This hike has great views from
the valley as it winds alongside the
Shenandoah River, and wonderful views
from the ridge line as
well. Also, as as a section of this loop hike utilizes
dirt road VA717 there are three parking options. We prefer
to use the first so we get
the flatter road section out of the way. The second parking
spot is a public launch area for the Shenandoah River, and
the third is
at the end of VA236 right before entering the GWNF and beginning
the uphill portion of the hike.
Climb VA236 for 0.2 miles before arriving at the third
parking, option and entrance to the GWNF. Enter the forest on the orange
blazed old logging road and in 0.4 miles pass a small
unmarked trail (not marked on the map) that splinters off to
the left. Continue on the orange blazed logging trail uphill
for another 1.0 miles arriving at the junction of the Toliver
Trail that turns left uphill.
At this junction the old logging trail continues straight, you
want to turn left uphill
through the closed gate on the orange
blazed Toliver Trail. The trail becomes steeper and in 0.6 miles
a connecter trail comes in from the right. Continue
straight uphill on the now white blazed trail as it wind
back to the left before arriving at the ridge line and intersection
of the Massanutten Trail in another 0.2 miles.
Veer left uphill in 50 yards staying on the orange blazed Massanutten trail as the Milford Gap Trail descends to your right.
Continue
along the ridge and in 1.3 miles the trail splits. Stay left
on the orange blazed trail along the top of the ridge and in
another 0.1 miles arrive at the intersection of the purple blazed
Indian Grave Ridge Trail that descends to your left.
Turn left downhill on the
purple blazed Indian Grave Ridge Trail as it steeply descends the mountain. In 2.3 miles the trail makes
a hard left and a old logging road comes in from the right. Stay
left on the purple blazed trail as it now gently descends Indian
Grave Ridge before arriving back at the first parking area in
another 0.7 miles.
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Reviews For The Indian Grave Ridge Hike (5 Most Recent)
Hello! Long time reader, first time reviewer. Indian Grave Ridge is a thorough, half-day jaunt that allows you to experience multiple terrain levels within a relatively short amount of time. The incline to the top of Massanutten was jack-knifed to avoid an over-strenuous climb. However, BRING A LEAF BLOWER! Our blind steps often caused nearly-twisted ankles and a few boo-boos.
Caution: Bruno, our 32-lb puggle, yakked at MP 8.1 (roughly 1000 yards from parking area #1). Look closely and you'll notice the havarti and hummus concoction we gave him for stamina.
By:
Alan & Carol Ritter
Rating:
Date of Hike: Thursday, May 10, 2007
Due to unseasonably hot weather (87 degrees, full sun), all we did was hike from parking area #1 to 1/2 mile past parking area #3 & turn back to #1, but it was really nice. That route was probably about 5-6 miles.The scenery is simple but lovely, walking the gravel/dirt road alongside a small flood plain of the Shenandoah. The road to parking #3 (VA 236) was NOT marked. Turn left at at old packhouse/shed right at the corner. That's 236. There's a house on stilts on the right just beyond the turnoff, so don't pass that house. The 1st parking area has room for 1 car barely off the road, and the area beyond it where you are really supposed to park has a rut so deep I don't think a Hummer could take it on. 2nd parking area has the boat ramp (canoe ramp) and a restroom. 3rd parking area is shady & has room for several cars. Don't do it in mid-day hot weather because there is very little shade. VA 717 is really nice to walk along. Only a couple of cars passed us. This would make a nice day hike with older kids who would enjoy the road views more than they would just forest.
By:
Tim
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 28, 2007
This was a nice hike and would have been even better if we hadn't intially missed the trailhead. We followed the instructions on the website and parked in the first lot and walked towards the other trail head at the 3rd parking lot. Unfortunately, we missed the road to the trailhead because we were too busy admiring the nice house on stilts on the right. Once we found the trail, we enjoyed the views of the valley through the tree branches. There weren't too many clean photo ops of the valley if you stay on the trail, but with a little climbing about you can get a decent shot here and there. Walking the ridge line was a really cool highlight and being able to see over into each of the valleys was great. The initial descent from the ridge towards the 1st parking lot was pretty taxing and we wondered aloud why we didn't tackle this side first. There were tons of fallen leaves on the trail which made for interesting footing, but luckily we all stayed upright. This hike should get the highest ranking for solitude because we only saw 1 other group of hikers all day. One more thing to note: The 1st parking lot was almost inaccessible thanks to a couple of deep ruts filled with water. My brother made it through with his Ford Escape, but had us a little worried when he nearly bottomed out (we'll definitely measure the depth of the puddle next time). If you're looking for solitude, cool views of the valley and river, and a physically taxing experience, this could be a good fit for you.
By:
Better Directions
Rating:
Date of Hike: Monday, July 03, 2006
The official directions to Indian Grave Ridge and Massanutten trail lack key clarity. Here are directions that will take all the apprehension out of finding the trail head and parking sites: Take I66 west to Front Royal 522/340 south, Drive through Front Royal staying on US340, After passing through Front Royal go south 28.0 miles on US340 to Luray, 0.5 miles after passing underneath US211 in Luray turn right on 675, AT MECHANIC STREET. Continue 3.5 miles then turn right ONTO ROUTE 684 after crossing the Shenandoah River. PROCEED ALONG 684 7.5 miles. 684 TURNS INTO A GRAVEL/DIRT ROAD NAMED PAGE VALLEY ROAD. ABOUT 0.5 miles AFTER IT BECOMES DIRT veer left uphill onto 717 (684 veers right INTO A DEAD END HOLLER BY THE RIVER). Continue 3.0 miles on 717 where the first parking area is on your left (sign on tree 'Indian Grave Trail'. 1.3 MILES FURTHER ALONG IS THE SECOND PARKING AREA WHICH IS A BOAT RAMP AREA. THE THIRD PARKING AREA IS FOUND 0.8 MILES FURTHER ALONG 717, 0.2 MILES NW OF THE JUNCTION OF 717 AND ROUTE 236.
We did not have time to take 4-6 hour hike. A nice 2 to 3 hour rigorous hike is to drive to Parking Area 3, hike along the logging road per the official directions, to the top of the Massanutten Ridge, rest awhile, have a picnic, take in the dramatic mountain, valley and river views, and return to your car on the same trail. This is not a hike for young children, as the trail up the mountain is steep and rocky with many switchbacks, but it is worth it for youth and adults. Be sure to take a knife or hatchet to get you a good stout stick to keep your balance as you negotiate the rocky trail. Mountain hiking doesn't get better than this.
NOTE: Thanks for providing more explicit driving directions. The published Indian Grave Ridge driving & parking area directions have been updated with your additions. HikingUpward.com
By:
Mark
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, May 28, 2006
I led some friends on this hike on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. We had a great time. Even the less-experienced found the climb to be pretty reasonable. The way down was a bit hard on people's knees, but not too bad. The trail was covered in leaves in places that made it a bit more treacherous than it should otherwise have been. One comment I have is on the parking area. My car was not capable of entering the first parking lot; it would have taken a serious off-road vehicle to get through those pits. Also, as it was a hot day, we wanted to go to the river at the end, so the next time I go on this hike, I'll be using the second parking area. Some canoe and tube outfitters use this area to pick up, so be sure to park out of the way as best you can. A final comment is that we made several wrong turns or missed turns on the way. The sign for 675 may have been missing coming from 211 (and really tiny going back); it is called Mechanic St. I measured 6.8 miles from the turn after the river until the dirt road, but the dirt/gravel nature of the road is poorly-defined. I also measured 11.6 miles from the first parking are to 675 (measured coming out, so no wrong turns), so one of us is off by 0.6 miles....
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