VH Little Devil Stairs, AT, Mathews Arm, Elkwallow and Piney Ridge Tuesday Jan 27

[Philip Ayliff]

The hike scheduled for Tuesday, Jan 27 is as follows:

Meet at the Little Devil Stairs parking lot no later than 8:30am  https://maps.app.goo.gl/63chJZgTi87NjM9Z8

The hike will follow the following route - see map below:

• Little Devil Stairs to the Fourway junction.  (2 miles)
• Right on Keyser Run Road and cross Skyline Drive to AT (1 mile)
• Left onto AT until Tuscarora Overall Run Trail (TORT)  (1.8 miles)
• Right onto TORT until Tuscarora Overall Run Access Trail (0.7 miles)
• Left onto the access trail and then the next right onto the Traces Trail
• Follow the Traces trail around the Mathews Arm CG until the Elkwallow Trail (ET) (1.25 miles)
• Right onto ET until you reach the AT just before Elkwallow Wayside (1.8 miles)
• Left onto the AT, cross Skyline Drive and follow the AT to the Piney Ridge Trail (0.8 miles)
• Right onto Piney Ridge Trail and then follow it to Piney Branch Trail  (watch for the turn in the trail at Fork Mountain Trail - do NOT take Fork Mountain) (3.3 miles)
• Right onto Piney Branch Trail and follow it to Hull School Trail. There is a minor stream cross on Piney Branch. (0.5 miles)
• Left onto Hull School Trail which turns into Keyser Run Road at Bolen Cemetery. This trail will take you back to the parking lot. (1.8 miles)

Here is a link to the route in GAIA  https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?lat=38.3417&lon=-98.0859&zoom=4&layer=caltoponpsvisitor,GaiaTopoRasterFeet&alpha=caltoponpsvisitor:0.5,GaiaTopoRasterFeet:0.5&loc=14.6/-78.2886/38.7557&pubLink=8U6bTgZ8Y9UHkgB7gR22L8KJ&routeId=dde5a926-c511-4de8-b872-1b89c25a52c0

In summary:

• Distance - 15 miles
• Ascent - about 4,000 ft

Notes:

• I hiked Little Devil Stairs on Tuesday  - it was cold but there were no ice issues.  
• Besides Little Devil Stairs there are no tricky stream crossings that I am aware of.
• It will be cold on Tuesday and there should be snow up on the mountains and ice on rocks at the stream crossing.  Traction devices may be appropriate 
• The trails near Mathews Arm campground can be confusing and are not well marked in spots.  Please help fellow hikers who may not be familiar with this route find their way. 
• There are several ways to shorten this route - I suggest you look at the map closely to review your options. Beware of Piney Branch as a short cut as there is a tricky stream crossing.
• My contact information is pay...@gmail.com and 571-239-2846

Carpool:

Hikers who wish to carpool should meet no later than 7AM at the Centerville Park and Ride off I66, exit 52, Centerville.  Go West on Rt 29 taking the 2nd right into the parking lot area, then immediately turn left to the corner of the lot where our group gathers.  (See: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/riders/stone-road ).  The car pool is informal so get there early but do not delay leaving past 7:00 AM as others may not choose to carpool that day.

Please let me know if you are planning on joining me on this hike and whether you plan to use the car pool.

Any questions or comments?

Phil Ayliff

[Josh Silverman]

We may have to consider a different route.  There is a very good chance that the way to the parking lot will be unusable as a result of the snowfall this weekend.

Josh

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From: vigorou...@googlegroups.com <vigorou...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Philip Ayliff <pay...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2026 4:14 PM
To: vigorou...@googlegroups.com <vigorou...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: VH Little Devil Stairs, AT, Mathews Arm, Elkwallow and Piney Ridge Tuesday Jan 27

 

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[Philip Ayliff]

Do you think this one would be a good alternative? I have never actually done this hike.

Sent from my iPad

On Jan 24, 2026, at 12:29 PM, Josh Silverman <betu...@msn.com> wrote:



[Josh Silverman]

This looks preferable, since the trailhead is reachable by major roads.  I have been in this park several times and it is quite scenic.  Even though there is not a lot of elevation gain, there is some, and it may prove quite challenging if there remains over a foot of snow on the trails.

Josh

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From: Philip Ayliff <pay...@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2026 12:43 PM
To: Josh Silverman <betu...@msn.com>
Cc: vigorou...@googlegroups.com <vigorou...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: VH Little Devil Stairs, AT, Mathews Arm, Elkwallow and Piney Ridge Tuesday Jan 27

 

[Philip Ayliff]

I have not heard from anyone interested in doing this hike.  It looks like the amount of snow and ice around Sperryville is a lot less than expected - see attached.  Let me know if you are interested in giving it a go. Note that there are several ways to reduce the length of the hike.  Also note that it will be very cold, around 0 degrees at 8:30 am.

Thanks

Phil

Sent from my iPad

On Jan 23, 2026, at 4:14 PM, Philip Ayliff <pay...@gmail.com> wrote:



[Philip Ayliff]

There is still no interest in doing this hike.  Is anyone interested in doing the attached hike instead? 

Sent from my iPad

On Jan 25, 2026, at 5:59 PM, Philip Ayliff <pay...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have not heard from anyone interested in doing this hike.  It looks like the amount of snow and ice around Sperryville is a lot less than expected - see attached.  Let me know if you are interested in giving it a go. Note that there are several ways to reduce the length of the hike.  Also note that it will be very cold, around 0 degrees at 8:30 am.

Thanks

Phil