May 13, 2016 — The Rockytop and Big Run Portal Loop is a larger loop hike in Shenandoah National Park that has both great views and pleasant water sounds, checking out the highs and lows of the park. I started from the Browns Gap Parking Lot and took the Appalachian Trail to the junction with the Big Run Loop Trail (blue blaze) and took this northwest. I reached the junction that would form the hike loop, left being the Rockytop Trail. I made a right in order to do the hike counter-clockwise, first descending the yellow-blazed Big Run Portal Trail. The hike drops about a thousand feet of vertical loss and reaches Big Run. The hike parallels and crosses the creek multiple times as it heads north. It's a nice and tame hike through the forest.
Then the hike heads up a switchback and starts to ascend back south, making its way along the Rockytop Trail. This trail ascends gradually along the ridgeline. I assume it's called "rockytop" due to the clearings covered in talus. The NPS trail does a good job at skirting the edges of the many humps along the way, preventing additional undulations. There are lots of nice views, including where a talus field has made it hard for trees to grow and therefore provides a nice overlook through the trees.
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