Directions are past the third goat ridge on the right (open maps) and it's a 40 min walk but you…read morecan get there quicker if you speed walk/run.

Beautiful outdoor natural waterfall and swimming hole. My only regret is that I didn't bring my…read moreswimming suit! I can't wait to go back. The hike is easy compared to others in the area. It's about a mile to the swimming hole. Be sure to bring, all the outdoors stuff: bug stray, sun block, etc. Also, you are in nature so, be on the look out for snacks - we came into contact with a black snack, it was harmless but definitely pay attention. Wear shoes unless rocks don't bother you. It's honestly a beautiful place! Here's an article that provides more info: https://gohikevirginia.com/sugar-hollow-reservoir/. I almost forgot. There's no cell phone service. No bars baby.

We did this hike at the end of October. It was cloudy and drizzling that day but I still enjoyed…read morethis hike throughly. The autumn color was perfect. I would rate this hike as easy. The trail went downhill in the beginning but on the way back the incline was gradual through out the hike. One of my friends who did this hike with me was pregnant and was able to do this hike with breaks intermittently. Parking lot could get busy. I saw some people parked on the grass, just be careful not to get stuck in the mud if it's raining.

We were pumped to try this easy trail but quickly found out it's more moderate than easy. My…read morehusband has a broken vertebrae in his back so he had to turn around. I decided to push forward and was so happy I did. Such a breathtaking hike. The falls are gorgeous and the path is very nice. They have steps built in to many steep places that makes it very easy to navigate. It was a very warm spring day and I did not bring enough water. Bring water or at least a filter so you can have as much drinking water as you need. I enjoyed the hike down but was quickly humbled on the way back up! When I say breathtaking I mean I was out of breath and breathing hard on the way up. So worth it though. I actually hiked down to the Rose River Loop Trail and that's where I turned around to go back up and it's like a 945 ft elevation gain in 1.5 miles. I had to take some breaks and even cooled myself down a bit in the water. What an epic hike though and I even saw a deer!

This is a 1.5 mile out and another 1.5 miles back for a total of 3 miles round trip hike to the…read morelower falls . The hike is not too bad majority is tripping hazards , it has a few spots that get a little steep . As someone who has had double digit knee surgeries I would say it falls in between easy and moderate . Took just under an hour to make it out to the lower 3 falls . Now the trail gets very steep and rough after the 3 lower falls so unless you are in some good shape you might want to just take in the lower falls and call it good .

Beautiful hike with lots of waterfalls. The trail was supposed to be a loop but we couldn't find…read morewhere to cross above the waterfall so ended up doing an out and back.

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!

Sorry for the 1-star (you may change my "review" to 5-star when this is fixed). Often referred to…read moreas "Afton Mountain," Rockfish Gap is not in Bedford, VA. This is the intersection of the Appalachian Trail (abt mp 863.5), Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, I-64 exit 99 (I think), and US Rt 250. To the west is Waynesboro, Stuarts Draft, and Staunton. To the east is Afton, Crozet, and Charlottesville. How do I know? The gap is about 2 miles out my back window. Not much commerce at rhe gap itself, except the wonderful old-time "King's Gourmet Popcorn" stand which has much more than popcorn. There is a motel and a couple of B&Bs a mile or so West on Rt. 250 near the Western edit of the famous Blue Ridge Tunnel (check it out on YouTube), which then pops you out in the village of Afton on the east side of the Blue Ridge. A longer walk back to the Gap, but adequate parking is at either terminus. Afton is in an area rich with wineries, distilleries, and breweries. Blee BleesRockfishRetreat.com

I've been hiking the AT, section by section, for the past 20 years. I'm currently in the process of…read moremoving Stuarts Draft, just 20 minutes form Rockfish Gap. A great section with The Priest not far south of this road crossing

My favorite hike in Virginia!…read more I love the rock scrambling that this hike has. The view at the top is worth the hike! There are many spots with great views of the mountains around. Because it is a longer hike and the rock scrambling it makes it a harder hike than many others in Virginia. It's a hike you won't forget! Make sure to bring lots of water and snacks.

I've been wanting to tackle the Old Rag hike for quite some time. My friends from Outdoor Afro…read moreorganized a group hike. I couldn't resist! We began our hike at 0930. I've gotta say, I was surprised at our starting location. I didn't have to drive through the 'booth' and pay to actually enter the park. That was weird to me, but our hike leader explained that, during the busy season, rangers are on site to check for passes. So.... I assume you'd have to purchase a pass online and place it on your dashboard. I'm a Veteran so I have that pass so I couldn't tell you how that works. Right off the bat you're climbing. No easing into your hike, you're THERE, at elevation. Of course, the higher you climb the mountain the more elevation you gain, but at the start you're already gaining. There are a lot of false summits. You think you've made it to the top, but you're not there yet! Ha! Because it was January, the trees were barren, so I could see the vastness of the forest. There was a bit of ice, but nothing that impeded our climb. I had always planned to do the hike in fall, to see the colors, but this was great as well. It was a perfect day. And then there's the rock scramble-----AMAZING! I loved climbing over, under, and through the rocks. There are times you have to jump over a small gap or squeeze between rocks, but I was down for it all! I was on the trip with people who had done the hike before so that helped in a few situations where I could have gotten lost or didn't quite know how to get over a rock. Once we finally made it to the actual peak, the view was amazing! The entire hike was awesome! Some of the rock placements, like, how does a rock just sit in a certain spot, have you wondering HOW. It's that 'Awe' factor. We had some slower hikers and we didn't want to leave anybody behind. So, that brought us to the point where we were coming down in the dark. Luckily, I had my head lamp and so did many others. A quick note to be prepared for anything. Those worst case scenarios are possible. It's a GREAT hike and I'll definitely do it again with ONLY seasoned hikers.

This is the best spot I have found for beautiful views of the Shenandoah Valley. However, a word…read moreof caution- it is an extremely steep, narrow, gravel road with sharp curves and scary edges. And calling it a road is generous: it is actually rocky, bumpy, and has many holes. My SUV would have been fine but I happened to be driving a rental car with low ground clearance. There is a cautionary sign as you enter that says "Narrow 2 Lane Road." TWO LANE? I have seen goat paths that were wider. Twice I came upon cars going the opposite direction. and one of us had to pull way over to the mountain side, and the other had to hug the scary drop off edge (hint: it wasn't Indiana girl who pulled over toward the edge, I was perfectly happy getting as close as possible to the mountain side while the other driver inched around my car) The next time I come here I will definitely park at the bottom and walk up. Besides the difficult navigating, there were some places I would have liked to take pictures but there weren't any safe places to park. The views are simply spectacular, and my photos don't come close to capturing the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. It is very definitely worth the inconvenience of driving or hiking up the mountain. The only amenities I saw were two trash cans, one at the bottom and one at the top, near the observation deck. I wanted to watch the sunset, so it was nearly dark when I drove back down. I'm planning to return soon, and I will get here earlier in the day so I will have more time to explore.

This is a moderate level hike, 3.6 miles UP and Back. Elevation 1,135 ft. Some very steep inclines…read more So steep the path is switch back trails. Absolute great hike but challenging. Kid friendly, dogs on leash, and some paved walk ways BUT I don't think it would be for wheelchairs or strollers because it's such a steep incline. VIEWS-Waterfalls, forest, mountain, mushrooms, wildflowers, and berries. Such a busy trail that you really don't see to much wildlife or birds. Lots and Lots of stairs. This trail has been kept in great condition. There is a bit of scrambling and if there has been rain or snow it can be a bit slippery. Rocks and moss. So beautiful. This trail is part of George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. Absolutely beautiful at the top for me. It has an area that opens up at he top and benches so you can sit and admire the surrounding mountains. The first waterfall you come to is the easiest paved area to get to . Also the best waterfall view. It also has benches. This is from the parking lot and there is a fee. It is was 3 dollars so bring cash. There is no running water so bring your own water, Pack a smart backpack. Keep all areas clean and don't leave garbage behind. They have a bathroom area but with no running water. It is a dry toilet. Bring some hand sanitizer is my best advice.

This is a really good hike worth the incline on the way up to see the views! Definitely high…read moreincline on the way up, but there's benches and rocks along the way to take a break. The falls are really pretty, but be careful not to get too close. There's lots of signs to stay on the path which I recommend! It can get muddy after rain so wear good hiking boots for sure. It's dog friendly, I went when it wasn't too crowded and with the narrow pathways I had her off the leash but would put her back on the leash when I saw people ahead. About halfway up, there's an area of body of water that's safe for dogs to get water and to take a break at which is nice. It took about 3hrs total (up and down), 1.7 mi up and down.

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.

We absolutely loved this drive. You could honestly stay in the car the whole time and see some…read moregreat views. We didn't though - stopped and did some hiking but our guidebooks were good about noting the mile markers so you could try to plan it out. They had somewhat clear mile markers on the side of the road and it was fairly easy sailing the whole day. As the park got busier, it was nice to have the wayside lots to break things up a bit. Very easy to navigate.

The main drive through Shenandoah. Beautiful views and plenty of attractions lie along this route…read more The roads wind through the mountains and you get tons of overlooks. Would recommend to anyone who's in the area. Great to pair with a hike