Trumbo Hollow Hike

A beautiful out and back hike on the Appalachian Trail passing through fields, streams, lush forest, and the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter. Trumbo Hollow is an expansive meadow with a bench at the high point. With fields and fences that make you feel like you're in a J.R.R. Tolkien novel the hike down towards VA638 is one more Kodak moment. From the valley enjoy another forest walk before arriving at the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter which boasts a picnic pavilion and gravity fed shower.

Mile 0.0 – From the parking area on VA55, the Appalachian Trail (AT) continues south from the left of the parking area next to a small stream. Shortly cross the headwaters of Goose Creek, then pass through a wetland area with boards protecting the fragile ecosystem. The AT will soon arrive at a railroad crossing.
Mile 0.15 - Use Extreme Caution crossing the railroad as this track is in use. From this point the AT becomes steeper and makes several switchbacks passing large granite formations. After cresting the high point on the piedmont the trail levels of then enters Trumbo Hollow and a large meadow. At the top of the meadow there is a bench with views to the north.
Mile 1.36 - Continue on the AT re-entering the woods where the trail descends following one of the ridge spurs. Halfway towards the valley the woods open to large fields with split rail fences. Continue downward and pass through a white fence onto VA638.
Mile 2.0 - Turn left onto VA638 for 30 yards passing a 2 car parking area, then turn right back onto the AT. This section of the trail is flatter before crossing a small stream. Now continue uphill for another 1.1 miles where this hike ends at the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter.
Mile 3.3 - The shelter has room for 7 people, and also includes a privy, spring, shower, and several tent camp sites. The shelter is named for Jim and Molly Denton who were active PATC members from 1960-1991. This is the turn around point. Follow the AT back to the north and VA55.
Mile 6.0 - Arrive back at the parking area and VA55.

By: Dan

6.0 miles / 9.7 km

November 28, 2016

What a lovely hike! While there are no real overlooks, the views of the high meadows are really a sight to see. Because the leaves were off the trees, you could catch glimpses of some mountain peaks in the distance, and the woods portions of the hike made you feel like you were on the Great East Road near where Frodo and his companions first encountered the Black Rider! The trail through the meadows presents no difficulties, but it's a good idea to wear hiking boots on the main ascent/descent as several segments are rocky and encrusted with scree. My Fitbit measured the elevation gain at just over 1500 feet for this out and back, which is more than advertised by Hiking Upward. I will definitely do this one again in the spring when the mountain laurel is in bloom.

Legacy Review

By: Steve from Winchester

November 27, 2016

This was a very nice hike. The first part has a nice series of switchbacks up a ridge to a beautiful meadow with great views. There were a lot of both day and overnight hikers enjoying a beautiful day. The shelter at the end of the hike was very nice except for the group of 10 to 12 people making a lot of noise. Overall, I recommend this hike as a great way to spend 3 to 4 hours.

By: Medic G

November 25, 2016

Ok, overall maybe a 2.5. I think it was a decent hike. I would say the difficulty rating of 3 is correct. The views are rated at a 4. I would maybe go a 3 on views. With the exception of the meadow, there isn't much in the way of views. I will say the view from the meadow was great. On solitude, I would give it maybe a 2. Definitely NOT a trail for solitude. My wife and I saw 2 groups of 3 hikers each prior to arriving at the shelter. At the shelter there were about 8 people there with 3 dogs running loose. My wife and I had our dog however, she was on a leash. Since the other dogs were running loose, it made us not stay at the shelter long at all. It would have been nice to check out the shelter more but, maybe another day. Also, this is the only hike I've done where I had to cross train tracks. Like I said, a decent hike and the meadow is nice. Just don't expect to be alone.

By: Stephanie

September 17, 2016

This is a nice hike! I organized a work group to go on a day hike and I'm glad I chose this one (I had never done it, so was a bit nervous). It had a steady incline at the beginning, a couple quick meadow walks and down back into forest walks. We reached the PATC shelter, which was off trail just a bit (thanks to my husband who spotted the roof through the trees), rested for about 20 minutes and headed back. Time and difficulty are true to the ratings. The uphills on the way back were nice quad burners but we're over pretty quickly. Overall a great hike, I'll definitely return in the fall - I think this one will be great when the leaves change. Oh and a trip up to Fox Meadow Winery (off Freezeland Road) is a great way to toast to a great day. Enjoy!

By: Todd O

August 27, 2016

Great hike, it's got it all. Starts off with a little walk across across a wooden bridge and then on some boards on the ground. Cross over the railroad tracks and it hits a great upward hike into the woods and up the mountain. Lots rocks and switchbacks. It starts off tough and then opens up into some great meadows with a nice view. The last part before getting to the shelter is a nice easy stroll through the woods. Got to the parking lot around 9 and only 2 other cars were there. It's small so get there early. I went on a 90+ degree day so it was pretty empty on the trail. Will definitely do this again, hopefully it won't be too crowded in the fall.

By: robert f

June 04, 2016

Please note. The Denton shelter is owned and operated by the PATC for the use of AT long distance hikers. It is not a picnic area for large groups of day hikers. Recently the shelter had been overwhelmed with large day use groups. Please limit group size to six or fewer. thank you. the caretaker.

By: aldikuma

May 13, 2016

Great, short, easy hike with a bit of everything: stream crossings, bridges, meadows, bogs, hills, views, etc. I really, really enjoyed the open meadows - so beautiful this time of year and lucky we caught a beautiful SUNNY day amongst all the rain and grey we've had lately. We didn't make it all the way to shelter as we stopped to chat with the several AT backpackers along the way so were behind in our schedule, but not sure we missed much there anyways. The solitude is more of a 2. Saw a few backpackers coming in for the weekend when we got back to the parking area by 5pm. My knee is still healing from a meniscus tear, but I didn't have difficulty on this hike. Watch for poison ivy in the meadows and stay on the trail.