Read an Excerpt
TRAIL 19: Central District
Stony Man Loop
TRAIL USE
Day Hiking, Pets Prohibited
LENGTH
3.4 miles, 2–3 hours
VERTICAL FEET
±800'
DIFFICULTY
3
TRAIL TYPE
Loop
START & FINISH
N38° 35.581'
W78° 22.548'
FEATURES
Summit
Ridgeline
Autumn Colors
Wildflowers
Great Views
Historical Interest
Geological Interest
FACILITIES
Nearby Skyland Resort
This hike traverses some of the highest terrain in the park. First you cruise a high-country nature trail and make a side loop to the summit of Stony Man Mountain, where cliffs rise 3,000 feet above the Shenandoah Valley and present superlative panoramas. You then take the Little Stony Man Trail to the peak of Little Stony Man, where more overlooks await. Your return trip is along the Passamaquoddy Trail, with still more views. Hike along the North Slope of Stony Man Mountain to reach Furnace Spring, which once was used in a copper-mining operation. Climb through mixed evergreens and hardwoods back to the trailhead, completing this highlight-laden loop.
Best Time
This high-country hike will be cool even in summer. Yet you can best enjoy the views whenever the skies are clear, primarily spring and fall. Be apprised that the loop is busy on fair-weather summer weekends.
Finding the Trail
This hike starts near the north entrance to Skyland Resort off Skyline Drive. At the turn you will see a sign indicating that this is the highest point on Skyline Drive; this turn is located at milepost 41.7. Immediately after turning toward the Skyland Resort, turn right into the parking area for the Stony Man Trail.
Trail Description
The beginning of this hike can be a little confusing. [1] Here, a sign indicates the path as the Stony Man Trail; this, however, is also the Appalachian Trail (AT)—the two run in conjunction here. You can purchase an interpretive booklet at the trailhead to enhance your nature-trail experience. Walk a pleasant pea-gravel path amid fern gardens overlaid by hardwoods. Preserved hemlocks add a touch of evergreen to the woods. Later you will also see a few spruce trees.
At 0.4 mile, come to an intersection. [2] This is the highest point on the AT in Shenandoah National Park—3,837 feet. But you are fixing to get even higher. Turn left, still ascending to make the subloop to the summit of Stony Man, staying with the nature trail. Split right ahead, following the sequence of the interpretive posts. Note the squat, wind-sculpted haw trees as you climb.
At 0.7 mile, reach a four-way trail intersection. Turn right toward the summit of Stony Man. Incredible panoramas open ahead. [3] To your left, you can see the Skyland Resort. Ahead lay Shenandoah Valley and the town of Luray, Massanutten Mountain running parallel to the Blue Ridge, and beyond that, North Mountain forming the Virginia–West Virginia state line. To your right, northerly, look below at the upthrust cliffs of Little Stony Man and at Skyline Drive and the park’s North District. The name Stony Man derives from this peak, the park’s second highest point, looking like the face of a bearded man. The Stony Man’s face can be clearly seen from the north on milepost 38.9 of Skyline Drive at Stony Man Mountain Overlook.
Return to the AT, and then resume a northbound direction. The trail drops steadily through northern hardwoods, including cool-climate specialist yellow birch, on the east slope of the Blue Ridge. Reach the tan cliffs of Little Stony Man at 1.7 miles. [4] More grand views open before you. Look up to Stony Man for Shenandoah visitors milling about and looking ant-sized. The jagged cliffs have an especially rugged appearance as they emerge from the surrounding forest. The squared-off fields of Shenandoah Valley below contrast with the craggy mountains to your right.
Return to woods beyond the cliff, switchbacking downhill to make another trail junction at 1.9 miles. [5] Leave the white-blazed AT, and turn left on the Passamaquoddy Trail, blazed in blue. Soon pass beneath the cliffs of Little Stony Man on a path constructed with considerable effort from native stones. Open onto a lower outcrop that avails yet another overlook from which the west side of the Blue Ridge and Lake Arrowhead opens below. The rising slope of Stony Man Mountain is especially impressive. Begin meandering the northwest side of the peak on a steep slope; the well-constructed trail makes hiking a breeze. Walk beneath cliffs. Come to a rock overhang and dripping spring at 2.4 miles. At 2.5 miles, reach your low point of 3,200 feet, then begin a gentle uptick. Fire cherry trees rise where hemlocks once stood. Pass beneath a transmission line at 2.8 miles.
Reach Furnace Spring at 2.9 miles. [6] You can hear the water flowing behind a locked door. The old copper mine was in this vicinity and used the spring, but the shaft has since been filled in and no trail leads to it. Come to an intersection with Skyland Fire Road and the Furnace Spring Trail. Make a hard left here, joining the yellow-blazed Furnace Spring Trail, passing directly above Furnace Spring on a doubletrack. The path then narrows and reenters deep woods. Snake your way uphill in rocky forest. The trailbed is fainter here. Look for yellow blazes on the trailside trees amid more preserved hemlocks. Meet the Stony Man Horse Trail, and turn left, tracing it a short distance to reach the Stony Man Trail Parking Area and the hike’s conclusion. [7]
Milestones
1. 0.0 Stony Man Trail Parking Area at milepost 41.7
2. 0.4 Left toward Stony Man Summit
3. 0.8 Stony Man Summit
4. 1.7 Little Stony Man Summit
5. 1.9 Passamaquoddy Trail
6. 2.9 Left on Furnace Spring Trail
7. 3.4 Stony Man Trail Parking Area at milepost 41.7