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Free Union, Virginia

Top Spots in and near Free Union

  • Stanley, Virginia

    Camp at Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park

    4.4
    Visiting Shenandoah National Park for the first time can be quite overwhelming. The 109 mile long Skyline Drive, combined with over 500 miles of hiking trails, makes camping is a necessity if you truly want to experience Shenandoah.From the Appalachian thru-hiker to the RV'er, Big Meadows is perf...
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  • Stanley, Virginia

    Three Falls Hike

    8.3 mi / 2200 ft gain
    The Three Falls Hike in Shenandoah National Park will take you past three beautiful waterfalls all found within the central district of the park: Lewis Spring Falls, Dark Hollow Falls, and Rose River Falls. You are able to start the loop from any of the waterfalls’ trailheads, but I prefer to sta...
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  • Stanley, Virginia

    Hike to Rose River Falls

    4.5
    4 mi / 853 ft gain
    Rose River Falls is often overshadowed by it's more popular cousin, Dark Hollow Falls, as both hikes begin at the same trail head. But because Dark Hollow Falls is such a short and well known hike, it can get extremely crowded. It is also one of the few trails in Shenandoah where dogs are not al...
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  • Stanley, Virginia

    Hike the Rose River Falls to Dark Hollow Falls Loop

    5.0
    4 mi / 950 ft gain
    Parking at the trailhead is a few miles north of Big Meadows at the Fisher's Gap Overlook parking area. You will find much more solitude along this loop trail than if you were to park at the Dark Hollow Falls trailhead as the Dark Hollow Falls is much more popular. That makes being able to fin...
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  • Stanley, Virginia

    Backpack Rose River Loop

    5.0
    4 mi / 900 ft gain
    The trail can be found on Skyline Drive.  Though it is a little challenging to locate, you should park at  Fisher’s Gap Overlook (mile marker 49.4), and then walk over across the road and find the trail. You'll spot it by looking over the side of the road and then hiking down.  The Rose River Loo...
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  • Wildwood, Virginia

    Pleasant Grove Park: Heritage Trail and Beach Grove Loop

    4.64 mi / 361 ft gain
    Pleasant Grove Park has miles and miles of trails and you could easily hike a ten-mile loop if you linked everything together. This particular trail, Heritage Trail and Beach Grove Loop, is a 4.6 mile loop in the southern part of Pleasant Grove, which takes a little under two hours to complete de...
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  • Roseland, Virginia

    Photograph Devils Knob Overlook

    4.5
    Located next to Wintergreen Resort, Devils Knob is super easy to get to and has an amazing 180 degree panoramic view. Looking Southwest over the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, this 3,800 foot overlook had a great view of Three Ridge Mountain and the Priest. Located on Devils Kno...
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  • Stanley, Virginia

    Photograph Spilter Knoll Overlook

    5.0
    The Spitler Knoll is one of 72 overlooks for people to enjoy as they travel through Shenandoah National Park along Skyline Drive.  Skyline Drive is the road that winds through the heart of Shenandoah National Park, starting at Front Royal in the north and ending at Rockfish Gap in the south. This...
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  • Roseland, Virginia

    Camp at Devil’s Backbone Basecamp

    5.0
    This place has it all : a bomb fire pit, live music, distillery, restaurant, 48 taps, mountain views, and more!  Not to mention, it’s in a great location for exploring. It’s close to tons of breweries, wineries, and cideries, it’s just a few miles from the Appalachian trail, and close to Shenando...
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  • Luray, Virginia

    Upper Hawksbill Trail

    2.09 mi / 482 ft gain
    The trailhead has a small parking area at mile marker 46.7 on Skyline Drive, just past the Old Rag overlook (on the opposite side of the road) if you're driving south. The hike is a 2-mile out-and-back that takes you right to the summit. The first ~2/3 of it is relatively flat and very easy walk...
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  • Syria, Virginia

    Fly Fish on the Robinson River

    5.0
    6 mi / 2000 ft gain
    There are two sections that you can fish on the Robinson River. The first section is about 15 minutes away from the trailhead of White Oak Canyon. The river is on the right side of the road and you can see where it has bee stocked from the white diamonds on the trees on the side of the road. This...
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  • Syria, Virginia

    Hike Cedar Run Falls Trail

    4.7
    2.6 mi / 1000 ft gain
    Cedar Run Falls is located in the central district of Shenandoah National Park.  This is a pretty waterfall that flows into a deep swimming hole.  There are two ways to get to the Cedar Run Waterfall: from the top of the mountain off of Skyline Drive and from the bottom of the mountain off of Wea...
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  • Syria, Virginia

    White Oak Canyon Cedar Run Loop

    4.0
    7.67 mi / 2257 ft gain
    This route combines Cedar Run Falls and White Oak Canyon Trail (one of the more popular hikes in SNP, with separate adventures detailing those hikes). Parking is easy, but gets very crowded due to the popularity of White Oak Canyon (WOC). When starting from the parking area/Shenandoah ranger stat...
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  • Stanley, Virginia

    Hawksbill Mountain Summit

    4.8
    1.54 mi / 669 ft gain
    A hike to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain will not only put you at the highest point in Shenandoah National Park (4050'), but you'll have a 270 degree view perfect for a sunset. This moderate hike is located at MP 45.6 on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, so you'll have to pay a $2...
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  • Stanley, Virginia

    Lower Hawksbill to Salamander to Appalachian Trail Loop

    2.68 mi / 666 ft gain
    This is one of 2 trails that will take you to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain. The other is the Upper Hawksbill Trail (which I also wrote an adventure about!). This trail is a combination of the Lower Hawksbill Trail, the AT, and the Salamander Trail. The parking are area for this hike is at mi...
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  • Lyndhurst, Virginia

    Backpack Three Ridges Loop

    4.6
    14.2 mi / 3960 ft gain
    From the parking area at Reids Gap, start off on the white-blazed A.T heading south as the trail begins on the left side of a clearing. You will begin climbing Meadow Mountain shortly and in .8 miles arrive at the top of the ridge, where you will continue on downhill for another .8 miles until y...
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