From the top, you get your first unobstructed 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape. The underlying geologic structure is very apparent, with parallel northeast/southeast trending ridges all around you. We were fortunate to be here in the fall during good weather, and the views of the colorful landscape were glorious.
After a nice break at the top, we headed back down, looking forward to some more excellent driving (since we were primarily on a road driving trip, and this hike was just a short intermission!). We made good time heading back down, especially after reaching the saddle. The Boy Scout trail from there down to the Dragon's Tooth trailhead is well-maintained, graded, and has excellent footing. We arrived at the end trailhead just over three and a half hours after we started out. Excellent time!
A bit of post-hike shuttling and changing of clothes, and we were ready to go -- ready to tackle VA-311; our next twisty road adventure! (again, if you want to read about our fall 2008 twisty road trip,
click here).
