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.
Interactive Hike Map BelowPrintable
Topo Hike Map (PDF) Hike route in Drag the map with your mouse using the icon Zoom with the controls on the left Mouse-over the icons in the map below for location shots
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Hiker
Reviews For The Meneka Peak Hike (5 Most Recent)
Went on a very hot, hazy and humid day. Thought to do Signal Knob, but given the haze the scenic vistas offered little reward. The first half of the hike is quite rocky, and you really need to life your feet and watch your step. The second half is downhill and easier. This would be a great hike when there are fewer leaves and clear skies. It took me about 3.5 hours to do the 8.5 mile loop. Did the hike on a weekday and so no one else. Did see bear droppings, but no wildlife otherwise.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 17, 2010
I decided to do this hike in reverse (with my dog) based on the campsites noted, since I was going to camp for the night. We got a late start on Saturday, so we really pushed the pace. The blue blazed Tuscarora trail was the most pleasant part of the hike....less rocky and plenty of springs for water sources along the way. We stopped at the Tuscarora (blue) and Meneka Peak (white) trail intersection for a break and the bugs literally swarmed us. Thank goodness the breeze picked up a bit and kept the bugs at bay during the white blazed Meneka Peak trail portion. The Meneka Peak trail was rockier than I expected, so don't count on this trail being easy simply because of the elevation changes being minor. We stopped for the night on the Massanutten trail, about 100 yards east of the Meneka Peak/Massanutten trail intersection. We had enough time before sunset to make a run for Signal Knob for the view, and check in via cell phone with the homefront. On Sunday morning, we hiked down the Massanutten trail (which was very rocky in the higher elevations) for the last 3 miles to the parking area. Next time, I would do this hike in the "regular" direction. There were some nice campsites along the Tuscarora trail, and some nice natural springs for water sources which would make camping just as enjoyable, without having to pack in as much water (assuming the springs don't run dry in the summer). Best parts of the hike: the views, the solitude, and the wind that kept the bugs at bay and the condensation non-existant. Worst part: the rocks (I have the blisters to prove it), and the hiker that went by at 3:38am(??) on Sunday morning and spooked both me and my dog.
And, I totally forgot about checking on the Geocache. :(
By:
kackeroo
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Addendum to my previous review. There is a nice campsite on the Tuscarora trail at coordinates 38 55' 53" N, 78 20' 21" W. It is close to a natural spring at 38 55' 56" N, 78 20' 45" W.
By:
threehikers
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, March 06, 2010
A beautiful clear day helped to make this hike enjoyable. The leaves are gone so the views are good even in places where there is no overlook. The trail up and the trail down were mostly snow free but the top across the peak was virtually snow covered the whole way. We hiked with our regular boots and had no problem with the snow other than the extra effort required when hiking in it. We met several people, one group, four people with dogs and one mountain bike on the trail. The parking lot was crowded. Most were doing the Signal Knob loop and we walked in complete solitude across the top of Meneka where we found some dry large rocks to have lunch. A good winter hike on a beautiful day!
By:
sarah
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, February 28, 2010
This was a good hike to begin the season! We started at the trail head on the right side of the parking lot (orange trail). The ascent was steady but not too steep. The views were fantastic since the trees were still bare. The snow on the mountains was gorgeous. The trails weren't muddy, though there was still snow near the top. We all had hiking boots, no winter weather footwear, and we did fine. Make sure your boots are waterproof though! There's a good place to stop for lunch right after the white trail meets the blue trail. There are lots of rocks to sit on and a nice view of the valley.
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