Top Trails: Shenandoah National Park. Johnny Molloy

vista 61.9Southeast vista 73.2Jenkins Gap Trail Parking Area at milepost 12.4

      TRAIL 3 North District

      Big Devils Stairs Vista

      TRAIL USE

      Day Hiking, Backpacking

      LENGTH

      5.0 miles, 3–4 hours

      VERTICAL FEET

      ±690'

      DIFFICULTY

      – 1 2 3 4 5 +

      TRAIL TYPE

      Out-and-back

      START & FINISH

      N38° 46.085'

      W78° 14.000'

      FEATURES

      Ridgeline

      Stream

      Autumn Colors

      Wildflowers

      Great Views

      FACILITIES

      None

      This unsung and mostly easy hike delivers a great reward. The walking is easy, and the trails are used surprisingly little. The nearly level Bluff Trail leads to the Big Devils Stairs canyon rim for a great view of the valley below and the mountains beyond. At the hike’s outset, you will pass a shelter used by long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail (AT).

      Best Time

      Even though this hike culminates in a view, it is primarily of a canyon, rather than distant mountains and valleys. Therefore, it is good any time of year.

      Finding the Trail

      The Gravel Springs Gap Parking Area is at milepost 17.6 on the east side of Skyline Drive. The yellow-blazed access road to Gravel Springs Hut leaves the rear of the parking area.

      Trail Description

A large trailhead signboard shows the web of paths in the immediate area. Leave Skyline Drive from the rear of the Gravel Springs Gap Parking Area on the gated access road leading down to Gravel Springs Hut. 1 The AT leaves from the parking area as well. The southbound portion of the AT roughly parallels the access road, while the northbound AT crosses Skyline Drive here at Gravel Springs Gap. The walking is easy on the fire road, bordered by locust, apple trees, and ample brush. You are working downhill.

After a quarter mile, the trail makes a switchback to the left and the Harris Hollow Trail leads left to the Bluff Trail, your destination. The horse trail allows equestrian access to the Bluff Trail without going to Gravel Springs Hut. Stay right with the roadbed, drifting down to Gravel Springs at 0.4 mile. 2 You will see the rocked-in upwelling to your right. The three-sided trail shelter, fronted by a fireplace, stands just beyond. Primarily of stone and wood construction, these trail shelters are based roughly 10 miles apart the entire length of the AT, including here at Shenandoah National Park. Imagine staying in shelters like this one on the 2,100-mile trek from Georgia to Maine.

      This hike continues on the Bluff Trail, which leaves the shelter clearing near Gravel Springs. Pass the Harris Hollow Trail coming from Gravel Springs Gap. Make a big switchback ahead, stepping over a spring branch. At 0.6 mile, the Harris Hollow Trail leaves right. Again, the Harris Hollow Trail is working around Gravel Springs and the trail shelter so that horses won’t foul the spring. Stay with the Bluff Trail, recrossing the spring branch. From here, it runs nearly level, around 2,300 feet, on the southeast slope of Mount Marshall beneath a high-canopied forest of multitrunked basswood, oak, and hickory strewn with large boulders, low bluffs, and outcrops.

       Wildflowers

At 1.1 miles, the forest opens on the right amid rock, offering views to the south. Ahead, several branches cross the trail and meet the main stem flowing from Gravel Springs. They all ultimately flow into the Rush River, outside the park. Many of these will be dry in late summer and fall. At 1.8 miles, step over the upper reaches of the stream that runs through Big Devils Stairs Gorge, which is just beginning to cut its way down the mountainside. 3 This unnamed tributary, also a branch of the Rush River, is an easy crossing in times of normal water flow. Enter a flat, then come to the Big Devils Stairs Trail junction at 1.9 miles. 4

      Big Devils Stairs canyon cuts a chasm while ridges rise beyond.

       Stream

       Autumn Colors

       Ridgeline

      Turn right onto the Big Devils Stairs Trail, which follows the east rim of the gorge. Notice how abruptly the forest changes. The trees here are those typically found on drier south- or west-facing slopes—chestnut oak and Virginia pine—with an understory of mountain laurel. A scattering of pale white rock adds to the green mosaic. At 2.0 miles, the declining path makes a few switchbacks while meandering down the rim of the gorge.

       Great Views

Your descent may leave you antsy about finding the outcrop with the view, especially when boulders to the right of the trail through the woods seem to offer vantages. Stay with the trail and you won’t miss the view. After an abrupt right turn, the trail comes to the edge of the gorge. Continue down the trail on stone steps, and descend to a large rock outcrop at 2.5 miles. 5 Grand views open of Big Devils Stairs canyon and the mountains beyond. Look at the stone walls rising from the stream below! Listen to the stream crashing through boulders at the canyon bottom. Follow the trail along the rim of the gorge for more vistas.

      Ahead, another outcrop hosts a gnarled pine hanging from its edge. Enjoy more views of the beautiful Shenandoah country, including Pignut Mountain, Piney Ridge, and fields beyond the park bounds. After this vista, the trail begins a steep descent and is not recommended. There is no public access from the lower end of the Big Devils