Old Rag, Overlooks & Falls: 3 Days in Shenandoah

Day 1 of 3

North district · Skyline Drive overlooks & Mary's Rock

Enter at the Front Royal entrance at the north end and start down Skyline Drive, the 105-mile spine of the park with 75 overlooks and a 35 mph limit. Take it slow: pull off at the Shenandoah Valley and Hogback overlooks, watch for white-tailed deer and black bears in the early light, and let the long views east and west set the pace for the whole trip.

4 stopsDay one

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Drive from where are you driving from?~75 mi · ~1.5 hr to Front Royal · Drive

   Shenandoah is one of the most accessible national parks in the East, only about 75 miles from Washington, DC. Plan on roughly 1.5 hours to the Front Royal entrance at the north end, where Skyline Drive begins. You can also fly into Washington Dulles (IAD) or Charlottesville (CHO) and be on the ridge within a couple of hours.

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   Skyline Drive overlooks105 mi · 75 overlooks · 35 mph · Drive

   Skyline Drive is the 105-mile spine of the park, with 75 overlooks and a 35 mph speed limit, and almost every trailhead and lodge hangs off it. Take it slow from the Front Royal gate: stop at the Shenandoah Valley and Hogback overlooks, and watch for deer and black bears in the early light.

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3. ⠿↑↓3Famartin / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Mary's Rock~2.6 mi RT · moderate · valley view · Hike

   Hike to Mary's Rock (about 2.6 miles round trip from Panorama at Thornton Gap, moderate), a rocky outcrop with a sweeping view back over the valley and the road you just drove. It is a classic Shenandoah overlook hike and a good legs-warmer for the bigger days to come.

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4. ⠿↑↓4Famartin / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Stay near the north districtFront Royal gateway · or in-park lodges · lodge

   Base in Front Royal at the north gate for easy access to the start of Skyline Drive, or push into the park to one of the two concessioner-run lodges. Front Royal has the most lodging and restaurants near the northern entrance, and sets you up to reach the Old Rag trailhead early tomorrow.

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Day 2 of 3

Old Rag · the park's legendary rock scramble

This is the big day. Old Rag (about 9.2 miles round trip, strenuous) is the most famous hike in Shenandoah and one of the best-known in the Mid-Atlantic, climbing through forest to an exposed granite ridge where the trail becomes a hands-on rock scramble between and over giant boulders. The 360-degree summit view is the reward, but it is a long, demanding day, so start at first light.

3 stopsDay two

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Old Rag~9.2 mi loop · strenuous · rock scramble · Hike

   Old Rag (about 9.2 miles round trip, strenuous) is the most famous hike in Shenandoah, climbing through forest to an exposed granite ridge where the trail becomes a hands-on rock scramble between giant boulders, with a 360-degree summit view. It requires a day-use ticket from March through November, booked ahead on recreation.gov. Start at first light.

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   Whiteoak Canyon (easier swap)~4.6 mi RT to falls · or ~8 mi loop · Hike

   If anyone in your group is uneasy with exposure or boulder scrambling, swap Old Rag for Whiteoak Canyon (about 4.6 miles round trip to the falls, or the longer Cedar Run loop around 8 miles). It strings together a series of waterfalls through a lush canyon and is one of the prettiest non-scramble hikes in the park.

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   Stay central at Skyland or Big MeadowsIn-park lodges · book months ahead · lodge

   Skyland and Big Meadows Lodge are the two in-park lodges, both concessioner-run through goshenandoah.com and set right on Skyline Drive in the central district near the best short trailheads. They book up months ahead for fall foliage weekends, so reserve early. If they are full, base in Luray or Sperryville and drive in.

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Day 3 of 3

Central district · Hawksbill, Stony Man & the waterfalls

Spend your last day knocking out the park's best short hikes around the central district. Climb Hawksbill (about 2.9 miles round trip, moderate) to the highest point in Shenandoah at 4,051 feet, then do the easy Stony Man loop (about 1.6 miles round trip) for one of the biggest views per step in the whole park. Both are quick, both deliver huge Blue Ridge panoramas, and neither asks much of your legs after Old Rag.

5 stopsDay three

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Hawksbill~2.9 mi RT · highest peak · 4,051 ft · Hike

   Climb Hawksbill (about 2.9 miles round trip, moderate) to the highest point in Shenandoah at 4,051 feet, with a sweeping Blue Ridge panorama from the summit. It is a quick, high-value hike that asks little of your legs the day after Old Rag.

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   Stony Man~1.6 mi RT · easy · big view · Hike

   The Stony Man loop (about 1.6 miles round trip, easy) gives you one of the biggest views per step in the entire park, looking out over the Shenandoah Valley from the second-highest peak. It is short, gentle, and an easy add right off Skyline Drive near Skyland.

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   Dark Hollow Falls~1.4 mi RT · popular waterfall · Hike

   Walk down to Dark Hollow Falls (about 1.4 miles round trip), the park's most popular waterfall, a tiered cascade tumbling through the forest near Big Meadows. Remember the trail is downhill to the falls and a steep climb back up, and go early because the lot fills fast.

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4. ⠿↑↓4Famartin / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Bearfence Mountain~1.2 mi RT · scramble · 360 view · Hike

   For a short adrenaline hit, the Bearfence Mountain rock scramble (about 1.2 miles round trip) delivers a 360-degree view from a rocky ridge for a fraction of Old Rag's effort. It is a fun, hands-on leg-stretcher to cap the central-district day.

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   Getting home: exit at Rockfish GapNear Waynesboro · IAD ~1.5 hr · CHO close · Drive

   Exit the park south at Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, where Skyline Drive ends and the Blue Ridge Parkway begins. From here it is about 1.5 hours to Washington Dulles (IAD), with Charlottesville (CHO) just down the road, so you can fly out of either or roll straight onto the Parkway for more overlooks.

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