Fridley Gap, in the George Washington National Forest, has
a little bit of everything. From gentle mountain streams to
ridge climbs and a great swimming hole, this hike has it all.
The best part of this hike, which is nestled two hours away
from DC just south of the the town of Shenandoah, is its solitude.
Start by walking up FS65 (636 you were just on, not FS65A which
turns right uphill) to the orange blazed trail head on the left
side of the road at .2 miles.
Cross Boone run for the first time and ascend Massanutten Trail
South for .5 miles criss crossing Boone Run several more times,
until coming to the junction of the blue blazed Boone Shelter
Trail that comes in from the left.
Continue straight on the orange blazed trail as it gets steeper
before coming to a four way junction at a clearing in another
1.1 miles.
Turn left up Massanutten Trail South and reach the ridge in
another .5 miles before turning left and descends Third Mountain.
The trail will cross Fridley Run and turn right, ascend and
switch back before coming to the ridge line of Forth Mountain
1 mile from crossing Fridley Run.
Descend the Fourth Mountain ridge and cross Fridley Run in
1.4 miles. Take the left trail at the junction for 50 yards
and come to a swimming hole--a great place for lunch.
Begin your return by going 50 yards back to the junction turning
left on Massanutten South Trail for .1 miles.
Turn right on purple blazed Fridley Gap Trail. The next .8
miles is the steepest portion of the hike until cresting Third
Mountain and descending another .3 miles and reaching the junction
of Martin Bottom Trail.
Turn right on Fridley Gap Trail, gently ascending for .6 miles
to the clearing and four way junction you passed earlier. Continue
straight down Massanutten Trail South for the remaining 2.2
miles back to the parking area.
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Reviews For The Fridley Gap Hike (5 Most Recent)
I have been to Fridley Gap many times without ever hiking the entire loop but today was so nice that I decided I would take my beagle Luke with me and conquer it. Since I had never hiked to whole loop I checked out the directions on here and got a little confused. I kept seeing things that I know I read in the directions but nothing seemed to be in order to me. After a while of not knowing whether I was still going to right way I used a compass to make sure I was heading in the direction I wanted to be going in. I also tracked the hike with my phone: http://runkeeper.com/user/BenColligan/activity/81399238
It wasn't until I looked at the completed loop that I did and the trail on this site that I realized I get to Fridley a different way! If you look at the map at the top left of this page where Orange and Purple meet by the swimming hole, that is where I come in by. There is a parking lot at the end of Airey Ln. which is near Camp Overlook.
From that parking lot the trail is only about 10 yards away following the road. The trail is about 1 mile long until the swimming hole / junction which I turn right going in the opposite direction you would be with the directions above. You want to be on the right side of the stream when you turn right and go up the hill. There are multiple stream crossings and two camp fires on either side of the stream. As long as you are on the right hand side of the stream and follow the orange blazes up than you are going in the right direction.
It is very steep and feels very long, close to two miles into the hike is where you will find another campsite with a camp fire. I realized this was a spot a fellow reviewer talked about and there sure enough was a very short side trail that led to an amazing view. You start to descend and ascend reaching the next peak about a half mile later. you than have a one mile ascend to the third peak (which is the first if you are going by the other directions.) Descending from there you will reach a clearing with a 4 way junction with another camp fire site. Turn left here onto the PURPLE fire road trail and continue for .8 miles where Purple trail veers off into the woods where you begin another ascend.
You will reach the peak in about .2 miles where you will have a steady descend with a few small switchbacks until you reach the Orange trail again. You will want to go LEFT here. If you are going over a wooden foot bridge, you turned right, I don't know how far that goes but I went that direction and lost the trail a few years ago and had to follow the stream back. So after you turn left onto the trail that has Orange and Purple blazes it will only be a very short time (about .1 miles) until you reach that first junction by the swimming hole. You will turn RIGHT there and follow Mountain run back to the parking lot.
By doing it this way you do cut out a large portion of Boone Run. You add more of Mountain Run and the total distance of the hike is 6.11 miles. I hope this helps if anyone is ever familiar with Fridley Gap by getting to it this way instead!
By:
Paul
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 07, 2012
Great hike. The start was not at all hard to find, contrary to what some commenters have said. We took a side trip up the blue trail to the top of the ride (indicated on the map), and it was a nice contrast with the stream side trail we'd been going along.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, August 06, 2011
This was a fantastic hike. The directions given here are pretty good and we did not get lost. We did an overnight hike leisurely starting the day at about 4:00pm on Saturday. We hiked about 4 or 5 miles and made camp just before getting to the Fourth Mountain at the second camping spot we came across. We had to make camp quickly because the rain started coming down pretty hard but nonetheless had a great night eating some Backpacker's Country Pad Thai. I cannot stress enough how steep and long the hike up Fourth Mountain was. We were not wearing any kind of altimeter or gps but we must have climbed 750 feet in about 0.75 of a mile. The "Swimming Hole" is a great place to get in and cool off but don't think you're going to be able to swim around. It's about 4 feet deep at its deepest and is not very big. Overall the hike is fantastic and I highly recommend taking a couple days, not because it's so difficult but because it is very enjoyable. We also had a water pump so we didn't have to worry about bringing too much water which was nice. On these short hikes you can bring a little extra stuff because you won't have to carry it around for too long.
Simplified Directions:
1. Once you get on the Orange Blazed Trail keep going on it until you see the Blue Blazed Trail.
2. Do NOT turn onto to the Blue Blazed Trail keep going on the Orange Blazed Trail.
3. Arrive at a 4 way Junction and a clearing. This is a great camp site, but there is another one about 1.5-2 miles away which breaks up the hike better if you’re doing the whole thing.
4. You want to turn left at this junction. It is a bit overgrown and might not seem correct but it is, even though the sign says Fridley Gap trail is another direction, don’t go that way, make sure you go left at the four way junction.
5. There is another great camping area in this section at the top of a fairly long steep portion of the trail. It’s an established camp site with a rock fire pit. Once you have put your pack down make sure to climb up the small path, about 20 yards up is a fantastic view.
6. Keep following the Orange Blazed trail until you get to a junction in a valley by a stream. If you take the left fork you get to the Swimming Hole about 50 yards down the way. If you are not going to the Swimming Hole take the right junction going up to the right.
7. You will then take another right pretty quickly onto the Purple Blazed Trail (Leaving the Orange Blazed Trail)
8. This part of the trail is super steep. It’s about 0.75 miles and rises about 750 feet.
9. Stay on the Purple Blazed trail until you get back to the first four way junction you came across.
10. Now come back the way you came back to the parking area.
By:
Z-Money
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, July 23, 2011
This is the second time I hiked this trail and was just as happy as the first time. The start of the trail head goes along the gravel road. It seems like some people get confused on where to start, but it's pretty obvious if you follow the orange blaze. Note - There is a great view/camp site before you reach the swimming hole. The only people that we saw were a group camping near the swimming hole. We encountered a baby bear and a vicious rattle snake. The bear just hopped off when we approached, but the snake was not in a playful mood and made us wait until he went on his way. The hike doesn't have too many views, but with the swimming hole and challenging inclines its worth the work out.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Thursday, July 01, 2010
Fridley Gap Tr trailhead from Cub Run Road west toward Massanutten South Tr, one mile: found it! Drive 1.7 miles north from the "Welcome to GW National Forest" sign in Runkles Gap. On the left there is a prominent dirt road slanting downhill into a clearing. (There's a yellow barrier so vehicles can't enter the clearing itself.) Parking for 1-3 cars. Don't hike into the clearing, hoping to find the trail on the other side (I did that once -- doesn't go anywhere). Instead, the trailhead is exactly where the dirt road intersects Cub Run Road, on the north side of that jct. There IS a blaze, but it's set back and not easy to see unless you're looking at just the right spot. This part of the trail passes through what's now a burned area with blackened tree trunks. The lack of tree cover has allowed the underbrush to grow luxuriantly and it's quite a dramatic sight, especially at the top of the ridge. (Rocky climb steep in spots same destination via Martin Bottom Tr is easier but less interesting).
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