Riprap Trail
This 9.8 mile circuit hike offers all the best of Shenandoah – panoramic views, bubbling streams, a swimming hole and even a nice final stretch along the Appalachian Trail. It comes close to our 10 mile limit for a day hike, but it’s definitely well worth the effort.
The view from Chimney Rock is very pretty on a clear day.
Christine Says…
The Riprap trail has long been on my list of hikes to tackle in Shenandoah National Park. Last Friday, we finally got around to it. I have to admit, the nearly ten-mile length and over 2,300 feet of elevation gain intimidated me just a little. The hikes we’ve completed that are close to that length (i.e. McAfee Knob or Mount Rogers) both have substantially less elevation gain. But, we had a free day and beautiful weather, so we decided to go for it. I’m so glad we went because the scenery on this trail showcased everything I love about Shenandoah. And, honestly… hiking 9.8 miles really wasn’t that hard.
We started the hike from the Riprap parking area at mile marker 90. (Download the National Park Service’s trail map for the Riprap area.) We turned right at the end of the parking lot and followed the Appalachian Trail uphill for about a third of a mile. At the intersection with the Riprap trail, we turned left. The trail went alternately downhill and uphill for about three-quarters of a mile. We passed around a talus slope and came out to a viewpoint near Calvary Rocks. This was a great place to pause and take in the panoramic scene of the valley below. About a third of a mile downhill past Calvary Rocks, we arrived at Chimney Rock. I found this to be the prettier of the two views – but they were both very nice. The trail was especially pretty in late May because of all the blooming mountain laurel, wild azaleas and rhododendron. There were some sections that were so lush, I felt like I was walking through a tunnel of flowers.
Wild Azaleas, Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel. Below: The view near Calvary Rocks; Adam taking in the view from Chimney Rock.
From Chimney Rock, the trail follows a ridge for a while, with many nice views between the trees. There is still quite a bit of evidence of forest fire damage from the late 1990’s in this area. The mountainside is still rather barren and charred stumps are visible. Slowly, the trail descends into Cold Springs Hollow. We passed through some of the densest mountain laurel along this section. We saw and heard so many beautiful birds – everything from American Redstarts to Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks.
Near the bottom of the hollow, we started to pick up the stream. It started off as a trickle, gaining volume and speed as we climbed continually downward. There were a few small, unremarkable waterfalls in the gorge, but we didn’t stop walking until the first stream crossing. Adam and I sat on a couple big boulders in the middle of the stream and ate a few handfuls of trail mix.
The swimming hole displayed beautiful rhododendron reflections and was full of brook trout. Below: The trout were hard to photograph through the water, but you get the point.
We stopped again just a couple tenths of a mile later at my very favorite spot along the trail – a wide, green swimming hole shaded by the forest canopy. We sat along the pool for a long while. We watched colorful brook trout lolling in the water. Every now and then, one would splash up and break the quiet surface of the water. The water was so clear. We could see reflections of the rhododendron on the surface and big, round stones at the bottom of the pool. The spot is made even more beautiful by the gentle slide waterfall that cascades down and fills the pool.
After leaving the pool, we had almost about three-quarters of a mile of level walking and a couple more stream crossings. A post marks the intersection with the Wildcat Ridge Trail. We turned left, and enjoyed our last little bit of flat walking for a while. We decided to stop and eat lunch before the big uphill climb began. We had ham and cheese on crackers, chips and some candy – perfect to give us lots of energy!
Climbing along Wildcat Ridge is a steady uphill for almost three miles, but the grade is generally moderate. There were several more decent views through the trees along this section of trail. And of course, more mountain laurel! I think I must have said “This is SO PRETTY!” to Adam a dozen times as we walked through the flowers. This section is where we saw our only other hikers of the day – a young couple hiking the loop in the opposite direction. We got to the junction with the Appalachian Trail faster than we thought we would. We were anticipating another .7 miles of uphill climbing when we reached the marker post. It’s always such a pleasant surprise when an uphill climb ends earlier than you thought it would.
Adam and I both enjoyed the more level terrain along the Appalachian Trail.
We took a left onto the AT for the final 2.8 miles of the hike. This section was typical Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah – rolling hills, nothing too steep. We saw a brief glimpse of a bear diving into the mountain laurel about a mile into this stretch. After about an hour of walking on the AT, we arrived back at our car. My feet were a little sore and tired, but other than that I still felt pretty energetic. Riprap now claims the spot for the longest hike I’ve ever done in a day! The 9.8 mile circuit took us just under six hours – including our very frequent snack and photography stops. On the way home, we stopped and rewarded ourselves with Lime Cream Slushes from Sonic – my favorite post-hike treat.
Adam Says…
This may also be the longest hike I have done but it was well worth it! This hike really does have it all and we hit it at a great time of year. The mountain laurel and rhododendron were at peak on this trail and we often felt like we were in some type of fantasy land while being surrounded by pink flowers.
The views from Calvary Rocks and Chimney Rock give you some great 180 degree views to the north of the mountains. I was a little worried that the payoff for this hike was going to be over in the first couple of miles of the hike, but I was glad to be wrong. After we continued the descent from Chimney Rock, there were still some open views along the way. Once we reached the bottom of Cold Springs Hollow, we saw a glimpse of a waterfall along the way. For a side option trail, you will eventually see a wooden sign on the left that denotes “Riprap Trail” with an arrow. Behind this sign is a trail that leads down to the stream if you have some extra time and energy. Shortly after the falls and after crossing the stream you come to the beautiful swimming hole that Christine mentioned above. This was a great spot to relax and enjoy seeing the fish, or you could take a quick, refreshing dip.
View Along the Riprap Ridge. Below: The swimming hole is such a beautiful place - even though we constantly had to bat the bugs away. Note the slide falls coming down to the pool.
Once we were done with relaxing, we took the hike up the Wildcat Ridge Trail. This is a constant uphill for about three miles and does include a couple of switchbacks on the trail. However, we felt that the terrain wasn’t too steep. You continue to observe nice views as it hugs closely to the side of the mountain. Once we met up with the AT, the trail didn’t have a lot of elevation gain/loss. I do suffer from plantar fasciitis, so my feet were quite sore on the rocks of this section of the trail.
Butterfly on Mountain Laurel. Below: Adam hikes through the mountain laurel along the Appalachian Trail.
Alternate routes: When we were wondering if we could do this entire hike, I did a lot of research to figure out alternates to make it shorter.
- To just shorten the trip by 2.7 miles, you could leave one car at the Riprap Parking Lot and another car at the Wildcat Ridge Parking Lot (around mile marker 92) or the Moormans River Overlook across the street. Since the Wildcat Ridge Parking Lot was closed, we did leave a car at Moormans River Overlook. However, we decided we felt good enough to continue on the AT for the loop. The hard work is done at this point, but it gives you an “out” if you can’t make the distance.
- To cut off the uphill climb, you could leave one car at the Riprap Parking Lot and another car at the end of the Riprap Trail (which continues at the sign for Wildcat Ridge – about .6 miles from the swimming hole). To park at the end of the Riprap Trail, you would need to drive on Rte 340 to Crimora. Head east on 612 and then take a left on Black Bear Lane and another left onto Wild Turkey Lane. At the end of the road should be a sign for the Riprap Trail. This would give you about a 4.7 mile hike with the shuttle.
For those interested in geocaching, I did place an earthcache at the overlook for Calvary Rocks. This is a way to learn about the geology of the area and there are a few steps to get credit for the cache:
- Calvary Rocks geocache
I definitely enjoyed my first trip of the Riprap trail, but I know it won’t be my last. This would also be a great place to do a backpacking trip, since there is a reliable water source at the bottom of the trail. We really felt like it was one of the prettiest trails we have done in all of Shenandoah National Park. Part of that largely is due to the abundance of blooming wildflowers, but another part was the views. The Riprap trail really has it all!
Trail Notes
- Distance – 9.8 miles
- Elevation Change – Around 2300 feet. The hike is a mix of uphill and downhill, with one long, steady uphill stretch of about three miles.
- Difficulty – 4.5 While the elevation gain is substantial, the trail is rarely steep. Grades are moderate. We scored the hike a 4.5 mainly due to the length.
- Trail Conditions – 4 Nice trail to walk along! The stream crossings are easy.
- Views – 4. You get the best views from the Chimney Rocks and Calvary Rocks overlooks.
- Waterfalls/streams – 3 The stream was on the low side when we hiked, but was still pretty. The swimming hole at the bottom of the hollow is very beautiful.
- Wildlife – 4 We saw lots of brook trout, a little toad, many bird species and we even caught a glimpse of a black bear’s rear end diving into the laurel thicket.
- Ease to Navigate – 2 A few turns to make along the way. There are a few false trails leading away from the main trail and also one tricky turn after a creek crossing.
- Solitude – 3 We saw only two other people on the entire loop. We hiked it on a beautiful Friday in late spring. I imagine the trail is much more crowded on weekends. It’s a very popular short backpack loop.
Directions to trailhead:
From Skyline Drive, park on the western side at mile marker 90. There is a parking lot specifically for Riprap hikers.
Beards Mountain is a hike within Douthat State Park that provides lake and mountain views at various stages of the trail.
A view of Douthat Lake from the trail. Below: The trails in Douthat State Park are clear and well-marked.
Adam Says…
This was our first trip to Douthat State Park and we were quite impressed. The park contains over 40 miles of hiking trails. The origin of the name “Douthat” is from a land patent given to Robert Douthat from the Governor Robert Brooke. Part of this land makes up the park today. The best guess as to how to pronounce the name I found was “dow-thut”.
Like most state parks, you have to pay $3 on the weekends to enter. We went to the park office first to talk to someone about the two hikes we were contemplating – this one and Blue Suck Falls. The Blue Suck Falls hike is close to 10 miles, so we opted for the shorter hike on this particular day. Before we started, I wanted to check out two new programs that state parks are now offering. The Trail Quest Program is something created to replace the state park passport program. This program allows you to track the state parks you have visited online and there are some pins given as rewards based on how many you visit. I started the passport system a while ago, which I have enjoyed, but I think this program is also a great idea. The second opportunity is now all of the Virginia state parks are sponsoring geocaches. Each park has a multi-stage geocache that leads you to a wildlife card for each park. When you collect a number of these cards, you can also get some prizes. Find out more about the program.
Most of the views along the hike were peeks through the trees. Below: Another glimpse through the trees; the stream along the Beards Gap Trail was made up of interesting terraced rocks; another view of Douthat Lake
Due to the tricky network of trails, I would recommend downloading the park trail map or picking one up at the park office. There are also excellent topographic maps and video of the trails available. The hike up Beards Mountain starts to the right of the park office entrance by taking the blue-blazed Beard’s Gap Trail. This trail starts off relatively flat and crosses a creek a few times (it was dry when we crossed) before it starts an uphill climb with several switchbacks. While I normally don’t enjoy switchbacks, this trail was well planned and it really takes the difficulty out of the elevation gain. At 1.2 miles you will reach a trail junction and a hut that was created as an eagle scout project. Take a left on this trail to join the yellow-blazed Mountain Top Trail. At 1.7 miles, you will reach a junction of three trails. You will see the Buck Hollow Trail and the Mountain Side Trail to the left, but you will just head straight continuing on the yellow-blazed Mountain Top Trail for the toughest climb of the trip. At 1.8 miles, you will take a sharp right on a switchback and be able to see Douthat Lake below through the trees. There are better views ahead. The hike continues to climb up, leveling off around 2.0 miles, until you see a marker for the forest boundary around 2.5 miles. At the marker, you will take a left to stay on the yellow-blazed Mountain Top Trail. Around 2.7 miles, the trail begins to descend steeply. Around mile 3.1 the woods will open up to reveal a very nice view of Douthat Lake below. Around mile 3.4, as you are descending, you will come to another junction of trails. Take a left on to the Mountain Side Trail. This will continue be a fairly level trail that will eventually give you a third lower view of Douthat Lake around the 3.7 mile marker. After the view, you will have a slight ascent back up to the familiar junction with the Mountain Top Trail. At this junction, you will take a right down the blue-blazed Buck Hollow Trail. Around the 4.7 mile marker, you will see a branched path that is marked as an Overlook Trail. We did not go down that path this time, but it adds an extra .5 mile on to your trip. Around the 5.4 marker, you will reach a junction and take a left on the white-blazed Wilson Creek Trail and you will cross a small bridge. Shortly after rounding the corner, you will see a water tower that is on a gravel road. Just cross the road and stay on the white-blazed trail. The trail will eventually pass a few staff houses and a stone chimney around 6.9 miles. Just travel the last .1 miles to reach the park office and your vehicle.
While we felt the views weren’t exceptional, we did really enjoy this hike. We had a perfect hiking weather day with a cool breeze to keep from sweating profusely and to keep the bugs away. We definitely plan on returning to visit and explore this park some more. Most of the people that come here seem to come for fishing, picnics, and camping but I do think the trails we saw were very enjoyable. While it was a longer hike, it wasn’t too tough to handle if you’re in decent shape.
Christine Says…
Beards Mountain was an enjoyable hike for a blustery spring day. For a seven-mile hike, it was relatively easygoing. Most of the steep climbing was in the first third of the loop, which allowed for very pleasant downhill or level walking for the last two-thirds of the hike.
This was by far the windiest day I’ve ever been out in the woods – gusts were easily 45-50 mph. The wind was really roaring through the mountains, catching on all the newly leafy trees. Any time I looked up, I could see the treetops swaying and swirling dramatically above our heads. Every now and then, we would hear branches snap – but thankfully none fell close to the trail. It was nearly impossible to talk over the wind, so Adam and I hiked in silence most of the way.
Hiking Upward gave this trail a five-star rating for views, so I was really hoping there would be a pretty overlook to stop and eat our picnic lunch along the way. Unfortunately, all of the views were merely small openings in the trees along the trail. None of the viewpoints really had an off-the-trail space to sit and take in the view. We ended up eating lunch along the ridge of Beards Mountain, near the National Forest border marker. We love Hiking Upward, but have found that our opinions sometimes differ on what makes a five-star view. For me, a top rated view has to be panoramic, unobstructed, offer a deep view into the landscape beyond and have a nice place for a couple people to sit and enjoy the vista. The views on this hike were nice, but I wouldn’t give them top marks.
We saw so many reptiles along the hike. Below: The Visitor’s Center is both the start and end point of the hike.
The descent on this hike was long and followed a (usually) gentle grade. The one thing that made it tricky was the dryness/looseness of the soil and the narrowness of the trail. There were a couple spots along the Mountain Side Trail that had precipitous drops on the downhill side. For some stretches, the trail was only 12-18 inches wide – not even wide enough to use trekking poles. Every now and then, a rock would slip off the edge of the trail, and bounce endlessly down the steep mountainside. It made me think that someone could get hurt pretty badly if they took a wrong step. On these sections, I just kept my eyes straight ahead on the trail and my feet. If I looked downhill, I felt dizzy.
I think in early June, a lot of this loop hike will be extremely gorgeous! I noticed a lot of the trail was lined with mountain laurel. When it blooms in a few weeks, it should be amazing.
All in all, I was really impressed with Douthat State Park. The trail system there is pretty expansive and well-maintained. I’ll look forward to visiting the area again sometime.
Trail Notes
- Distance – 7 miles loop
- Elevation Change – around 1400 feet
- Difficulty – 3. Some sections are tougher than others, but we still felt it was fairly challenging. The first couple of miles are the toughest.
- Trail Conditions – 3. The trails were in decent shape, but some were a little overgrown and there were some areas affected by landslides that made for a narrow trail and careful footing.
- Views – 3. The views are nice, but they are obstructed. You won’t find overlooks with expansive views on the trail, but you do see pretty mountainous scenery through the trees throughout your hike.
- Waterfalls/streams – 1.5 There are some streams that might be really beautiful in times with lots of rain. The water was down to a trickle when we visited.
- Wildlife – 2. We saw a couple of snakes on the trail, a few fence lizards, and some different bird species.
- Ease to Navigate – 3. The trail is well-marked, but there are a lot of intersections and different trails to make this a loop.
- Solitude – 3. We were surprised since it was a state park, but we only saw one hiker and a couple of mountain bikers on the trail.
Directions to trailhead: Take I-64 to exit 27 near Clifton Forge, VA heading north on state route 629. Continue on this road until you enter the park. Pay your fee at the gate and park at the park office just ahead on your right. The trail starts to the right of the park office entrance.
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You’ll love the full Riprap circuit! It’s a great hike!
I’ve been looking to do the Riprap Trail for a while but I’ve never made it past Calvary Rocks. I love the photos- especially the mountain laurel and water photos!
Thanks for visiting my blog, too. I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog, you’ve described so many good hikes in the area! I always look forward to when the two of you post a write-up about a new hike.