Parking
Use Limberlost Parking Area on Skyline Drive at milepost 43; the trail starts beside the lot. Shenandoah’s entrance fee applies, and the hike does not require a reservation.
Overview
About Limberlost Trail
Why go
- An accessible woodland circuit with benches and a striking rock formation
- The Kids in Parks TRACK Trail brochure gives children a self-guided focus
Heads up
- No broad mountain vista or waterfall
- The maximum 10.3% grade may challenge some mobility devices
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation3,241–3,366 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Limberlost 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
Limberlost: An Easier Forest Loop0:00 / 0:24
“Up ahead is Limberlost, a forest loop I'd choose for an easier walk rather than a summit view.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Timber Hollow Overlook: Beyond Nakedtop Mountain
- Upper Whiteoak Falls: A Canyon Hike from Skyline Drive
- Skyland Stables: A Slow Ride Through the Woods
- Millers Head: A Walk to the Old Fire Lookout
- 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 Limberlost Trail
What the loop isLimberlost Trail is a 1.
Limberlost Trail is a 1.3-mile circuit from Limberlost Parking Area at milepost 43 on Skyline Drive. Allow about 90 minutes. The crushed-greenstone path curves under forest canopy, with benches and a columnar-jointing rock formation along the way. It is a good pick for an easy woodland walk, a short outing with children, or time on an accessible trail. Choose another hike if a wide mountain view or waterfall is the point of your day.
Follow the greenstone circuitTake the path to the right of the trailhead and stay on it as the loop returns to the lot.
Take the path to the right of the trailhead and stay on it as the loop returns to the lot. The circuit gains about 130 feet and is rated easiest. There is no distant summit or destination to reach; the appeal is the quiet forest, places to rest, and a close look at the unusual rock. A self-guided Kids in Parks TRACK Trail brochure and information sign give children something to look for as they walk. The park entrance fee applies, but there is no separate hike fee or reservation.
Accessible, but not level everywhereThe trail is designated fully accessible and is mostly crushed greenstone.
The trail is designated fully accessible and is mostly crushed greenstone. Its typical tread is 5 feet wide, with a 2.7-foot minimum. The typical running slope is 3.5%, but the steepest measured section reaches 10.3%; cross-slope reaches 5%. That maximum grade is the figure to consider if you use a manual wheelchair, cane, or push someone in a chair. The easy rating does not mean every part feels flat. Benches along the loop offer frequent places to pause. Several organizations have supported accessibility work here since 1996, making access part of the trail’s story.
Look closely at the columnsGreenstone here is metamorphic rock that preserves traces of both ancient seafloor sediment and…
Greenstone here is metamorphic rock that preserves traces of both ancient seafloor sediment and volcanic material. The blocky formation on the trail is columnar jointing: basaltic lava cooled quickly, cracked, and formed hexagonal column-like shapes. Over time, erosion removed softer stone and soil around them, leaving the columns exposed. Their corners, cracks, and flat faces are easier to appreciate at walking pace than from a roadside stop.
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.
