Parking
Use Keyser Run Parking on Skyline Drive near milepost 20. The small lot also serves Little Devils Stairs and can fill on busy days. A park entrance pass is required for Skyline Drive.
Overview
About Hogback Mountain Loop
Why go
- Rocky valley outlooks on Little Hogback and at the launch spur.
- The Piney Branch crossing and forested return vary the ridge walk.
Heads up
- A steep switchback climb comes early on the Appalachian Trail.
- The last mile is a gradual uphill gravel road.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation2,582–3,419 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 Hogback Mountain 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
Keyser Run: A Full Day at Little Devils Stairs0:00 / 0:29
“Up ahead is Keyser Run Parking, the Skyline Drive starting point for Little Devils Stairs. This seven point four mile loop takes about eight and a half hours, so choose it for a full hiking day.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Mount Marshall Overlook: A Piedmont Pause
- Little Devils Stairs Overlook: A Glimpse into the Gorge
- Gimlet Ridge Overlook: Valleys in Layers
- Hogback Overlook: A Quick Valley Panorama
- 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 Hogback Mountain Loop
The loopHogback Mountain Loop is a 6.4-mile circuit from Keyser Run Parking.
Hogback Mountain Loop is a 6.4-mile circuit from Keyser Run Parking. It climbs the Appalachian Trail over Little Hogback and along Hogback’s wooded slopes, descends to Piney Branch, then returns by Pole Bridge Link and Keyser Run Fire Road. The distance covers the full loop and its short connector from the lot. Plan on three to five hours; about four hours leaves time for the steep climb, stream crossing and breaks. Most of the route is moderate, with one demanding uphill stretch.
Ridge and overlooksCross Skyline Drive from the lot and take the connector to the Appalachian Trail.
Cross Skyline Drive from the lot and take the connector to the Appalachian Trail. A rocky perch early on Little Hogback opens over Browntown Valley. The main climb follows switchbacks toward Hogback, gaining roughly 400 feet in about a third of a mile. Farther along, a short spur reaches a hang-gliding launch with another broad valley view; power lines are part of that scene, and the spur is outside the stored loop. The trail crosses Hogback’s high slopes but does not reach its 3,474-foot summit.
Down to Piney BranchThe Appalachian Trail crosses Skyline Drive several times before turning onto Piney Branch…
The Appalachian Trail crosses Skyline Drive several times before turning onto Piney Branch Trail. A long wooded descent leads to the stream crossing, around the middle of the loop. Take care with the water and footing. After crossing, turn onto Pole Bridge Link and keep right at the Sugarloaf junction; this circuit does not take the separate Sugarloaf Loop. The connector climbs gradually through a wooded saddle to the Fourway junction.
The return climbAt the Fourway, turn onto Keyser Run Fire Road.
At the Fourway, turn onto Keyser Run Fire Road. The overgrown gravel road climbs gradually for about a mile back to the starting lot. It is a long, quieter finish after the creek, but it still adds uphill work late in the hike.
Parking and planningStart at Keyser Run Parking on Skyline Drive near milepost 20.
Start at Keyser Run Parking on Skyline Drive near milepost 20. The small lot also serves Little Devils Stairs and may fill on busy days. A Shenandoah entrance pass is required to drive Skyline Drive. One older route description places Keyser Run at milepost 22, but the park map labels the separate Piney River lot at milepost 22; that lot is the start of a different, five-mile Sugarloaf Loop. Bring water for a half-day walk and check for ticks afterward. Dogs are allowed on this route on a 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.
