Shenandoah National Park, Day Four, Part Two: Doyle River Falls and Jones Run Falls

This is the final post of a travel series to Shenandoah National Park.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, go HERE.  Day Two is HERE, and Day Three is HERE, and Day Four, Part One is HERE.

Our very last hike in Shenandoah National Park was our hardest hikes, but it was one of the most beautiful hikes of them all.  The weather was absolute perfection:  a sunny, 70 degree day.  We were on the quest to see two more waterfalls:  Doyle River Falls and Jones Run Falls, but we had no idea the entire trail would be filled with lots of waterfalls!

The Doyles River Trailhead is a beautiful trek through the wilderness that takes you along cool, clear mountain streams to two unique waterfalls.  There is one stream crossing where you have to walk on rocks to cross.

If you only go to the Doyles River Falls (we went farther to see Jones Run Falls) the trail is a 3.3 mile round trip hike.  It is rated as Moderate, although I would probably rate it as Difficult because on the return trip, you are hiking straight uphill all the way.  However, we did just hike a long hike in the morning too, so our energy could have been depleted from that. It takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to hike and has an elevation gain of 1,189 feet.  

There are so many smaller waterfalls along the trail where one could stop and take a dip and get refreshed!

This is Upper Doyles Falls.  It has two levels or drops, and of course my crazy adventurous son had to climb on top of it.  

This waterfall is only 28 feet tall (it looks so much taller than that, doesn't it?), but it so beautiful!

I always enjoy waterfalls where you can get to the base and look up rather than from an observation deck above.

We saw lots of wildflowers on this trail, like this perennial geranium.

This was one of my most favorite photos my husband took of our vacation.  I just love how it captures the scenic beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance with the water in the foreground.

There were so many great rock formations on this trail!

This is the Lower Doyles River Falls.  This one is taller, at 63 feet.

The lower falls may be taller, but I was far more impressed with the beauty of the upper falls.

Well at this point, you could turn around and go back the way you came, but my hubby and son really wanted to see Jones Run Falls.  I wasn't sure that was a great idea, as we were pretty spent by now, but this was our last day in the park and we wanted to make the most of it, so we pushed on.  

I couldn't believe all the beautiful, moss covered rocks on this trail.

The Jones Run Trail coming from the Doyles River Fall Trail was BEAUTIFUL.  It was very rugged however, and muddy, and there were a couple of treacherous areas to get through.  As always, I was grateful to have my poles for stability.

I always feel when I'm hiking these type of trails that I'm in a magical fairyland.  Oh, this trail was stunning!  Water flowing, moss covered rocks everywhere...it was breath taking!  And did I mention how peaceful it was?  We hardly ran into anyone on the trail and felt we had the whole forest to ourselves!

Although we were so tired, the extra miles were worth it because Jones Run Falls is beautiful.  It is only 42 feet tall, but it is like a wide semi circle and the water flows gracefully over black rock.

We were so proud we made it!  

If you only wanted to hike the Jones Run Falls Trailhead, it is a 3.2 mile round trip hike, rated as Moderate, with an elevation gain of 1,045 feet.  It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete.

There is also a loop called the "Browns Gap Hike" where you can see both the Doyle River and Jones Run falls.  That hike is a 6.5 mile circuit hike, rated as Moderately Strenuous, and takes 7 hours of hiking time with an elevation gain of 1,400 feet.  We didn't have seven hours, so we just hiked to the waterfalls and back.  I think we added about two miles to our trip, making the total 5.3 miles or more.

We couldn't believe all the other stunning waterfalls that were on this trail.  I swear, the whole trail is nothing but waterfalls, and only two had names.  My son asked "I wonder why they name some falls and not others?"

If you love water, waterfalls, and magical forests, this is the hike for you!  I think it's also a great hike to get away from the crowds, as not a lot of people were on this trail.

And finally, here is a video of Jones Run Falls so you can get a little glimpse of the moving water that photos just can't capture.

 Well, that concludes my Shenandoah National Park travel series.  I regret to inform you that I don't know when or if I'll be taking another vacation.  We usually take a fall vacation but this year with the uncertainty of the times and the rising gas prices, we are hesitant to plan another road trip.  It makes me sad.  I long for the $2.00 a gallon gas and world peace we had before the current administration took over.  We do hope that we will at least be able to drive to Indiana in late summer and early fall to spend some time with the grandkids, but with the downward spiral our country is taking, who knows if that will be possible.  I pray that at least that little bit of joy will not be taken from me too.

Hoping for Better Times Ahead!  Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Shenandoah National Park, Day Three: Upper Whiteoak Falls and Hawksbill

This is Day Three of a travel series to Shenandoah National Park.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, go HERE.  Day Two is HERE.

Every succeeding day at Shenandoah National Park got better than the day before.  The weather warmed up, melting all the snow and each trail was better than the previous one.  We definitely did the trails in the right order, saving the best for last, although we didn't plan it that way.

Whiteoak Canyon Trail is one of the most popular trails in the park, and it certainly was the trail we saw the most people on while we were there,  although I still didn't feel it was too crowded.   There are multiple ways to experience this trail, and everyone needs to decide for themselves what is best for them.  You have three options:

1.    "Cedar Run - Whiteout Circuit Hike" which is a very strenuous 7.3 mile circuit with a 2,794 elevation gain, and takes 6.25 hours
2. "Boundary to Lower Falls Hike",  which is the easiest hike but you'd miss the tallest waterfall.  It is 2 miles round trip with a 500 foot elevation gain and takes 1.5 hours hiking time
3. "Skyline Drive to Upper Whiteoak Fall Hike" which is a moderate hike of 4.6 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1,040 feet and takes 3.5 hours.  You can stop there after viewing the tallest waterfall or continue on and add another 2.7 miles to the hike to see five more falls.

Although we would have loved to have seen all the waterfalls, because our bodies were aching from two full days of hiking already, and we had other hikes we wanted to take in the park, we chose option 3 and hiked only to the tallest waterfall on the trail, and returned back.  We also cut some time off of our hike by parking in the Limberlost Trail parking lot and NOT the Whiteoak Canyon Parking Lot.

This trail was so far on our trip one of the prettiest, and easiest trails we hiked yet.  I've heard if you start on the opposite end, it's pretty tough as you are pretty much climbing straight up, but the way we went was very moderate and comfortable hiking.  

Once you get through the Limberlost Trail area and a small forest, you are walking alongside a gorgeous river all the way to the waterfall.

My son Jordan was always scurrying ahead of us to rock scramble on the river or climb the largest rock he could find.

The trail had lots of large rocks and boulders of interest along the path.

There were lots of spots where there were smaller rapids and pools of water where one could swim on a hot day.

The waterfall is breath taking!  It is 86 feet tall and you do get a nice look at it from a rock formation above.

This is the rock formation that you climb onto to view the falls.

And here is a very short video of the falls.  It was totally worth the hike to see these falls!

My son went on ahead of us to see the other five waterfalls and said it was the "Best Waterfall Hike Of His Life!".  I wish we could have done it, but our bodies were saying "No" so we returned back.  Below are four of the waterfalls Jordan went on to see (he didn't take a picture of one of them).

After lunch, Jordan caught back up with us and we headed out for our last hike of the day:  Hawksbill Summit.

Hawksbill Summit is the tallest point in the park and a must-see if you are ever in Shenandoah.  Once again, there are multiple ways to get there and you need to pick the option best for you.

1. "Hawksbill Loop Trailhead" a 2.9 mile circuit hike rated as moderate with an elevation gain of 860 feet and a hiking time of 2 hours.
2. "Hawksbill Summit Trailhead"a shorter 1.7 mile , yet steeper hike to the summit rated as moderate with an elevation gain of 690 feet and a hiking time of 1 hour 15 minutes.
3. "Hawksbill Summit via Upper Hawksbill Trailhead" a 2.1 mile hike rated as easiest with an elevation gain of 520 feet and a 1 hour and 30 minute hiking time.

Our goal, was just to make it to the summit as quickly and as easily as possible, so we chose option 3.  However, we were perplexed why the trail was described as "Easiest" (maybe it was the easiest of the three?) as we thought it was quite challenging since we were pretty much hiking straight up all the way there.

The steep, long hike was worth it though because it was GORGEOUS!

The top of the Shenandoah's highest peak offers a 360 degree view of the Shenandoah Valley, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Virginia Piedmont.

It was a cloudy day, but the views were still incredible.  

The summit of Hawksbill Mountain is 4, 050 feet.

There is also a historic building at the top that the park turned into a picnic pavilion.

 

By now, it was late in the day and we were tired, so we called it a day.  Our next day in the park, was our last and best day yet and I will talk about that next week.  I might have to divide the post into two separate posts...it was that good!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!