Parking
Use Lands Run Gap / Lands Run Parking on Skyline Drive at mile 9.2, north of the road. The Route 600 boundary access is separate and has very limited roadside parking.
Overview
About Hickerson Hollow Trail
Why go
- A yellow-blazed former horse trail passes former homesites.
Heads up
- The 565-foot descent becomes a climb on the return.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation1,457–2,031 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 Hickerson Hollow 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
Lands Run Falls: Find the Hidden Cascade0:00 / 0:24
“You're nearing the Lands Run Falls trailhead, a short woodland hike to a chain of cascades. Allow about an hour and a half for the one point three mile round trip, mostly down a gravel fire road with an uphill return.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Yellow Hidden in Summer Leaves
- Compton Gap: Two Spurs on Compton Peak
- Gooney Run Overlook: Follow the Valley
- Indian Run Overlook: A Stream-Carved 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 Hickerson Hollow Trail
A short walk into the hollowHickerson Hollow Trail is a 2.1-mile out-and-back from Lands Run Gap on Skyline Drive.
Hickerson Hollow Trail is a 2.1-mile out-and-back from Lands Run Gap on Skyline Drive. A yellow-blazed former horse trail descends gradually into Hickerson Hollow, passing former homesites set off the route. The draw is a quiet woods walk with a little local history, not a summit view. Allow about 1½–2 hours; the descent becomes a 565-foot climb back.
Follow the marked routeThe old horse-trail route drops through hardwood forest.
The old horse-trail route drops through hardwood forest. Look for the former homesites noted along and beside the path; no named buildings or dates are established. At the hollow, turn around and retrace the same way. The trail continues toward Harmony Hollow beyond the park, but that longer connection is outside this Lands Run Gap outing.
Access, water, and dogsStart at Lands Run Gap on the north side of Skyline Drive, mile 9.2.
Start at Lands Run Gap on the north side of Skyline Drive, mile 9.2. Hickerson Hollow’s Route 600 boundary access is a separate approach with very limited roadside parking. Dogs may join on a physical leash no longer than six feet. No potable-water source is confirmed along the Lands Run Gap route, so bring water.
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.
