Waterfalls and Wildflowers? Cedar Run and White Oak Canyon

A friend was in town from Oregon last weekend and had a free day, so we took her out Shenandoah National Park and hiked the Cedar Run, Hawskbill, White Oak Canyon loop. It is a nice ten-mile loop that shows off some of the best of the park: big waterfalls, the highest peak in the park, and it has enough climbing to be a good workout. I feel like we've been to White Oak Canyon countless times, but looking back through the blog and my photos, I hadn't been since 2011 and Michael hadn't been since 2009. It was nice to see all of the waterfalls again.

The weather was perfect: sunny and in the high 40s. For much of the climb up Cedar Run, we were protected from the wind, so it felt pretty warm. It had rained earlier in the week, which meant the waterfalls were running well. We ate lunch just before we got to Skyline Drive. That was our first taste of the wind. We all got cold pretty quickly. The walk up to the top of Hawksbill warmed us back up, but it was pretty windy and cold up there. We took a few pictures and headed back down the mountain. We crossed back over Skyline Drive and picked up the fire road that connects to the White Oak Canyon Trail. We had a nice walk down past all of the big waterfalls. Since it was too cold to swim, it wasn't terribly crowded.

 The waterfall at the first crossing of Cedar Run. It was a little bright to try to shoot smooth waterfalls, but this one didn't turn out too badly.

 The pool below the waterslide on Cedar Run. The water was so clear on Saturday that you could see the bottom of the pool

 Old Rag from the top of Hawksbill. It was a little hazy.

 Our party on the summit of Hawksbill.

 A small cascade on White Oak Creek

 One of the larger falls on White Oak Creek.

 Lower White Oak Falls

Anemone americana (Round-Lobed Hepatica) blooming. On February 11th. In the mountains. This is easily a month, possibly more like six or seven weeks, early. This is the clearest indication that we haven't actually had winter this year. According to Capital Weather Gang, in the DC area, we had a 19 day stretch in January where the temperature didn't drop below freezing. I'm sure it was colder in the mountains, but it has clearly still been unusually warm.

Miles and Miles of Flowers: Stony Man Overlook to Hawksbill Summit

We set off in search of flowers yesterday and did we ever find them.  We also picked up a couple of trails that we hadn't been on before.  We started at the Stony Man Overlook near milepost 39 on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.  The flowers started as soon as we got out of the car:  Scattered around the south end overlook were Aquilegia vulgaris (Garden Columbine), a non-native, but lovely flower.  As soon as we entered the woods, we encountered the distinctive smell of Rhododendron roseum (Hoary Azalea).

Our route for most of the day would be the Appalachian Trail.  After less than a quarter mile of walking, we came out into a clearing along the edge of Skyline Drive.  Yesterday was one of the first truly warm days of the year, so we were pretty happy to get to the south end of the clearing and back into the full shade of the woods.  The woods at the elevation of the overlook are completely leafed out and transitioning to early summer.  From there, the trail begins a gradual, pleasant climb up to Little Stony Man, passing the Passamaquoddy Trail along the way.  We spent a few minutes on the rocks of Little Stony Man, before continuing the climb up to Stony Man.  Even though it was warm and we were climbing, there was a nice breeze.  As we got closer to Stony Man, there was less shade since the trees haven't fully leafed out at that elevation. 

We had lunch on Stony Man and even had a few minutes of solitude on the summit.  On the way down the Nature Trail/Appalachian Trail, the forest floor was covered in Houstonia caerulea (Bluets).  We passed Skyland and the horse stables and continued towards Hawksbill, the highest point in Shenandoah.  We had much of this section of the trail to ourselves, only occasionally passing another hiker.  The birds filled the air with songs and we occasionally heard a Pileated Woodpecker crying in the distance.  We passed through groves where Hay Scented Ferns covered the entire forest floor. 

When we reached the Lower Hawksbill parking area, we took the Lower Hawksbill Trail up to the summit.  The weather seemed to be deteriorating and it sort of tried to rain for a little while as we were climbing.  By the time we made it to the summit, however, it had stopped and we had a decent view.  We returned the way we came until we reached Skyland, where we turned west on the Furnace Spring Trail. 

The Furnace Spring Trail does not appear to get used very much, in spite of its proximity to Skyland.  It is one of the least distinct trails I've seen in Shenandoah (I say this having not hiked in the south district very much).  There isn't much to it in the half-mile between the Appalachian Trail and the junction with the Passamaquoddy Trail.  The Passamaquoddy Trail might have the most letters in its name per mile of any trail in the park, especially since it is only a mile long.  That mile was one of the more pleasant of the day.  The trail winds along the cliffs below Stony Man for the first three quarters of a mile.  At one point, we found a tiny waterfall pouring down from a cliff, nearly onto the trail.  As we walked up an indigo bunting flew off.  Behind the waterfall, there was a perfectly flat rock in the cool shade.  We took the opportunity to splash the cold water our faces and took a short break on the rock.  Further on, we passed Little Stony Man and another nice overlook, before returning to the Appalachian Trail and to the car.

We hiked about 14 miles.  It was one of those perfect days with birds singing, flowers blooming, and good timing.  We made it to the car just ahead of a downpour.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Viola pedata (Birds Foot Violet).  This violet is named for the shape of its leaves. 

 Aquilegia vulgaris (Garden Columbine), with Stony Man in the background at the Stony Man Overlook.  Non-native, but very pretty.

 Pedicularis canadensis (Wood Betony, Lousewort).  There are two color varieties of P. canadensis:  Burgundy and yellow (below).  These two were growing right next to each other.

 P. canadensis, Houstonia caerulea, and the leaves of Amianthium muscaetoxicum (Fly Poison) on the Stony Man Nature Trail.

Viola canadensis (Canada Violet).  The backs of the petals are lavender in this variety of violet. 

Micranthes virginiensis (Early Saxifrage) along the Appalachian Trail.

 Actaea pachypoda (White Baneberry, Doll's Eyes). 

 Early Spring near the summit of Hawksbill.

 Packera aureus (Golden Ragwort) on the Appalachian Trail.

 Potentilla canadensis (Dwarf Cinquefoil).

 Ranunculus fascicularis (Early Buttercup)

 Hay-Scented Ferns

The view from the overlook below Little Stony Man on the Passamaquoddy Trail.

(Almost) Winter Waterfalls: White Oak Canyon

Sunday, we hiked 10 miles. We started at the White Oak parking lot on the east boundary of Shenandoah, hiked up Cedar Run, crossed Skyline Drive and climbed Hawksbill, the highest point in Shenandoah National Park. After taking pictures at the overlook on Hawksbill, we returned to Skyline Drive via the Appalachian Trail. Then we hiked down the Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail to the White Oak Trail and finally back to the car.

All in all, it took us seven hours to hike 10 miles. It was not because the terrain was difficult or because the trail was too steep. It is nearly 3000 feet from the parking lot to Hawksbill, but we were moving pretty fast...when we were actually walking: We spent the better part of two hours taking pictures of waterfalls. All of the creeks in the area are running high because of the recent rain, so all of the waterfalls were going gangbusters. Cedar Run and White Oak Creek have so many pretty waterfalls, one loses count.

The hike up Cedar Run is tough. The trail climbs relentlessly for nearly three miles from the parking lot to Skyline Drive. There are two crossings of Cedar Run, neither of which turned out to be a problem, even through the water level was high.

We had lunch at the Lower Hawksbill parking before heading up the short, steep trail to the summit. It was chilly in the shade, but quite nice out in the sun on the summit. The Shenandoah Valley to the west was fogged in, but it was clear to the east towards Old Rag.

From Hawksbill, we returned to Skyline Drive and made our way to White Oak Canyon, where the big waterfalls are. We were not disappointed. The major falls on White Oak Creek were full of water. Every seep and tiny side stream was spilling over the trail. Below the middle fall, we were hiking along the cliff edge and noticed the opposite side of the canyon was one, large sheet of falling water. This was not White Oak Creek, but a number of normally small side streams that feed White Oak Creek. We have been to White Oak Canyon several times and have never seen anything like it.

Pictures above: Small waterfall on Cedar Run (top center); waterslide on Cedar Run (above right).

Pictures from the top: Middle White Oak Falls;Old Rag from Hawksbill; a small waterfall where normally there is just a seep; and small waterfall at Middle White Oak Falls