This was a two day, one night 18.2 mile loop group backpacking trip in early Fall mid-October on the border of West Virginia and Virginia. The hike was supposed to cover both Big Schloss and Little Schloss viewpoints, but the second day was extremely foggy so the only overlook we had the opportunity to see was Big Schloss.
The draw to this particular hike is the unique bridge on top of this mountain. If you are just interested in checking out the bridge on Big Schloss, the hike is only 4.3-miles round trip via the Wolf Gap Trail.
It would be good to note there were not reliable water sources on this loop anywhere near where we could be camping so we each packed like 3-liters of water.
In the attempts to find a more spacious camp site, I dropped my pack and headed down the trail a little bit further only to find a really old creepy metal shack with some cots as you can faintly see in the photo above stacked. I unfortunately didn’t find the camp site I was looking for, but the group got a kick out of the mysterious contents of the shack I found. Plus, the group seemed to be content with the little space we did find.
I had a bit of anxiety in the beginning of our trek. The foliage by the parking lot was only of the green and yellow variety, but at the higher altitudes we were lucky to see more variety of oranges, reds, and purples.
This photo captures what it was like to hike in the fog
I knew it would rain on this hike but I was not expecting the fog. At first I was upset, for I had been looking forward to the view from Little Schloss, though after some time had passed, I was thankful for the fog. There is a certain level of coziness to fog, which transfers your focus to the beauty surrounding you…such as your fellow hikers. 🔥
| Name | Little Schloss & Big Schloss Loop |
| Location | George Washington and Jefferson National Forest |
| Parking | 38.908365, -78.641161 |
| Trailhead | 38.933633, -78.654143 |
| Trail Name | 1) Big Schloss Cutoff Trail 2) Mill Mountain Trail 3) Half Moon Lookout Trail 4) Little Sluice Mountain Trail |
| Trail Length | 18.2 miles – including the road walk to trail head |
This is the map I laminated and carried with me
