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Hazel Falls & Caves

SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK

Trail Info

TRAIL DISTANCE: 5.3 Miles
TRAIL HEAD/ DIRECTIONS: Meadow Spring Lot
TRAIL TYPE: In & Out
TRAIL GRADE: 
Moderate (3)
TRAIL PARKING: 15 spots or less
DOG FRIENDLY: Yes
FAMILY FRIENDLY:
Yes, ages 8+

You will love:  A seldom sauntered trail with dense forest canopy, easy terrain and topography leading to a series of falls with a treasured secret.
You need to know:  Fee required to access the park.

What to pack

  • 2 Water bottles
  • hiking shoes or hiking boots
  • heavy snack or lunch
  • Bug Spray

Extras

Trail Map
SNP Trail Finder

The Experience


Your adventure begins at the Meadow Spring parking lot. At the far corner of the lot , find the trailhead for the Hazel Mountain trail and turn right to join the trail. The trail begins as a yellow blazed fire road with terrain featuring a slight declining slope, small stones and a wide girth for ample foot traffic. At the 0.4 mile mark come to a junction with Buck Ridge Trail, however remain on Hazel Mountain trail by veering right. Continue for 1.1 miles until your turn onto the White Rocks trail (left). The trail remains yellow blazed and relatively easy to navigate beautifully accompanied by a dense forest canopy, touches of mountain laurel and pine groves. You will continue on the White Rocks for 1.0 mile until a trail post, turn right to head to the falls. The falls trail ramps up the intensity as its a steady decline with rocks, boulders, loose dirt to manage. This area requires care and caution and maybe a new knee. After 0.2 miles come to the bottom of the gorge and turn right to experience the Hazel Falls area. This area has multiple access points to the river, with several falls and rock formations to engage. The trail ends at the Hazel Falls, a 30 foot cascading falls mixed within large boulder crops. To the right of the falls find a small cave pass through for a fun scamper and along the gorge wall look for smaller caves to look in and experience. 
Ready to head back? retrace your steps to your car, remainder that the exit out of the gorge is a tough ascent but short and doable! Follow the White Rocks to Hazel Mountain trails we talked about earlier to return to your car. The trail itself is lightly used and perfect for a day hike, if you are looking to combo it with other hikes look at our nearby trails section on this page.
​
HIKE ON!
Picture
Our Mission
Our philosophy is to encourage exploration of trails in Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia through experiential content and purposefully simplistic guided summaries. We aim to provide you the knowledge, the essentials and the confidence to hike a trail.

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  • Home
  • Articles
    • Experiences >
      • Dark Sky Parks
      • Destinations >
        • Bluemont, VA
        • Delaplane, VA
        • Fayetteville, WV
        • Grayson Highlands, VA
        • Natural Bridge, VA
        • Sperryville, VA
        • Strasburg VA
      • Hike & Brew Pairings
      • Hike & Food Pairings
      • Hikers Streaming Guide
      • Must visit spaces & places in Virginia
      • Winter Hiking
    • Health & Safety >
      • Hikers First Aid Kit Essentials
      • Hikers Safety Guide
      • How to plan for a hike
      • Ticks
      • Trail Food Guide
      • Trail Training >
        • Work Up : OLD RAG
        • Work Up : Mount Rogers
        • Work Up : Mount Marshall
    • Hike Lists >
      • Beginner Trails
      • Family on the trail >
        • Family Friendly Trails
        • Parents Guide to Family Hiking
        • Six Hikes for 5 and under
        • Top Kids Trails Shenandoah National Park
        • Ultimate Kids Trail Guide
      • Top Rated >
        • Bucket List Hikes
        • Hidden Gems Shenandoah National Park
        • Summer Blockbuster Trails
        • Top Day Hikes Shenandoah National Park
        • Top Spring Hiking Trails
        • Top Summit Hikes not in a national park
        • Top Swimming Holes
        • Waterfall Hikes
      • Romantic Hikes
      • Short but tough hikes
      • Toughest Virginia Hikes
      • Northern Virginia Trails for Dogs
      • Virginia Fall Hikes
    • Gear Guide >
      • Beginner Hikers Must Haves
      • Bicycles 101
      • Gear Reviews >
        • Exo Spikes
        • Nike Juniper Trail
        • Relive App
      • Layering
      • Trail Shoe Guide
      • Trail Sock Guide
  • Trail Finder
    • Maryland Trail Finder
    • Northern Virginia Trail Finder
    • Shenandoah National Park Trail Finder
    • West Virginia Trail Finder
    • Central Virginia >
      • Bear Church Rock
      • Big Scloss
      • Blue Ridge Tunnel
      • Copernicus Ridge
      • Duncan Knob
      • Emerald Pond
      • Fridley Gap Trail
      • Hidden Rocks
      • Jawbone Gap Overlook
      • Kennedy Peak
      • Kepler Overlook
      • Little Schloss
      • North Mountain
      • Strickler Knob
      • Tibbet Knob
      • Veach Gap
      • Yoda Overlook
    • Southern Virginia >
      • Barneys Wall
      • Bear Creek Lake Loop
      • Big House Mountain
      • Bottoms Creek Gorge Preserve
      • Buffalo Mountain Preserve
      • Cedar Cliffs
      • Cascade Falls
      • Cole Mountain
      • Crabtree Falls
      • Devils Marbleyard
      • Dragons Tooth
      • Elliot Knob
      • Fortunes Cove
      • Hay Rock
      • High Bridge Trail
      • Humpback Rock
      • McaFee Knob
      • Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Rogers
      • Paul's Creek Trail
      • Rock Castle Gorge
      • Sharp Top
      • Stiles Falls
      • St. Marys Wilderness
      • The Channels
      • The Priest
      • The Triple Crown
      • Tinker Cliffs
    • Trail Ratings
  • Shop
  • Subscribe