Spring Flowers at Thompson Wildlife Management Area

G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is known for its spring flowers, so much so that some of the better spots are actually marked on the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club's map of the area.  A friend and I went out on yesterday for a moderate hike to see what was in bloom.  We started at the Ted Lake trailhead yesterday morning.  After several days of cool weather, the warm sun felt good as we started up the hill. 

The Ted Lake Trail crosses a creek before beginning a steep ascent up to the Appalachian Trail.  The trail follows an old road, so there are no switchbacks.  While Thompson WMA is known for its native wildflowers, those areas are all up on the ridge.  The lower elevations are full of exotic, if pretty wildflowers, including Silene vulgaris (Bladder Campion) and one of the worst invasives, Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard).  We saw both of those and many others as we crossed and then climbed out of the valley.  The payoff for the climb, though is Thompson WMA's famous dense colonies of Trillium grandiflorum (Giant Trillium). By the time we made it to the Appalachian Trail, there were thousands of pink and white trilliums scattered throughout the woods.  We took a somewhat unintentional side trip on the Ted Lake Trail above the Appalachian Trail, where we saw the nicest Galearis spectabilis (Showy Orchis) of the entire hike. 

Back on the Appalachian Trail, we headed north, towards a spot with Cypripedium parviflorum (Yellow Lady Slippers).  This is the other main draw of Thompson WMA this time of year.  There aren't many places to see these lovely flowers and, at Thompson, they are right on the trail.  After spending a few minutes taking pictures, we continued on to an old road leading off the ridge, down to Lake Thompson.  We took a break there and enjoyed the view.  Several people fished from the banks.  As we were sitting there, a snake swam by in the lake.  I couldn't tell what kind it was, but it was probably 3-4 feet long. 

We hiked around the lake and returned to the car via a 2.5 mile road walk, which brought the total distance for the day close to 12 miles. If you want to see spectacular wildflowers, this is a great hike. 

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Trillium grandiflorum (Giant Trillium) along the Ted Lake Trail.

 Thalictrum thalictroides (Rue Anemone)

 Conopholis americana (Squawroot)

 Galaeris spectabilis (Showy Orchis)

 Cypripedium parviflorum (Yellow Lady Slipper)

 Another view of C. parviflorum.

 An example of the dense colonies of Trillium grandiflorum.

 Lake Thompson in the afternoon sun.

 This guy was crawling on the trail near the lake.

A field full of buttercups from the road.  This was one of the few views of the trip.

Frozen Hike - The Virginia Appalachian Trail from Manassas Gap to Ashby Gap

Saturday was cold.  When we left home, it was 15 degrees and the high was only forecast to be 24 in the city, so the mountains would be colder than that.  We met a friend at Ashby Gap, northeast of Front Royal and set up a car shuttle so we could hike nearly 12 miles of the Virginia Appalachian Trail (AT). We had hiked a very small portion of the AT in G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area, but the rest of the hike was new to us.

We started at Manassas Gap, just north of I-66 outside of Linden, Virginia.  The trail climbs moderately away from the noise of the interstate towards G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area.  It was very cold, but fortunately, there was little wind.  We paused at Manassas Gap Shelter and contemplated having lunch there.  There was a guy there gathering wood for a fire.  We called out hello, but he only responded with a glare that made us feel rather unwelcome, so we continued on.  Along the way, we passed some nice stone fences.  Unlike the ones in Shenandoah, I don't have a sense of how old these were.  They were in good shape, though. We also saw a number of woodpeckers on this stretch.

The Wildlife Management Area is home to spectacular wildflowers in the spring.  It can get rather crowded, but this time of year it is pretty deserted.  The area is also popular with hunters, but the large game seasons have ended for this winter.  There aren't really any views on the AT through the Wildlife Management Area, but it is a pretty, relatively easy stroll through the woods.  It never really warmed up.  By early afternoon, we had to break ice in the mouths of our water bottles before drinking from them. 


Just after leaving the Wildlife Management Area, we found a small, nearly completely frozen creek.  The ice was thick enough to stand on, although we could hear water running underneath it.  The small waterfalls were completely frozen over, making a nice contrast with the moss-covered rocks.  From there, the trail climbed back up towards Sky Meadows State Park.  The only views of the hike were in two of the balds in the state park.  From the top of the park, it was a quick three miles to the car at Ashby Gap.  The last quarter of a mile was along U.S. Highway 50.  That section was not the most endearing section of trail I have ever hiked.  The most dangerous part of the hike was probably crossing the highway to get to the car.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

A stone fence in G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area.

A twisted tree near Manassas Gap.

A small, frozen waterfall.

A leaf frozen into the stream.

Bootshot on the frozen stream.

One of the meadows at Sky Meadows State Park.

Thompson Wildlife Refuge - 6.5 miles of wildflowers

We decided to take it easy this weekend as I came down with a minor cold on Friday.  G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area (WMA) northeast of Front Royal, Virginia is not known for its views, challenging terrain, or pretty waterfalls.  What it lacks in those areas, it makes up for in spectacular spring wildflowers.  We were unsure of what we would find blooming because the earliest spring flowers have faded and the big show (the peak of the trilliums, showy orchis, and lady slippers) that Thompson WMA is known for is still a few weeks away. 

We started out at the northeast end of the WMA, at the parking area below the lake.  We hiked across the dam in the bright sun, passing a few people out fishing with their kids.  On the west side of the dam, we turned right to follow the Lake Trail up an old roadbed.  A blooming dogwood marked the junction.  As we climbed, redbud trees, old fruit trees, and fragrant bushes lined the trail. 

We arrived at the junction with an unnamed trail leading off to the right after 0.6 miles.  This is an easy junction to miss because there is a blowdown just a few feet beyond the junction sort of obscuring the trail.  Based on the number of blowdowns, I am not sure if this section of trail is maintained or not, but it is easy enough to follow.  The wildflowers started appearing on this trail.  Anemonella thalictroides (Rue Anemone), a myriad of violets, and the occasional Arisaema atrorubens (Jack-in-the-Pulpit) lined the trail.

After just under a mile, we turned left onto the Appalachian Trail and followed it for the next two miles.  This is where the wildflowers really come out.  We were pleasantly surprised to see a few Trillium grandiflora blooming.  It is still pretty early for them.  After we crossed the Lake Trail, we immediately found Dicentra cucularia (Dutchman's Breeches), followed by Erythronium americanum (Trout Lily).  We made our way south on the Appalachian Trail until we reached a crossing with a gravel road.  After taking a few more pictures of flowers, we returned the way we came, turning right and heading down the Lake Trail directly to the dam.

On a sad note, we took our dog along this time because it was going to be a short hike on easy terrain.  She is 13, but last year, she was still able to hike 10 + miles per day.  Three years ago, she was still carrying her own food and water for hikes.  She hiked all over Oregon, Virginia, and Maryland with us.  We used to joke that she felt it was her responsibility in the woods to lead us safely back to the car.  Unfortunately, she had quite a bit of trouble this time.  That means her hiking days are likely over, save for shorter walks in Rock Creek Park.  It is very hard to admit that she has gotten too old to join us anymore, but it has been coming for a while. She's earned her retirement. 

Pictures (click to enlarge):

A fruit tree along the Lake Trail

Redbud trees lining the Lake Trail.

Dicentra cucllaria (Dutchman's Breeches)

Anemonella thalictroides (Rue Anemone)

Erythronium americanum (Trout Lily)

Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)

T

Trillium grandiflora (Giant Trillium)

Dogwood near the dam.

Our dog when she was younger and could carry her own pack.  This picture was taken at Dolly Sods in 2006.