Best Shenandoah Hikes: Old Rag vs Stony Man vs Hawksbill
Shenandoah National Park has more than 500 miles of trail. Most people who visit do one hike, sometimes two. So the question isn't really "what are the best hikes in Shenandoah" — it's "which one should I do this weekend, with the energy I have, the people I'm with, and the time I'm willing to spend on it."
This is the side-by-side comparison we wish existed when we were figuring it out. Six hikes that genuinely earn the drive, ranked by what kind of day you're actually trying to have.
Quick reference
| Hike | Distance | Difficulty | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stony Man | 1.6 mi | Easy | 1 hr | First-timers, sunset, families |
| Dark Hollow Falls | 1.4 mi | Moderate | 1.5 hr | Waterfall lovers, hot days |
| Bearfence Mountain | 1.2 mi | Moderate (scramble) | 1.5 hr | Scramble fun without the commitment |
| Hawksbill Summit | 2.9 mi loop | Moderate | 2 hr | Highest point, big views, manageable |
| Mary's Rock | 3.7 mi | Moderate | 2.5 hr | Classic switchback hike, less crowded |
| Old Rag | 9.4 mi | Strenuous | 6–8 hr | The legend, the scramble, the day |
How to read this guide
The hikes are listed in roughly increasing order of effort. Skip ahead to whichever one matches the day you have in mind. The "Where to start" line for each tells you the trailhead's location, because half the battle in Shenandoah is figuring out where to park.
1. Stony Man — the best easy hike in the park
Distance: 1.6 miles round trip
Elevation gain: ~340 feet
Where to start: Skyland parking area, Skyline Drive mile 41.7
Time: About an hour at a relaxed pace
Stony Man is the hike to do if you have one hour, a kid in tow, or knees that no longer tolerate the things they used to. It climbs gently through hardwood forest to a 4,011-foot summit — the second-highest point in the park — and ends at an exposed cliff with 360-degree views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the Piedmont rolling out to the east.
The trail is wide, mostly smooth, and entirely within the range of someone in jeans and sneakers. The summit itself is a series of rock outcroppings where you can sit and eat lunch. At sunset, the western view turns the whole valley gold; at sunrise, the eastern side glows.
The catch: Everyone knows about it. On October weekends and summer Saturdays the summit can feel like a small concert. Go at first light or in the last hour before sunset and you'll have most of it to yourself.
2. Dark Hollow Falls — the best waterfall hike
Distance: 1.4 miles round trip
Elevation gain: ~440 feet (all on the return)
Where to start: Skyline Drive mile 50.7
Time: About 90 minutes
This is the hike where the math feels wrong. It's barely over a mile, but the trail drops steeply down to a 70-foot waterfall and then makes you earn every foot of that drop on the way back up. The descent is easy and the climb is real, especially if you've been sitting in a car all morning.
The waterfall itself is genuinely beautiful — a long cascade through mossy rocks, framed by hardwoods that turn orange and red in October. In summer it's a few degrees cooler at the base of the falls than at the top of the trail, which makes this the hike to do on a hot day.
The catch: The trail is rocky and the descent gets slick after rain. Real shoes, not flip-flops. Also: no dogs allowed on this particular trail, which is one of the rare exceptions in Shenandoah.
Distance: 1.2-mile loop
Elevation gain: ~270 feet
Where to start: Skyline Drive mile 56.4
Time: About 90 minutes
Bearfence is the secret weapon of Shenandoah. It's a short loop with a 100-yard rock scramble in the middle that delivers genuine 360-degree summit views without the nine-mile day and the permit hassle of Old Rag.
The scramble section is technical enough to be interesting — you'll use your hands, you'll think about your footing, you might pause to figure out the next move — but short enough that it never crosses into actually scary. People with a fear of heights generally do fine on Bearfence as long as they take the rock scramble slowly. If you'd rather skip the scramble entirely, the parallel Appalachian Trail loop lets you reach the same summit area without the rocks.
The catch: It's hard to find — the trailhead pulloff is small and unmarked. Look for the trail sign just south of the Bearfence parking area on Skyline Drive.
4. Hawksbill Summit — the highest point in the park
Distance: 2.9-mile loop (Lower Hawksbill trail) or 2.1 miles out-and-back (Upper Hawksbill)
Elevation gain: ~690 feet (loop)
Where to start: Skyline Drive mile 45.6 (Lower) or mile 46.7 (Upper)
Time: About two hours
Hawksbill tops out at 4,051 feet — the highest point in Shenandoah — and the summit shelter looks across an ocean of ridgelines that fade blue into the distance. On a clear day you can see well into West Virginia.
Two ways to do it. The Upper Hawksbill trail is the shorter, easier option — a gentle 2.1-mile out-and-back that gets you to the same view with less work. The Lower Hawksbill loop is steeper but more interesting, climbing through a rocky section and returning along the Appalachian Trail. If you want the workout, do the loop. If you want the view with less effort, do Upper.
The catch: The summit is wildly exposed. Wind on Hawksbill is a real consideration in spring and fall — pack a layer even if it's warm in the parking lot. People underestimate this and end up cold.
5. Mary's Rock — the classic moderate hike
Distance: 3.7 miles round trip (via Appalachian Trail from Panorama)
Elevation gain: ~1,210 feet
Where to start: Panorama parking area, Skyline Drive mile 31.5 (Thornton Gap)
Time: About 2.5 hours
Mary's Rock is the hike we send guests on when they want a real hike without committing to a full day. It's a steady climb on switchbacks up the Appalachian Trail to a rock outcrop with a view back over the Shenandoah Valley — one of the best westward views in the park, and noticeably less crowded than Stony Man or Hawksbill.
The hike feels like a hike: the climb is consistent, your legs know they did something, and the summit feels earned. It's also the easiest "real" hike to reach from Luray — the trailhead at Panorama is the first thing you hit when you enter the park through Thornton Gap, about 15 minutes from our property.
The catch: The trail shares its first half-mile with the Appalachian Trail, so you'll cross paths with through-hikers and you might miss the turnoff if you're not paying attention. Stay left at the junction.
6. Old Rag — the legend
Distance: 9.4 miles (full circuit)
Elevation gain: ~2,415 feet
Where to start: Old Rag Fee Station, Nethers Road (NOT on Skyline Drive — this is an east-side access)
Time: 6–8 hours
Ticket required March 1 – November 30
Old Rag is the hike. The 1.5-mile rock scramble near the summit is the most famous mile of trail on the East Coast, and the summit boulders look out across a 360-degree view of the Blue Ridge that you'll remember for a long time.
It's also a real undertaking. 9.4 miles, 2,400+ feet of elevation gain, and a scramble section where you're using your hands and shimmying between boulders for about 45 minutes to an hour. People get stuck on the scramble. People get hurt on the scramble. Plan accordingly.
A few non-negotiable things about doing Old Rag right:
- Reserve the day-use ticket in advance. From March 1 through November 30, you need a $1 ticket from recreation.gov in addition to the park entrance fee. Fall weekends sell out a month or more ahead. Spring and summer weekends sell out a week ahead.
- Start early. Be parked at Nethers by 7 a.m., especially in fall. The lot fills, the scramble bottlenecks, and you do not want to be doing the descent in the dark.
- Do the full loop, not the out-and-back. Most people climb the Ridge Trail (the scramble) and descend the Saddle Trail and Weakley Hollow Fire Road. Going up the scramble is much safer than going down it.
- Real shoes, real water, real food. Hiking shoes with grip. At least three liters of water. Lunch. A headlamp in case the day runs long.
- Skip it in wet weather. Wet rock on the scramble is genuinely dangerous. If it rained the night before, pick a different hike.
The trailhead is on the east side of the Blue Ridge, off Nethers Road. It's about 45 minutes from Luray. If you're staying at Faraway, plan to leave by 6 a.m. and you'll be ahead of the crowd.
The catch: This isn't a hike you do on a whim. If your last hike was on a treadmill, do Mary's Rock first. Old Rag punishes the unprepared.
Which one should you actually do?
If you can only pick one, the honest answer depends on what you want from the day:
- You want the iconic Shenandoah experience and have a full day to spend on it: Old Rag (with a ticket, in good weather).
- You want a real hike but want to do other things with your day: Mary's Rock.
- You want the highest point in the park: Hawksbill, Upper trail.
- You want maximum view-to-effort ratio: Stony Man for easy, Bearfence for a little spice.
- You want a waterfall: Dark Hollow Falls.
- You have kids or knees: Stony Man, full stop.
If you have two days, the right pairing is something hard on Saturday and something restorative on Sunday morning. Old Rag Saturday, Stony Man at sunrise Sunday is a near-perfect weekend.
When to hike in Shenandoah
The trails are open year-round, but the experience varies wildly by season.
- Spring (April–May): Wildflowers, waterfalls running hard, cool temperatures. Best season for Dark Hollow Falls.
- Summer (June–August): Hot and humid, especially at lower elevations. Higher hikes (Hawksbill, Stony Man) feel ten degrees cooler. Avoid Old Rag in afternoon thunderstorms.
- Fall (September–November): The reason most people come. Foliage peaks mid-to-late October. Trails are crowded but the views are unreal. See our fall foliage guide for week-by-week timing.
- Winter (December–March): Skyline Drive closes during ice events. Lower-elevation trails are usually accessible. Old Rag in winter is a different sport — only attempt with traction devices and experience.
What to bring
A consistent kit for any of these hikes:
- Hiking shoes with real grip
- Two to three liters of water (more for Old Rag)
- Layers — temperature swings 15–20 degrees from trailhead to summit
- A wind shell for the exposed summits
- Snacks; real food for anything over three miles
- A headlamp if you're starting early or running late
- Bear spray, optional but not unreasonable for the longer hikes
- Cash or card for park entry ($30 per vehicle, good for seven days)
Where to stay (and recover)
The thing nobody tells you about a real hike in Shenandoah: the recovery matters as much as the hike. Driving two hours back to DC the same evening after Old Rag is a punishment.
We built Faraway for the version of the trip where you hike hard during the day and then come back to a hot shower, a king-sized bed, and a fire pit on a private deck. We're 15 minutes from the Thornton Gap entrance to Skyline Drive — closest access for Mary's Rock, Stony Man, Hawksbill, and Dark Hollow Falls — and about 45 minutes from the Old Rag trailhead.
Two geodesic domes on 50 private acres. King beds, full tile showers, kitchenettes, Starlink, fire pits, and dogs welcome (most Shenandoah trails allow leashed dogs, which is rare for a national park).
If you're planning a full weekend trip, our DC-to-Luray weekend itinerary walks through the whole 48 hours.
Quick FAQ
Do I need a permit to hike in Shenandoah National Park?
Only for Old Rag, and only from March 1 through November 30. All other hikes just require the standard park entrance fee ($30 per vehicle, good for seven days).
Which Shenandoah hike has the best views?
Old Rag and Bearfence are the only true 360-degree summits with full exposure. Stony Man and Hawksbill are close behind. Mary's Rock has the best single-direction valley view.
Are dogs allowed on Shenandoah trails?
On most of them, yes — which is unusual for a national park. Dark Hollow Falls, Stony Man, and a small number of others prohibit dogs. The park's website maintains a current list.
What's the hardest hike in Shenandoah?
Old Rag is the hardest day-hike by reputation, but Riprap Hollow Trail and the Whiteoak Canyon-Cedar Run loop are longer and arguably more punishing. For most visitors, Old Rag is the right ceiling.
Can I do Old Rag without a ticket?
Not from March 1 through November 30. Rangers check at the trailhead and turn people away. Tickets are $1 from recreation.gov.
