Parking
Hannah Run Parking on Skyline Drive near milepost 35. The loop starts and ends at this access; do not substitute the separate Weakley Hollow boundary approach.
Overview
About Hannah, Hot-Short, and Catlett Loop
Why go
- An optional downstream walk in Nicholson Hollow reaches cascades and swimming holes
- Homesite remains, livestock walls, and a mining pit add texture
Heads up
- A strenuous, long outing ends with an uphill return to Skyline Drive
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation1,322–3,301 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 Hannah, Hot-Short, and Catlett 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 trailhead
Pinnacles Overlook: Old Rag Across the Valley0:00 / 0:16
“Pinnacles Overlook is coming up, with a roadside view south across Hannah Run toward Old Rag and Hot Mountain. Follow the nearer Pinnacles Ridge into the valley view, then pick out the mountains beyond.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Jewell Hollow Overlook: Ridges and Morning Star Lake
- Pinnacles Picnic Grounds: Lunch and a Four-Sided Fireplace
- Meadow Spring: Summit View or Hidden Falls
- Corbin Cabin Cutoff: A Steep Walk to a Log Home
- 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 Hannah, Hot-Short, and Catlett Loop
A long loop through creek countryHannah, Hot-Short, and Catlett is a strenuous loop from Hannah Run Parking on Skyline Drive,…
Hannah, Hot-Short, and Catlett is a strenuous loop from Hannah Run Parking on Skyline Drive, near milepost 35. The listed distance is 9.1 miles; the connected trail line maps to about 8.5, so treat 9.1 as an approximate planning figure while the older route mileage remains unresolved. Allow about 7.5 hours for a one-day hike. The park itinerary divides it into 4 miles and 5.1 miles over two days, leaving time to camp. Pick it for a long woodland walk with streams and traces of earlier settlement, not a quick waterfall stop.
Follow the full circuitThe loop includes about 3.8 miles down Hannah Run and a 0.
The loop includes about 3.8 miles down Hannah Run and a 0.2-mile connector along Nicholson Hollow. Cascades and swimming holes lie farther downstream, beyond the loop, so reaching them adds distance. The circuit then follows about 2.1 miles on Hot Short Mountain, 0.5 mile on Hazel Mountain, 1.2 miles on Catlett Mountain, and 1.3 miles uphill on Hannah Run back to the road. A separate 11.3-mile boundary-access outing in this area is a different route; this loop starts and finishes at the Skyline Drive parking area.
Look for old land-use tracesOn the Hannah Run descent, watch for the remains of an old homesite.
On the Hannah Run descent, watch for the remains of an old homesite. Stone walls along Hot Short once penned livestock, and a mining pit lies beside the Catlett Mountain section. These are quiet traces in the woods rather than a developed historic site, and they give the circuit more to notice than its long climb alone.
Plan the outingThe route crosses a stream on Hannah Run and finishes with a long climb back to Skyline Drive.
The route crosses a stream on Hannah Run and finishes with a long climb back to Skyline Drive. Start at Hannah Run Parking near milepost 35; no trailhead potable water or restroom was confirmed, so bring what you need. Dogs are allowed but must stay on a physical leash no longer than six feet. Overnight camping requires a backcountry permit. The optional downstream walk to the swimming holes is not included in the loop mileage.
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.
