Slaughter Ridge and Conway River Backcountry Route

This is a long, remote, 15-mile out-and-back from Skyline Drive down to the Conway River country and back. The park’s itinerary gives 14–16 miles round trip and describes an experienced, two-day horse-packing trip; 15 miles is the midpoint used here. For a foot hike, budget about 11 hours including ordinary pauses. A separate hiking time is not published.

Start at the mile-57 Bearfence/Meadow School parking area and cross Skyline Drive to Slaughter Trail. The route descends about four miles toward Conway River, follows Conway River Trail, then turns onto an unpaved road outside the park for roughly another mile. The park’s directions call this the Conway River Fire Road; the connected mapped track may appear as Conway River Road. Retrace the same corridor to return, including a substantial climb back to Skyline Drive. It is an out-and-back, not a loop.

The Conway River is the main payoff. Rapidan Wildlife Management Area is rugged, with rocky stream courses, boulder-lined river stretches, cascades and quiet pools. Brook trout are native to its streams, and the Conway also supports wild brown trout. There is no documented signature overlook on this route; it is a forest-and-river backcountry trip.

The planned camp is outside Shenandoah in Rapidan Wildlife Management Area. The public trip sheet does not pinpoint a campsite, so treat the mapped end as the end of the approximate one-mile road leg, not a verified campsite. Visitors need a qualifying Virginia DWR license or access permit to use the WMA, and overnight camping requires written authorization. Camping is primitive, with no developed sites or facilities. Dogs are allowed on this route; keep them leashed, and wear blaze orange or pink during WMA hunting seasons.