Parking
Graves Mill boundary parking is at the end of Route 662, just inside the park. The NPS access table lists 12 car spaces.
Overview
About Graves Mill Trail
Why go
- A gently rolling riverside route with swimming holes
Heads up
- The river corridor, rather than a summit or formal viewpoint, is the main destination
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation909–1,330 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 Graves Mill 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
Graves Mill: River Walk or Bear Church Rock0:00 / 0:28
“You're nearing Graves Mill trailhead, where the Bear Church Rock hike follows rivers and cascades before climbing to a broad forested view.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Bootens Gap: The Long Hike to Bear Church Rock
- The Point Overlook: Take the Path to the Rocks
- Bearfence: Choose the Scramble or the Viewpoint
- Hazeltop Ridge Overlook: The View Through Beldore Hollow
- 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 Graves Mill Trail
A river walk you can shortenGraves Mill Trail is a gently rolling out-and-back along the Rapidan River.
Graves Mill Trail is a gently rolling out-and-back along the Rapidan River. The mapped trail corridor runs about 2.1 miles one way from Graves Mill boundary parking to Rapidan Fire Road; walking it to the fire road and back is about 4.2 miles. The park lists shorter outings too, because you can turn around earlier along the river. Allow about two hours for the full walk. Choose it for time by the water and swimming holes, not for a summit or a big view.
Stay on the river trailStart at the Graves Mill boundary parking at the end of Route 662; the park access table lists…
Start at the Graves Mill boundary parking at the end of Route 662; the park access table lists space for 12 cars. The trail follows the river on gently rolling ground, with level terrain in the first half-mile and a stream crossing along the way. Near the half-mile mark, the Staunton River Trail junction leads toward longer Bear Church Rock hikes. Stay on Graves Mill Trail for the standalone riverside walk. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet.
Turn around at the fire roadRapidan Fire Road is the end of the mapped Graves Mill Trail.
Rapidan Fire Road is the end of the mapped Graves Mill Trail. Rapidan Camp, President Herbert Hoover’s historic retreat, lies about 4.2 miles farther up the road; that is a separate extension, not part of the 4.2-mile return walk. The main payoff here is the river corridor itself, so turn back whenever you have had enough river time.
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.
