Oct, 2025. The Stony Man summit (elevation 4,003') is accessible via multiple hiking routes in…read moreShenandoah National Park. My husband and I parked at the lot at mile marker 41.7 on Skyline Drive; the trailhead and an informational sign are easy to access, just off the parking lot. This is a lollipop trail that is rated moderate in AllTrails. My watch recorded a total of 1.8 miles total with an elevation gain of 338'. This is a well-maintained, uphill-climbing trail that leads to overviews with beautiful views. Some quick, random notes: *Once you reach the circular part of the lollipop, the trail to the right is rocky; the path to the left is smoother. You can elect to take one up, and the other down. *We visited in mid-October during leaf-peeping season. The parking lot and the trails near Stony Man were very crowded mid-day. *As you approach the summit, most hikers go to the rocky overview on the right, where there are sweeping views of the valley below. Note, however, that there is another very nice, and smoother rock, overview just five minutes back, just off the main trail. *Shenandoah National Park charges an admission fee.

Amazing trail. We started off at the Stony Man trailhead and up to the summit. Early April so it…read morewas not buggy. The trails were pretty rocky so it could classify as a easy hike but for some it could be moderate. Know your limits. Take breaks. On our descent it was rainy and the rocks became slippery. We took the horse trail back to the parking lot and that was less rocky and slippery. The views from the summit were incredible. Definitely worth the climb!

Beautiful area with tons of trails to explore- rocky paths and limited parking availableread more

I agree with most posts I read that state this is a "mini" Old Rag. It's true to the fact that if…read moreyou start at the lowest starting point, it does take all day. There is also a pretty eventful rock climb you have to work through to get to the top. (No need for harnesses..hand and foot rock climbing). I agree with the handful of posts that state, "It's easy to get lost". I even printed the map with texts on it and took it with me. We turned around a couple of times before agreeing on which path to take at an intersection. I took 4, 15 year olds with me on this (5 mile round trip hike). It ended up being 13 miles round trip. My fitbit confirmed 13 miles and over 32,000 steps! We arrived to the trail at 11:30am Sunday 9/11. We got back to the car at 6:30pm. We only sat on the rocks at the top for 30 min...we had to go before the sun set. We did have fun. The kids were troppers, let me tell you! they could have slain me out there for this trip! It was never ending AND strenuous. We were well prepared though. We each took 3 bottles of water and a couple extras. Trail mix, cheetos, peanut butter crackers, apples..we were good to go. The paths with little rocks whether going up or down would start a dirt avalanche with every step! Take it slowly and distance yourself from the person in front of you! Lots of sliding. On the boulders/big rocks, that you have to manuever over the other half of the trail, takes a lot of time and energy. Be careful. Easy to twist an ankle or fall and get seriously hurt in the middle of absolutely nowhere! And it's very solitude, which i usually like.....usually.... Follow the Markers! If you do not see a marker every 40 yards, something is wrong! The paths are marked! I will say that....but a lot of intersections and it depends on which way you came in from as to take a right or left. It was hard. The rock scramble at the top. Take your time! Look for the pink markers on the rocks.....easy to miss at times. On the way towards our final march toward the rock scramble, we did see a sign showing us an easier way back to our car. We could take this short cut 1.5 miles and come out on Crisman Hollow Rd. We did this on the way back....Once we got to the road, we still had to hike another good 1.5 if not 2 miles on the road to the car! It was exhausting! wow..... Here's what we did.... and here's an easier way to do it: We drove down rte 211 from Warrenton through Luray to take a right on Crisman Hollow Rd. (dirt road). Road goes up. See Storybook Land Trail on the right...keep going....See Massenutten Trail on the right..(That's where we parked!--UGH.....13 miles--probably 9 but we had to back track a bit). Straight down hill from the get go! landslides under your feet.... get down to the bottom at the intersection. Take a LEFT on the orange trail (do not take a right on white). On Orange..go up, go down, go across a creek...go up, up....another intersection...Go Left here! (we went right and had to back track a mile or so!) After this left, you go up again...then down adn RE-CROSS the stream...Then you'll notice you are on a long Switch back up up up another mountain that is very rocky with large boulders...keep going up!!! Forever...until the next intersection. You will see a sign. Amen! Take a right onto the orange trail. Sign will say gap trail..You'll see fire burnt trees on the left as you walk...Once it opens up and your walking on large rocks...Stop! Look to the right. You have to look on the rocks to see a pink paint mark. That's your path! (Not the clear path on the left or down hill)...The rocky boulder path on the right. Go have fun there. Follow the Pink Markers! What we should have done: Keep driving on the gravel Crismson Hollow Road PAST the Massenutten sign to the sign that says Scothorn gap Trail. (The sign was broken though)...Sign is on the left...parking on the right! There is a yellow marker on the tree! There is also a metal gate blocking the path so you can't drive up there...Park there and walk across a creek immeditely...to go up, up up a 1.5 mile hike to an intersection where you see the sign...Go Straight....You'll continue to go uphill and see the fire burnt trees on the left..yadda yadda yadda.... But that cuts like 4 or 5 miles off the enormous hike we took. I hope this helps someone. Here are some pictures of our trip. -Oh! Let me say....I'm sorry everyone...but there are a million views that are better than this one. Even the Stoney Man trail has better views...Hawksbill Trail. Spy Rock, Humpback Rock. This one did not grab me and take my breath like the others. And I've been up Old Rag Mountain....This pales in comparison with the hike and the view...

CAUTION: Bring an extra pair of socks or two. There are a lot of streams you need to cross (by…read morehopping over rocks which aren't all stable to the ground) so you could easily just drench your shoes if you're not the most agile like me. If you're looking for a workout hike, then this is for you. Especially on a cloudy winter day, you're mainly looking at dead trees - lots of brown and more tan-ish looking brown scenery, so really not the best views. However, there are mini waterfalls and streams every now and then. The overlook is also small and pretty sad in terms of views. Overall, the hike is pretty hard for people who don't go hiking very often, but it was very satisfying after making it up to the top. There's a lot of rocks you need to hike up (mainly rocky paths and trails) and streams. Make sure you enter through the right side of the parking lot if you're looking for the Little Devils Stairs Trail (there should be a long pole looking sign with the name on it). You will be hiking up about 3 miles (~1500 feet of elevation). Be careful and make sure you are following the blue markers. They weren't very obvious to me, but fortunately, one of my friends have gone on this hike before so he knew where he was going. Afterwards, you can take the fire road down (super easy downhill walk on a trail). The entire hike is about 5.5-6 miles - it was tough going up, but an easy and relaxing walk to the bottom. Note, if you want to go to the overlook, it's on the way down on the fire road, not on the top. It's pretty small so it can be easy to miss.

My husband and I hiked this trail and found it to be pretty strenuous for us, personally. We are…read moreaverage middle age folks that love the outdoors. We went up the trail side and came down the fire road, as most people we saw. Our tech devices measured 7.4 miles total which is more than we anticipated. An unexpected burial site and a small overlook on the fire road. Some scrambling necessary. Pretty steep and I'm glad we chose to go up the trail and down the fire road rather than the opposite. We would have struggled coming down! Really beautiful hike with lots of water crossovers. Will go again!

After staying overnight at the Big Meadows Lodge, we stopped in a second time at the Harry F. Byrd…read moreSr. Visitor Center to get a few more recommendations from the Park Rangers on a hike we could do that day before making the long drive back home to Georgia. Among her recommendations, we chose Doyles River Falls Hike because it was south of where we were, which is the direction we needed to go back home. The real incentive was the two waterfalls on the trail. Having lived in Hawaii for 3 years and hiking on a weekly, if not, on a daily basis, I really missed the mountains and especially the waterfalls hikes! Might as well get all the waterfalls in while we can, because the only waterfall I have found in Savannah is at Big Bass Pro Shop LOL. If you know of any others in Savannah, please do tell! - Trail Description - Doyles River Falls Hike is found on Mile Marker 81.1, just after the Loft Mountain Wayside & Camp Store. Distance - 3.3 miles RT Elevation Gain - 1189 ft Level - Moderate, downhill first, uphill on the way back, so keep that in mind. Multiple stream crossings (none that we got our feet wet in). It's a well maintained trail, mostly shaded, but beware of the sharp loose rocks throughout the trail. We went on a day after it rained and some parts were pretty slippery. There is a spring that you come across at the beginning, but make sure to boil it if you are going to consume it. There are two waterfalls on this trail (approx. 20 ft and 60 ft) and also a bonus waterfall. You will arrive at the bonus waterfall first and you might think that it is the Upper Falls, but the Upper Falls is actually the next one as you continue and the Lower is after the Upper Falls. The bonus falls is probably about 10 ft high and you can easily step into the pool of water that it falls into. Just be sure to read the etched markings on the cement posts to guide you. The Upper Falls (28 ft) has 2 tiers of falls, with large boulders to get to it from the path. The Lower Falls (63 ft) has about 3 tiers of falls. It's pretty tricky to get down to this one. Most climbed down the pretty steep way which I would suggest climbing down with extreme caution. We have small kids, so we decided to go down a little further (not much further) on the trail and then climb down (it was still pretty steep), and then crossed over on the water to get to a small patch of pebbly rocks to look at the waterfall (on the right side, if you're looking at the waterfall). There was a huge tree that fell over about three quarters of the way up the waterfall and it was difficult to get a whole shot, but what can you do about Mother Nature? She does what she wants! It's all part of the charm. - Kiddos - Our kids are still young, but they did it no problem. However, just a note, they lived in Hawaii most of their lives and started hiking at an early age. and did some pretty advanced trails on their own by the time we left Hawaii. Some of the parts of this trail has steep drop offs. On the way there, you're going downhill, so just watch your kids that they don't pick up speed and lose control. Bonus - The Appalachian Trail (AT) crosses over at the trailhead of Doyles River Falls Hike, so at least you can put your two feet on it and say you were on it! I will be back for you AT! I'm sure you can't go wrong with any of the hikes in Shenandoah National Park and I wish we had had more time or even lived close by, but we did two waterfall hikes during our time in Shenandoah and my heart is full, at least for a little while, to have seen another beautiful waterfall!

So pretty a hike! Creek crossings are beautiful and a great spot to cool down. The falls, upper and…read morelower, and great photo spots as well. You will need to remember as you hike downhill all the way in that the hike out is going to be rough, and uphill all the way. There is a great vine to swing on about 1/3 of the way down.

The park is absolutely gorgeous and deserves a nice leisurly visit. There are many hiking trails…read morefor all technical levels. A lovely drive with scenic over looks. I recommend a few days stay but you can see it in a day if you are pressed for time. End to end the drive is around three hours plus stops. There are a number of 'cabins' for rent with gorgeous views. A full service restaurant is near by as well as a coffee shop. There are a few 'comfort stations' (restrooms) available along the driving route and picnic areas. Be sure to close the bear proof garbage bins securely! A ranger station and gift shop are located near the north entrance. A cafe, small convenience store and gift shop is located near camping. A gas station is near the south entrance. Check the NPS website for reservation and trail information and do make a plan to visit.

An amazing National Park, especially if you love hiking, camping, and/or amazing views of mountains…read moreand valleys. The main vein through the park is the Skyline Drive, accessible from any of the 4 (paid) park entrances. It's much longer than we anticipated. According to the National Park Service's website, on clear days, it takes about 3 hours to drive the whole thing! All along the Skyline Drive are spots to pull over and take in the stunning vistas. It really is beautiful on both sides of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A few of the spots are extra large and have bathrooms. I recommend looking up some maps of the different trails to plan your trip. We went with the Hawksbill Trail because it reaches the highest point and the views are not to be missed! My oldest friend goes every year with her family and they still are seeing new stuff, so don't be too hard on yourself if you don't see everything, but enjoy what you do; it's gorgeous.

Beautiful views, easy to find. Great spot for the sunrise and to see the fog ocean when it's there.read more

Beautiful trail just over a mile. Views were great. Moderate only based on rocks as one in our…read moreparty has bad knees.

I found the Luray-Hawksbill Greenway after a quick lunch and before checking into my camping lodge…read more I did a short stop and turned into the commuter parking area after seeing a walkway by the creek. I only walked the loop which was probably a little less than a mile, however the Greenway itself is 2 miles long. The paved path runs alongside the Hawksbill creek and I was happy that was the case. The sounds of the creek water was relaxing. Calling it a creek can be deceiving but it's not a river! It's pretty nice size, specially after all our rain. A super great resource for the town! A great way to bring the community together. -One thing that worried me was the electric farm fence. Please note it's quite close to the pavement.

Beautiful spot to get your exercise in Great walking trail…read morewith fantastic views. Very interesting in what you might see. Don't worry it's not to strenuous. I even saw a lot of seniors handling it. Love the water view. Definitely plan on returning.

Throw a rock near Culpeper, Virginia and you'll hit a landmark of Civil War significance. Thanks to…read morea non-profit that fights to preserve the country's earliest memories, Cedar Mountain Battlefield is a place for all to visit for free. Stopping by while at a nearby cabin, here's my experience: 1) Parking: Follow the signs to free parking near the visitor center. By the picnic table in the yard, you'll see a trailhead with maps and info on the battlefield. Follow the trails to find old gravestones and places where the battle took place. 2) Points of Interest: Markers along the trail talk about the significance of the battle. Confederate General Stonewall Jackson drew his sword during this battle for the only time during the Civil War. It was also his last battle led by him. 3) Amenities: There are benches along the trails looking out over the fields. Two cannons can be seen near one field with two outhouses nearby as the only restrooms on the grounds. It is worth noting that three historic markers put up by the Culpeper Calvary Museum clearly glorify the Confederacy over the Union. Even though erected almost 100 years ago, the fact that they remain standing shows the gap between an equitable society in this country.

Enjoyed the trails today with my hiking partner, Pookie-the-dog. The trails are in great shape,…read morewith mulch throughout the wooded area. The trails are well marked. There are historic gravesites, markers, and memorials. Today the site was quiet, with only 1 other hiking couple that after they left the visitor center parking, I didn't cross paths with them again. The caretaker was welcoming and engaged in lively conversation and recommended other nearby points of interest as well.