Top Trails: Shenandoah National Park. Johnny Molloy

once ran straight up the canyon, but after repeatedly washing out it was rerouted on the rim where you stand.

       MILESTONES

1	0.0	Gravel Springs Gap Parking Area at milepost 17.6
2	0.4	Gravel Springs Hut
3	1.8	Cross stream of Big Devils Stairs canyon
4	1.9	Right on Big Devils Stairs Trail
5	2.5	Big Devils Stairs vista

      TRAIL 4 North District

      Sugarloaf Loop

      TRAIL USE

      Day Hiking, Backpacking

      LENGTH

      4.7 miles, 3–4 hours

      VERTICAL FEET

      ±870'

      DIFFICULTY

      –1 2 3 4 5 +

      TRAIL TYPE

      Loop

      START & FINISH

      N38° 45.627'

      W78° 16.953'

      FEATURES

      Ridgeline

      Stream

      Autumn Colors

      Wildlife

      Great Views

      Geological Interest

      FACILITIES

      None

      This loop dips off the eastern side of Hogback Mountain into the upper Piney River Valley. You will relish far-reaching views on the Appalachian Trail (AT), then follow a moderate grade into the Piney River on the Sugarloaf Trail. A grassy flat beside the Piney River makes for a great resting spot. Head back to the high country, soaking in more great views from Hogback Mountain before completing the loop.

      Best Time

      Spring through fall are the most rewarding. Wildflowers bloom in the valley during spring. Summer offers a cool and shady respite. Enjoy views on clear fall days, and you might spot wildlife on the trail.

      Finding the Trail

      The hike starts at the parking area just south of the Hogback Mountain Overlook, milepost 21.1 on Skyline Drive. To reach the trailhead from the Thornton Gap Entrance Station, take Skyline Drive north for 10.4 miles to the parking area on the west side of Skyline Drive, just before Hogback Mountain Overlook. The loop hike starts on the eastern side of Skyline Drive where the AT crosses Skyline Drive.

      Trail Description

      From the parking area just south of Hogback Overlook, pick up the AT, northbound, as it crosses over to the eastern side of Skyline Drive. 1 Hike through fern-floored oak woods, shortly climbing to a rocky knob spiked with uptilted rock. Note the rock combination to the right of the trail that resembles a chair. Many a hiker has had their picture taken in that oversized throne. At 0.2 mile, a side trail leads left to a rock outcrop framed in mountain ash trees. 2 The western vistas are extensive. Hogback Mountain Overlook is immediately below you. Overall Run cuts a chasm. Ridges rise around it. The Shenandoah Valley stretches out past the park. Beyond the valley other mountains rise to frame the patchwork of farm, field, and town.

      Surveying mountain lands west from a trailside overlook on the Appalachian Trail

       Geological Interest

       Great Views

      Descend among rocky woods. Notice how the winds have sculpted the trees to face easterly. Reach the slender Sugarloaf Trail at 0.3 mile. 3 Turn right onto a singletrack path lined with mountain laurel beneath scattered oaks. Briefly run parallel to Skyline Drive, joining an old wagon road. The Sugarloaf Trail curves back to the right, winding on a slightly sloped ridge, former pastureland. Descend to step over two rocky streamlets, wide but shallow feeder branches of the Piney River. Straight rock pioneer walls contrast with the fluid shapes of nature. Backpackers can find legal campsites off the trail in the next mile or so. This loop is a great break-in trip for the novice overnighter and a quick, quality one-night getaway for everyone.

      Reach a trail junction at mile 1.7. Turn right onto the Pole Bridge Link Trail. 4 The land is level in these parts—for mountain land. It was cultivated too, despite the rocks you see. Pass through a changing forest, where hardwoods, such as black birch and yellow birch, are vying to replace the fallen hemlocks that once colored the vale evergreen. The gradual descent leads to another trail junction at 2.1 miles. Stay right with the Piney Branch Trail. 5

      Step over the rocky branches you crossed earlier before reaching the upper Piney River in 0.1 mile. Large boulders and rocks line the watercourse. Cross the river to reach a grassy flat flanked by a large boulder. This locale makes a nice respite. A set of cascades downstream of this crossing are worth a look.

       Stream

       Geological Interest

       Wildlife

      Leave this low point of the loop—you are now a little higher than 2,500 feet—and start climbing toward the crest of the Blue Ridge on a gentle grade. Big rocks line the trailbed. At mile 3.2, pass through an open area with a tremendous rock face rising up the hill to your right.