Indian Grave Ridge - Luray, Virginia


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Length Difficulty Streams Views Solitude Camping
8.6 mls
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4.5 hours plus a half hour for lunch
1,550 ft
George Washington National Forest
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e.g.. 12000 Government Center Parkway 22035 or Fairfax VA
At VA684/S Page Valley Rd. and the Shenandoah River proceed along VA684 7.5 miles. VA684 turns into gravel/dirt road named Page Valley Road.  About 0.5 miles after it becomes dirt veer left uphill onto VA717 (VA684 veers right into a dead end holler by the river), Continue 3.0 miles on VA717 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. The third parking area is found 0.8 miles further along VA717, left on 236 0.2 miles, and on the right just before the gate.

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.

If you parked at the first area walk 30 yards back to the road and turn left along dirt road VA717. In 0.25 miles the river will come in on your right, and in another 0.75 miles you will pass the second parking area and public river access point. There are spectacular river and valley views for the next 0.8 miles before you turn left onto gravel road VA236.

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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Hiker Reviews For The Indian Grave Ridge Hike (5 Most Recent)
Review the Indian Grave Ridge hike here!   Average Review Rating:

By: Jeremy Rating: Date of Hike: Sunday, August 31, 2008
Nice, quiet hiking spot I didn't see a single person on the non-717 portions of the hike. Definitely hadn't been anyone there in a bit at least, since I had the dubious honor of clearing out tons of spiderwebs. Good for wildlife, we came across a bear and two cubs right along the ridge trail, as well as deer and a box turtle elsewhere. It was also a pretty good workout going up, since the day was a bit on the hot side.

However, keep an eye out for ticks in the brush on the way up... perhaps I got unlucky (or was gifted them by the dog), but I ended up with hundreds (literally) of deer tick nymphs on my pant legs. Had to keep brushing them off every so often, and I ended up picking off dozens from my legs afterward.


By: Eric Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, July 05, 2008
Definitely enjoyed this hike, though it's much different than hiking in SNP.  The trails are not very well marked, and not always clear, but we seemed to make good decisions regarding where to go.  The trails do not look like they've been traveled in a while.  But the views were pretty good.  The decent is a little treacherous, so make sure ya got good shoes!  This one's a bit of an adventure.

By: Bruno Q. Pugglefoot Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, March 01, 2008

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.

    View all 7 reviews for the Indian Grave Ridge hike
Late September
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