Chimney Rocks is a great medium hike, clocking in at about 4.5 miles, depending on your start point. The AT climbs almost 1000 feet over 2 miles, delivering you to a wonderful rock garden at the top, as well as a really nice blue-blazed trail on the way back down the hill. A small side quest can take you to Schaefer Rock and the Hermitage Cabin.
We start Chimney Rocks from the Old Forge Picnic Area along Rt 233, because there’s a pretty nice bathroom there, and year-round running water. There’s a lovely little church here, attached to a summer camp across from the picnic area. During busy hiking season, there will often be AT hiker “trail magic” stations set up here, welcoming just about anyone who wants to sit and chat.
After a stop at the bathroom, gearing up, and a quick stretch, we’re headed north along the AT into a good half mile of mostly-flat warm up before we cross a gravel road, and then Old Forge Rd. This is the AT parking lot – maybe 4 cars can park here. Cross the road and head to the right just a little, the AT is on the other side of the small bridge. Head into the woods and slightly uphill towards the shelter.
To the left is Tumbling Run, which we’ll return to when we come back down the Hermitage Trail. While it’s not so tumbling here, by the time we see it again near Shaffer Rock it will be positively melodious.
At the shelter sign, head right, and prepare for climbing. This is a good spot to strip your jacket, hoodie, whatever. It’s pretty much all uphill from here, and it’s not steep, but it’s relentless. There are a couple of stair sections, followed by short rolling flats. You’ll come around a corner, and there’s more hill.
When I was first learning this hike, I struggled a lot getting up the hill. I like to break a hike down into sections, so I picked out a large rock on the side of the trail that I thought was most of the way up. The next 3 or 4 times I did this hike, I was sure I had reached the big rock, only to find another, bigger rock, and more hill, around the next corner. That’s just the way the hill is. When I do it these days, I’m always impressed with myself for how I’m flying up the hill, still have my breath the whole way up, and then I realize – that last rock wasn’t the big one, I forgot about this next part, and there’s more hill to go.
Eventually, you’ll come to the Chimney Rocks sign. There’s a nice flat bench of a rock here, perfect to wait for the rest of your party or drop your packs to do a little exploring. Head up the hill and onto the rocks. Watch for snakes – I have seen rattlesnakes here. The rocks are a great area to take a break and recover from that hill, have a snack, rehydrate.
Spend some time climbing around up here – don’t miss the small cavern area just on the far side of the high rocks. There are lots of cool places to explore, not just the one main lookout. Chimney Rocks can be busy on summer and fall weekends, though the hike up usually cuts out the bluetooth speaker crowd.
When you’re ready to go, there’s a choice to make. It’s not a hard one. You can turn around and walk right back down all those steps you just walked up and look at all the same rocks and trees, or you can go see some new rocks and trees on a different trail with a cool stream. Let’s do that one.
Directly opposite the Chimney Rocks sign, follow the blue blazed trail to the left, to head towards Hermitage Trail. This little connector is called Chimney Rocks Visitor Trail, and will take you out to Chimney Rocks Road. Turn left and head downhill on Chimney Rocks Road. They’ve been logging up here lately, so you could be baking in the sun a bit without a forest canopy. Stay on the road for a while, until you follow the trail off to the left at a new “foot traffic only” sign. The rule isn’t new, only the sign.
This is Shaffer Rock Trail, composed of old logging haul roads. If you look carefully amongst the trees, you can see round, flat sections of earth that used to be charcoal hearths. A collier living in the woods would tend a few of these structures, turning timber into charcoal to run the furnaces and forges in the area.
Keep following the Shaffer Rock Trail until you come to a stream crossing, the intersection with Tumbling Run. If you follow the Shaffer Rock Trail to the right at this intersection, it leads to the Hermitage Cabin and eventually to Shaffer Rock. Hermitage Cabin is a primitive cabin owned by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, with rentals available to the public on their website. There is a small parking lot on the far side of Shaffer Rock, making for a quarter mile hike in to the cabin. I’ve never stayed here, but I have spoken with some folks while they were staying, and everyone agrees it’s lovely.
In order to get back to Old Forge, we’ll cross the creek here and head downhill, into one of the nicest areas of forest on South Mountain. The oak and pine canopy creates shade, the evergreen rhododendrons fill in the acidic soil around the stream, and the large granite boulders give the water plenty of options to get downhill. If you listen carefully, you can hear the stream running between rocks in the trail, underneath your feet. I try to take my time through this section, even though it’s after the big view at the top. There’s a closeness to the forest down here that is hard to describe, and necessary to return to.
Keep following Hermitage Trail down along Tumbling Run, and you’ll pretty soon run back into the Appalachian Trail, making the end of the loop section of this hike. Keep following the AT across the paved road (Old Forge Rd), the gravel road (Rattlesnake Run Rd), and back to the Old Forge picnic area. If you’re headed back towards Shippensburg, stop and get a sandwich or a Calzone at Arturo’s in South Mountain. Good sandwiches there.