Showerthought: I thought the 'sketchy' shortcut trail near Mount Rodgers was a death trap, but it cut 3 miles off my loop

Alice Carter · 2026-09-24T14:35:03.968943+00:00

Kept hearing from folks in Damascus that the old fire road was washed out and full of bears, so I avoided it for two trips. Finally tried it last month and it was honestly smoother than the marked trail, plus I ran into a trail crew guy who said they cleared it back in April. Anyone else got a 'locals say avoid it' route that turned out totally fine?

🎙️Chatter Central

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Showerthought: I thought the 'sketchy' shortcut trail near Mount Rodgers was a death trap, but it cut 3 miles off my loop | Backpacking Routes - Chatter Central