Parking
Use the small Beagle Gap parking area on Skyline Drive at mile 99.5; portable toilets are there. The northbound Appalachian Trail begins through the fence opening on the same side of the road.
Overview
About Calf Mountain via Appalachian Trail
Why go
- Open south-facing meadow view from Little Calf Mountain
Heads up
- Calf Mountain’s summit is wooded, not a viewpoint
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation2,539–2,986 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 Calf Mountain via Appalachian Trail, 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
Beagle Gap: The Short Walk to Little Calf Mountain0:00 / 0:22
“You're coming up on Beagle Gap, where I'd choose the Little Calf Mountain hike for an open meadow with ridge views.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Beagle Gap Overlook: Watch for Fall Hawks
- Calf Mountain Overlook: Waynesboro and Jarman’s Gap
- Flowers High in the Tulip Trees
- Look Into the Shaded Pools
- 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 Calf Mountain via Appalachian Trail
The short versionCalf Mountain via the Appalachian Trail is a 3.2-mile round-trip out-and-back from Beagle Gap.
Calf Mountain via the Appalachian Trail is a 3.2-mile round-trip out-and-back from Beagle Gap. It crosses Little Calf Mountain’s open meadow before reaching Calf Mountain’s wooded, cairn-marked summit. Allow about 1.5 to 2 hours. Go for the meadow view and a compact ridge walk; the final summit itself isn’t a panorama.
Cross Little CalfStart north on the white-blazed AT through the opening in the fence at Beagle Gap.
Start north on the white-blazed AT through the opening in the fence at Beagle Gap. At the early junction, keep right on the white blazes. The trail climbs through a meadow and then woods; around 0.8 mile in, it reaches Little Calf Mountain’s open summit meadow, with a view south over the ridges. This is the broadest view on the hike and the best place to pause for a photo. The AT turns left and re-enters the trees.
Calf Mountain’s summitContinue north to a cairn marking Calf Mountain’s summit, near old stone-fence remains.
Continue north to a cairn marking Calf Mountain’s summit, near old stone-fence remains. The wooded top doesn’t open into a big panorama, so don’t expect a second viewpoint. Turn around at the cairn and retrace the same trail. The AT continues farther north, and a blue-blazed spur leads to Calf Mountain Shelter; both are beyond this summit-only route.
The open ground, berry bushes, old apple trees and stone fences are reminders that this ridge was farm and pasture before the park existed. The meadow is the main visual payoff; the cairn is the endpoint.
Start and footingThe first mile is the steepest part, so expect a steady climb before the return.
The first mile is the steepest part, so expect a steady climb before the return. Beagle Gap has a small parking lot and portable toilets. Dogs are allowed on this Appalachian Trail section on 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.
