Winter Wonderland

Swallow Falls: A winter loop for the sure-footed

Visit Western Maryland's Swallow Falls State Park when nobody else wants to leave the fireside.  In the winter, when snow typically piles high in Garrett County, the park is spectacular.  The old growth hemlock forest sags with snow, the falls freeze with a statuesque artistry, and icicles hang ominously from the rocky river gorges.

The shortest loop through the park is only a mile and a quarter-- but in winter is not for the faint of heart. Leave the flask back at the lodge for this winter sojourn, the trail tends of ice over in stretches and meanders alarmingly close to the the rushing confluence of the Youghiogheny River and Muddy Creek in some parts.



































In warmer months, the stretch of the Youghiogheny River from Swallow Falls to Friendsville is especially gnarly, providing great opportunities for whitewater enthusiasts.  During  summer months the short loop trail  also gets a lot of traffic, so pets are not allowed on the shorter Swallow Falls trail between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

For the winter loop, layer up and wear shoes that will provide some serious grip.  Starting from the parking lot proceed to the the T junction trailhead, veer to the right and follow trail marker signs for Swallow Falls, beginning with a gradual downhill.  The 1 and 1/4 mile trail makes a perfect loop back to the parking lot.  For a longer hike, there is also a 5.5 mile route from Swallow Falls State Park to Herrington Manor State Park through the Garrett Forest (leashed pets are allowed on this longer trail at any time of year).

Directions: Go north on 219 from Oakland, Maryland and turn left on Mayhew Inn Road.  Continue about a mile and half then turn left on Bray School Road.  Continue to the end of Bray School Road (about 1.5 miles) then turn right on Oakland/Sang Run Road.  After about a mile, turn left on Swallow Falls Road, the park entrance is about a mile and a half ahead on the right.

For park information:

www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/swfmap.asp
www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/swallowfalls.asp
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/herrington.asp

For more trail maps of Swallow Falls and other locations in Garrett County, Maryland:

http://garretttrails.org/trails--maps.html
http://garretttrails.org/central-region-trails.html

7 offbeat outdoor adventures in the Mid-Atlantic

The Gauley River, West Virginia

River routes with names like Pillow Rock, Shipwreck, and Lost Paddle provide fair warning to paddlers.  Just 65-miles from Charleston, West Virginia’s Gauley River drops almost 668 feet in 28 miles and winds through some of the most rugged terrain in the state.  Gauley season begins the first weekend after Labor Day and continues for 6 weeks.  The whitewater paddling community gathers annually in September for Gauley Fest, a jamboree of river-runners and river-lovers (September 19-20, 2014). 

The Priest Wilderness, Virginia

Virginia’s 6,000-acre Priest Wilderness, southwest of Charlottesville, provides plenty of opportunity to find religion.  Hike among the seasonal rhododendron and blooming mountain laurel and summit the four peaks making up Virginia’s Religious Range, including the Little Priest, the Cardinal, the Friar, and the pinnacle, the 4,063-foot summit of the Priest.  The Appalachian Trail (AT) also passes through the wilderness, and the stretch of trail from the Tye River to the summit of the Priest is one of the most rigorous climbs of the entire AT, gaining 3,100 feet in elevation in just four miles.

  

Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina

Visit North Carolina's Outer Banks in the fall; the crowds are gone but swells and westerlies are abundant.  Campsites on the dunes in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore provide a perfect vantage point for watching the surf and the sunrise. Water temperatures become wetsuit-worthy by early October.  

The Youghiogheny River, Maryland/Pennsylvania

Snaking through the Allegheny Mountains, the Youghiogheny River boasts gnarly whitewater and undisturbed forest vistas.  For thrill-seekers, between Swallow Falls State Park and Hoyes Run, the river tumbles over a series of falls ultimately dropping 280-feet in four miles.  For more leisurely paddlers, the middle section of the Yough offers wider, more navigable stretches of river and more forgiving rapids. 

Mount Porte Crayon, West Virginia

Mount Porte Crayon, in the Roaring Plans Wilderness, offers such idyllic backcountry skiing the area was once slated to become a resort.  However, outcry from environmentalists and outdoor lovers thwarted development plans leaving the 6,792-acre Roaring Plains Wilderness almost untouched.  Roaring Plains is a more remote extension of the nearby Dolly Sods Plateau, and the network of high-altitude meadows and sweeping plans provides a perfect playground for skilled backcountry skiers and navigation-savvy hikers and backpakers.   

Transylvania County, North Carolina

The name is spooky and evocative of eerie folklore from another era, but the 250 waterfalls of Translyvania County are anything but creepy.  The waterfalls are just miles apart, spread between the Pisgah National Forest, Dupont State Recreational Forest, and Gorges State Park, and 400-foot Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains.  If the waterfalls aren’t enough, check out the over 1,000 miles of hiking trails, nearly 500 miles of fishable trout paradise, and the climbing options on Looking Glass Rock, one of the biggest monoliths in the Appalachians. 

False Cape State Park, Virginia

Barely 40 minutes from hordes at highly popular Virginia Beach, nearby False Cape State Park offers some of the last untouched stretches of seashore in Virginia.  The park is accessible only by foot, bike or boat (although a tram operates in peak season from April to October).  Fringed by the critter-rich Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, only primitive camping is allowed in the state park, increasing chances of encountering locals -- like feral pigs and water moccasins.