Summary

This hike heads north from the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Punchbowl Mountain Crossing, near an old homestead that was famous during Prohibition for making whiskey. We will begin with a slight descent through the trees. After realtively flat  first  mile we'll come across the knobs of Rice Mountain and a slight ascent to the high point of the hike at 2.2 miles. 

After reaching the top of Rice Mountain we'll begin a descent of 1200 ft to Pedlar River Bridge at 4.2 miles. At 5.1 miles we 'll come to a small ridge with views of the Lynchburg Reservior and dam , Rice Mountain, and Bluff Mountain. Then we'll skirt Piney Mountain to east about 200 ft above the reservior pssing many gullies, then crossing Swapping Camp Creek at 6.7 miles. From there we ascend about 700 ft., over the next 4.2 miles, to the end of the hike at Long Mountain Wayside.

This is a one-way hike that requires a car shuttle. It is also a clothing optional hike.

Please allow for 6 hours of hiking time.

Directions To Trailhead Parking Lot

We will meet at the Super 8 hotel in Lexington, Va. The address for the Super 8 is 1139 North Lee Hwy. Zip Code 24450.

We will depart for the trailheads at 8:00 AM sharp, so please arrive eariler for planning and driving directions. This is a one-way hike and will require a car shuttle.

The drive from the hotel to the trailheads is 47 minutes.