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!

Yesterday we tackled the Old Rag Mountain Loop trail! I purchased our tickets through their online…read moreordering system with no problems! 6am start in the dark...the most gorgeous, bright stars in the sky! We got one of the last parking spots in the main lot. The ranger in the booth was super friendly and got us checked in quickly. We then navigated steep switchbacks and scaled large boulders until we reached the top. Over 10 miles hiked. Everyone out there was super friendly and helpful. Such a great experience!

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.

Lewis Falls can be found inside the Big Meadow Campground as well as access by roadside at MM 51.2…read more- This is the Central Zone for SNP, by the way. I started the trailhead by the amphitheater inside the Big Meadow Campground, and I'm glad I did. This leg is really rocky and it had just rained when I was there so the rocks are then slippery as well. Better hiking down to the falls this way, I thought. I saw lots of cute critters along the way. The forest trail was beautiful. Great views!!! After about a couple miles you hear some rushing water. Go down a side path and there it is, an 81ft waterfall. After all the rain, it was gorgeous. Big green mountains in the backdrop. To finish the round trip, you'll take a fire road up to the Skyline Drive Road, so it's no big rocky path. It wasn't too strenuous at all. A great 7 mile hike as a round trip. About 3 miles if you park roadside and use the fire road to go down and back up. (Approximately). It's worth it.

If you want to go to Shenandoah but don't want to do old rag--this is the perfect trail for you,…read moreespecially in the summer. Bring your swimsuit bc there's at least 2-3 places you can swim in. There's one particular area where you can go down nature's slide. The water is refreshingly cold, and the slide is scary in my opinion, but worth a try! Just don't have too many people go at once, I think I saw someone almost go over once bc of that. This trail has a lot of incline so be wary and wear footwear that will prevent blisters. The view at the end is...okay to be honest. Since the waterfall is all the way to the right, it is kind of blocked, so really I think the highlight of the trail is mostly getting a great hike in and hiking through waterfalls/jumping into the water. Sadly I can't seem to upload the videos of the water slide but trust me and bring something you can get into the water with (and to dry off)!

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 .

Lands Run Falls is a quick down and back up hike. Probs 2 miles round trip at most. MilePost 9.1…read more Northern District of Shenandoah National Park. It's has a rather large off road parking area for the small hike it is. (Head scratching) maybe I missed something. There's a fire road that's roped off with yellow blaze. Yellow blaze is a horse trail. (Humans allowed). Gravel. Wide. Easy traveling. The waterfall is beautiful and you can even sit on rocks and rest your feet in it. :) So it's not like Lewis Falls where you can't touch it. Great place to cool off on a hot day. Just always remember how slippery the rocks are even when they're *not wet. Give this hike an hour of your time.

I drove Skyline Drive a few times, and it was one beautiful drive. The fall and spring time of the…read moreyear is AWESOME!

Had such a great visit here, the roads were incredibly well kept!! Every turn offered a new…read moreperspective and view of the mountains!! The pull offs to take photos and take in the view felt like a cheat code to seeing the parks beauty without putting in the work to hike for a view point, making this part of the national park incredibly accessible to those who's mobility is not up to par for a long hike.

Rapidan Camp loop is a wonderful hike that many people do not know about. You hear Old Rag hike…read moreand you hear the White Canyon hike but not the Rapidan Camp loop. You take a Mill Prong trail + Laurel Prong Trail (lot of Laurel flowers at this time of year) and wrap it up with Appalachian trail. The Rapidan Camp, was the summer retreat established by President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover during his administration (1929-1933) and it is still there. This camp precedes Camp David (1938) and you can see it or even rent a cabin! "The site had to be within 100 miles of Washington, at least 2500 feet above sea level to avoid mosquitoes and, above all, near a good trout stream" - The president Hoover said. The best part for me is that you change a lot of scenery and flora on your 7 1/2 mile trip. Bushy, woodsy, rocky, grassy are all the terms you will encounter. Flowers are impossible to miss, the stream gently follows you and the end you have a long walk at the famous Appalachian trail (always white blaze), where you never know who you may meet. The highlight was seeing up close wild grouse, first time in my city slicker life. Picture is here to proof it. The changing scenery of flora made it up for not having the views from a top of the mountain and seeing the vintage presidential retreat cabins makes you feel like you walked in the president boots for a little bit. "Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same" Robert Frost

Mill Prong Trail to Rapidan Camp. Map available at…read morehttps://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/RapidanCamp_RoadTrail.pdf The hike is moderate and fairly well traveled, so you will run into other people, but not in crazy numbers. Even in the Fall it can get hot when sunny, so bring water with you. You will see some small waterfalls along the way and will have to cross the creek. It's a beautiful hike with lots to see that is different from the typical overlook views you get on Skyland Drive. Rapidan Camp, was the summer retreat established by President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover during his administration is located within the boundaries of Shenandoah National Park. The camp has recently been restored to its 1929 appearance and there's lots of history to read on signs and other materials available when you get there. NPS You Tube video about the camp is available here https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=2ABA5F6E-155D-451F-67CE5C3CAE49E4F6

I'm so glad I finally gave this hike a try. I pulled up to the mid-size parking lot across the…read morestreet from the trailhead. I made sure to read the map, I was happy it's a loop trail, I changed my shoes and I started up the log steps. I surely don't like log steps but they weren't so bad today. There's a rock scramble that pops up fairly early in the hike. Don't worry, you can still hike it and opt out of the rock scramble since it's round trip. I opted to do the scramble 1st, then walk the easy way back to the parking lot. The rock scramble was actually very challenging. A couple times I had to put my back against a rock wall to try to scooch up to get a foothold. Then kick off with my ther foot to propell forward and grab a handhold. I had to butt slide a couple times to move around and position myself better. I wasnt the only one. After i found a top rock to eat my PBjelly, I heard a couple people heaving and grunting, tying to maneuver the scramble. Made me feel better. :) I sat for a long while taking in this 360* panoramic view! -This hike is great but be careful. You can easily slip or miss you hold and fall. There's no net. Go slow. Be safe. Take in the view.