This is a secluded out and back hike in the Veach Gap area of the George Washington National Forest near Front Royal, VA. Most of the hike is a gradual ascent through Veach Gap, with a beautiful overlook and campsite at the high point.
Start by passing the closed gate and heading up the yellow blazed Veach Gap Trail. Cross from the right bank over the run in 1.0 miles. After crossing the run meet the intersection of the orange/blue blazed Massanutten/Tuscarora Trail in another 0.1 miles.
Continue up the orange/blue blazed trail for another 1.4 miles, where the trail will turn right for
0.1 miles before turning back to the left. From this point there is a nice view of the Massanutten Valley to the southwest.
Continue up the trail passing a small rockslide, and in 0.2 miles as you reach the ridge line, arrive at the first of three overlooks. The second overlook is in another 0.2 miles. The third, and most spectacular overlook, is in another 240 feet at the high point of the hike, along with a great campsite. The sunrise is fantastic as it comes over the Shenandoah National Park to the east on a clear morning.
To return just retrace the route
back to Veach Gap Trail, turn right, and continue down to the parking area.
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Reviews For The Veach Gap Hike (5 Most Recent)
This was an overnight backpack trip from Saturday to Sunday for me and my sister. Neither of us have backpacked in a long time and I was looking for a relatively low impact hike. This trail served nicely with a gradual elevation and not a long distance to the campsite. The weather was just right. Clear skies made for a colourful sunrise.
A special thanks going out to two Hiking Upward users: Matt and Sarah (whom we didn't know). They were already well established in the campsite when we arrived in the evening after a late start. They were gracious and extremely accommodating. Sarah had the campfire going strong and all we had to do was unload our packs and settle in by the fire. Understandably it is always a bit of a bummer when other people "intrude" in the peace and solitude, but Matt and Sarah were not put out at all, rather they were friendly and welcoming and made our trip all the more fun. You guys are true gems and a real inspiration!
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Date of Hike: Saturday, August 20, 2011
This hike was OK, not great but fairly easy with some nice views at the top. We had no issues with ticks, so this may be a spring phenomenon. There were lots of spiderwebs traversing the trail, some just strands but some with small spiders too. We saw/heard very little wildlife other than cicadas, which could be a seasonal issue as well. One trail note: the trail merges with the left side of the creekbed for several hundred yards after the first 0.5 miles -after a heavy rain it may be hard to figure out where you're going, but just head upstream on the left side and you'll eventually find the trail again on the left bank. I agree with previous contributors that the stretch for about 2 miles after the junction is pretty boring. But we had a nice time at the top looking at the views and building a fire at the firepit in the campsite. We didn't actually camp, but it looked like an ideal spot assuming no T-storms and non-windy conditions. Overall, a very quiet (1 other hiker) and fairly easy hike (some ankle twisting is possible due to numerous small rocks, both loose and embedded) with nice views and some camping opps. But I would have ranked it a 1 were it not for the views, the camping opps and the fire-pit at the top.
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Date of Hike: Saturday, August 20, 2011
I have revised my rating because of CHIGGERS! Make sure you use your repellent and I highly recommend that you avoid wearing shorts on this hike in warm weather, because the beginning includes some long grass and the top part has some overgrown areas, which is where I believe we picked them up. And chigger bites are worse than mosquito bites, believe me. AND you don't know you have them until 24-48 hours after the hike. You should be OK if you're hiking when its less than 65 degrees tho.
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Date of Hike: Sunday, April 03, 2011
Trail was pretty much as described here...nice gradual ascent up to the ridgeline, and the view was fantastic. Most of the orange/blue trail before the first switchback had sporadic muddy areas, but it was easy to sidestep those. Encountered a large black bear (appeared to be a sow without cubs) on the way back, but she disappeared quickly when I yelled at her.
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Date of Hike: Sunday, November 28, 2010
This was a great hike for a nice fall Saturday. The trail head was easy to find. We did not see anyone else on the trail and there were few traces of other folks having been on the trail recently. Very secluded and quiet. The overlook was spectacular. I highly recommend it.
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