I took a short trip to Washington DC and decided to visit Shenandoah National Park while I was in the area.
By the time I picked up my rental car, it was already noon. I got there at around 1:30pm.
I drove a section of the Skyline Drive from north to south and visited as many overlooks and trails as I could.
Buck Hollow Overlook
Hazel Mountain Overlook
Mary’s Rock via the Appalachian Trail Southern Approach Trail
The hike:
There were two ways to reach Mary’s Rock, the southern approach and the northern approach. I took the southern approach as it was shorter and easier.
Stony Man via Appalachian Trail
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/stony-man-via-appalachian-trail-070c425-3
Stony Man is the second highest mountain in Shenandoah National Park. Nice views after a very short hike.
Upper Hawksbill Trail
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/upper-hawksbill-trail-3a44967
I debated if I wanted to do the Upper Hawksbill Trail or do the loop instead which is what I usually preferred to do but skipped the loop due to limited time. It was a short and easy trail. Nice views on the top.
Dark Hallow Falls
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/dark-hollow-falls-trail-504b7f6
Dark Hallow Falls is the most popular waterfalls in the park. The short hike to the waterfalls is going downhill, which means an uphill climb on the way back. But it was pretty easy. The waterfalls were not very impressive. But it was a nice walk in the forest.
Bearfence Mountain
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/bearfence-mountain-trail-f755266-2
This was my last and favorite hike of the day. Part of the trail required some scrambling and was a little challenging, which was what I loved. The views were also the best I had seen all day. I’m glad I saved the best for last.
It was late in the afternoon by the time I finished. I wanted to hike the Old Rag Mountain but there wasn’t enough time. So I decided to call it a day. I’ll have to save Old Rag Mountain until my next visit.