Thunder Knob — Friday, Jun. 28, 2024

A beautiful warm to explore in the mountains. We arrived at the trailhead around 10:30 and there was still a few spots left in the gravel parking for thunder knob. We decided to park across the street at the lower colonial creek campground. The bathrooms by Thunder Knob are all closed. The trail is a mix of switchbacks and long stretches. Flowers blooming including our favorites red columbine and tiger lily. We didn’t notice the tiger lily until the way down and my 4 year old was so excited. Don’t be fooled by the temperature when you get out of the car. We were overdressed and plenty warm. In the forest and by colonial creek it is cool and feels great. But that is less than 1/3 of the entire hike. Most of the hike is in the sun with little shade. Make sure to bring water if you go on a hot day. The trail is very rocky. Lots of of loose rocks and a few areas that can be ankle twisters. But otherwise the trail is in great shape. It does seem like you reach the top a few times but then turn a corner and are like, nope. There are benches all around. I think around a dozen including 6 at the top. The views were amazing. A great day overall.