5 Short Hikes for the Best Visit to Shenandoah National Park

These five short, easy hikes will help you truly experience what makes Shenandoah National Park great even if you only have time for a quick visit.

Last summer, I started chatting with another traveler at our hotel pool about the national parks we’d both visited.

At first I couldn’t believe it when he said he really didn’t like Shenandoah National Park. But after a few minutes of chatting, it became clear why his family didn’t enjoy it: They drove along Skyline Drive and took in the views, but they never stepped foot on a trail.

If you don’t get out and hike in Shenandoah, you are absolutely missing the best parts.

That doesn’t mean you have to take an all day hike to see the real beauty of the park. There are plenty of short, relatively easy hikes where you can experience beautiful forests, stunning waterfalls, and wide open mountain vistas.

Where is Shenandoah National Park?

Shenandoah National Park is a long and narrow park situated high in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. End to end Shenandoah is 105 miles long, stretching from Front Royal, VA to Waynesboro, VA, and every mile is bursting with beauty.

Skyline Drive is the main road that travels end-to-end through the park and visitors that drive through are treated to a tour of pristine mountains.

Even if all you do is drive through the park and stop at a few overlooks, you’ll still see plenty of stunning views.

If you get out, though – that’s where you’ll experience what truly makes this park special.

Because these hikes are so spread out, you will definitely need more than one day to visit. These are the best places to stay in Shenandoah National Park, especially if you are bringing your family.

Stony Man (Milepost 41.7)

At 1.6 miles this is the longest of all the hikes on this list.

Stony Man is an easy hike to a serious overlook. The trail winds through a dense forest to a wide rocky overlook.

From this point you can look out into the surrounding mountains and communities. My favorite part of the overlook is the jagged stone fin to the right of the rocky ledge.

On my last visit the fall colors were on full display and a murder of crows (actual name for flock) took turns diving in the stiff wind.

There is a short trail to the left of the main overlook that is much less traveled and leads to another, equally awesome, overlook. Don’t skip this.

Dark Hollow Falls (Milepost 50.7)

Dark Hallow Falls is a 1.4 mile out and back trail to a thin, beautiful waterfall.

The trail begins at a large parking lot and winds down a mountain, along the stream that eventually plunges 70 feet.

Once you reach the main observation area you can look up to the terraced falls or head further down the trail to the intersection with Rose River fire road trail. The view from the lower spot is a much less dramatic than the base of the falls but it is definitely less crowded.

The hike back to the parking lot is steep and a bit of a leg scorcher. Luckily there are lots of spots to rest and plenty of natural beauty to soak up.

This hike can get very crowded on weekends – amusement park crowded. Go early or very late. By mid morning the parking is gone and you cannot park on the road.

If you are considering going to Dark Hollow Falls we have some helpful parking tips.

Bearfence Rock Scramble (Milepost 56.4)

There are two ways to do this hike – one with a rock scramble and one without. If you aren’t going to do the rock scramble it might be worth skipping this trail.

The 360 degree view from the top of the rock scramble is possibly the best in the park. Honestly, it might be the most beautiful spot I’ve been to in Virginia.

If you are tackling the rock scramble you will reach the obstacles pretty quickly.

The rocks are painted with blue blazes showing the intended path. The route may seem unorthodox from a distance. Just trust the blazes, some steps aren’t obvious until you are on them.

At the highest point you will have an uninterrupted view of some mountain majesty. I had a hard time leaving the scrambling area. Even now – writing this, I want to be there. Standing awestruck.

The scramble ends and there is another overlook, beautiful in it’s own right.

There is an alternate route along the Appalachian Trail that avoids the rock scramble and takes you directly to the final overlook. If you don’t think you will do the rock scramble you should have no trouble on the AT but I’d recommend checking out Stony Man or Black Rock Summit instead.

For more information and pictures to convince you to try Bearfence Rock Scramble you can read our guide where I gush over the amazing hike.

Frazier Discovery Trail (Milepost 79.5)

When I hiked this, I wasn’t sure what I would encounter. Many of the trails in national parks that have “discovery” or “explorer” in the name conjures “for children” in my mind. That was not my experience when I hiked this trail.

There’s a rich forest of black cherry, honey locust, a smattering of maples, and the silent skeletons of ashes. The first ten minutes of the hike seem like you are in for a quiet walk in the woods. Once you reach the massive curved rock the real spirit of the trail becomes apparent.

A few moments later you’ll reach a wide rocky ledge, the forest below and mountains in the distance. There’s no indication when you begin the hike that there is an incredible overlook waiting.

I remember thinking as I looked out at the blue sky and undulating ridges that maybe discovery is what a hiker does when they walk this path.

There is still one more overlook to come on the loop trail. A short spur takes you through framed trees to a rocky vista. The return trip to the trailhead descends again through the forest.

This hike is one of the lesser visited trails in the park and such an unexpected treat.

There is so much more we have to say about Frazier Discovery Trail.

Black Rock Summit (Milepost 84.4)

Black Rock Summit is an easy hike to a small boulder field that the trail circumnavigates to loop back to the parking lot. The hike is easy and the views are great.

It gets even better if you scramble up on the boulders. The best view is from on top of the boulders.

You don’t need to climb the rocks to enjoy the walk, but it really enhances the experience. It’s also a great place to let your kids explore a little.

This is hike is was super easy.

Shenandoah National Park has a lot to offer. I love the longer hikes like Old Rag and White Oak Canyon but if taking on a 10 plus mile hike is more than you want to tackle or have time for, you can do any or all of the above list and recreate some of the same experience.

I think that Bearfence Rock Scramble and Dark Hollow Falls are the two stand outs on the list. Bearfence for the wide overlook and adventure and Dark Hollow Falls for the waterfall and the relaxing sounds of the creek.

If you aren’t sure you want to rock scramble, go to Black Rock Summit. The view is really great and you don’t have to work hard for it.

If you are visiting Shenandoah Nation Park, it’s always worth it to take the time to get out and see some of the great hikes that make the park special.