Parking
Park at Beahms Gap Overlook on Skyline Drive at mile 28.5. The route begins across the retaining rail at the concrete trail-marker post and returns to the same overlook along Skyline Drive. Park entrance fee required; lot capacity not found.
Overview
About Byrd's Nest #4 Loop
Why go
- The stone day-use shelter gives this short loop a real destination and picnic stop.
Heads up
- The return uses a rough fire road and a less obvious grassy link at the shelter.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation2,454–2,808 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 Byrd's Nest #4 Loop, 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 area
Thornton Hollow Overlook: The Eastward View0:00 / 0:23
“You're approaching Thornton Hollow Overlook, a broad east-facing view into the wooded valley. Facing the panorama, Mount Marshall is on the left and Oventop Mountain farther right.”
Plays on the road 0.8 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Life on Damp Rock
- Jeremys Run Overlook: The Gap Between Two Mountains
- Pass Mountain Overlook: Kemp Hollow and Luray
- Antlers Built Again Each Year
- 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 Byrd's Nest #4 Loop
A short loop to a shelterByrd's Nest 4 Loop is a 2.
Byrd's Nest #4 Loop is a 2.5-mile circuit from Beahms Gap Overlook to a stone day-use shelter and back. It follows a short connector to the Appalachian Trail, then the Neighbor Mountain Trail uphill to Byrd's Nest #4. The return drops on the Byrd's Nest #4 fire road and follows Skyline Drive back to the overlook. Allow about an hour and a half; the climb makes this a moderate hike rather than a flat leg-stretcher.
The climb and the shelterAt the overlook, cross the retaining rail at the concrete trail-marker post and take the short,…
At the overlook, cross the retaining rail at the concrete trail-marker post and take the short, gently descending spur to the AT. Follow the AT north to the Neighbor Mountain junction, then turn onto Neighbor Mountain Trail and climb to a clearing. The stone shelter is for day use, not overnight stays. Its view is partly screened, so come for the shelter and a picnic break rather than a wide panorama.
The returnTake the grassy path in front of the shelter downhill.
Take the grassy path in front of the shelter downhill. It soon widens into the rough Hull School fire road and reaches Skyline Drive; follow the drive south to the overlook. The grassy link is the easiest part to miss, so have an offline map ready before leaving the shelter.
Access and dogsBeahms Gap Overlook is on Skyline Drive at mile 28.5.
Beahms Gap Overlook is on Skyline Drive at mile 28.5. The park charges an entrance fee to drive in. Leashed dogs are allowed on this route; use a physical leash no longer than six feet.
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.
