Month: May 2009

Strickler Knob – via Scothorn Gap

11 Comments

The Strickler Knob hike is a beautiful, 5.5 mile hike in the Lee Ranger District of George Washington National Forest.  It offers fabulous views of the Page Valley and a short, but fun, rock scramble.

View from Strickler
The view of New Market Gap from Strickler Knob is amazing! Below: Park at Scothorn Gap; Adam crossing Passage Creek; Trail markers.

Park Here Crossing Passage Creek Trail Sign

Adam says…

This is a great hike that is still not very well known.  There are some great views at the top and a mini rock scramble that is good preparation for anyone who wants a little practice before tackling Old Rag.  I wouldn’t recommend this hike for small children or dogs due to the rock scramble.

The hike can be a little tricky to navigate, so I have provided some clear directions for following the trail.

After parking at Scothorn Gap, you’ll immediately wade or rock hop across Passage Creek.  The hike starts off on a fire road.  The way starts to get fairly steep at .4 miles, but levels off again at .65 miles. At .8 miles, the hike gets steep again, but levels at .95 miles. This is the hardest part of the hike, so once that is done, the elevation changes are small. At 1.07 miles, you will see a nice campsite for anyone that wants to stay overnight. At this point, you will see an arrow pointing to the right, where you will pick up the trail again. The trail continues SSE from the campsite and you will be leaving the fire road for a hike through the woods. At 1.3 miles, you will come to a junction sign. Head straight on to the orange-blazed Massanutten trail.

At 1.94 miles you will come to the junction with the Strickler Knob trail to the right. This trail was built and opened in 2006 by some anonymous trailblazers. The blazes for this trail are marked as pink on rocks and typically red or purple rectangles on trees. This trail is fairly rocky, so be careful not to turn your ankles. Around 2.5 miles, you will see gorgeous views of the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east. To the west, you will see more of the Shenandoah valley and the Appalachian Mountains. At 2.67 miles, you will reach a rock scramble for about one tenth of a mile until you reach the summit. This is a great spot to have 360 degree views of the area around you. Tied to a tree, you will also see a logbook that someone placed for people to journal about their hike.  It’s definitely a good read to those that are interested.

For those that are interested, I also placed a geocache up there.  The direct link for the geocache can be found at:

Rock Formation
The hike to Strickler Knob has lots of interesting rock formations to scramble over! Below: One of the more interesting formations; Adam walks the mountain’s spine; Scrambling up the pinkish-purple blazed Strickler Trail; More rock formations.

Rock Formation Spine Walk Scrambling Rock Formation

Christine says…

We hiked the Strickler Knob trail on the recommendation of a friend of mine from Flickr.  He said it was a fun hike with excellent views.  He wasn’t kidding!

We walked the trail on a bitter, windy winter day shortly before the forest road closed for the season.  The section of road that leads to the trailhead is periodically closed in the winter to prevent damage to the road surface.  (You can always check the status of roads and trails in the George Washington National Forest on their website) The hike was fairly easy and passed through the beautiful woods of Massanutten Mountain.  The Strickler Knob trail branches off the main trail and follows a rocky ridgeline over to the knob.  I love scrambling on rocks, so the last portion of the trail was my favorite part.

When we reached the knob, the view was amazing.  We got there mid-day, so it wasn’t a great time for photography.  I’d like to hike it again in the afternoon sometime.  I think the late day light would be prettier on the rocks and over the valley below.

Trail Journal
There is a log book at the summit of Strickler Knob.  Below:  Adam takes in the view; Geocaching

Strickler View Geocache

While Adam hid his geocache, I spent some time reading the trail journal at the summit.  It was entertaining, and I even came across the name of an old co-worker in the book.    I also remember it being super windy at the summit.  It was so bad, my bag of trailmix blew over and (sadly) sent chocolate covered peanuts spilling all over the rocks.  I hate it when I lose chocolate like that.  I’m sure some stupid crow enjoyed it though.

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 5.5 miles round-trip
  • Elevation Change – 1,600 feet
  • Difficulty – 3.  There is some moderate climbing along the route.  The scramble might be tough/scary for some.
  • Trail Conditions – 3.   Most of the trail is nicely graded and well maintained.  But once you turn onto the Strickler Knob trail it’s rocky and requires some scrambling.
  • Views – 4.  Once you reach the top you have some great views.
  • Waterfalls/streams – 1.  Just a small stream to cross at the beginning.
  • Wildlife – 2.  Hunters like this area, so there must be wildlife (although we didn’t see any.) During hunting season, make sure you’re wearing bright colors and making noise.  A co-worker who was running up here also got attacked by a wild goat here.
  • Ease to Navigate – 3.   The blazes can be a little tricky to follow on the pink blazed Strickler Knob trail.  Otherwise, the trail is pretty straightforward.
  • Solitude – 2.  Since 2009, this trail has become increasingly popular.  We revised the solitude rating from 4.5 down to 2 in 2014.

Directions to trailhead:

Reach the trailhead by turning on to Crisman Hollow Road (FD 274) off of 211 near Luray. Continue on this road for a few miles and park at the Scothorn Gap trail parking.

Once you have parked follow Orange Blazes on Scothorn Gap trail.  Follow trail directions above.

Dark Hollow Falls

34 Comments

We thought we would start off the Virginia Trail Guide site with one of the most popular hikes in Virginia – Dark Hollow Falls.

Upper Dark Hollow Falls
Upper Dark Hollow Falls

Adam Says…

This trail is probably the most popular of all the hikes in Shenandoah National Park.  Due to the short length and the waterfall views, it is a quick hike that gives you a lot of bang-for-your-buck.

I used to hike this trail a lot while a student at JMU.  We would choose the coldest day of the year and sit under the falls for as long as we could stand it.  It was our version of the Polar Bear Club, but we always brought a change of clothes to save us from hypothermia.

Dark Hollow Falls are created by the Hogcamp Branch, which will come into quick view on your right as the trail descends. At the top of the falls, you will see a sign that depicts “Falls Can Kill”.  Make sure you stay on the trail!  A college friend of mine tried to cross the falls near the top and fell to a lower shelf.  He broke his coccyx and had to sit on a donut for about a month.  His butt looked like a cross between a baboon and a Smurf.  After the sign, you will approach an impressive rock formation on the left.  The trail descends sharply at this point until you reach the base of the upper falls.  When there has been a decent amount of rain, water falls impressively over three rock shelves.  However, in dry times, the entire waterfall is usually reduced to a mere trickle.  The lower falls are significantly less impressive and are a short walk down the trail.  The lower falls also mark the spot where the Dark Hollow Trail converges with the Fisher’s Gap Fire Road and the Rose River Trail.

Since there is a 440 foot elevation change in this short hike, the hike back up is more strenuous.  There are plenty of places to rest along the way back up.

Christine Says…

Without a doubt, Dark Hollow Falls is Shenandoah’s iconic hike.  Whenever I talk to anyone about the park, they almost always ask, “Have you hiked Dark Hollow?”  It’s short, it’s close to Big Meadows and it gives you easy access to one of the park’s more impressive waterfalls.  Photographically speaking,  Dark Hollow isn’t the most photogenic of waterfalls.  It’s usually crowded and the falls are surrounded by lots of scraggly brush and bare rock.  The upper falls are definitely more impressive in size and scale, but the lower falls are probably a little more picturesque.  During autumn, the lower falls are a nice spot to photograph colorful leaves on rocks surrounded by rushing water.  The other benefit Dark Hollow offers for photographers is hinted at by its name.  The water stays in the shadows most of the day, so it’s usually pretty easy to get even light and longer exposures.

Autumn at Dark Hollow
Autumn at Dark Hollow

When we hiked the trail this Saturday, it was cloudy and very still.  We’d had days of rain, so the water was really running down the gorge.   We got to the trailhead around 7:30 a.m.  The only other people on the trail were a pair of photographers.  We saw a lot more people coming down the trail when we were hiking back up. When we got back to the top, it was perfect timing for a fantastic breakfast at Skyland, one of the park’s two lodges.

Until yesterday, it had actually been years since we’d hiked the Dark Hollow Trail.  I walk down to the falls frequently, but I prefer to use the fire road – fewer people and less wear and tear on the trail.

Trail Notes

  • Distance – 1.4 miles round-trip
  • Elevation Change – 440 feet
  • Difficulty – 2.75.   Like most waterfall trails, you typically hike down to see them and hike up to return.  While it is only .7 mile to see the falls, coming back will definitely make you break a sweat.  The way down is more like a 2 and the way back is more like a 3.
  • Trail Conditions – 4. Since this is a well-traveled trail, the trail is maintained often.  Mostly small gravel on the trail, but due to the steepness of the trail and erosion fro heavy foot traffic, there are often muddy areas.
  • Views – 1.  Views are only of the waterfalls and streams below.  Wooded trail doesn’t lead to overlooks.
  • Waterfalls/streams – 4.  Great waterfall view at the end of the trail and  the Hogcamp Branch is in view along the much of the trail.
  • Wildlife – 2.  You would be likely to see deer that have visited here from Big Meadows area.  Chipmunks are everywhere.  Bears tend to stay away due to the human traffic.  Many bird species in the trees.
  • Ease to Navigate – 5.  Trail is easily marked and it would be nearly impossible to get lost.
  • Solitude – 1.  Due to the trail’s popularity, you will not get a lot of solitude there.  Early morning visits will get the highest possibility of solitude.

Directions to trailhead: On Skyline Drive.  Parking lot is located around mile marker 50.7 in the Central District of Shenandoah National Park.  Trail begins near signs on the north end of the parking lot.

Alternate Hike: You can also approach Dark Hollow Falls by hiking down the Fisher’s Gap Fire Road which originates across from the overlook of the same name.   Across Skyline Drive, you will see the fire road with the road gate.  After about .75 miles, you will come to an iron bridge at the bottom of lower Dark Hollow Falls.  You can then walk up the trail to get a view of the upper falls.  This alternate is a great idea for anyone who wants a less strenous option.  The fire road is smooth enough that I’ve actually seen parents pushing strollers down the trail.