Shenandoah National Park: Stony Man Nature Trail (Blog Hike #63)

Trail: Stony Man Nature Trail

Hike Location: Shenandoah National Park

Geographic Location: southeast of Luray, VA (38.59299, -78.37560)

Length: 1.5 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: April 2000

Overview: An excellent short hike to the summit of Stony Man Mountain.

Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=717292
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: The trailhead for the Stony Man Nature Trail is at mile marker 41.7 of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.  The closest access for Skyline Drive from outside the park is given by US 211 from Luray.  From US 211, go south on Skyline Drive 9 miles to the signed paved parking area for Stony Man Nature Trail on the right.

The hike: For my general comments on Shenandoah National Park, see the Fox Hollow Trail description.  The Stony Man Nature Trail, located on Skyline Drive at the entrance to Skyland, is one of the best short hikes in the park.  The trail ascends from the Skyland parking lot to Stony Man Mountain which, at 4010 feet in elevation, is the second highest peak in the park.  The peak is named for the rock outcropping at the summit which, when viewed from a distance, resembles a man's face carved in stone.  This hike takes you atop the outcropping and through some nice mesophytic forest along the way.

          The gravel path begins heading northeast from the trailhead, immediately entering the forest.  An informative trail guide may be available in a black metal box near the trailhead.  The numbered wooden posts along the trail correspond to the numbers in the trail guide.  The trail meanders left and right as it slowly gains elevation.  Stop for a minute at post 4, which points out the unusual case of a yellow birch growing out of a rock.  Apparently some years ago a yellow birch seed fell in a crack in the rock and began growing.  Now the tree is slowly splitting the rock apart with its trunk and roots.
          Post 5 points out a dead American chestnut tree. Though the chestnut less than 100 years ago was a major part of the eastern forest, it is now almost extinct, succumbing to the imported chestnut blight.

Leaving the Appalachian Trail

          The trail soon makes a left turn to arrive at a trail intersection.  A yellow-blazed horse trail goes left, while the Appalachian Trail, which to this point has been following our nature trail, goes to the right.  A sign at the intersection notes that this is the highest point along the Appalachian Trail in the national park.  Our trail continues straight, still climbing toward the summit of Stony Man Mountain. 

          After a short, gentle climb the trail comes to another fork, this one forming a loop around the top of the mountain.  I suggest turning right and using the left fork as the return route.  The forest near the top of the mountain is sparser and the ground more rocky than lower on the slope.  The understory is heavily encumbered with mountain laurel.  After a moderate climb, the trail arrives at a nice view over the side of the mountain to the northeast.

View northeast from Stony Man Mountain

          Continue around the mountain, pass an old copper mine, and arrive at a complex trail intersection with one trail going right and two going left.  The trail going left at the sharpest angle is the return portion of the loop, and the other trail going left (the one with yellow blazes) is the horse trail approach to the summit.  For now, take the trail to the right, which leads a short distance to the top of the rock outcropping mentioned earlier.  This point provides an expansive view to the west; included in this view are Luray, Shenandoah Valley, and Massanutten Mountain.

Rocky summit of Stony Man Mountain

          After soaking in this view, retrace your steps to the multi-trail intersection and begin the return portion of the loop.  This rocky trail descends moderately to arrive at the outgoing trail and close the loop.  From this point, retrace your steps back down the mountain to the trailhead to complete the hike.