Day Hike 9: Benge Gap to Jumpinoff Rock Overlook
High Meadows, Great Views
Distance: 7.9 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate. Distance and a series of moderate climbs from the midpoint on.
- Camping: No.
- Land manager: National Park Service.
- Volunteer Task Force Leader: Jeff Simpson, jsncmst22@gmail.com.
- Piggyback trail: No.
- Connecting trails: No.
That’s Mount Jefferson in the distance.
An abundance of high meadows perched atop ridgelines equates to plenty of great views and, thus, slow going on this 7.9-mile stretch. Starting from the Park Vista Inn at Benge Gap, the trail follows the paved Blue Ridge Church Road for a short distance, passing a cemetery to the right and Blue Ridge Baptist Church to the left before hitting the first of those scenic grasslands. Dominating most of these views early on: stately Mount Jefferson to the west, an imposing dome that rises 1,600 feet above the surrounding countryside.
Enticing as the meadows are they can also create a wayfinding challenge: sometimes, the path through them isn’t immediately clear. Rule of thumb: Upon entering a meadow stop and see if you can figure out where the trail goes. Often, it follows a fenceline or heads toward the BRP. Look for the standard white-circle MST blaze on fence posts, or the low wooden MST post at the far side of the meadow.
Once you figure out where the trail goes, then set your spirit free to explore these wide open spaces.
For detailed hiking directions and parking information, download the Segment 5 guide from our Trail Guides page, using the “Primary Trailheads” section to pinpoint the location. You can also visualize the route on our interactive map; click “Day Hikes” to view the endpoints.
