Allegheny Trail

Yesterday we checked out a small portion of the Allegheny Trail that starts at the trailhead just off Exit 1 on I-64. The trail is a north-south 288-mile spur off the Appalachian Trail, starting at the Mason-Dixon line near Bruceton Mills, WV, and ending at the Appalachian Trail on Peters Mountain on the Virginia-West Virginia state line. It's not marked on maps, so you need to get your information from the West Virginia Scenic Trails Association. We've hiked two other short portions of the Allegheny Trail: (1) the section that leads to the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory near Gap Mills, WV (2017 blog post), and (2) a very short section in the Gaudineer Scenic Area in Randolph County, WV (2016 blog post).

The trailhead is obvious, but overgrown.

The trail is well-marked with yellow blazes and trail markers.

The lower portion of the trail has extensively washed-out creek beds. I presume most of this occurred during the devastating flash floods on June 23, 2016.

We turned around at the end of a long, relatively level ridge. We didn't take a map, so we didn't know that we were less than 1/4 mile (and a 200 ft climb) from the top of Allegheny Mountain and the Virginia-West Virginia state line. As is typical of hiking in the eastern mountains, summer views from the summits are very limited or non-existent. Views are better when the trees have lost their leaves.

Summer is not a great time for wildflowers, but we saw a few. This is a Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid. It's relatively common, and I see the distinctive leaves all the time, but this is the first time I've seen it getting ready to bloom.

A coral fungus.