As the leaves are start­ing to change colors, many Virgini­ans are getting out to the moun­tains to enjoy the sights. Hot spots like Shenan­doah lead to hour-long lines to get into the park and noisy crowded trails, and after months of quar­an­tine, the park has been espe­cially crowded by people desper­ate to get outside. But Virginia has many beau­ti­ful and lesser-known alter­na­tives to the most popu­lar (and most crowded) hikes. Senior Connor Healy, an avid outdoors­man, was happy to suggest some of his favorites spots in Virginia to hike.

1. Signal Knob: “It’s hard for me to choose a favorite hike, but this one might be the one”, said Healy. Just outside Stras­burg, Signal Knob has one of the best views in the area. The full hike is about 10 miles, but you can cut through the circuit on the Meneka Peak trail to make it shorter, although you will miss the best outlook. With lots of wild flow­ers and four beau­ti­ful outlooks, Signal Knob is one of the best day-long hikes one can find in the state.
2. Scott’s Run: “This one isn’t really that hard. It’s pretty relax­ing, but it can get busy in the summer,” Healy said of this popu­lar Fair­fax County hike. Scott’s Run Nature Preserve in McLean is one of the few spots in North­ern Virginia where you can get away from the traf­fic and concrete with­out going too far. “Just be sure not to go right in the middle of the after­noon on the week­end; it can get really crowded,” Healy said.
3. Crab­tree Falls: During the summer, Crab­tree Falls draws tourists from all over the coun­try eager to see one of the nation’s largest water­falls east of the Missis­sippi. There are conflict­ing accounts about the waterfall’s height, but some suggest that it exceeds one-thou­sand feet. “The hike is actu­ally pretty hard, but if you go during the right time of the year, it’s defi­nitely worth it,” Healy said.
4. Duncan Knob: Located in the Blue Ridge region near Passage Creek and Signal Knob, Duncan Knob provides another of Virginia’s best views. At around 8 miles, It is a bit shorter than Signal Knob and only has one outlook, but the scenery is just as good. “The outlook is at a perfect place to stop for lunch if you start the hike in the morn­ing,” Healy said.
5. Big Schloss: Located on the border of Virginia and West Virginia, Big Schloss easily provides one of the best views in the state. The rocky forma­tion at 4 mile there-and-back hike is certainly worth its stren­u­ous inclines. It is so big that it looks like a castle from the ground, which is why German settlers named it “Schloss,” which means castle in German. “It’s about a three hour drive from here, but it doesn’t really matter because the hike isn’t that long. I like trying to climb to the top of the rocks to take a picture of the Geolog­i­cal Survey marker,” said Healy.

Whether you want to drive half an hour or three hours, Virginia has some of the best hiking spots in the coun­try, so make sure to take advan­tage of them and get outside.