Marys Rock - Shenandoah - November 1, 2003
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On this clear, unseasonably warm Saturday we headed back to Shenandoah to hike a 6.6 mile there-and-back along the Appalachian Trail to what trail guides say is arguably the best view in the Park.

Some history from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) website:

Thornton Gap preserves the name of Francis Thornton, who as early as 1733 built a home in F. T. Valley (so called from his initials), and whose land ran far up the hollow. The story goes that he brought his bride, the beautiful Mary Savage, from Westmoreland County, and one day they rode to the top of the Great Pass Mountain, then climbed the rocks on the summit, from which he pointed out his land and presented it to her. In commemoration of this, and because she was the first white woman to climb the mountain, the "rock pile" on top was called after her, "Mary's Rock." After her husband's death, the land on this mountain and in this Gap was given her as dower and long known as "Madam Thornton's Quarter." As early as 1763 a road was cut from here through "The Hazel Wilderness". and it is still used, and known as "Hazel Road." One of the Trail Club's shelters is located at the place described in deeds of a century and a quarter ago as "the meadow spring near Marys Rock on the Great Pass Mountain." The name "Great Pass Mountain" has faded from the maps, but "Marys Rock" is widely known and the shelter is "Meadow Spring Shelter."


Hike Map Park Map
Click on a waypoint to see a picture taken there


Photo Gallery

From the Jewel Hollow Overlook, the starting and ending point
At the pinnacle, the highest point of the hike and an outstanding view (more pictures on the return)
A break point at a day-use shelter maintained by the PATC
A view to the east (towards Washington)

Another rock outcropping with a view of the valley below
Look closely in the first photo and you'll see what's magnified in the second: a person at the top of Marys Rock, our destination


Arrived at Marys Rock, the mid-point of the hike at 3.4 miles. There were for the first time quite a few people. There is a shorter trail here from Skyline Drive that most people seemed to be from.
The long photo is a six-picture panoramic I pieced together from the viewpoint at Marys Rock. The left edge is underexposed due to the sun on our left (south).
Below in some of the pictures is the Thornton Gap entrance in the central-northern part of the Park.
Maggie's rock picture
The rock overlook just down from Marys Rock where we ate our sandwiches.
Through the trees at this low point in the hike, you can see Skyline Drive.
The trail post at the junction of the AT and the Meadow Spring Trail.
Skyline Drive again
The section of the hike is littered with medium and large stones falling down the slope. The trail walks along atop a rock retaining wall. You can see the edge of the wall on the left edge of the trail.

Back at The Pinnacle, a spectacular view of past-peak fall foliage.
The trees along this exposed ridge are lightning and wind damaged.
Don't really know what this is, I'll have to ask my botanist.

The section within 1/3 mile of Jewel Hollow has lots of Mountain Laurel. What caught my interest was that there seemed to be lots of little plants with green leaves growing at the base of older trees with mostly no leaves. Mountain Laurel is evergreen, and a friend suggested this was probably a fire-damaged area where the adult trees did not make it but new plants are growing from seed.