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Meneka Peak - Front Royal, 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
2,075 ft
George Washington National Forest
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Signal Knob parking area

The Meneka Peak hike in the Front Royal area of the George Washington National Forest is an abbreviated version of the Signal Knob hike. This saves about 2 miles and the 900ft second incline back up from the other other side of the ridge.

The hike starts from the right hand side of the Signal Knob parking area and is marked by both yellow (Signal Knob Trail) and Orange (Massanutten Trail) blazes. Start uphill on the yellow/orange blazed trail as it shortly passes a old stone house on your left and curves to the right around the mountain for 1.5 miles until arriving at Buzzard Rock Overlook.

The trail will take a hairpin turn back to the south then in 0.7 miles turns back to the north again following a ridge and passing a couple of great camp sites before meeting the intersection of the white blazed Meneka Peak trail that enters from the left 1.1 miles further.

Turn left on the Meneka Peak Trail as it continues uphill on the ridge crossing over the high point of your hike in 0.4 miles then gradually sloping down until reaching the intersection of the blue blazed Tuscarora Trail in 0.8 miles from the peak.

Turn left downhill on the blue blazed trail as it winds back and forth through the Bear Wallow area and passing the pink blazed Sidewinder Trail on your right in 1.7 miles.

Continue straight on the blue blazed trail as it winds downhill passing a white blazed connector trail for Elizabeth Furnace just before you cross a creek 1.0 miles from the pink blazed trail.

Continue straight on the blue blazed trail as it winds around the mountain before reaching a flatter area close to the valley and an intersection in 0.9 miles where the blue blazed trail now turns right downhill.

Again continue straight on the now orange blazed Massanutten Trail (this section was formerly the the Tuscarora Spur Trail and was reblazed in 2002) for only another 0.5 miles as it descends slightly then parallels VA678 before arriving back on the right side of the Signal Knob parking area.

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Hiker Reviews For The Meneka Peak Hike (5 Most Recent)
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By: Mike Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, May 04, 2013
This is a good hike that you can easily knock out in about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Albeit a little rocky on the way up, the grade is steady and the views are decent. Bear Wallow is an appropriate name since I encountered a very large black bear during the descent from Meneka Peak. We stared each other down from about 50 yards for about a minute. It was clear he wasn't budging, so I backtracked about 1/10 mile, waited a few minutes, and then slowly resumed the hike. By the time I reached that spot, he was gone. Be alert and walk with your head up - that's my advice.

By: Rating: Date of Hike: Friday, January 18, 2013
Cranked this out in 3 hours flat (to the minute--first time that has ever happened). Started at 6:58 am at sunrise and ended at 9:58 am. Nice views on the way up. The trail meanders a bit -- I would have knocked off 1/2 mile to a mile for some steeper climbs. This is a nice, self-contained loop. The rocks underfoot, pervasive on the first half of the hike, provide a nice challenge. 

By: Fort Valley Man Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, December 01, 2012
I like this trail enough to have taken my students here several times for hiking trips, but I think it is slightly overrated compared to some of the trails further south in the Massanutten range.  Nice views at the top, proximity to some nice water (Passage Creek on one side and the Strasburg Reservoir on the other), and a bit of history.  This was a signal outpost during the Civil War and the site of a very minor battle.  A Georgian Volunteer killed in the fight is buried near the reservoir.  Lots of evidence of Indian visitation along the Meneka Peak.  Fairly convenient compared to other hiking spots.

By: PeteandhisdogJordie Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, March 10, 2012
I hiked a small portion of this trail just to see what was at Meneka Peak as I was hiking the Signal Knob trail because the junction to the peak is only a half mile away. I don't think I will hike this way again. For a trail called Meneka peak, and signs indicating Meneka peak, there was nothing to indicate when you arrived, and I had to guess. The only way I knew that I was there was that I was at the highest point in the trail, there was a campsite there, and everything was lower. There is no overlook at the peak, as it was really obscured by trees. My recommendation is that if you are looking for a good view, either just stop at the second overlook on the Signal Knob trail, or take the extra time to go to Signal Knob. Otherwise, after the second overlook on the Signal Knob trail, it's just becomes walking through the woods....

By: japplin Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, January 28, 2012
Good hike today with my 10 year old.  He did it without breaking a sweat.  I on the other hand...  First, the directions are perfect.  Can't miss.  Degree of difficulty is a hard one.  The inclines are not steep at all.  Views are tremendous. It can be difficult to stumble across the several rock slides.  Several great campsites.  Some joker decided it would be funny to put a Chesapectin fossil in the fire pit of the campsite at Meneka Peak.  Watch out for the bikers. They're nice guys. It was our experience that they won't see you until they're right upon you. 

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Mid May

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