hiking
views
forest
wild flowers
walking
birding
nature trips
wildlife
dogs on leash
kid friendly
waterfall
trail running
river
no dogs
backpacking
camping
beach
horseback riding
dog friendly
Shenandoah National Park encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state of Virginia. This national park is long and narrow, with the broad Shenandoah River and valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the east. Shenandoah's Blue Ridge Mountains are covered by hardwood forests that are home to tens of thousands of animals. The Skyline Drive and Appalachian Trail run the entire length of this narrow park that has more than 500 miles (800 km) of hiking trails along scenic overlooks and waterfalls of the Shenandoah River. The highest peak is Hawksbill Mountain at 4,051 feet (1,235 m).
We chose this trail based upon the photo, a man standing at a mountain summit. Sadly, there is no such summit on his trail. The first leg is Dark Hollow trail, with a number of beautiful waterfalls worth the trip. The extension to Stony Mountain trail just leads you through a heavily wooded area and dumps you out on a dirt road. We continued hiking up the dirt road as oppose to turning around. The road eventually lead us to Big Meadows. It was a fine enough hike yet hardly what we desired. I suspect the photo was taken at Stony Man Mtn summit further north along Skyline Drive.
Steep hike on the way back up!!
Really beautiful, fairly easy to walk through, and the falls are plentiful. Try to avoid the fire road - the grass is very tall and there were definitely ticks in there (although there was a black bear chilling on the side, which could be neat or terrifying depending on who you are). You can take the AT back up eventually without getting on there. I'll totally try this again!
great trail!! definitely difficult, but the view is worth it!! a bit challenging for those with asthma as well as those who are on the shorter side, but manageable. can definitely get crowded but most people are friendly. 10/10 would reccomend, gives the best view of the mountains and valley i've ever seen!!
We did 4 miles out and and back for the sole purpose of swimming. Falls were low at the end of June, but there are plenty of beautiful spots to plunge in along the way.
Short, and strenuous on the way out. Great conditioning! Good waterfalls and not a lot of depth for swimming.
Arrived by 7 on a Saturday and had no trouble with crowds, save for the young guns blasting techno out of a backpack speaker. Smoked 'em and kept going. Scramble is incredibly fun. Views are gorgeous. Saw two rattlesnakes and a bear to boot.
we completed this one recently, the roky portion of 1st 3 miles was very challenging and this was our 1st time here. To the summit it considerably long time than we thought but as a group we enjoyed. we will visit again this one.
Despite the strength and endurance needed to complete the rock scramble- it was definitely worth the work! The views are absolutely stunning throughout the trail and the very best at the summit. Has to be a favorite!
An awesome yet vigorous hiking trail. The views are great and a great reward to the strenuous journey to get to them. After the summit the walk back is long but easy if you follow the loop. Definitely a must hike.
Derek P. on Bearfence Mountain Trail
Great scramble -- lots of fun. Those with issues with heights should heed to the caution in the description.
Pretty tough on your knees going down. Enjoyed the waterfall.
Stephanie P. on Dark Hollow Trail
This was an amazing trail. The waterfalls were beautiful and the trails were pretty well marked.
Great passage through the woods with lots of time spent near running water. Some of the changes in elevation are not so gradual, so it's also a good workout.