This east coast national park offers some amazing hikes and views. Just two hours from the Washington D.C. area, it provides a great escape from city life. If hiking isn’t your thing, the Shenandoah Valley also has beautiful vineyards that are well worth visiting. There really is something for everyone.
Distance: 10.2 miles; Elevation Gain: 2,650 feet; Difficulty: Hard
Without a doubt, Old Rag is the most famous and most visited hike in Shenandoah. It’s no joke, though. You’ll want to seriously consider whether you are fit enough to make it to the top.
While the distance is long and the elevation gain is substantial, those aren’t the aspects of the trail that make it harder than most. It’s the rock scramble.
Before even starting this hike, plan your day accordingly. Budget 7-8 hours to finish the loop, and get started early. We got to the parking lot at the trailhead around 7:15 AM and were very happy we did. The modest-sized parking lot already had quite a few cars in it. Once that lot is full, you’ll have to resort to overflow parking lots that are a bit of a walk from the trailhead. Trust us that you won’t want to do that walk back after finishing your hike.
Starting early is also key to avoiding crowds. When you make it to the rock scramble (more on that below), you’ll likely encounter lines of people waiting to navigate the obstacles. From what we heard, these lines can last up to an hour at peak times. By starting when we did, though, we pretty much avoided lines all together. Granted, we did the hike on a Friday, but it was also Labor Day weekend.
As far as packing is concerned, bring plenty of water. There are no facilities (water, toilets, etc.) on the trail, so you’ll want to make sure you have plenty to drink and anything you need to pack out waste. Respect the nature and leave no trace.
The first couple miles of the hike are a steady uphill ascent through the woods. When you approach a fork in the trail, make sure you keep to the left. We recommend doing this loop clockwise to follow the typical path and avoid going an unintended direction through the rock scramble. Once you get to the beginning of the scramble, take a minute to relax and appreciate the views before getting started.
Speaking of which – we had never done a rock scramble before this hike. We honestly didn’t really know what to expect. We had heard that upper body strength was needed to make it through certain parts of the trail, but we didn’t really take it seriously until we were literally doing pull-ups on boulders. Honestly, though, it was super fun. We felt like kids again climbing all over the rocks. If you’re in decent shape and have shoes with good traction, you should be okay. Just take your time and be careful. Due to the remoteness and terrain of the hike, it takes a while for a rescue team to arrive in a worst case scenario.
Once you make it to the top, the scenery is spectacular. Plan to spend some time relaxing and enjoying the panoramic views of the Appalachian Mountains. There are plenty of huge boulders that make for great sitting areas, photo props, and lookout points. The area is also big enough to easily allow for social distancing.
The remainder of the loop includes a bit more scrambling, but it is mostly a steady downhill descent through the woods and on a fire road. The last bit feels way longer than it actually is. To keep it interesting, we recommend walking off the road to the adjacent creek at certain points to appreciate the water and take some photos of the rapids. Despite the lackluster conclusion, though, we can’t recommend this trail highly enough.
Distance: 3.5 miles; Elevation Gain: 843 feet; Difficulty: Easy
For a more relaxing hike, we recommend the Rose River Trail. We were pleasantly surprised by pretty much everything on this trail. The elevation gain is mostly gradual, so it isn’t too strenuous at any one point. There is also great scenery along the vast majority of the trail, as you’re walking along the beautiful Rose River and its many cascades.
Similar to Old Rag, we recommend doing this loop hike clockwise. About halfway around the trail, you’ll see the main attraction – Rose River Falls. While not the biggest waterfall, it is beautiful and has a nice swimming pool at its base. We didn’t dress appropriately for the water, so learn from our mistake. We definitely had some FOMO watching another family splash around in the pool.
As you approach the end of the loop, you’ll cross a bridge and see some steps to the left that continue to follow the water. Take this path. After about 0.2 miles, you’ll see the amazing Dark Hollow Falls. This tall, tiered waterfall is much larger than Rose River Falls and offers some shallow pools of its own. You’ll also have the opportunity to climb along the side of the falls to appreciate the views from different levels. Honestly, this little detour felt like a cheat code, as we had initially planned to do an entirely separate hike to reach Dark Hollow Falls. We definitely suggest you kill two birds with one stone and group the two waterfall viewpoints as we did.
Getting to this hike is a breeze, as it is accessible from the middle section of the scenic Skyline Drive that runs through Shenandoah. Parking is also plentiful at the trailhead, as there are a few side roads that have room for street parking. We had no trouble finding a spot despite doing the hike in the early afternoon on one of the park’s busiest days of the year.
Distance: 1.0 miles; Elevation Gain: 242 feet; Difficulty: Moderate
Don’t let the distance or elevation gain of this hike fool you. Like the Old Rag Circuit, there is a rock scramble to the top that includes some tricky parts. You’ll want to make sure you have enough upper body strength to lift yourself on top of some boulders.
If you’re not worried about the scramble, we highly recommend this hike. It’s not very often you come across a trail that is only a mile long, offers a fun ascent, and has awesome views at the apex.
Like the Rose River Trail, you can access this hike from Shenandoah’s scenic Skyline Drive. Since it is a quicker hike, people cycle through the small parking lot quickly, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a spot.
The answer to this question largely depends on what you plan to do while in the area. We moved around quite a bit during our three days in the region, and below are our thoughts on where and how to stay for each type of activity.
Happy traveling!
Kitrina & Jordan
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