Parking
Turn off Skyline Drive at milepost 51.2 for Big Meadows and follow the access road about 0.9 mile to Big Meadows Lodge. Park at the far end of the lodge lot, near the trail sign.
Overview
About Blackrock at Big Meadows
Why go
- Big view of Massanutten Mountain for very little walking.
Heads up
- The climb is steep despite the short distance.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation3,665–3,719 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Shenandoah alerts
- ClosureOld Rag Trailhead main lot closedThe Old Rag Trailhead main parking lot is closed to vehicles and pedestrians for infrastructure improvements; use the existing overflow lots. - Work is expected to be completed by November 2026.Official details
- ClosureBackcountry camping and zone closuresBackcountry camping is prohibited on the Appalachian Trail from Lewis Mountain to Big Meadows, and the Naked Creek backcountry zone is closed.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Shenandoah Tour Guide
Your drive to Blackrock at Big Meadows, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Shenandoah National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Shenandoah audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Big Meadows Lodge: A Meal and a Short Viewpoint Walk0:00 / 0:35
“Big Meadows Lodge is coming up, a seasonal stop for a sit-down meal in a timber-and-stone building from nineteen thirty-nine.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Big Meadows Campground: A Central Base for Walks
- Big Meadows: Deer and a Break from the Forest
- Dark Hollow Falls: Down to the Water, Uphill Back
- Tanners Ridge Overlook: A Field Above Stanley
- 146 audio storiesacross Shenandoah’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Bald Eagle, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 163 trails, 142 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Blackrock at Big Meadows
A quick climb to a broad viewBlackrock at Big Meadows is a short out-and-back from the far end of Big Meadows Lodge parking.
Blackrock at Big Meadows is a short out-and-back from the far end of Big Meadows Lodge parking. The path climbs steeply for about 0.1 mile to a rocky viewpoint, then you return the same way: about 0.2 mile round trip with roughly 60 feet of gain. Allow about 15 to 20 minutes, plus time at the rocks. This is a quick viewpoint stop, not a longer hike.
Find the start and set expectationsTurn off Skyline Drive at milepost 51.
Turn off Skyline Drive at milepost 51.2 for Big Meadows, then follow the lodge access road about 0.9 mile. Park at the far end of the lot, where a trail sign marks the start. Published mileage differs: a route description gives 0.2 mile round trip, while the Big Meadows area map labels 0.4 mile without saying which endpoints or distance convention it means. The mapped path from the parking-side start to the rocks is about 0.1 mile one way, so this guide follows the short lodge-side spur. Pets are allowed on a physical leash no longer than six feet.
Take in the ridgeFrom the rocks, look along the long Massanutten Mountain ridge and across the valley.
From the rocks, look along the long Massanutten Mountain ridge and across the valley. Sunset is a good time for the view; if you linger until dark, bring a flashlight for the short return. The Appalachian Trail runs below Blackrock, but taking it adds a different hike.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Shenandoah
325 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
21 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
1,036 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
167 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
93 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Shenandoah. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
