Ramble along the Appalachian Trail inside Shenandoah National Park

Not too steep, not too rocky, not too hot or cold — backpacking the Appalachian Trail through the Shenandoah National Park in September is just right.

If you’re in the area, and desire a walk, the 27-mile section of the Appalachian Trail between Thornton Gap and Route 522 in central Virginia can’t be beat.

My backpacking buddy and I carved out four days to make this trek in early September with light packs and no hurry. We slept one night in tents and two in shelters, with mostly good weather above us and a clear trail underfoot.

We parked one vehicle at a pullout aside the end point where Route 522 intersects the trail at Chester Gap and drove the half-hour to the Thorton Gap entrance to the national park on Route 211.

Thorton Gap is also an entrance to Skyline Drive, the scenic route for motorists through the park. We carried a national park pass, which took care of the $30 entrance fee, parked the car and headed north from the Marys Rock trailhead.

A chunk of ancient magma, resting along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, cooled into hardened rock with a hint of the columnar structure formed by its chemical components. (Joseph Ditzler/Stars and Stripes)

We planned an easy first day of just over four miles and camped in tents not far from a natural spring, the one source of water for miles along the trail. Since this section of trail covers ridge tops, be mindful of water sources along the way and plan accordingly.

The weather was warm. The canopy shielded us from the heat and scorching sun except through about a milelong section of burned-over forest. The lush, late summer forest held fully leafed trees and cramped undergrowth, including poison ivy and other stinging, scratching and otherwise nettlesome plants.

We made a modest climb to 3,048-foot-high Pass Mountain, passing a day-use shelter, Byrd’s Nest No. 4. A campsite and spring are situated about a mile ahead of the shelter. The spring is slightly more than a trickle, and the campsite is the last opportunity to stake a tent for several more miles.

On day two we made the first of several crossings of Skyline Drive to our halfway point near Elkwallow Gap. A park service concessionaire operates a gift shop and grill there, and we fueled up on veggie burgers and a sack of chunky fried potatoes, filled our water bottles and washed the trail dust from our faces.

The lush, late summer forest in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia holds fully leafed trees and cramped undergrowth, including poison ivy and other stinging, scratching and otherwise nettlesome plants.   (Joseph Ditzler/Stars and Stripes)

We met the first of several flip-flop through-hikers here, someone who starts the trail in spring nearly midway at Harper’s Ferry, W.Va., and hikes north ahead of the gaggle of through-hikers making a shotgun start in Georgia. Flip-floppers complete the northern half of the trail first, then travel to their starting point and head south. That way, they avoid the through-hikers competing for shelter space and buying up groceries and hostel rooms as they head north.

We pressed on and spent the night at the Gravel Springs shelter, near another low-running stream where we filled up. We spent the night in company with a firefighter from Miami-Dade, trail name Built for Seconds, hiking the trail in long segments rather than tackling it all at once.

We traded trail tips and stories until sack time and in the morning, Built shouldered his pack to make an 18-mile goal that day. We settled for another modest 10 miles, which brought us to the Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter, a roomy three-sided structure with a deck and benches, plus three nearby campsites and a spring.

The Appalachian Trail is a comparatively smooth path as it wends its way along ridge lines in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. (Kevin Thomas)

Along the way we slaked our thirst after an uphill climb at a spring not marked on the map, then pressed on to the shelter. The forecast promised rain, but we barely had our backpack covers unfolded when the one passing shower that day suddenly ceased.

Later that night, after three more through-hikers piled into the Tom Floyd shelter, a tropical-strength downpour unleashed an hour-long pounding. Few experiences in life compare to lying snug in a warm, dry sleeping bag while a heavy rain lashes the surrounding forest at night.

The next day, we covered the final three miles to the car, then backtracked to Thornton Gap for a hearty breakfast at the Off the Grid Restaurant in nearby Sperryville, the perfect finale for a late-season low-impact Appalachian Trail experience.

If You Go

Directions: From Washington, the Thornton Gap, Va., entrance to Shenandoah National Park is a 1½ hour drive.

Costs: Park admission is $30 per vehicle, and backpackers may stage a vehicle in the lot near the rest area just past the entrance gate.

Times: This section of trail is open year-round but may be considered to be at its peak when fall colors appear.

Food: Elkwallow Gap, about halfway between Thorton and Chester gaps, has a grill menu and hot and cold drinks and snacks. Check out the Off the Grid Restaurant in Sperryville for a post-trek breakfast.

Information: The website appalachiantrail.org/experience/interactive-map will help you plan your trek along the AT at any location.