Corbin Cabin and Nicholson Hollow

Location: Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Season Visited: Fall
Trail Length: 4-mile loop (1.3 miles Day One; 2.7 miles Day Two)
Time to Hike: 2 days
Difficulty Level: 2

Early in October of last year, I set off with my husband to do a moderately easy overnight hike in Shenandoah.  This trail features a beautiful babbling brook and some old cabin ruins, as well as the still-standing Corbin Cabin from 1909.  The fall colors were really starting to shine and the weather was perfectly chilly on this lovely autumn weekend.

I followed this itinerary and used this map to get an idea of where I wanted to go.  We began our hike in the parking area just before mile marker 38, on the right-hand side of Skyline Drive, crossing the road immediately onto the Corbin Cabin Cutoff Trail.  This goes 1.3 miles down into the Hollow, ending at the Hughes River stream crossing.

The beginning of Corbin Cabin Cutoff Trail.

Debris in the way.

Cabin ruins.

Hughes River stream crossing.

The itinerary recommends turning left and finding a place to camp downstream, and there are definitely plenty of nice camping spots down there.  The rangers told me before the hike, however, that there was also some nice camping just beyond Corbin Cabin, so Sean and I continued on across the stream.  Once across, Corbin Cabin was straight ahead of us.  After checking it out, we continued on the trail that turns right after crossing the stream.  I believe this is Indian Run Trail, but it's really only a connection to the Nicholson Hollow Trail for the purposes of this hike.  Up beyond Corbin Cabin on this trail is a nice clearing where we set up camp.

Looking at Hughes River from the other side.

Corbin Cabin.  Some folks had rented it for the night.

Camp.

Dinner time!

Heading back down to the stream to get water for the evening.

The night spent near Corbin Cabin was relaxing and thankfully uneventful.  As fun as it is to have crazy backpacking night stories, it's nice to enjoy those rare occasions when you actually make it through an entire night without being woken up by animals, cold, storms, etc.  This night was one of the peaceful ones.

The next morning was the hike back up Nicholson Hollow Trail, which took us to Skyline Drive.  From there we took the short connecting trail to the Appalachian Trail, northbound, which led us right back to our car.

Good morning!

Another stream crossing on Day Two.

Catching mountain glimpses through the trees.

The most enjoyable part of the second day was seeing the distant mountain skyline through the turning trees.  Though somewhat uphill, the hike is not difficult.  Overall, the hike to Corbin Cabin is both peaceful and interesting.  The cabin ruins provide a reminder of Shenandoah's rich (and still, to some, controversial) human history, while the trees and streams in this designated wilderness area offer the beauty of deep woods without an overly long trek.

Enjoy the hike, and keep wandering.