Bearfence Mountain

On Bearfence Mountain

I was fortunate, as a child, to grow up in a small town where the Appalachian Trail danced along the mountaintops that I could see from my bedroom window, and even more fortunate that my parents often took me for walks in the woods, sometimes on the Red Dot and Blue Dot trails that led to the AT.

As an adult, the AT remained beyond my grasp until the 1990s, when I made an effort to day hike along it in numerous spots, including Shenandoah National Park. Bearfence Mountain was one of the spots that scared the heck out of me. The blue blaze was a gentle enough route, but the white blazes led up a jagged course with deep fissures between the rocks, and never mind the rattlesnakes that might be sunning.

1 Comment

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  Outdoor Adventure for Life December 7, 2011 at 12:43 pm

  Bearfence is one of our all-time favorites. Challenging, fun, but fairly short with outstanding views. You really can’t do much better: http://outdooradventureforlife.com/113/bearfence-mountain-trail-shenandoah-national-park

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