Shenandoah National Park, VA
An eight-mile one-way traverse past Overall Run’s gorge and falls.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Shenandoah Tour Guide
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 area
Hogback Overlook: A Quick Valley Panorama“Hogback Overlook is coming up, a quick stop for layered ridges and a northward view across the Shenandoah Valley. It's the park's longest overlook, with the view just a few steps from your car.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
This is an 8.0-mile point-to-point hike from Skyline Drive at milepost 21.1 to U.S. 340. The first 0.4 mile follows the Appalachian Trail south to the Tuscarora junction; the Tuscarora section itself is about 7.6 miles. It crosses the Overall Run gorge, with a gorge overlook and Overall Run Falls as its main draw. This is a through-hike, not the separate waterfall outing from Mathews Arm Campground.
Arrange a second car or pickup at U.S. 340. Parking near the west end is limited to a very small amount of roadside shoulder space. Start at milepost 21.1 and follow the Appalachian Trail south to the Tuscarora junction; from there, the route heads west. Park entry fees apply, and Skyline Drive can close in winter, so check access before setting out.
Allow about six hours for the route. It starts around 3,380 feet, reaches about 3,440 feet, then descends to roughly 680 feet at U.S. 340: about 2,700 feet of net drop. The Overall Run gorge adds steep changes along the way, so this is a strenuous full-day walk despite the overall downhill direction.
The 93-foot Overall Run Falls may have little or no flow in dry weather. The gorge overlook is the best place to take in the setting; include some of the surrounding rock and woods in a photo so the scale reads. Stay on the trail near the falls. Dogs are allowed, but must be on a physical leash no longer than six feet.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ChallengingOverall Run Falls and Heiskell Hollow Loop15.6 mi · 13 hr · At the trailheadA three-day backcountry loop linking waterfalls and Heiskell Hollow.
ChallengingOverall Run, Piney Branch & Jeremys Run Loop34.2 mi · 1 day · At the trailheadFour hiking days link a 93-foot waterfall and three wilderness streams.ChallengingOverall Run Falls and Piney Branch Loop22.3 mi · 18 hr · At the trailheadThree-day backcountry loop past Overall Run Falls and Piney Branch.
EasyTraces Trail1.7 mi · 1.3 hr · 0.9 mi awayStone walls and a river view on an easy campground loop.ModerateOverall Run Falls5.1 mi · 4 hr · 0.9 mi awayThe gorge view still pays off when the falls run low.
ModerateSugarloaf Loop5 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.9 mi awayA wooded five-mile circuit to a rocky view above Hogback.
ChallengingPiney Branch and Piney Ridge Loop10 mi · 8 hr · 1 mi awayWalk Piney Branch’s cascades before climbing the wooded Piney Ridge.
ChallengingHogback Mountain and Thornton River Loop18.4 mi · 21.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayAn 18.4-mile, three-day loop linking Hogback views and Thornton River.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayHogback OverlookLayered ridges lead north toward the Alleghenies on clear days.
Scenic pullout · 0.7 mi awayRattlesnake Point OverlookPick out six Blue Ridge peaks from a meadow-framed roadside view.
Campground · 0.8 mi awayMathews Arm CampgroundWooded campsites, an easy loop, and no showers or hookups.
Scenic pullout · 0.8 mi awayLittle Devils Stairs OverlookA quick pause for the steep gorge and layered ridges
Sight · 1 mi awayPiney River CCC BuildingA modest CCC office tied to Shenandoah’s early park design
Scenic pullout · 1.1 mi awayLittle Hogback OverlookA small roadside view of Browntown Valley and the Appalachian Trail.
Lodging · 1.4 mi awayRange View CabinA hike-in cabin with a signed stone from 1933.Sight · 1.6 mi awayOverall Run FallsA long hike earns Shenandoah's highest falls and a wide gorge view.Parkwolf’s Shenandoah ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
