The St. Marys Trail is open to the public. However, due to the crowds that have been using the trail, the Forest Service would like to take some pressure off the trailhead.  An alternate route is the Mine Bank Trail. 
 
To get to the Mine Bank Trail, head to milepost 23 near the Fork Mountain Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is a small parking area on the west side of the Parkway. Follow the Mine Bank Trail to the St. Marys Trail and turn left. There is some camping throughout this area. At the junction with the Falls Trail turn right and cross the creek. The falls is about 0.6 miles.  The total out and back is just over 9 miles and it makes for a good overnight backpack.

Also, as always group size is limited to ten in any Wilderness area and there is no camping with 500 feet of the stream and there is no camping at the falls. A violation can result in a ticket.

​About The Conservation Alliance:
The Conservation Alliance is an organization of like-minded businesses whose collective contributions support grassroots environmental organizations and their efforts to protect wild places where outdoor enthusiasts recreate. Alliance funds have played a key role in protecting rivers, trails, wildlands and climbing areas throughout North America. Membership in the Alliance is open to all companies who care about protecting our most threatened wild places for habitat and outdoor recreation. Since its inception in 1989, The Conservation Alliance has contributed more than $24 million, awarded 720 grants, helped to protect more than 73 million acres of wildlands and 3,575 miles of rivers; stop or remove 35 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase 17 climbing areas. For complete information about The Conservation Alliance, visit www.conservationalliance.com.

Letter from the 
​In these unprecedented times, I am making an unprecedented request: please stay away from the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). Whether your hike is for a couple of hours or a couple of days, staying away from the Trail minimizes the spread or contraction of COVID-19.

In a time when social distancing is necessary to minimize the spread and contraction of a dangerous virus, many have escaped to nature seeking isolation and unpopulated spaces. On the A.T., however, what they’ve found are trailhead parking lots exceeding their maximum capacities, shelters full of overnight hikers, day hikers using picnic tables and privies, and group trips continuing as planned. Popular spots along the Trail like Blood Mountain in Georgia, the McAfee Knob area in Virginia, and Annapolis Rocks in Maryland have seen day use reach record-breaking levels. Cars line the highways leading to popular day-hiking spots on the Trail. Hiking the A.T. has become, in other words, the opposite of social distancing.

These same crowds accessing the A.T. may not know how a simple half-day hike can spread COVID-19. While hiking, they may have eaten lunch at a picnic table, taken a break in a shelter, used a privy, or shared a map or food with someone unknowingly infected with COVID-19 and carried this highly contagious virus back to their communities at the end of the day. They may not have realized that ATC staff and Trail volunteers have been recalled from the A.T. and cannot maintain the footpath, trailheads, shelters and privies that may be heavily (or permanently) impacted by increased visitor use. And, they may not be aware of the rural communities adjacent to the Trail that may not have the healthcare resources to help a sick hiker or volunteer or manage a COVID-19 outbreak should a hiker transport the virus in from the Trail.

Many day hikers see the outdoors as an escape from the stresses of these difficult times. But with crowding from day hikers reaching unmanageable levels and the lack of any staff or volunteers to manage this traffic, it is necessary that all hikers avoid accessing the Trail. The A.T. is not a separate reality from the communities in which hikers live – so, until the risk of spreading COVID-19 has reduced significantly, hiking on a heavily-trafficked trail like the A.T. potentially increases rather than reduces harm.

The ATC does not want to do too little, too late. We cannot close the Trail. We cannot physically bar access to trailheads or connecting trails. We can and do, however, urge everyone to please stay away from the Appalachian Trail until further notice.

There is an unfortunate truth about this virus: unless everyone is safe, no one is safe. So, take a walk around the block. Spend time with your loved ones. And, please, stay home.

From: Experiential Consulting, LLC Outdoor Program / Risk Management Expertise

1) Think about what you need from the outdoors right now - and be specific. People benefit in different ways - some need an elevated heart rate on a strenuous hike, while others need to see wildlife or scenery. Start by identifying what kind of needs you have right now.  

2) Self-assess your own health: If you're not feeling well, or have any respiratory symptoms, don't expose others by going out. If you're uncertain at all about your health, find another way to meet your needs for nature. Recent studies show that simply seeing birds from your home or office window benefits health, for example.  

3) Assuming you're healthy, still operate as if you're not. Wash hands, maintain hygiene, and stay physically distanced as much as possible during your outing. Even though you may be "asymptomatic" (not showing any signs or symptoms) you can still infect those around you, and doctors do not yet fully know the extent of this incubation period for the virus.  Physical distancing is especially important when different parties encounter each other on the trail so give each other six feet or more of space.  Note: I prefer the term "physical distancing" over "social distancing" since we can be physically distanced while still socially connected online, virtually, etc.  

4) Keep group size small - five or less - and don't bring groups or people together needlessly. If you're already living together, it's reasonable to hike together - but avoid bringing groups and separate families together. All it takes is one asymptomatic virus carrier to potentially spread contagion to the whole group, as mentioned above.  

5) Be self-reliant with supplies. To minimize the spread of the virus, try to limit your contact to your own immediate area. For example, fill up on gas locally, and bring your own food on your trip rather than having to make multiple stops in different places. And of course, be aware that every time you touch a gas pump, open a store door, or hand money / credit cards back and forth, you should wash or sanitize your hands.  

​6) Be flexible and adapt your routines to match the situation. We are in unprecedented times and the habits, patterns, and routines that have served us well in the past may need to change for the time being. This is a chance to discover new places, and new ways of enjoying the outdoors, while doing so responsibly. You may discover the joy of "nearby nature" right in your own neighborhoods, for example. 

Tell your Senators to support a newly released bill, the Great American Outdoors Act, which combines the Restore Our Parks Act (to address deferred maintenance in our National Parks (S. 500)) and the Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act (S. 1081).

The Great American Outdoors Act, which was released last Friday night, is a bi-partisan bill with support from President Trump. Majority Leader McConnell has indicated that he will take it up on the floor in the coming days if it can gather strong enough support.

The Great American Outdoors Act:

• Makes $1.9 billion available annually, for five years ($9.5 billion total) for maintenance projects with 70% allocated for National Park Service projects (same as originally proposed), 10% for the U.S. Forest Service, 10% for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5% for Bureau of Land Management, and 5% for Bureau of Indian Education.
• The Land and Water Conservation Fund section is almost identical to S. 1081 text, providing permanent, mandatory LWCF funding at the fully authorized annual amount of $900 million.
• The only substantive change beyond the existing bills is an additional $3 billion for other public lands infrastructure dedicated over five years. 

Thank you Senators Kaine and Warner of Virginia for already signing on as co-sponsors!

​The Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage is a bipartisan bill directing the Secretary of the Interior to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the Dismal Swamp and its associated sites as a National Heritage Area.
 
National Heritage Areas are sites designated by Congress to hold historical, cultural and environmental significance to the American people that tell regionally unique but nationally significant stories celebrating our nation’s diverse heritage.
 
Selected for consideration as an NHA due to its significant number of rich cultural and historical sites, the Swamp is home to the ancestral lands of the Nansemond Indian Nation and historic lands of the Haliwa-Saponi and Meherrin Tribes; the largest known collection of archaeological artifacts from maroon colonies (generational communities of people who escaped the horrors of antebellum slavery by living hidden in the Swamp); one of the only known water-based stops on the Underground Railroad to freedom; and a thriving community descending from early colonial Free People of Color whose families resisted oppression by retreating into the Swamp.
 
National Heritage Areas do not affect private property rights and the National Park Service does not assume ownership or impose land use controls over land inside the heritage area, leaving the decision-making authority in the hands of local communities.

Healthy natural landscapes are central to Virginia’s outdoor recreation industry, which generates $1.2 billion in state and local tax revenue each year. Help safeguard the vitality of the state’s habitat for wildlife by asking your elected officials to support Senate Bill 1004 and House Bill 1695 Virginia’s Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. https://wildlandsnetwork.org/protect-wildlife-corridors-in-virginia/

These new bills in the Virginia state legislature will protect wildlife corridors across the state, making our roads safer for both wildlife and people. Introduced by Senator David Marsden and Delegate David Bulova, the bill will also enhance habitat for native wildlife and create more resilient landscapes. Learn more about this landmark legislation here: https://wildlandsnetwork.org/blog/legislation-to-protect-wildlife-corridors-introduced-in-the-virginia-state-house/

The Staunton City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution of support for the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area (SMNSA) at its Jan. 23 meeting.  The resolution reaffirms the City's desire to include Staunton Dam, Elkhorn Lake, and surrounding National Forest land in the SMNSA, provided the City can "access, operate, maintain, replace and improve its existing water facilities in the proposed scenic area and, if necessary, to construct and maintain new water infrastructure."
Staunton stands to benefit from permanent protection of the Shenandoah Mountain area.  ​National Scenic Area designation will safeguard the City's water supply and protect outdoor recreation opportunities, scenic beauty, and wildlife habitat.   All this contributes to a high quality of life for City residents and helps draw visitors that support the tourism industry in Staunton and in neighboring counties and cities.
SMNSA legislation will make this special area off limits to fracking for natural gas and other industrial development that would mar the natural character of the area and threaten water resources.
Resolutions of support from local governments are a crucial component of our campaign to protect Shenandoah Mountain.  Augusta County Board of Supervisors has also endorsed the proposal.