Put this comment into the category of “public service.”
In my sweep up the western slope of the Blue Ridge, I religiously read Hart’s book (Flyfisher’s Guide to Virginia) to find the lower access points to the key streams that would not involve a hike in from Skyline Drive. One of the streams he discusses is Meadow Run. A word of caution on the book. While Hart has done a good job of visiting the water he describes, there are a few instances where the words give away that fact that the information presented is merely secondhand. In this case, he stipulated “According to a park trail manager….” Not knowing what to make of that, I pointed the truck towards the stream to check it out.
Prior to driving out, I did a map recon to see what lay ahead. The map told a confusing story. Using the information on the topo map, which may be dated, I could not see where the road touched Meadow Run, nor could I see that Meadow Run actually ran within the Park boundary. Both of those things presented a minor red flag as I headed the truck in that direction.
Thankfully, this was not to be the ultimate destination of my days of fishing experience. Meadow Run Trout Fishing The first is a very professionally VDOT looking sign that announces the road is private. A few yards up the road, two large red signs demand that anyone in a vehicle or on foot stop in their tracks and turn back. The strongly worded no trespassing sign was the final confirmation that there was no access to Meadow Run from the valley floor. Given that the description in the book was limited and nondescript, I doubt this stream would be worth walking to – even from the Park. If you did, you would still encounter the problem of “is this stream on public or private property?”
For me, my search ended the minute I saw the private road sign and I turned the truck around and headed to the next place I wanted to fish.
Meadow Run Trout Fishing Bottom Line: If you have the book, put a big “X” on the paragraph that discusses Meadow Run.
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Hmmmm… Private Road
And the associated threatening signs …. don’t go here!
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore