Seneca Rocks is a well known area for rock climbers. When you are not on the mountain, you can see climbers on the rocks. It is always fun to watch them climb. The Rocks also offer a trail for hiking to the top. Around the backside of the mountain, there are many trails that the rock climbers use to get to the rocks. We hike these trails also to get to the top.
Trail
- Name: Roy Gap Road to East Ridge Trail to Seneca Rocks Trail
- Distance: 2.80 Miles
- Elevation Gain: 696 Feet
- Terrain: Very rocky and rooty on the ascent and smooth gravel on the decent
- Weather: 72 degrees and sunny
- Duration: 1:45:34
My all time favorite app is called AllTrails. I have the AllTrails pro version which allows download of maps for when there is no cellular service. They do have a basic version available. I highly recommend this app if you do a good amount of hiking.
Prior to the hike, we took the kids to the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center. We didn’t know it at the time but the Discovery Center was having their 7th annual Nature Day. Nature Day consisted of a lot of educational booths set up throughout the inside and outside of the building. The kids were very excited to take part in this unexpected find.
The first booth they went to was the snake table. Ethan, Nick and Isabella all held a snake and the others go up close to them as well.
One of the booths talked about recycled materials.
The next booth was an Owl interaction.
I didn’t end up taking a lot of pictures of the activities because we were all actively participating in them. The kids got to touch snails and interact with fish, see what is living and growing in the river, etc. They had a blast and everyone got goodie bags once they finished.
The Hike
We parked in the lower parking lot and began our hike on Roy Gap Road. The bridge across the river was washed out and we had scramble to get across it, “Parkour” as the kids would say.
As we continued up the road to the trail, we walked alongside a stream with small cascading waterfalls.
We made our way to the East Ridge Trail which is also one of the turns the rock climbers use to get to the bottom of the rocks.
We took the East Ridge Trail that leads up the backside of the mountain. This trail goes straight up, no switch backs and is very rocky and rough.
During our ascent, we came across a couple of critters.
Isabella found a really neat leaf.
We made it to the top of the rocks and as always it never disappoints.
We took the kids out to the overlook platform first.
We could also see our car from the overlook. I took a picture with and without zoom.
Blake and I took turns going out to the rocks with the kids. We didn’t want to climb them with Taylor.
Blake got some great shots of the rock climbers
The kids dabbled in some rock climbing of their own.
The kids took a break for just a few to grab a drink.
We got more pictures from the top of the rocks. The views are breathtaking!
Once we were done exploring the rocks, we began our descent down the Seneca Rocks Trail. The Seneca Rocks Trail features a series of switchbacks to get back down to the base of the mountain.
We passed some Rhododendron on the descent, which is always beautiful to see.
Poor little Totsy just couldn’t hang and fell asleep.
Another cool thing along the descent is all of the informational signs. The kids were excited to stop and read them with us. It is so nice how much they love learning about nature and the places we hike.
The kids found another rock to climb before finishing the trail.
We crossed the South Fork of the North Branch of the Potomac River. (That’s a mouthful).
We made it to the end of the trail and the kids were excited to see what we were going to do next. We had a family take a picture of all of us. We love it when we get a full family picture.
My all time favorite app is called AllTrails. I have the AllTrails pro version which allows download of maps for when there is no cellular service. They do have a basic version available. I highly recommend this app if you do a good amount of hiking.
Seneca Rocks is such an incredible rock formation within the mountains. I would recommend making the trip. It doesn’t matter what season, it is always beautiful.
Nic of Time - Travel 
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