachian peaks, star-filled dark skies, pine and spruce trees, mossy camp sites, and zero crowds of George Washington National Forest on the VA/WV border, all within sight of our vehicles.

Five Things You’ll Learn From This Post:

1. The site of one of the first African American Civilian Conservation Corps camps
2. Where to find the most spectacular sunset camping spot in George Washington National Forest
3. How to effectively car camp in our national forest system
4. Where to go to escape the crowds and also enjoy a safe outdoor adventure with small children
5. How to plan for water needs with no water sources

• BONUS: How to go backpacking on a motorcycle

If you live in the DC region, you know about Shenandoah National Park. At 200,000 acres, Shenandoah is a mountain oasis in close proximity to millions of urban-jungle dwellers in need of natural reprieve. But since Shenandoah is so close, so well known, and so easy to navigate and camp within (kudos to our national park system), it also gets very crowded in the summer months— which can be an issue in Covid times.

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, just a few miles west of Shenandoah, open new possibilities. Combined, these two forests dwarf Shenandoah and extend the entire length of Virginia (even spilling into WV and KY). At 1.8 million acres, these forests form one of the largest areas of public land in the East and cover vast mountainous regions comprised of: over 2,000 miles of hiking trails including large sections of the Appalachian Trail, 230,000 acres of old-growth forests, the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River, the highest peaks in Virginia, many species of plants, black bear, white-tailed deer, bobcat, bald eagles, weasel, otter, and more.

As highlighted in my previous blog, exploring our U.S. National Forest system is different than our U.S. National Park system and there are some key things to keep in mind I will reference again in this blog. The biggest thing, is that national forests generally don’t provide as many facilities (bathrooms, lodges, gas stations, etc) as national parks do. But a little extra planning can make things easy for anyone — including a three-year-old — and the rewards include fewer crowds and a more immersive natural experience!

Step 1: The Route

Wolf Gap Recreation Area is within George Washington National Forest and is one of the best and easiest places in the area to “car camp” (aka: driving to a designated site at which you can camp next to your vehicle). Wolf Gap is also within the Great North Mountain region of Virginia which connects many more miles of hiking and mountain peaks.

One of the best features of Wolf Gap is that it is perfectly situated in the center of two short hikes, one heading south from the campground and one leading north, with panoramic vista views from the top of each. These small peaks are known as Tibbet Knob (south) and Big Schloss (north) and are both around 2,900 ft.

The drive to get there is very easy with cell phone service the whole way. There are plenty of gas stations and food sources 15–20 minutes from the campground. And yet, a few minutes into the forest, the human footprint fades almost entirely away.

Right from the road, you’ll see a big USFS sign with an arrow pointing toward the main parking and camping area. This camping area requires self-registration when you arrive and is first come first serve. Some of the sites are very nice with fire pits and picnic tables — although wood is pretty picked over so you may want to splurge and grab a couple bundles from one of the various homes along the road that sell wood from their yards.

Bring water! Wolf Gap is over 2,000 feet in elevation and does not have many options for filtering water in the dry summer. There is a treated water pump operated by USFS but depending on Covid precautions it may be closed. Be self sufficient and bring whatever you might need the whole weekend. For a list of facilities, helpful Covid information, and ranger station emergency contact information, please visit the USFS Wolf Gap Recreation Area website: here.

One thing to note, is that I always turn LEFT from the road (despite the arrow on the Wolf Gap sign) into a smaller but quieter campsite across the road from the main area. This is the trail head area for Tibbet Knob and there are half a dozen or so beautiful large, flat, mossy areas for tents, chairs, camp tables, portable tree swings for three-year-olds (see: photo), or whatever else you wish to bring!

There is limited parking on this side of the road but parking is allowed in either area.

Starting from this smaller campsite area, the Tibbet Knob trail is marked and follows yellow “blazes” (ie: painted vertical marks on trees) 1.6 miles to the summit. As you ascend, the trail narrows and you hike along the center of an upward sloping ridgeline.

Beware — there is a small rock scramble near the top. Take it slowly over the loose rocks and always be sure to wear hiking boots with ankle support and appropriate traction/grip.

The screenshot I’ve included here is the Great North Mountain trails map and is accessible: here.

For a full trail description, AllTrails is a great phone app to track your progress in real time with your phone’s GPS and get recent reviews, updates, and photos from previous hikers.

However, for the gold standard of maps and trail descriptions in the mid-Atlantic, I will once again direct you, as I did in my last blog, to Hiking Upward. Here are their pages for Tibbet Knob and Big Schloss.

The Big Schloss trail takes off from across the street at the other, larger campground. Similar distance to the summit (2 miles) and also with breathtaking views. The summit area is a little easier to navigate (no rock scramble) and has a cool wooden bridge at the top that makes for great photos. I recommend doing Tibbet on Saturday before setting up camp and Big Schloss on Sunday before heading back to town.

African American History:

I’ve done this camping trip five times now and just recently discovered the important multi-cultural history of the area. “Camp Wolfs Gap,” as it was known when created in the 1930’s, was one of the first Civilian Conservation Corps camps to provide employment, training, and a home for several hundred African American citizens of Virginia and surrounding states.

According to Shenandoah Stories, a project by Shenandoah County Library, “these workers planted 16,000 acres of trees, constructed 45 miles of road, laid 100 miles of telephone lines, improved three miles of streams, and beautified 50 miles of road beds. They were also responsible for fire protection in over 100,000 acres of local forest and responded to several major incidents, including a large fire in Cedar Creek in 1935 that took them three days to extinguish. The company also performed essential services during the flood of 1936 when they helped rescue over 1200 local residents cut off by flood waters.”

I highly recommend additional reading at ShenandoahStories.org.

For additional information on the importance of the Civilian Conservation Corps in helping to build and maintain so many of the beautiful public lands we know and love today, click: here.

Step 2: What to Bring

Since this is a car camping trip, the simple answer is — bring whatever you want! A group of young campers next to us this weekend brought a battery-powered projector and movie screen . . .

While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend movies when trying to enjoy the great outdoors, since my group included a kid, we did bring tons of fun items including the aforementioned swing, tables and chairs, a bluetooth speaker, and a cooler full of actual food (not just freeze-dried backpacking food) that we cooked up in frying pans on a double-burner Coleman grill.

The biggest essential to stock up on, that I’ve mentioned repeatedly and will mention again now, is water. Bring more than you think you need. Being outdoors is dehydrating — especially in July with 90% humidity.

Step 3: The most spectacular sunset camping spot in all of George Washington National Forest

This statement is subjective, of course. The photo I’ve provided also does little justice to how beautiful this spot is in real life. But at the top of Tibbet Knob, there is a small camp site off to the left. I’ve camped here twice and you should arrive early to claim it as it can only support a few tents in a small clearing framed by a thick underbrush of shrubs and spruce trees. You also need to backpack up to this spot, inherently. But if you do, your “living room” will be a wide open rocky outcropping with expansive western-facing views that will turn into one of the most spectacular sunsets you’ve ever seen. Shortly after, the stars will arrive by the millions with almost no light pollution from the valley below.

This trip, however, we hiked back down to our extravagant car camping situation, built a fire, and still enjoyed many visible stars through clearings in the trees. For a summit photo from this weekend look at the first graphic at the top of this post. Here are some additional photos from our hike:

Step 4: Leave No Trace

When exploring any of our country’s vast public lands — whether federal national parks or forest service lands, state parks, recreation areas, or even public beaches — it is essential to practice “Leave No Trace.” For a full description of Leave No Trace and the seven principles to follow click: here.

The key is to pack out everything you packed in and to minimize your impact on the natural environment. This is important when thousands of people are visiting the same place each year (or millions, in the case of Shenandoah). Small things that people leave behind can add up and pollute the area very quickly.

Here are a couple additional practices to follow:

• Do NOT throw food particles into the woods, even if they are biodegradable. Pack out your apple cores, banana peels, and anything else in a trash bag in your pack. Bits of foods attract bears and other wildlife and thousands of people leaving their trash in the woods degrades the natural environment.
• Bury your poop with a little pack shovel (available at REI and elsewhere) and pack out your used toilet paper or other used hygiene products in your trash bag in your pack.
• Leave camping sites exactly as you found them, with as little human impact as possible.
• If you bathe in streams or ponds, use soap that is biodegradable and non-harmful. Wilderness Wash is a great option.

Again, the U.S. forest system is different from national parks, like Shenandoah, which may have trash cans and other services for waste disposal. It is your responsibility to not pollute the natural environment and take out 100% of what you take in.

For additional tips on how to stay safe in bear country and other pointers, refer to my previous blog.

BONUS: How to go backpacking on a motorcycle

If you’re bringing everything and the kitchen sink to maximize comfort on a camping trip then you’ll likely need a larger vehicle. But I also discovered the comfort and freedom of motorcycle camping this weekend and it was easier than I expected!

As a recent motorcycle enthusiast, I’ve learned a lot about riding culture which centers on being outside and enjoying back country roads. Throwing a tent and sleeping bag on the back of my bike was an obvious next step once I felt comfortable enough with the machine.

I packed up my expedition backpacking pack the same way I would any other trip — with food, clothes, tent, sleeping back, sleeping pad, and the little essentials and luxuries I like to take to make my trip more enjoyable. Then I put the pack into a large “Airporter” bag that can be purchased from REI or most outdoor stores. It slips over your whole bag to cut down on loose straps and adds another layer of protection and weatherproofing to your pack. After that, a mixed selection of bungee cords will enable you to safely tie things down with multiple points of contact. As you can see, I also have saddlebags on my bike for additional storage capacity on longer trips.

As always, try to reserve some time on the way home to discover and appreciate the many small towns, restaurants, wineries, shops, and landmarks that West Virginia and Virginia have to offer. It’s hard right now but many of these places offer takeout / outdoor service and they need our financial support more than ever. Just be sure to WEAR A MASK and take every precaution.

I also recommend turning on the “avoid highways” feature in your phone’s navigation application which will take you through Virginia wine country along beautiful two-lane rolling roads like Route 50 and through postcard little towns like Middleburg, VA. There was a time not long ago, before superhighways that bypass the countryside at the highest speeds possible, where the journey was appreciated as equally as the destination. Having a motorcycle has reconnected me to that perspective as high-speed highway riding is just not as comfortable as cruising backcountry roads. Part of the reason we go into nature is to slow down. Why not apply that to the roads to and from the campgrounds and extend the feeling of natural reprieve we all desperately need, a little longer.

Will Hackman, Hackman Guided Adventures

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