Front Royal, Virginia

Big Schloss via Wolf Gap Trail is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a river located near Lost City, West Virginia.

A hike to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain will not only put you at the highest point in Shenandoah National Park (4050'), but you'll have a 270 degree view perfect for a sunset. This moderate hike is located at MP 45.6 on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, so you'll have to pay a $2...

This is one of 2 trails that will take you to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain. The other is the Upper Hawksbill Trail (which I also wrote an adventure about!). This trail is a combination of the Lower Hawksbill Trail, the AT, and the Salamander Trail. The parking are area for this hike is at mi...

This route combines Cedar Run Falls and White Oak Canyon Trail (one of the more popular hikes in SNP, with separate adventures detailing those hikes). Parking is easy, but gets very crowded due to the popularity of White Oak Canyon (WOC). When starting from the parking area/Shenandoah ranger stat...

Cedar Run Falls is located in the central district of Shenandoah National Park.  This is a pretty waterfall that flows into a deep swimming hole.  There are two ways to get to the Cedar Run Waterfall: from the top of the mountain off of Skyline Drive and from the bottom of the mountain off of Wea...

There are two sections that you can fish on the Robinson River. The first section is about 15 minutes away from the trailhead of White Oak Canyon. The river is on the right side of the road and you can see where it has bee stocked from the white diamonds on the trees on the side of the road. This...

The trailhead has a small parking area at mile marker 46.7 on Skyline Drive, just past the Old Rag overlook (on the opposite side of the road) if you're driving south. The hike is a 2-mile out-and-back that takes you right to the summit. The first ~2/3 of it is relatively flat and very easy walk...

There are two parking spots for this trail. Park at the lower lot if the gate is closed, if the gate is open, continue up the road for another mile until you reach another closed gate. Park here. If the gate is closed you will need to hike a mile up the road to get to the trail head.From the seco...

Parking at the trailhead is a few miles north of Big Meadows at the Fisher's Gap Overlook parking area. You will find much more solitude along this loop trail than if you were to park at the Dark Hollow Falls trailhead as the Dark Hollow Falls is much more popular. That makes being able to fin...

The trail can be found on Skyline Drive.  Though it is a little challenging to locate, you should park at  Fisher’s Gap Overlook (mile marker 49.4), and then walk over across the road and find the trail. You'll spot it by looking over the side of the road and then hiking down.  The Rose River Loo...

Rose River Falls is often overshadowed by it's more popular cousin, Dark Hollow Falls, as both hikes begin at the same trail head. But because Dark Hollow Falls is such a short and well known hike, it can get extremely crowded. It is also one of the few trails in Shenandoah where dogs are not al...

Bird Knob trail and aptly-named Emerald Pond are a not-so-well-kept secret worth sharing. Located just two hours away from Washington DC, this hike has everything: bouldering, views, and the perfect swimming hole.  Even the drive to reach the hike is scenic and enjoyable with mountain views and f...

The Three Falls Hike in Shenandoah National Park will take you past three beautiful waterfalls all found within the central district of the park: Lewis Spring Falls, Dark Hollow Falls, and Rose River Falls. You are able to start the loop from any of the waterfalls’ trailheads, but I prefer to sta...

Visiting Shenandoah National Park for the first time can be quite overwhelming. The 109 mile long Skyline Drive, combined with over 500 miles of hiking trails, makes camping is a necessity if you truly want to experience Shenandoah.From the Appalachian thru-hiker to the RV'er, Big Meadows is perf...

Catch the trailhead to these falls at mile 50.7 on Skyline Drive, just north of Big Meadows Lodge and Campground and the trailhead is just to the left of the parking lot. This is an easy 1.4 mile roundtrip hike, straight down to get to the falls, and straight up to arrive back at your car. Many...

Big Meadows is home to many types of wildlife and is a great location to photograph many different types of animals. The best time to see the wildlife in the meadow is near dawn and dusk. White-tailed deer and a variety of local birds are the most common animals seen in the meadow, and because o...