Particulars
Blaze: Yellow
Distance: 3 miles, total round trip
High Knob Tower Trail:
1 mile, one way
or 2 miles round
trip.
High Knob Lakeshore Trail:
1 mile loop
(Either of these trails can be hiked separately, starting at the recreation
area.)
Overall difficulty: moderate
Grade: The climb from the recreation area to High Knob Tower is pretty
darned hard. There's an elevation gain of about 700 feet in that mile. The
Lakeshore Trail rolls over several small humps, making for a few short huffs,
but none are too hard.
Footing: Mostly easy dirt paths. The trail around the north side of
the lake is pretty wide, and the rest are single-file.
Stream crossings: There are a couple of drainages that the Tower Trail
crosses, but these are hardly "stream crossings" even in very wet weather.
The Lakeshore Trail crosses a couple of tiny branches, neither of which involves
more than a step on a rock in the middle.
Road walking: If you connect these two trails, you have to walk about
0.2 miles through the recreation area on a paved road and through a parking
area. Officially, this little road walk is part of the
Chief Benge Scout Trail (as are these two trails
themselves).
Directions: From Norton, take VA 619 south up the mountain for four
miles. Turn left onto FS 238. The Tower Trail/Chief Benge Trail can be accessed
from the High Knob Observation Tower; you'll pass the access road for the
tower on the right in 0.5 miles. The access road for the recreation area
(FS 233) is on the right in another mile. You can access the Lakeshore Trail
from there, or make a nice round trip from the observation tower. Keep in
mind that the recreation area is open from May 15 to September 15, but that
you can access these trails from the observation tower anytime.
USGS Quad: Norton
Fee: If you park at the recreation area, there's a $3.00 per car day
use fee. Parking at the tower is free.
Description
These two trails actually constitute the upper end of the
Chief Benge Scout Trail. As such, it's possible to
make this the first leg of an awesome and challenging backpacking trip to
Hanging Rock, access for a very nice overnighter down to Mountain Fork or
The Glades, a starting point for a day hike down High Knob Branch, a
butt-whuppin' climb up High Knob during a picnic or campout in the recreation
area, a short hike around the lake, or just a nice stroll around the recreation
area. And this is one of the most beautiful areas anywhere in Virginia. There's
been talk of making it the focus of a new National Recreation Area, and until
someone convinces me otherwise I'm going to think that is a very good idea.
Anyone who doesn't want to protect this area from irresponsible logging either
hasn't walked here much or has been misled.
High Knob is arguably the highest point in Wise County. As a trip report on the County Highpointers Association website (an organization that cares about such things) explains, the sign at the tower indicates the elevation as 4,165 feet, but the topo map indicates an elevation of 4,223 feet. IF the figure of 4,165 feet is correct, then there's a nearby knob with some communications towers that's a bit higher (again, according to topo maps). It looks to me like High Knob is taller than the nearby knob with all the antennas. From the top of the observation tower (itself an interesting structure constructed in CCC-style stonework), there are magnificent views of nearly 360 degrees. You can see parts of five states from here.
If you are standing in the parking area looking up at the observation tower, the Chief Benge Scout Trail begins to your left at the corner of the parking lot. There's supposed to be a sign marking this trailhead, but it disappeared long ago. At the bottom of this first mile of the Chief Benge Trail, you spill out onto the paved FS 233, the access road for the recreation area. There's a sign at that point that simply designates this as a trail to the tower. So, for convenience, I'll call this the High Knob Tower Trail.
By any name, it's steep. If you're wearing sneakers and carrying a water bottle, it's a knee-killer on the way down and a pretty hard huff on the way back up; climbing this last mile with a heavy pack after a trip on the Chief Benge Trail is a herculean feat for a fat old slug such as myself. This trail serves some practical purposes - it's not only a way to access the tower from the recreation area and the beginning/end of the Chief Benge Trail for completists, but it's also a practical way to access the upper reaches of the Chief Benge Trail when the road to the recreation area is closed in the off-season. But more than that, it's a very pleasant walk, even if it is demanding. It passes through some nice woods and past some pretty wildflowers. On my last visit here (April 2003), I had a moment's panic when I saw some freshly-cut trees, but then realized that this was not another logged area but only the maintenance of a power line; and clearing the trees around this power line had created a nice view.
From the bottom of the Tower Trail, there's a walk through the developed recreation area to get to the High Knob Lakeshore Trail. This recreation area is a really lovely legacy of the CCC era; there's a developed campground, picnic area, and a four-acre lake. This lake is one of my candidates for the coldest summertime swimming hole in the entire state of Virginia. To get here, there are pleasant walkways from the picnic area and the campground. At the swimming area, there's a bathhouse with hot showers and a lifeguard stand that mainly serves as a post for a "No Lifeguard on Duty" sign.
The Lakeshore Trail takes off from either side of this beach/bathhouse area. The official route of the Chief Benge Trail is around the south side of the lake. Actually, the designation "Lakeshore Trail" is somewhat misleading. Yes, the trail circles the lake, but at most points it's considerably above it. This means that you have to climb over some small humps on the way. At the easternmost corner of the lake, there's a bridge across High Knob Branch, where you can see the dam. Just past the bridge (if going counterclockwise) the Chief Benge Scout Trail continues downstream along a bluff considerably above water level, eventually descending to meander along the stream. The Lakeshore Trail hooks back around to the north side of the lake. A short distance further, there's a short spur down to the lake, and the main trail continues back to the starting point.
Sherpa
Guides | North End of Stone Mountain
The Sherpa Guide for the Appalachian Plateau region has a nice description
of this area.