North River District / Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew
PATC North River District has a volunteer agreement with the Forest Service to maintain 100 miles of trails in the George Washington National Forest North River Ranger District. We have many opportunities for volunteers to help maintain trails:
Trail Maintainers. Trail Maintainers who are assigned segments of trail assume responsibility for inspecting their trails several times a year and performing routine trail maintenance: trimming back vegetation, removing small blowdowns, painting blazes (except in Wilderness), and removing Non Native Invasive Species (NNINs). PATC has a tool cache for North River District Trial Maintainers at the GWNF North River Ranger District Office at Mt. Crawford.PATC offers hands-on Basic Trail Maintenance training monthly at Trimble Mountain Trail. (Resources for North River District Trail Maintainers and SMTC)
Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew. Some volunteers who opt not to be trail maintainers, but who want to help, join the Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew.This crew supports the trail maintainers who need assistance with their trails. This includes brushing, erosion control, blowdowns removal, erecting signs, doing rock work, and painting blazes. The Trail Crew is called out at least once a month to focus on a work project that needs done. Sign up for Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew
Trail Maintainers. Trail Maintainers who are assigned segments of trail assume responsibility for inspecting their trails several times a year and performing routine trail maintenance: trimming back vegetation, removing small blowdowns, painting blazes (except in Wilderness), and removing Non Native Invasive Species (NNINs). PATC has a tool cache for North River District Trial Maintainers at the GWNF North River Ranger District Office at Mt. Crawford.PATC offers hands-on Basic Trail Maintenance training monthly at Trimble Mountain Trail. (Resources for North River District Trail Maintainers and SMTC)
Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew. Some volunteers who opt not to be trail maintainers, but who want to help, join the Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew.This crew supports the trail maintainers who need assistance with their trails. This includes brushing, erosion control, blowdowns removal, erecting signs, doing rock work, and painting blazes. The Trail Crew is called out at least once a month to focus on a work project that needs done. Sign up for Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew
Chain Sawyers. PATC North River District has 6 certified PATC chain sawyers who are available to remove blowdowns reported by Trail Maintainers. The Forest Service requires that volunteers be trained and certified to use a chainsaw in the National Forest. Training is offered in Edinburg each Spring.
Crosscut Sawyers. PATC North River District has 19 certified crosscut sawyers who are available to remove blowdowns in Ramseys Draft Wilderness, where chainsaws are not used. The Forest Service requires that volunteers be trained and certified to use a crosscut saw in the National Forest. Contact Lynn
Cameron to find out when the next training opportunity is available.
Student groups. Several JMU student groups have joined PATC and maintain trails in the North River District. PATC leaders train and accompany the student groups until they are ready to work on their own.
Crosscut Sawyers. PATC North River District has 19 certified crosscut sawyers who are available to remove blowdowns in Ramseys Draft Wilderness, where chainsaws are not used. The Forest Service requires that volunteers be trained and certified to use a crosscut saw in the National Forest. Contact Lynn
Cameron to find out when the next training opportunity is available.
Student groups. Several JMU student groups have joined PATC and maintain trails in the North River District. PATC leaders train and accompany the student groups until they are ready to work on their own.
Outside groups. PATC North River District enjoys collaborating with corporate and nonprofit partners. Some corporations, like Daikin, give employees paid leave to do volunteer work, including trail maintenance with PATC. We are grateful for this kind of help. We have collaborated with Virginia Native Plant Society - Shenandoah Chapter, and Virginia Master Naturalists - Headwaters Chapter on trail work and removal of Invasive plants.
Safety. All volunteers who do trail maintenance are require to use Personal Protective Equipment. This includes hardhats, safety glasses and gloves.
Safety. All volunteers who do trail maintenance are require to use Personal Protective Equipment. This includes hardhats, safety glasses and gloves.
Trails we maintain
If you would like to become a trail maintainer for any of the "open" trails listed below or for any other trails in the North River District, please let us know,
North River District Managers
Lynn and Malcolm Cameron
[email protected] or [email protected]
(540) 234-6273 (H), or (540)830-4524 (cell)
North River District Trails
Shenandoah Mountain Trail/Great Eastern Trail
Hone Quarry Trails
Ramseys Draft Wilderness and Proposed Addition
Other Trails:
North River District Managers
Lynn and Malcolm Cameron
[email protected] or [email protected]
(540) 234-6273 (H), or (540)830-4524 (cell)
North River District Trails
Shenandoah Mountain Trail/Great Eastern Trail
- High Knob Trail from from Rt. 33 to High Knob Fire Tower – .5 mi. (#1024) – JMU GIVE
- SMT North from Rt. 33 to end of private road. 2.1 mi. - JMU GIVE
- SMT from end of private road to FR 85 (#1024) – 5.6 mi. - Mike Tranum, Tim Hupp, and Chris Bowlen
- North River Trail from FR 85 to FR 95 – 4.5 mi. (#539) – Tim and Valarie Link
- SMT from FR 95 to Ramseys Draft Trail intersection – 3.45 mi. (#447) – Billy Flint
- SMT from Rt. 250 to Jerrys Run Trail – 2.4 mi. (#447) - SSVC (Jean Stephens)
- SMT from Jerrys Run to Al's Run – 2.1 mi. (#447) – Barbara Martin and John Burkhardt
- SMT from Al's Run to Ramseys Draft Trail - 2.6 mi. (#447) - Roger and Jan Orndorff
Hone Quarry Trails
- Cliff Trail – 1 mi. from FR 62 to Rock slide (#429) – Kathy Foster
- Hone Quarry Loop (Heartbreak, #435A, 1.3 mi from FR 62 to Hone Quarry Ridge Trail; Hone Quarry Ridge Trail from Heartbreak to Big Hollow, 2 mi. (#435); Big Hollow from Hone Quarry Ridge to FR 62 – 2 mi. #430); loop is from FR 62 to FR 62) – 5 mi.– Christa Neher, Kathy Foster, and Austin Sachs, with help from Brian Nixon, Christy Bradburn and Brian Koerner
- Falls Trail (unofficial) from FR. 62 to Hone Quarry Falls- .65 mi., no number - Brian Nixon
- Grooms Ridge Trail from FR 101 to Wild Oak Trail – 4 mi. (#424) – Lynn and Malcolm Cameron
- Buck Mountain Trail from Hearthstone Lake to Bald Mountain Rd. – 5.8 mi. (#434) – Ron Stoltzfus
Ramseys Draft Wilderness and Proposed Addition
- Ramseys Draft Trail from Mountain House Picnic Area to Jerrys Run - 2.4 - Chad Kauffman, Erick Kuhlmann, Ray Enke, and Jon Gilmore
- Ramseys Draft Trail from Jerrys Run to Hiner Spring – 3.9 mi (#440) - Chad Kauffman, Erick Kuhlmann, Ray Enke, and Jon Gilmore
- Ramseys Draft Trail from Hiner Spring to Shenandoah Mountain Trail - (#440) 1. mi - Billy Flint
- Hardscrabble Knob Trail - .4 mi. (#440A) - Billy Flint
- Jerrys Run Trail from Shenandoah Mountain Trail to Ramseys Draft Trail – 2.1 mi. (#441) – Lynn & Malcolm Cameron
- Bald Ridge Trail from Bridge Hollow intersection to Dividing Ridge Trail intersection, 4.6 mi. (#496) - Larry Ragland
- Dividing Ridge Trail from FR. 96 to Bald Ridge Trail (Section B of Wild Oak National Rec. Trail) - 2.3 mi (#716) - Tom Engle
- Big Bald segment of Section B of Wild Oak Trail from Dividing Ridge Trail to Springhouse Ridge Trail (#716) – 1.8 mi. - Craig Sease
- Springhouse Ridge Trail of Wild Oak Trail from Hiner Spring intersection to FR 95 – 1.6 mi. (#716) - Jeff Landis
- Hiner Spring Trail from Springhouse Ridge Trail to Ramseys Draft Trail – 1.3 mi. (#446) - Larry Ragland
Other Trails:
- Maple Springs Trail from Rawley Springs Parking to FR 225. – 4.5 mi. – (#490) – JMU Club Caving (Marco Padilla)
- Flat Run Trail from FR 95 to FR 95A – 2.2 mi. (#505) – David Kanagy and Ada Reed
- Braley Pond Trails – from Braley Pond Parking to Braley Pond Parking - 3.6 mi. (#491, 496, 654) - Judy Bartlett and Liz Montgomery
- North Mountain Trail from SR 688 to Elliott Knob Fire Tower (#443 ) - 4.7 mi. – Jeff Monroe
- Cold Spring Trail from FR 77 to North Mountain Trail - 2.2 mi. (#445) – Jeff Monroe
- Georgia Camp Trail from Rt. 250 to FR 396 - 4.8 mi. (#113) - Sean Campbell and Kyle Campbell
- Chimney Hollow Trail from Rt. 250 to intersection with Crawford Mtn. Trail - 3.5 mi. (#489) - Barbara Martin (upper 2/3) and Jack Edwards (lower 1/3)
- Crawford Knob Traill (#487) from McKittrick Rd. (FR 1269) to intersection with Crawford Mtn. Trail - 3.5 mi. - Jim Fye
- Trimble Mountain Trail - 4 mi. (#375) - Gary Flynn, co-maintainer needed
- North River Gorge Trail from WOT Parking to FR 538 - Jen and Todd Fowler
- Bear Draft Trail - 1.3 mi. (#535) - Judy Bartlett and Liz Montgomery
- White Oak Draft Trail - 2 mi. (#486) - Lavern Beachy
- Falls Hollow Trail - 3 mi. (#657) - Larry Ragland
About GWNF North River Ranger District
In 2019, PATC added the GWNF North River Ranger District to its area of responsibility for trail maintenance. PATC has had a longstanding interest in this area that goes back to the 1920s when PATC would bring busloads of hikers to Ramseys Draft and Reddish Knob area. PATC built Sexton Shelter on Jerrys Run in 1938 and maintained it until 1985. Shenandoah Mountain Trail was one of Myron Avery's favorite trails. The NRRD trails offer spectacular beauty, a premier hiking experience through a healthy mature hardwood forest, exceptional opportunities for solitude, and an excellent setting for viewing wildflowers and wildlife. The National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map (791) for Staunton Shenandoah Mountain is the best map of the trails. PATC has published a guidebook for Shenandoah Mountain Trails that can be purchased from the PATC store: www.patc.net/Shared_Content/Shop/Store.aspx
Shenandoah Mountain Act of 2023
The Shenandoah Mountain Act, which was introduced in the U.S.. Senate in 2022 and 2023, will designate 92,500-acre Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area (SMNSA) with three embedded Wilderness areas and an expansion of Ramseys Draft Wilderness.
Learn more and see a map at Friends of Shenandoah Mountain's website: .www.friendsofshenandoahmountain.org. Many of the trails we maintain are in the SMNSA or proposed Wilderness areas.