Goshen Pass: Not Much There There for Hiker

It was a lovely day for a swim in the Maury River at the Goshen Pass in Rockbridge County.

The view's pretty, the hiking's not.

I spent the day yesterday trying to find a place to hike--a trail with a view--at the Goshen Pass and we came away empty. This is one of the prettiest places in Virginia, but, frankly, the hiking sucks.

I tried a little train called Laurel Run--a hunter's access--and it went up the mountain completely devoid of view. The little creek ran out in about 200 yards and we were left with a gravel road for about 1.5 miles.

Then we spotted a swinging bridge a couple of miles up Virginia 39 and tried it. Same result. A path along the Maury River, which is lovely, but grown over and no view. We could hear the river, but couldn't see it.

Finally, we settled for the views on 39, where a lot of people parked, got out and swam or picnicked. That, I guess, is what people do at the Goshen Pass.

Swimming in the Maury is the primary passtime.

There's some privacy ... but not much (don't skinnydip, boys and girls).

It's a cool bridge ... to nowhere.

Pampa clunks across.

The view from Virginia 39, which is the best.