Parking
Start at Jones Run Parking Area on Skyline Drive, mile 84.1; cross the Appalachian Trail and follow the blue-blazed route. The small roadside lot is reported to have roughly a dozen spaces.
Overview
About Jones Run Falls Hike
Why go
- A 42-foot waterfall and smaller cascades reward the descent.
Heads up
- The return is a sustained climb after the downhill walk.
- The single stream crossing uses exposed rocks.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation1,975–2,815 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 Jones Run Falls Hike, 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
Jones Run Falls: A Cascade in the Woods0:00 / 0:25
“Up ahead is the Jones Run Falls trailhead, with a wooded hike to a broad, forty-two-foot cascade over dark rock ledges.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Dundo Overlook: A Valley Campaign in the Landscape
- Dundo Picnic Grounds: Lunch at an Old CCC Camp
- Blackrock Summit: A Short Walk to the Boulder Field
- Browns Gap: The Long Walk to Lewis Peak
- 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 Jones Run Falls Hike
Is this the falls hike?Jones Run Falls Hike is a 3.
Jones Run Falls Hike is a 3.2-mile round-trip out-and-back through forest to the 42-foot waterfall on Jones Run, starting at Jones Run Parking Area on Skyline Drive mile 84.1. Follow Jones Run Trail to the falls and return the same way. Plan on about 2½ hours and 1,045 feet of climbing; it is rated moderate. This is the short falls hike. A separate 6.5-mile Browns Gap circuit continues through Doyles River and the Appalachian Trail.
Down Jones RunFrom the lot, cross the Appalachian Trail and follow the blue blazes into the forest.
From the lot, cross the Appalachian Trail and follow the blue blazes into the forest. The trail drops toward Jones Run, crosses the stream once over exposed rocks, then continues beside the water. Smaller cascades appear near the main falls. The walk in is mostly downhill, so the return climb is the harder half.
At the fallsThe payoff is a 42-foot cascade over dark rock ledges, with boulders at the base and smaller…
The payoff is a 42-foot cascade over dark rock ledges, with boulders at the base and smaller water steps nearby. Flow changes with recent rain; visitors report anything from a trickle to stronger water, so the falls can be quieter during dry spells. Frame the cascade with the ledges and a boulder for scale, but stay off the waterfall rocks; climbing there can be dangerous or deadly.
Access and returnThe roadside lot is small, with roughly a dozen spaces.
The roadside lot is small, with roughly a dozen spaces. The park entrance fee applies, but no reservation is required for this hike. Pets are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet. Allow the full 2½ hours: after the descent to the water, you climb back to the car on the same trail.
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.
