Homestead Trail Map

Route map of the Homestead Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app and depicted a la Google Earth...

Homestead Trail Map

Route map of the Homestead Trail as tracked by the Gaia GPS app...

Homestead Trail/Hardtimes Road Junction

The eastern terminus of the Homestead Trail is here, at its junction with the Hardtimes Road, just beyond the concrete bridge over Bent Creek in this shot...

Bent Creek

Bent Creek rushes beneath the bridge from the previous shot...

Homestead Trail/Hardtimes Road Junction

The eastern terminus of the Homestead Trail is here, at its junction with the Hardtimes Road...

Homestead Trail

The Homestead Trail as it departs its eastern terminus at the Hardtimes Road...

Bent Creek

This is a nice stretch of trail as it never wanders far from the creek...

Homestead Trail

Curving upwards a bit through the rhodo and pines...

Bent Creek

Passing a scenic little cascade on Bent Creek...

Homestead Trail

It's definitely nice to have rushing water to listen to along this trail...

Homestead Trail

Tunneling through the rhodo just before reaching Lake Powhatan...

Lake Powhatan

Suddenly the trail breaks out alongside the Lake Powhatan Dam...

Lake Powhatan

Despite being so obviously artificial (i.e. the dam), Lake Powhatan still possesses a certain beauty...especially on a perfectly calm morning like this with the clouds and surrounding hills reflected in its waters...

Lake Powhatan Dam

Looking down at the dam...

Homestead Trail

The trail quickly abandons lake views for rhododendron once again...

Homestead Trail

More tunneling...

Homestead Trail

After less than a half-mile the Homestead Trail passes its junction with the Small Creek Trail, seen here departing to the left. The Homestead Trail continues straight ahead...

Homestead Trail

Just down the hill form the previous shot a sign pointing hikers in the direction of the Small Creek Trail is passed...

Homestead Trail

This narrow footbridge takes the trail across Small Creek, just above where it empties into the lake...

Lake Powhatan Beach

Passing the small beach at the western end of Lake Powhatan...

Lake Powhatan

The waters on this visit created a perfect mirror of their surroundings, so calm were they...

Homestead Trail

The Homestead Trail as it arrives at the beach from the west...

Lake Powhatan

Looking across the calm waters of Lake Powhatan. The dam viewpoint from earlier is located beyond the dock, seen to the right of center in the distance...

Homestead Trail

Heading around the west end of Lake Powhatan...

Homestead/Deerfield Loop Trail Junction

Just before arriving at its western terminus the Homestead Trail passes the lower end of the Deerfield Loop, arriving from the southwest...

Homestead Trail

The Homestead Trail as it arrives at its western terminus along Wesley Branch Road...

Bent Creek

Looking over at Bent Creek, just above where it empties into Lake Powhatan, at the trails western terminus...

Homestead Trail/Wesley Branch Road Junction

The western terminus of the Homestead Trail is located here, between the bridge seen ahead and Wesley Branch Road...

Bent Creek

A final shot of Bent Creek, looking upstream, from the footbridge in the previous shot.