Parking
Use Browns Gap Parking Area on Skyline Drive at mile 83, then cross the road to Browns Gap Fire Road. Park admission is required; no separate activity fee is listed.
Overview
About Browns Gap Waterfall Circuit
Why go
- Three named waterfalls on one circuit
Heads up
- A long day with steep climbs and stream crossings
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation1,690–2,835 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 Browns Gap Waterfall Circuit, 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
Browns Gap: The Long Walk to Lewis Peak0:00 / 0:22
“You're approaching Browns Gap, the starting point for a long ridge hike to Lewis Peak's open summit ledge. Allow about five hours for the nine point one mile out-and-back, with uneven talus and a steep final climb.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Dundo Picnic Grounds: Lunch at an Old CCC Camp
- Dundo Overlook: A Valley Campaign in the Landscape
- Doyles River Overlook: Browns Cove and Mount Fair
- Jones Run Falls: A Cascade in the Woods
- 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 Browns Gap Waterfall Circuit
The routeThis is a 6.
This is a 6.5-mile closed circuit from Browns Gap that visits Upper and Lower Doyles River Falls and Jones Run Falls. The park estimates 7–8 hours and 1,400 feet of climbing, so plan for most of a day. Start at Browns Gap Parking Area at Skyline Drive mile 83, cross the road, and take Browns Gap Fire Road to Doyles River Trail. Follow Doyles River to the falls, connect to Jones Run Trail for the third waterfall, then take the Appalachian Trail back. The mapped line is about 6.7 miles, close to the park’s rounded figure.
Where the work isExpect a wooded walk along two streams, not a ridge-top panorama.
Expect a wooded walk along two streams, not a ridge-top panorama. There are several stream crossings, and the climb out of Jones Run is the hard part. The Appalachian Trail return is easier, though traffic from Skyline Drive can be audible nearby.
Three different fallsUpper Doyles is a double-terraced cascade with smaller drops leading into it.
Upper Doyles is a double-terraced cascade with smaller drops leading into it. Lower Doyles cuts through a narrower, rocky chute, and Jones Run Falls sits among stream boulders. Flow can shrink in dry spells, so the falls are more impressive after normal rain. At Upper Doyles, a clear angle that keeps both tiers and the smaller cascades in frame makes the best use of the view.
Access and safetyThe trail starts across Skyline Drive from Browns Gap Parking Area.
The trail starts across Skyline Drive from Browns Gap Parking Area. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet, but this hike does not meet ADA accessibility guidelines. Avoid stream crossings during icy or flooding conditions, and stay off the waterfall rocks. Treat stream water before drinking, and carry an offline map because cell and GPS service can be unreliable.
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.
