North Fork Moormans River

Trail and parking were open on 6/29. Easy grade to the swimming hole and after that you can keep going up to the falls and it’s not crowded and not steep and about 4 miles r/t. Lovely riverside views and rushing water the whole way. Two crossings require taking shoes off or being willing to have soaked boots.

I love this hike. It was still closed as of June 29th not because of Shenandoah closures but by Rivanna county, as you have to pass the reservoir first. Check with those authorities before attempting.

We weren’t able hike since the area was closed on Sunday.

Sugar Hollow is a kind of homecoming. Whatever the season, it offers new wonders every hike. Following the river up to the waterfall, you retreat further and further away from humanity - the only sounds are the water rushing over rock and the breeze up in the pines. Today, we saw a huge old heron take flight from its fishing spot! An amazing trail for dogs, but definitely expect to get your feet wet.

A solid, easy out and back hike. Definitely kid friendly. Good options to extend to longer routes if you want to.

trail confusing to follow, especially when Alltrails keeps saying you are off trail. follow the road, past the closed red gate, up a ways and you'll come across a trail guide. waterfall was hardly a trickle, and there were tons of kids out there so no wildlife. pretty walk in the woods, just make sure you wear hard sole shoes!

nice trail. waterfall was barely flowing. saw three small snakes sitting in some sunny spots on the trail. both my kids 4 and 11 walked the whole trail with no problem. plenty of kid friendly swimming spots

August- little rain. the fall was barely flowing.

Tide pools to go swimming. Easy. Rock scrambling.

Beautiful trail, the frequent river crossings and swimming holes make it good for dogs (easy water source). Nice because the uphill is all in the first half, then downhill. People saw a copperhead (and two snake skins) in the water at the top swimming hole/waterfall. Didn’t deter swimmers, just keep a look out. Hike starts from the northbound side of the parking lot, past the metal gate (another hike starts on the southbound side of the parking lot)

Nice trail alongside a stream. Easy one to try for beginners. Our dog Joy enjoyed swimming in the waters. Fun time with family.

I will be back to this hike. The trail is up hill, down hill, cross thru water, a lot of the trail is walking on rocks not just dirt.

Great overall trail. It is not a hard incline at all, which would be perfect for a more casual hike or for beginners looking to enjoy nature. I would recommend some type of boot or hard sole shoe though. The path is wide, but ranges from gravel, to loose rocks, which can be hard on the feet. Three stream crossings as well, but all have rock bridges to help keep the feet semi dry.

Hiked this trail on May 24th with my wife. We went out fairly early so there weren't too many others on the trail. The water level was fairly low but we still got wet feet at several of the creek crossings. Two good swimming holes were very inviting but the water was naturally cold. One at the base of the falls and one along the way. Saw several small brown snakes and one garter snake along the trail and amongst the rocks by the water. This is a very nice, easy hike.

It was beautiful and my doxie had a wonderful time as well. There were a lot of cars, but I only saw three families.

Trail was in great shape. My 9 and 12 year old boys loved it, especially crossing the water. The river was not high, but there were places where crossing by rocks wasn’t going to happen without getting wet shoes. We took off our socks and shoes to cross. Surprisingly, the water was not too cold. Hike is correctly rated as EASY. At no time were we winded from an uphill hike.

Very fun, easy trail with multiple river crossings, beautiful water, and a waterfall at the end. Parking was crowded but once we were out on the trail it was peaceful. Many people brought their dogs to swim.

Loved this hike. Good length. Beautiful, impressive waterfall at end of hike is a great bonus. But the hike alone was worth it. Make sure to wear appropriate footwear as you’ll likely have to cross the river three times on the way up and then down again. We had to takes our shoes off and on which was a bit of a pain but not too bad. Great hike!

We hiked this trail in January 2019. We really enjoyed it. The water levels were high enough that we had to wade through the river. Come prepared. The elevation climb wasn't bad at all. As we turned towards the falls, the trail was a bit hard to follow due to fallen tree limbs. There were few people on the trail. We would definitely do it again.

It was a nice hike, but short as the river was kinda high. We watched a some guys go across and it was Knee deep. Best part was seeing a bear on the way back. It was up on the ridge, just nosing around. It may have wanted to go to the river, which is stocked with trout, but there were enough people about to change his mind. Be warned- it’s pretty popular and parking is pretty limited. Also, there aren’t any porta-johns there, so plan ahead. We can’t wait to try it again!

I met the love of my life on this trail, so I’m biased;) Overall an easy trail, probably rated moderate for the water crossings (lots of places you just need to wade through, but since the trail terrain itself is fairly flat path you can just wear chacos in the summer.) Most fun I’ve ever had on a simple out and back, multiple water crossings and swimming holes, fairly impressive waterfall with sufficient rainfall at the end, GREAT swimming hole too. Even if you’re wearing all your clothes, just jump in. You’ll fall in love.

Great hike but very crowded, crossed the creek 3 times water low had no problem. The falls at the end were very pretty!

Fun waterfall hike. Some of the river crossings will result in wet feet so next time I do this will bring water shoes. Go early to avoid crowds.

Fun river crossings and a easy hike up and back. I recommend going in the mornings to beat the crowds.

Great hike. Our dogs loved crossing the water many times.

Nice day hike to lovely falls at the top. Several rock crossings may leave you with wet boots! Or wear your swimsuit and take a dip.

Really nice hike for a family of four with a 9 and 5 year old in tow.

Nice fun trail with awesome scenery.