Parking
Hawksbill Gap Parking Area on Skyline Drive, mile 45.6; the loop returns to this lot. Park entry requires the entrance fee. Whiteoak Boundary Parking is a different trailhead and route.
Overview
About Cedar Run - Whiteoak Circuit
Why go
- Six waterfalls along a rugged creekside climb.
Heads up
- Very strenuous, with 2,794 feet of gain and several stream crossings.
Cedar Run - Whiteoak Circuit is an 8.1-mile loop from Hawksbill Gap that descends Cedar Run, climbs Whiteoak Canyon past six waterfalls, and returns on the Whiteoak Canyon Fire Road and Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail. Allow about seven hours; the route gains 2,794 feet and is rated very strenuous. Choose it for a full creek-and-waterfall day, not a quick look at one cascade. For a shorter outing, the separate 4.6-mile round trip from Whiteoak Canyon Parking goes to Upper Whiteoak Falls; continuing to the other five falls adds another strenuous 2.7 miles.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the full circuit for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation1,211–3,389 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 Cedar Run - Whiteoak 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
Hawksbill Gap: The Short, Steep Summit Route0:00 / 0:23
“You're approaching Hawksbill Gap, where a steep hike leads to the park's highest summit. For a shorter outing, take Lower Hawksbill: one point seven miles round trip, allowing an hour and a half to two hours.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Crescent Rock Overlook: Hawksbill Without the Hike
- Old Rag View Overlook: A Distant Mountain Profile
- Upper Hawksbill: The Gentler Summit Approach
- Timber Hollow Overlook: Beyond Nakedtop Mountain
- 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 Cedar Run - Whiteoak Circuit
Down Cedar RunStart at Hawksbill Gap Parking, Skyline Drive mile 45.6.
Start at Hawksbill Gap Parking, Skyline Drive mile 45.6. The blue-blazed Cedar Run Trail drops off the ridge into Shenandoah Wilderness. You give up much of the day's elevation early, then climb back toward the high ground on the return. The route reaches the creek and includes several stream crossings, so keep an eye out for the trail markers at junctions. At the bottom, turn left onto Whiteoak Canyon Trail; after the upper falls, the loop leaves the creek for the fire road.
Six waterfalls on the climbWhiteoak Canyon is the waterfall stretch.
Whiteoak Canyon is the waterfall stretch. Climb beside cascades through a rocky corridor, with uneven steps, steep switchbacks and short scrambles around boulders. The six falls arrive along the uphill walk, not as one single viewpoint; their mapped heights range from about 35 to 86 feet. A marked viewpoint looks across the upper falls. Leave some of the rock around the water in your photo so the cascade's scale comes through. Do not scramble onto the waterfall rocks: a fall there can be deadly.
The way backJust after the upper falls, turn left onto Whiteoak Canyon Fire Road, then left again onto…
Just after the upper falls, turn left onto Whiteoak Canyon Fire Road, then left again onto Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail. Those are the return route to Hawksbill Gap. After the close creek walking, the wider road and horse-trail tread feel like a different half of the hike, but they still carry you back uphill to the same parking area. Don't continue down toward Whiteoak Boundary Parking; that is a different route and starting point.
Crossings and effortTreat this as a full-day, very strenuous hike.
Treat this as a full-day, very strenuous hike. The steep descent, long climb past the waterfalls, rocky footing and repeated crossings add up; The route gains 2,794 feet. Do not cross streams during ice or flooding, and never climb on waterfall rocks. If either is a concern, choose the shorter Upper Whiteoak Falls walk or wait for safer conditions. Plan to carry your food and drinking water for the day.
Access and rulesThe trailhead is Hawksbill Gap Parking on Skyline Drive at mile 45.
The trailhead is Hawksbill Gap Parking on Skyline Drive at mile 45.6, and the circuit returns there. Park entry requires the park entrance fee; this hike has no separate activity fee or reservation requirement. The route is listed for year-round access, though conditions can change. Leashed pets are allowed; the leash must be 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.
