Stony Man is always quite crowded. On a nice weekend, finding solitude here is an uphill battle. No pun intended. That said, it’s crowded for a good reason. The hike is low effort, high-reward. Sonty Man is a relatively easy hike that yields great views of the Shenandoah Valley.
There are multiple ways to do Stony Man, so it’s one you can make longer, or shorter, depending on your mood. However, my favorite is doing it as the 1.5 mile trek from the Appalachian Trail for sunset or sunrise. This is also a perfect hike to take a group of friends on if they aren’t used to hiking, kids, or folks who hike a bit slower and need something easy on the knees. While AllTrails rates this as moderate, I’d probably rank it as rather easy. If you hike regularly in any capacity at all, you won’t even get out of breath here.
Located in Shenandoah National Park, you will need to pay to get in or get a National Park pass (that pays for itself in two visits). Leave the pupperonis at home for this one as the hike isn’t dog-friendly. Parking is plentiful, but arrive early to avoid the crowds. Generally, I find if you get into Shenandoah before 10:00 am you’ll avoid sitting at the entrance for long, especially on a nice day. The start of this trail can be a bit confusing, but basically get on the white/blue trail and follow the signs to the summit.
Earlier in October, I took two friends here to see the fall leaves changing. Many others had the same idea, which is great! If I ever run for president, my campaign will definitely be Make America Go Outside And Hike Again and it seems many people got the memo and got outside this fall.
Happy Hiking!
