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Length	Difficulty	Streams	Views	Solitude	Camping
8.6 mls
Hiking Time: Elev. Gain: Links: Resources:	4.5 hours plus a half hour for lunch 2,075 ft George Washington National Forest Printable Topo Hike Map (PDF) Front Royal Weather Forecast Graphic Precip/Temp Forecast Current Weather Radar Loop (Java) Garmin (GDB), GPS eXchange (GPX) (What's this?) 3D View of Route!
From:	e.g.. 12000 Government Center Parkway 22035 or Fairfax VA 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.

I was concerned that the 8.6 miles might be a bit too much for us, but it wasn't.  This hike is gentle and moves along easily. Even so there are several well defined places on the map where you can plan to stop and head back.  The trail down from Menetka Pk is entirely gentle downhill and you fly along even if you're tired.

 While I saw some bear scat on the Massanutten trail I saw no bears.  Lots of blueberry bushes on the Tuscarora segment--should be ripe in another 4-6 weeks.  I got some good photos of two butterflies on a flower right as I emerged back at the parking lot.  I agree with the previous commenters--bring your boots for this hike.