Devils Fork Loop Trail:
Virginia
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Description:
The Devils Fork Loop Trail is extremely challenging, with as many as 18 stream crossings (at the height of the winter thaw), a 1200-foot elevation change, and many opportunities to lose the trail. Be sure to bring enough water for this arduous hike; there are no facilities on or near the trail.
The Devils Fork Loop Trail provides an impressively beautiful-and strenuous-hike through an old-growth hemlock and rhododendron forest. Amazing rock formations, waterfalls, swimming holes, and mountain views give you plenty to see and do, but keep one eye on the trail, as the going can be rough. Although the trail follows yellow blazes for its entire 7 miles, poor maintenance means it is often difficult to find the blazes-and the path, which, in several places, scrambles over large rocks or up very steep cliff faces.
The western leg of the loop follows the Devils Fork, and your first crossing is about one quarter of a mile from the parking lot. Be prepared to get your feet wet. This, like many of the trail's water crossings, has very slippery rocks and seasonally changing water levels. After this, the trail breaks in two directions. The less strenuous route is to the left, following the loop clockwise. This also lets you hit the highlights of the trail much earlier.
The only hint that you are on a rail-trail is the abandoned coal car that sits on the trail about halfway up Little Mountain. In fact, the western side of the loop is the only portion on an old rail bed. This railroad was used to transport logs and coal, and thus the corridor is not as wide as a standard-gauge railway, and the grade is much steeper, which provided the trains with better access to these resources.
The trail's main attraction is Devils Bathtub, located just 1.5 miles from the start. The rushing water of Devils Fork shoots out of the soft sandstone and swirls quickly through this stone luge, plummeting into a beautiful pool of blue-green water. Another trail highlight, shortly after Devils Bathtub, is the 50-foot waterfall at the mouth of Corder Hollow.
The trail enters a very different landscape as you leave the Devils Fork and begin hiking along the ridges of several mountains. The forest has little underbrush and the path can be easily lost.
Your adventure concludes on an old logging road with about a mile of steep switchbacks to the loop's end, where you cross Devils Fork for the last time. There are primitive camping facilities near the parking lot. You can continue hiking by taking the Straight Fork Ridge Trail (1.8 miles) via the parking lot. The scenery on Straight Fork Ridge is similar to the Devils Fork Loop Trail, but the latter is considered the more interesting hike of the two trails.
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Parking & Trail Access:
From US Alternate Hwy. 58, take VA Route 72 south toward Fort Blackmore. In Dungannon, Route 72 merges with VA Route 65. Just before they separate in Fort Blackmore, take VA Route 619 to the right.
Alternatively, you can take US Hwy. 23/US Hwy. 58/US Hwy. 421 (Daniel Boone Heritage Hwy.) toward Gate City. In Gate City, continue going straight as the road becomes East Jackson Street and, ultimately, VA Route 71. Head east on Route 71 for a little over a mile. From here, take VA Route 72 to the left toward Fort Blackmore. Shortly after VA Route 65 and VA Route 72 merge, turn left onto VA Route 619.
Once on Route 619, follow VA Route 653 for a short segment, and when they break, look for the Devils Fork sign where Route 619 takes a sharp left and becomes Forest Road 619 (there is no street sign). Travel over the one-lane bridge and turn left just before the abandoned white house. Follow this unmarked dirt road to the end, where you will find parking for the trail. The road to the parking lot is very rutted and may not be accessible by all vehicles. You will pass the trailhead on your right just before you reach the parking lot; there are also stairs up to the trail from the parking lot.
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Reviews: [3 trail ratings]
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Devil's fork loop trail
By athawominee in June, 2011
Really a great hiking trail, but used very little. We like to visit the Devil's Bath Tub http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=2d00b662-9c3f-43bd-99b4-0d462fad01c4 . A great place to swim after a long hike. We are geocachers/hikers and use our GPS units, as the Devil's bath tub and some of the trail heads are marked on the www.geocache.com site
We like to start at the Straight Fork ridge/ mouth of Devil's fork trail head near Big Cherry resoivor and hike down to the parking lot on Straight fork near Big Stoney Creek. Really hate to see that the last person to review this trail missed the highlight of the trail so I'll post the coordinates

Coordinates to the Devils Bath Tub:
N 36 48.802
W 082 38.979
Waste
By danfuller in June, 2011
I did this trail and wandered around for 5 hours looking for Devil's bathtub. I had a map but most of the forks in the trail were not on the map. When I would come to a fork in the trail both paths away from it would be marked in yellow. This happened at least 5 times. Unless you go with someone who has already been there before don't waste your time wandering through the forest. I'm an athletic person and my pace was a jog or fast walk the entire time. I easily could have covered the trial in no time if I had known where I was going. This trail is not labeled anywhere and there are a few signposts but the signs have been removed. Several of the trails that I attempted dead ended into hunting reserves. Not places I wanted to wander through. I'm sure Devil's bathtub is great, but getting there is nearly impossible.
The Devil's Bath Tub
By athawominee in September, 2010
This is a great hiking trail, a few geocaches in the area but the Devil's Bath Tub EarthCache is well worth the trip. Really a remote area with huge hemlocks, lots of creek crossings. When the water is up in the Winter it makes the trail impassable in places. We see lot's of bear sign in this and the Straight Fork area. Really a nice trail and not many people make use of it, seems that we always have the place to ourselves when we hike.
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