Vigorous Hike - Tuesday, May 5th - Wilson Cove/Great North Mountain and Paddy Run Valley

[Edward Cook]



Tuesday, May 5th - 8:30am - (16.3 miles, 2000 feet elevation gain) (PATC Map F)  

Greetings - Our next hike will take us back and forth between West Virginia and Virginia as we hike on the slopes and along the ridge of a section of Great North Mountain as well as on trails in an adjacent valley.  We will use part of the Tuscarora Trail and several other trails and fire roads as we make one big circle.  The hike begins in the Waites Run parking area (South of Wardensville, WV) where we have started numerous other hikes in the past.  Google Maps calls this the "Three Ponds Trailhead" (you can search on that) and it's located at:  39.01567158075375, -78.60495548322224.  It can be reached by taking Waites Run Rd South out of Wardensville which is on Route 55 (Rt 48 in WV) just over the State line after crossing Great North Mountain.

Starting at the Three Ponds Trailhead parking area we will take the Tuscarora Trail North along several switchbacks for about 3.5 miles until reaching the ridge of Great North Mountain.  We continue North for less than a mile until reaching the Gerhard Shelter.  From there we descend the ridge via numerous switchbacks until reaching a fire road which we will take North for 2.5 miles.  At that point we transition to the Vances Cove Trail and go South for 3.5 miles until reaching an intersection.  We bear left here and transition to the Racer Camp Hollow Trail which we take for about 7 miles until reaching the Old Mailpath Trail.  We turn right here and continue until it transitions to a road that takes you around the Wilson Cove area and back to the parking area.

     

Driving Directions:  Take I-66 to I-81 and go south for 3.4 miles until the Strasburg Route 55 Exit.  Go west on 55 towards Wardensville, WV for 20 miles and take a left on Furnace Rd which transitions to Waites Run Road.   Drive about 7 miles and you'll reach the parking area.

Please let me know if you are coming.

See you then!  Map is attached.  

Leader: Ed Cook, veet...@gmail.com, 703-609-6794

https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=12.5/-78.5638/39.0288&pubLink=vSle1kGmknnkUyQ4eIIup8hJ&routeId=24b99b21-46a9-48e5-b407-c260b96968c2

[Dave Green]

Let me know if anyone wants to carpool from Centreville at 7am.  

Dave Green

dkgr...@hotmail.com

703-338-6855

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From: vigorou...@googlegroups.com <vigorou...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Edward Cook <veet...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 1, 2026 12:09 PM
To: Vigorous Hikers <vigorou...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Vigorous Hike - Tuesday, May 5th - Wilson Cove/Great North Mountain and Paddy Run Valley

 

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You are subscribed to the "Vigorous Hikers" email group. Information on the weekly Tuesday hikes and any updates are sent to this group by the hike leaders every week. If you need further information, a response to a message will go to the hike leader who will get back to you. Additional information about our group and our Hike Schedule of future hikes is at http://vigoroushikers.org/.
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[Josh Silverman]

I plan to be on this hike and I will come to Centreville at 7:00.

Josh

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From: vigorou...@googlegroups.com <vigorou...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Dave Green <dkgr...@hotmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 1, 2026 1:25 PM
To: Vigorous Hikers <vigorou...@googlegroups.com>; veet...@gmail.com <veet...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Vigorous Hike - Tuesday, May 5th - Wilson Cove/Great North Mountain and Paddy Run Valley

 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vigorous-hikers/MW5PR17MB5893D33AC88305A9C559C035AC322%40MW5PR17MB5893.namprd17.prod.outlook.com.