Eagle Rock Vista Hike

Eagle Rock Vista is on the Virginia/West Virginia border just past the Shenandoah Valley. A trail from Capon Springs Road leads up a hill to an amazing view into West Virginia. The trail, Tuscarora Trail, leads for 250 miles from Pennsylvania to southern Virginia. We only hiked a mile to the overlook.

Trail sign

The trailhead is on the West Virginia/Virginia border, though they don't advertise it

The hike started fairly easy with some flat if stony ground in front of us.

Not so bad at the beginning

Enjoying the hike

Someone else took this photo

The path got steeper and more rocky as we got farther along. The forest on the side of the trail seemed like it had a softer bed than the rain-washed walking path we were following.

Fewer, but still many, rocks

Just short of Eagle Rock is a vista obscured by trees. The autumn afternoon light did not help with photography.

Trying to get a good view

Is it wrong to want the trees down?

We discovered a foot-shaped puddle in one of the rocks. Could Big Foot have been here?

Comparing foot sizes

The vista at Eagle Rock was a much more impressive view of the valley beyond. The view is all West Virginia, with Virginia behind the hills behind us.

Foggy/misty valley

 Clouds in the distance

Heaven shining down

Photos don't do the view justice. It is amazing. The area also has a geocache, for which I snapped a photo.

A more rare sighting than Big Foot

Houses in the distance

Taking a break

One last look!

The vista has plenty of rocky outcroppings. A fire must have happened fairly recently, we saw scorch marks and burnt trees all around.

A fire-proof section

Burnt trees that were felled later

More burnt area

Blackened ground

The hike down was much the same. Since the trail runs two hundred plus miles, there are no loops. At least going downhill was much easier than the trek up!