This place is an amazing geological wonder. Once you find the right trail! Trails are not well marked, but once you spot the fire tower, you are headed the right way. I think we hiked the back way which was a beautiful hike through forests full of wildflowers, meandering streams, and alien looking boulders. We saw bear scat on the trail, circular animal paw prints in the mud, and lots of deer tracks. We ended up with one wrong turn and a total of 10 miles on foot for the round trip. Hungry!!!! Go eat at the Harvest Table in Meadowview. Wonderful local cuisine and comfortable atmosphere.
Incredible hike with amazing rock formations and views.
Stupendous and well worth the 7-mile or so round-trip hike. Two tips. Do not follow google maps' directions to the Brumley Gap Road. Instead, take Va. 80 to Hayter's Gap at Raven's Roost, where there's a parking lot. Also, do not miss the best view at the top. When you come to the right turn that heads toward the fire tower and the Channels, take a left onto and very short and hidden path that leads to rocks with an amazing vista.
The Channels are sandstone outcrops on Clinch Mountain Ridge that have been worn down by 400 million years of erosion to form large crevasses just large enough for an adult to walk through. They're located in The Channels Natural Area Preserve, which is part of Channels State Forest. The easiest access is from the Brumley Mountain Trailhead on VA-80 at Hayters Gap. The trail is a gated road most of the way, so pretty easy, but it's about 3.5 miles one way and its all uphill to the Channels, gaining about 1000 vertical feet over the 3.5 miles. Near the end, a well-marked spur trail leads up to the summit where there's an old lookout tower. Just before the tower, a path cuts to the left - this leads to "The Hidden Channels". The crevasses are smaller and I couldn't find a way in, but the views from the top are great. We had lunch up here and no one else was here, while the Channels were packed. The lookout tower is unsafe and closed to climbing. Just past that are the Channels. It's kind of a labyrinth, but the crevasses form a grid so it would be hard to get lost. Besides being really fun to explore, it's also significantly cooler in the Channels - a welcome relief after a hot, muggy hike up the mountain.
One of our favorite local hikes!
The Channels is a US Park based in Rosedale, Virginia. The Channels is located at Rosedale, VA 24280, USA.
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