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Troop478
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Date of Hike: Saturday, October 26, 2019 |
| We took our Girl Scout troop for their first ever backpacking trip to the lower loop and spent the night at the recommended site. This was a great hike to introduce the kids to backpacking long enough to be a challenge, but not so hard as to be discouraging. There are numerous stream crossings, but the trail is well maintained and well blazed.
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Date of Hike: Friday, August 7, 2015 |
| We backpacked the lower loop only in a one-night mini trip, going in on Friday and completing the 3.8 mile circuit on Saturday. Total solitude. We did not see another human on either day. The campsite this site recommended was outstanding. The woods are beautiful with tall trees and not a lot of underbrush, except for the rhododendron along the creeks. I thought the trail was well-maintained and well-blazed. We were in the area on business so it worked out for us to do this excursion hike and explore the area. Water levels were relatively low, making the stream crossings easy. For solitude, peace and natural beauty, this hike is a winner, especially if your time is limited or if you don't want to tackle a lot of miles.
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Date of Hike: Friday, July 4, 2014 |
| Lower loop was fantastic on July 3rd. Upper loop was great until the boulder fields with the stinging nettles which occupied 3 sections totaling at least 3/4 mile. Left parking lot at 9:15 am. Returned at 5:30 pm. The trail could have followed the crest of Pine Mountain and circumvented the nettles.
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Jan hammer
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Date of Hike: Sunday, June 29, 2014 |
| Like the last reviewer - never again! We tried to do the upper loop today. It started out fine but then we got into the shoulder high stinging nettles. It covers the trail making it very hard to navigate. There were enough tree markers but since you cannot see the trail - it was hard. We finally gave up and turned around. Miserable hike. The lower loop was fine but nothing special.
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| By:
Kevin Amy
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Date of Hike: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 |
| We have hiked the lower loop 40 some times in all weather it is wonderful always changing with the seasons . We just hiked the upper loop today. Never again this trail was torture the stinging nettles are very pain full and abundant. No views to see either. We will stick to the lower loop from now on.
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Date of Hike: Saturday, October 23, 2010 |
| We hiked the Hoop Hole Trail in combination with the Iron Ore Trail which starts at the base of Roaring Run Furnace to create an approximate 14 mile loop The Hoop Hole section was in decent condition and we had no trouble following the blazes and staying on the trail, except for a few places along the ridge and boulder field crossings. I was disappointed with the views- mostly through trees with no good rock outcroppings- but that was the only downside. We even bushwhacked our way up to the top of Pine Mountain to catch some views, but were again at a loss to find them. The upper loop is remote and feels wild. We saw only two other hikers on the entire trip. We also observed a family of black bear from a distance frolic in the woods and pass by us unaware. As for the lower portion, it was lush, green, and thick with Rhododendron. There were a number of stream crossings which were beautiful. For an added bonus, the Roaring Run Rec Area is a well-maintained park with an enormous pre civil war stone furnace to explore, along with a short, scenic walk to a large waterfall and numerous rock slides and swimming holes. I definitely plan on coming back to this spot again with family to swim when it's warmer. Overall, there are more interesting trails out there, but this one had most of what we were looking for. Far added interest, start at Roaring Run Rec Area a few miles north of the listed trailhead and access the loop from there.
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Date of Hike: Friday, April 9, 2010 |
| We hiked the 9.7 mile Hoop Hole trail in the spring of 2010. It was a family hike with our two sons ages 15 and 13. We started in the early morning around 8 am and finished around 6 pm. We stopped on the up hill climb for maybe 30 minutes so the boys could play in the cold mountain stream and then stopped for 45-60 minute for lunch at the top of Pine Mountain. Otherwise, other than short breaks on the trail, we were on the move. As others have noted the lower section is absolutely beautiful. When we started the mountain was shrouded in a heavy fog which we hiked through for several hours. This hike has an elevation gain in the first 4 miles of roughly 2,400 feet and most of this gain, around 1,700 feet, occurs over miles 3 and 4. As others mentioned,the fourth mile takes you through some fairly rugged, boulder strewn, terrain as you approach the top of Pine Mountain. This section is neither well marked nor heavily traveled. So, finding and staying on the trail takes some effort. We hiked the trail in early April. So, the stinging nettles were not a problem. However, we spent considerable time and effort climbing over and under a number of fallen trees that blocked the trail. The upside of an April hike was that we had some glorious views both ascending and descending the mountain. We selected the hike for the elevation gain and so had anticipated some rough going. With this said, I still under estimated the difficulty of the hike. We ran short on water even though we were carrying at least 2.5 liters per person (10 Nalgenes). The take away. Always carry some iodine tabs or a water filter, if preferred. The hike wore us all out. But was a good learning experience and the views in April were rather amazing. How you rate a hike is a function of expectations and goals. I'd like to do the hike again. Perhaps with an overnight stay up on the mountain. The average hiker will want to avoid the upper loop. But if your looking for something different. Go for it.
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