Calvary Rocks

Start at Riprap Parking Area on Skyline Drive at mile 90. Follow the Appalachian Trail north, then turn left onto Riprap Trail. After several switchbacks, you’ll pass a viewpoint on the right; Calvary Rocks is on the left, before Chimney Rock. The outcrop is about 1.5 miles from the lot, so turning around here makes roughly a three-mile round trip. The trail continues farther to Chimney Rock if you want to extend the walk.

The pale slabs rise above the forest and open views across Paine Run Valley toward the Shenandoah Valley and Buzzard Rock. Trees screen parts of the horizon, but the exposed ledges give you a broad look over the surrounding ridges. For a photo, use the angled pale rocks as foreground and aim out across the valley; a clear day brings the distant ridgelines into sharper view.

The rocks belong to Shenandoah’s Chilhowee sequence: sediments from an ancient ocean shore that were fused and altered by heat and pressure as the mountains formed. A local geology account identifies the prominent pale band here as Erwin Sandstone. Look for the rock’s vertical grooves; trace fossils from ancient burrowing life have also been reported, though they are not common.

The small Riprap parking lot is shared with the longer Riprap Loop. Expect a moderate climb and uneven, rocky footing, and bring water and a snack before leaving the road. The trail is not ADA-accessible. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet.