Latest / Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more! / Breaks Park Hiking Guide: New Trails, Swinging Bridges & Hidden Places You've Never Been Before, with Rangers Daniel Flores and Ronnie Hylton (Ep 89, Part 2)

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Breaks Park Hiking Guide: New Trails, Swinging Bridges & Hidden Places You've Never Been Before, with Rangers Daniel Flores and Ronnie Hylton (Ep 89, Part 2) · Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!

• 0:01
  Jessica Bowser: From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia Outdoor Adventures podcast is your local guide for hiking, camping, kayaking, travel, and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure right here in Virginia, I'm your host Jessica Bowser. What if I told you there are places inside one of Virginia's most spectacular landscapes that no hiker has ever been able to experience?
• 0:32
  Jessica Bowser: Until now, we're heading to Brakes Park, known as the Grand Canyon of the South, where several brand new hiking trails and trail improvements are opening up parts of the park that visitors have never been able to explore before. From hiking along historic logging routes leading deep into the gorge to discovering a breathtaking new overlook, crossing swinging bridges beneath towering sandstone cliffs, and exploring forests rich with wildlife and Appalachian history, there's never been a better time to visit the breaks. Joining me are Senior Ranger Daniel Flores and Chief Ranger Ronnie Hilton, two people who know these mountains, trails, and the stories behind them better than almost anyone.
• 1:14
  Jessica Bowser: They'll take us behind the scenes of these exciting new projects, share the history that shaped this incredible landscape, and help you plan your own unforgettable hiking adventure in the heart of Appalachia. Let's go. This is part two of a two-part episode.
• 1:35
  Jessica Bowser: Can we move on to 48 Mule?
• 1:37
  Unknown: The history behind it is what's really fascinating.
• 1:41
  Unknown: The name for that trail came from it was used as a mule haul road to build the world's largest splash dam in 1909, and that was a a dozen four mule teams worked continuously from April 1909 to November 1909 hauling supplies between Elkhorn City, Kentucky, and Bartlett, Virginia, to build the splash dam. So this road was, you know, constructed by guys using dynamite, and then they had what they called a mule and scraper.
• 2:12
  Unknown: So they would basically have this excavator bucket tied behind a couple mules, and they would blow off the side of the mountain, and then they'd come in with this mule and scraper and scraping off to the side, and that's how the world's largest splash dam was constructed. These dozen four mule teams. We got 40-eight mule traveling over this mountain every day for seven months. So we thought, you know, it sounds good, and you know, sure those mules didn't get all the credit that they needed. So we'll give them some credit. That they they did most of the work there. So how can you not love a mule?
• 2:47
  Jessica Bowser: What makes this trail unique compared to the other hikes in the park? I
• 2:51
  Unknown: think there's just a lot of really interesting forests as you walk through there. You walked it, and you know you you walk around a few little bins, a few little hollers through there. Every little holler kind of has something unique to offer. That first one we kind of walked through is you're walking along the bank. You know, if you're a real big wildflower fanatic like I am, I can't get enough of seeing new flowers, taking pictures of them. This place has just a beautiful crop of trout lilies that come up every year.
• 3:17
  Unknown: Tons of hydrangea in here.
• 3:17
  Unknown: Really old basswoods that we saw that we were talking about in there, good hickories in there.
• 3:24
  Unknown: So you know, it's a really nice stand of forest, and it changes as you move through. And if you're kind of a fungus nerd, I've found some really cool Zylaria. If you're a mycologist or an amateur mushroom person, you'll know what a Zylaria is, but it's a genus of mushrooms that kind of look like fingers coming up out of the ground. I found some really cool ones up there, and we found all kinds of different cool. So it just offers a lot of really different ecology as you walk down through there, and it's a great place to hear the birds in the morning.
• 3:55
  Unknown: As it's a high, kind of a high ridge top in the park, it's a really attractive place for people like me who just want to get out and look at plants and listen to birds.
• 4:04
  Jessica Bowser: For those people who subscribe to the idea that hiking is more than an overlook or a waterfall, this is the trail for you. Do you remember we found the empty box turtle shell just like sitting on the side of the trail? Yes, and I was like, oh, that's so cool.
• 4:17
  Jessica Bowser: And you were like, yeah, leave it because an animal is going to make its home in there, and I'm like, wait, what? Like, what?
• 4:24
  Unknown: Yeah, you never know.
• 4:24
  Unknown: Like, you know, I'm. I don't know. Some people would say I might be a little bit extreme, and I might be a little extreme for the, for some people. But you know, you never know.
• 4:31
  Unknown: Something a mouse might drag that off, and that could be a hard top for a mouse. But you know, I'm a little bit of a a softy when it comes to stuff like that. I love
• 4:41
  Jessica Bowser: that, though. I love the idea that a little mouse is using a turtle shawl as a tent. I think that's or you
• 4:46
  Unknown: just never know. You know, some something might come along and chew on the shell, and you know, get a little treat out of it. You know, you just never know. I like to I like to leave the trail as I find it. So I think that's what makes it great.
• 4:57
  Jessica Bowser: And at the end of this trail, there is a lamb.
• 5:00
  Jessica Bowser: Descent, which I was like, wait, what? But it is really cool. So tell us about the ladder because people do need to be prepared for that.
• 5:08
  Unknown: Well, it's kind of a-I guess you call it a statter. I mean, it's a-it's kind of stairs, kind of ladder. It's not completely vertical and it's not completely horizontal. But we got to the end of the trail, and when they cut Garden Hole Road in there, you know, just basically, you know, almost a straight shot down. There had been another trail built, but then you'd have to walk down to the bottom of the mountain and then walk back up to the Camp Branch Overlook. So we were like, "Well, how do we mitigate this issue? So we we came up with this idea of bolting a bunch of four by fours together and rebarring it into the side of the mountain, and then concrete in the bottom, and now you get a little adventure in your hike. So it's there's plenty to grab onto, and it's you know it's not real real tall, but it adds a little adventure to the hike.
• 5:54
  Jessica Bowser: It adds some uniqueness, and you took a very nice video of me climbing down that. So I'll post that on the social so people can see what it looks like, and there are similar. What did you call them?
• 6:05
  Jessica Bowser: What's the stair ladder?
• 6:09
  Unknown: I was gonna call them statters.
• 6:11
  Jessica Bowser: Statter. Okay, so there's another statter feature in the park that we're gonna get to in a little bit.
• 6:16
  Jessica Bowser: This is a much smaller version of that. You guys got very creative, but it's a good feature. Makes it fun. I'm sure kids would love
• 6:24
  Unknown: it. I'm sure they would. I mean, even one of our our director of operations, who usually opens up Garden Hole every morning, he told me that he had to just stop his truck and climb up it the first time that he's seen it.
• 6:37
  Jessica Bowser: So, yeah, I could see that because it's sort of inviting in a way, or you could even start your hike on that end too, and that could be the beginning of your hike going up a ladder.
• 6:47
  Unknown: It could just just be prepared for the hill after that. That's
• 6:50
  Jessica Bowser: right.
• 6:51
  Unknown: If you if you want a challenge, that's that's a great way to start your hike. If you if you really want to get those calves burning and those lungs pumping, start right there.
• 7:03
  Jessica Bowser: Your adventure starts in the heart of Appalachia. Hike and bike through breathtaking mountain landscapes. Paddle peaceful rivers winding through hidden hollows, or cast your line in crystal clear streams teeming with trout. Craving something truly unique? Hop on an ATV and ride the rugged Spearhead Trail, some of the best in the East.
• 7:24
  Jessica Bowser: Take a scenic drive through winding back roads, explore the Grand Canyon of the South at Brakes Park, or go on an elk tour and witness these majestic creatures roaming free. Whether you're looking for heart-pounding outdoor adventure or peaceful moments in nature, the heart of Appalachia has got what you need. Dine, celebrate, shop, and rest well in the heart of all things fun-the heart of Appalachia, Virginia's treasured Southwest. Begin your mountain escape by clicking on "Heart of Appalachia" in your show notes.
• 7:55
  Jessica Bowser: We have one more trail to cover, and I would venture to say this is one of the more adventurous trails. This is the bottom of the Breaks Trail, and woo! This one was a doozy. This one took us like half the day. So, where do we even start with this one?
• 8:15
  Jessica Bowser: It's been the park's signature hike for a long time, probably because of its difficulty level and the access to features in the park that most people don't get to see, but in your words, what makes it so special?
• 8:29
  Unknown: If you do the whole circuit, you're going to start at the top of the canyon. You're going to go descend 1000 feet down to the river, and then if you're feeling really froggy, you're going to go 1000 feet back up. It's always the Grand Canyon of the South, or who's the deepest canyon in the East?
• 8:45
  Unknown: And I always say, well, we may not be the deepest, but we are the steepest. And if if you hike the bottom of the breaks, I'm pretty sure you'll find that out.
• 8:54
  Unknown: This is the breaks, and we always tell people like if you know you want to come out here and come to the breaks, and you want to really experience what it means to to be the brakes. Go do Bob. That's the affectionate name. Meet our friend Bob.
• 9:08
  Unknown: Bottom of the breaks. He he's got a reputation for you know wearing you out. And but it's just beautiful, beautiful canyons. Like this goes back to that Canyonland scenery this whole time, I mean, huge rock shelters, cliff faces, you know, steep descents, squeezes. These are kind of things that you can expect when you do bottom of the brakes trail. Like Ronnie said earlier, you're gonna want some hiking poles, something to pad that downhill descent. We always say on the trail crew, downhill's hard on the knees, uphill's hard on the soles, so you're gonna want that that trekking pole or that hiking stick for that first part of the trail. But then you know you're accessing truly the spirit of the breaks when you do this trail, going from the top to the bottom and all the way back up.
• 9:56
  Unknown: You kind of get that that runner's high at the top. You get kind of a high. High when you get to the top, you know a lot of people may see like, oh, you're not, we're not hiking to a peak or an overlook, but this is definitely one of those ones.
• 10:07
  Unknown: It's more about the adventure and actually doing this kind of more challenging hike and seeing all of what the breaks has to offer is right here in the in the bottom of the brakes trail.
• 10:16
  Unknown: So that's kind of why it's so special to me.
• 10:19
  Unknown: And it's if I could give us a little bit of advice to anybody that's you know looking at coming to do the bottom of Brakes Ferry, we want you to.
• 10:25
  Unknown: What I always tell visitors is you know drive out to Clinchfield Overlook, which is our highest overlook in the park, and in my opinion, the most scenic. Go stand on Clinchfield and then look at where you're at, and then look all the way, you know, 1000 feet below you down to the river, and realize you're starting from up here, you're going down there, and you're coming back up. That view, that vantage point, will definitely either excite you or take the wind out of your sails.
• 10:57
  Jessica Bowser: That's exactly right. Bottom of the Brakes Trail is one of my favorites in the park because it's so challenging, but man, does it do a number on my knees! And it's a it's a good thing I have trekking poles. I mean, it's very rocky, so a lot of it is you're stepping up and down rocks and practically scrambling over them in some area. So there's no part of the trail that's really flat. Your legs and your knees just don't really get a break.
• 11:23
  Unknown: No, and it's better than than what it used to be. So it used to be a combination of three trails, which was the lower part of Law Branch, the Grassy Creek Trail, and the River Trail. And about I think it was three or four seasons ago, we decided to consolidate all those, and just because it was you had three different colors of blazes. People were getting confused, lost, so we decided to consolidate everything in. And then, as we'll talk about here in a little bit, we were able to make a big improvement this past winter too.
• 11:51
  Jessica Bowser: You know, I say all of that not to scare people away, but it needs to be said that this is a very challenging trail, and that means that it's not for everyone. So people need to understand what their limitations are and be smart before you head down this trail.
• 12:05
  Unknown: Yeah, if if you don't take the stairs at work, you probably shouldn't go down the bottom of the bridge trail.
• 12:12
  Jessica Bowser: That's right.
• 12:12
  Jessica Bowser: Okay, so you added the new bypass section, and there are two swinging bridges that have been added. And oh my gosh! Like, okay, you guys told me about these swinging bridges before I even got to the breaks, and I had seen a couple of pictures, but nothing prepared me for actually experiencing the bridges. So tell us about these improvements.
• 12:36
  Unknown: Yeah. So first off, this idea came up a few years ago. Like you know, if we could, because the Grassy Creek, the former Grassy Creek Trail section, the bottom of the breaks, which would be the southern end of Grassy Creek, is really just a pain. Your your feet are never level on it. You know, it's constant trying to keep your ankles from rolling.
• 12:55
  Unknown: There's one bad spot where we actually had somebody fall off about an eight foot ledge and land in a bunch of rhododendron and get cut up really bad, and you know we had a couple trees fall in that section, and it was like this is getting to a point.
• 13:08
  Unknown: Like I mean, they're just very precar, uprooted over the trail on a cliff. It's hard to describe, but like like there's going to be a point when we're probably just going to have to bail on this. We're like, well, but if we could get bridges across the creek, there's an old narrow gage rail bed from the yellow poplar days right across the creek, and this this would give you a break between your ascent and descent on the bottom of the breaks trail. And it's plus it was just much more scenic. You got some giant bluffs over there, huge sandstone, and then of course, you're walking on an old rail bed. It came about that the Thompson Charitable Foundation, along with the Annengeon World Foundation, were able to make a very generous contribution to the Breaks Interstate Park that funded both the construction for the bridges, and you know the way that the bridges were constructed, you know they kind of blend right in with the environment. They don't feel like they shouldn't not be there. You know it's not corrugated, you know not a steel structure. I mean it's it's made out of the the floorboards are made out of locust wood. The the builder beanstalk builders Mike Fisser and his crew did just a phenomenal job on the construction of those. And once they were put in, you know, it was able. We were able to do another reroute and add a little length to Bob, which kind of took some of the steepness. It's longer, but we took a little steepness and roughness out of it, and you know now you get to you get down to the bottom, you cross the bridges, you go up another stator system. It used to be an adventure, and now it's like, oh man, this is this is this is really like it's hard to describe. You just got to come hiking.
• 14:56
  Unknown: Hiking can be where the rewards are kind of oh, we're gonna go look at this stone arc. Way we're gonna go look at this mountaintop. We're gonna go look at you know these kind of waterfalls, kind of similar things, and it kind of follows a trend. This is kind of a you know if you know about them, that can be the thing you're trying to go see and kind of the reward, and it's kind of a unique experience in that way.
• 15:15
  Unknown: Or you know like Ronnie said, they blend in super well, and if you're coming in, especially I find coming in from one of a new spurs, the Mule Skid Cove Trail that cooks into Bob and takes you to those swinging bridges, diving to do the strenuous hike.
• 15:29
  Unknown: When you come down, you know you just get a glimpse of the bridge kind of coming over the creek, and it blends in super well. And it's really, really kind of a cool reward as you come through this creek, and the creek is full of spring wildfires. I mean, geraniums, trilliums, Jack in the Pulpits, Fire Pinks, Spring Beauties, Red Columbine.
• 15:48
  Unknown: I mean, and that's just some of them. Right now, the hydrangeas and the jewelweed are going insane on this trail. So, if you're a flower person like me or a bee person like me, this is the place for you. It is just beautiful down in that drainage, and just this beautiful creek that comes through it, and the bridges swing and they move a little bit, and so you know there's that little little excitement that's added into it, definitely for the adventurous spirit. And if you have a fear of heights, you know this may be a little bit intimidating to you, but I would definitely, definitely, definitely go for it. They're safe. They're secure. I mean, it's three three eighths inch double swinged aircraft wire. They're securely fastened 15 inch bolts into the into the sandstone. It's not going anywhere. You're going to be just fine. Definitely worth going out on it.
• 16:39
  Jessica Bowser: I'm excited to share some incredible news, Virginia Outdoor Adventures has been nominated for three Signal Awards, a prestigious and highly recognized honor in the podcasting industry. The show is nominated in the categories of travel, solopreneur podcast, and sustainability and environment.
• 16:58
  Jessica Bowser: This is one of the biggest achievements of my career, and it's made possible by listeners like you. What began as a passion project has grown into a platform that promotes tourism, economic development, conservation, and stewardship across Virginia through stories that connect people to the outdoors. As a solo entrepreneur, every episode is researched, recorded, produced, and promoted by me, your contributions through Buy Me a Coffee have helped fund travel, equipment, production costs, and the countless hours required to create the show. Your encouragement has turned Virginia Outdoor Adventures into an award-nominated platform that is making a difference. To celebrate this milestone and help fuel the next season of adventures. I hope you'll consider supporting the podcast through Buy Me a Coffee. Just click support the show Buy Me a Coffee in your show notes to make a contribution today. Thank you for listening, sharing episodes, and being part of this incredible community. Your support helps make the next season of adventures possible.
• 18:04
  Jessica Bowser: Tell me how high and how long the two bridges are. I don't remember the exact numbers. The
• 18:10
  Unknown: smaller bridge, which is located further upstream on Grassy Creek, is about 100 feet long, and you probably get the highest point maybe 15. I would say right around that 15 foot range over over the creek.
• 18:22
  Unknown: There, it might be a little bit higher in some spots, but not much than that. But the second bridge is kind of the the one down at the mouth of Grassy Creek as it enters into the Russell Fork River. It's 155 feet long and probably highest point five or 40 feet above the creek. Which once you start crossing it, probably going to feel a little bit more than 40 feet to see that thing get completed. And then, I mean, first time I walked across it, it was just like this needed to happen. This was you couldn't have put this in a better spot in the park.
• 18:56
  Unknown: What Ronnie said there at the end, like you couldn't put this in a in a perfect spot. I think you need to have the right person to have the eye for that, and I think a really funny story is that Ronnie drew on a crayon this design for this decking and this what he calls a stator system. It's a crib ladder system that takes you down this really really steep kind of rock face there to take you down to the big bridge, and the bridges get all the attention and all like the they're really breathtaking and kind of capturing. But there's a real nice feature and accent in that trail ladder, crib ladder, or statter system because there's a nice deck landing and then this kind of extra level. It's like, oh, here these really cool bridges. You know, I'm not used to bridges on my hike, and then followed up. It's like, oh, here's this really unique, interesting-looking decking and ladder system to get up to the next section. So, I definitely think it's definitely worth noting.
• 19:53
  Jessica Bowser: When we approached that first bridge, the longer, taller one, I, I couldn't believe it. This is.
• 20:00
  Jessica Bowser: Something that I would think of out west, or even like I've hiked in Europe and I've seen things like this out there.
• 20:06
  Jessica Bowser: We've really got something special at the breaks with these with these new bridges, and I think it's going to attract a lot of adventure seekers who just want the experience of crossing a bridge like this.
• 20:18
  Unknown: Yeah, we've definitely seen a lot of traffic down there. The last we officially opened may 8. Every time I'm down there, everybody time I talk to somebody that's been down there, you know, we've seen a group of five, we've seen a group of 10. So it's definitely, and then you know, all our people at the front gate with the visitor center. You know, everybody's asking about how to get to these bridges. So people are definitely enjoying it, and but that's what it's there for, you know. And with the addition of that Mule Skid Cove Trail, that that offered an easier option for people that may not have the physical ability to do Bob. You know, you can still we're still going to make you hike to it. Like you, you can't just drive right up to it. That that'd be no fun, but we're going to make you hike. But at least on the Mule Skid Cove Trail, it's relatively flat for the breaks. You can still experience the same thing as people hiking Bob.
• 21:11
  Jessica Bowser: So you know the bridge might be a highlight, but the entire experience is just really phenomenal. I mean, hiking the bottom of the brakes trail is both difficult but so rewarding, and then you get to this bridge, and you're just blown away, or at least I was.
• 21:24
  Jessica Bowser: And I remember climbing up there for the first time and walking across, and I just couldn't believe it. I was like, this thing is so cool. And when you get across, then you're like underneath a rock over ledge where you almost have to like duck your head so that you don't hit your head on the rock, and then you've got these stair ladder things that Ronnie designed, and that you have to climb out on. And the whole thing is just amazing to me. I mean, when you take a step back and you look at how steep and rugged that terrain is, the idea that Ronnie had a vision to install this and that he drew it with a crayon, and now its reality is really just amazing to me.
• 22:07
  Unknown: I will say, Ronnie missed his calling as an artist because they did it picture perfect. If you, I wish he had the drawing, and maybe he could find it, email it to you, add it to the post because it came out perfect. It came out just like the drawing. I've also been told that we probably shouldn't let anybody in state parks know that I did that.
• 22:29
  Jessica Bowser: But the whole thing is just a feat, and it's amazing. And I'm glad that you pointed out that there's two different ways to get to this bridge because obviously you could come from one direction on the trail, or you could come from the other direction, and it's two completely different difficulty levels. I know when we were first talking about maybe hiking all the trails in one day, we were saying, "Well, if we do that, then we should go the easier, shorter route, just so that we can get you to to the bridge, so that you can see it.
• 22:57
  Jessica Bowser: I'm glad that we split it up, and so that we had more time, and we could do the whole thing, and I could experience all of it. But for people who are not able to do the bottom of the brakes trail and need something a little bit easier, there's another route there. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?
• 23:13
  Unknown: You know, as we were developing this bottom of the brakes reroute, and we got the funding for the bridges, the goal was to make the bottom of the canyon more accessible because prior to this year, if you wanted to go down to the river, you had to you had to go through some pretty rough routes to get down there. So what we were able to do was able to locate an old Mule Skid Cove.
• 23:33
  Unknown: That's how it got its name. You know, 120 years ago, they were pulling logs down this trail, and it goes through a really nice bench at the lower part of the mountain, and we've got a new trailhead there, so you can park at the trailhead, take this 8/10 of a mile trail out to the connection with the bottom of the breaks, and then shortly after you hop on the bottom of the brakes trail, you'll be at bridge number one. We probably need to come up with a better name, but right now they're bridge number one and bridge two. But you'll come in about a mile. You'll come to bridge one, cross bridge one, and then about a half a mile, six tenths of a mile, you'll come to bridge two, and you'll you can cross bridge two. Daniel's done a phenomenal job clearing out a lot of the the autumnal and stuff that accumulated on the riverbank there, which you can cross bridge to, and really just enjoy a phenomenal view looking upstream into the heart of the breaks. I mean, you see the massive sandstone cliffs, you see the the rapids. It's one of my favorite places on earth, if not my favorite place.
• 24:36
  Jessica Bowser: That section between the new parking area and the longer bridge is just beautiful, and I think it gives you a lot of the same features that are on bottom of the brakes trail, but without the ruggedness and without the extreme difficulty levels. So, for anybody who wants to see the bridges and still see some of the same geological formations, the same type of forest, and be able to reach. The bottom of the breaks. That is the route to go.
• 25:03
  Unknown: That section that follows the upper side of the longer bridge along those cliff lines. I mean, you're talking about 100, 150 200 foot slabs of sandstone that previously would have been hidden by the forest, and now people are going to be able to see these huge dramatic cliffs without having to do such a dramatic hike, like you're saying, I wish you would have came. If you would have came like two weeks earlier, you would have seen probably one of the best displays of geraniums that I've seen anywhere around you. I mean, that whole drainage was a sea of purple and white from geraniums and trilliums in there. I mean, it was just absolutely beautiful. So it's going to provide so much access to things like that down there, and I think rock climbers are going to like it. I'm going to go ahead and say, rock climbers, go ahead and just give us a little bit of time to see what's on those rocks before y'all get in there and get climbing. You never know what kind of cool artifacts have been stowed into some of those cracks, so just be mindful. There's a some historical context that you could be destroying in your recreation. So just give us a little bit of a chance to get over there and look at it before you enjoy too much.
• 26:15
  Unknown: I was going to say, you know, Mule Skid Cove is, although you know, comparing it to everything is you don't have the first little bit you don't have the geological features on, but the forest is absolutely just amazing in there. We talked about some of them old poplars where we every poplar in there is probably you know 60 to 80 years old. I'm sure it's been cut cut over after a yellow poplar left, but it's really starting to come back to what it used to be, it's got rich, fertile soil in there. It's got a really good hemlock population. It's actually the site where we're actively treating our hemlocks with the with the help of Department of Forestry to try try to preserve those from the wooly adelgid.
• 26:59
  Unknown: And I mean, if you go through there in the springtime, you know you're going to see all kinds of wildflowers, may apples, probably at least half a dozen different kinds of ferns, and then you know you get into the fall, and I mean that that forest turns gold, and it's a it's a beautiful time to be there.
• 27:17
  Jessica Bowser: Fall is my absolute favorite in the breaks.
• 27:20
  Jessica Bowser: The colors, oh my gosh! You can't, you can't even describe it. It's just breathtaking.
• 27:26
  Unknown: I'm a pretty big fan of fall myself.
• 27:30
  Jessica Bowser: And I think we should also mention that the new parking area is also outside of the main entrance to the park.
• 27:37
  Jessica Bowser: Can you describe how to get to that parking area?
• 27:40
  Unknown: Yes. So if if you come to the park again and you're going to have to leave leave the park and you'll turn left onto Highway 80, so you'll be going Highway 80 west to Elkhorn City, Kentucky. Just follow, keep on 80. It will bring you. You're basically going to drive on the outskirts of the property line of the park. You'll come down on 80 towards the Kentucky line.
• 28:05
  Unknown: You'll bypass Gateway Motel and the Laurel Shop, and now I think there's a restaurant down there.
• 28:09
  Unknown: And probably about a quarter half mile past that motel and restaurant, it's kind of in a hard spot to see. But there's a left-hand turn there, and you'll go across a wooden bridge, and you'll follow that gravel road.
• 28:24
  Unknown: And there's a parking area up there for probably 25 vehicles.
• 28:28
  Unknown: You can park right there and access those bridges from Mule Skid Cove right at that trailhead.
• 28:33
  Jessica Bowser: And for anybody who forgets everything you just said before they get to the park, where can listeners find maps, trail information, and updates before visiting.
• 28:41
  Unknown: The biggest thing will probably be the website, you know, breakspark.com. Click on the outdoor adventures tab.
• 28:47
  Unknown: Hiking at the breaks, you'll find the map right there. The parking area is on the map. All the trails are on the map. If you want to download the map and upload it into a Venza or a similar app, I would highly recommend that. Like I said, that works. If you do that, that map works. You can GPS yourself on the trail, even if you don't have a bit of service. You'll be able to tell right where you're at. If you're not technologically inclined, you can stop by the visitor center and pick up a paper map. We offer those for free, and you know, speak to one of our attendants or one of our rangers-they'd be more than glad to give you all the advice you need to to have a successful day on the trail.
• 29:27
  Unknown: Anything breaks related, brakespark.com is the landing zone. Zip lining-if you want to do zip lining, if you want to hear about our overlooks, our restaurant, any events or planning that's coming up, or any kind of camping or cabins and lodging, breakspark.com is the best place to find all that.
• 29:44
  Unknown: You can book pretty much anything that you want to do with the breaks from that website. And if you can't figure it out there, there's a phone number there too. You can just give us a call, and we'd be happy to help you guys out.
• 29:53
  Jessica Bowser: That's the beauty of the breaks. It might be a hiking destination in the heart of Appalachia, but there's also so many other things. To do elk tours, zip lining. I mean, the the events and programs for anybody who registers for that, they'll probably see you there, Daniel. Right?
• 30:08
  Unknown: Absolutely. Yeah, that's one of the huge things, and one of my favorite parts about working with a park is just doing, you know, free guided hikes. But we do crafting, and we do nature journaling, and we do history things, and we do all kinds of different things. Some things are more volunteer and service based, and some things are just purely because I want to go walk around and look at birds in the morning. So just keep on looking at our Facebook, our Instagram, and our website, and you know, come and join me on a hike. I would love to talk about the woods with you all,
• 30:36
  Jessica Bowser: Daniel and Ronnie. Thank you so much for being guests on Virginia Outdoor Adventures. I want to thank you not only for being a guest, but for hosting me at the breaks and taking me out on these brand new trails so that I could experience them for myself and now share them with my listeners. But also having been on the trail with the two of you was an absolute pleasure, and it also made me appreciate just how much work the two of you and the crew at the breaks have put into installing these new trails the updates, the bridges, the historical aspects of it. The whole experience for me was really moving, and I am so honored to have been asked to come out and hike these trails and to be one of the first people to hike some of these historic trails in about 100 years, and it is just incredible to me the amount of love and labor that you have put into creating these new trails for generations of people to enjoy.
• 31:28
  Jessica Bowser: And so, I want to thank you for that.
• 31:32
  Unknown: None of this would have been possible without without an awesome trail crew. And we don't have a huge trail crew. I don't.
• 31:38
  Unknown: I can't. We. I think we may use volunteer one or two times, but you know the guys I still have on my staff: Daniel, of course, Aiden Buchanan, Big Donny Hayes.
• 31:47
  Unknown: That's who does our big lifting for us. If there's a if there's a giant oak in the tree, we don't even cut it. We just let Donny roll it out of the way.
• 31:58
  Unknown: But we also have two guys that's went on to went on to greener pastures and are doing better since they left the park.
• 32:06
  Unknown: Different careers. Austin Mullins, he's done a ton of work on the trails as well as on the Sam Manzor. Both of those guys, you know, put their heart and soul along with the current trail crew. Been a little blood, been a little sweat, a lot of laughing, but I really can't thank those guys enough for coming out and for some reason following me around in all weather conditions and saying that we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna cut all this out and dig all this out and it's just us and they've stuck with me through every bit of it, so those guys deserve all the credit in the world.
• 32:44
  Unknown: Yeah, just huge shout out to those guys. Shout out to Ronnie for being just a great boss and a shining model of what a ranger should look like, and a great role model for you know people who want to come up and be a ranger and be a steward. Yeah, a big thanks to you for you know coming out and spending the day with us and letting us, you know, talk about our beautiful little park here that we we all love very very much.
• 33:05
  Jessica Bowser: It was absolutely my pleasure, and I hope to see both of you on my next visit to the breaks.
• 33:11
  Unknown: Should be here.
• 33:13
  Jessica Bowser: Adventure on Virginia Outdoor Adventures is inspired by and supported by listeners like you, which is why your messages and feedback mean so much to me. You can text me directly by clicking on Send Jessica a text message in your show notes. I answer questions, respond to comments, and share your feedback on the show. Never miss a new episode. Sign up for my email newsletter and receive my listener resource guide with the top podcast episodes, a Virginia Outdoor bucket list, and exclusive brand discounts for my listeners. Click on newsletter sign up in your show notes or visit VirginiaOutdoraAdventures.com.
• 33:53
  Jessica Bowser: Thanks for listening. Until next time, adventure on.