The
Big Devils Stairs hike is one of the more overlooked scenic gorge hikes in the Shenandoah National Park. With two nice overlooks of the gorge and valley below, this 5.5 mile out and back hike is a nice alternative to the more crowded hikes in the central section of the SNP.
From the parking area at Gravel Springs Gap, pass the chain gate and follow the wide yellow blazed fire road as it heads downhill. The white blazed Appalachian Trail will follow the fire road on the right for the first 200 yards. The fire road will begin to descend more steeply before making a hairpin turn to the right at the first intersection.
Turn left following the narrower yellow blazed horse trail towards Big Devils Stairs (the fire road will now become blue blazed as it heads towards Gravel Springs Shelter). Follow the yellow blazed horse trail for 0.1 miles to the next intersection. Turn left remaining on the yellow blazed trail (again the blue blazed trail to the right goes to the shelter). In 200 yards the yellow blazed trail arrives at the intersection of the yellow blazed Bluff Trail.
Turn left on the yellow blazed Bluff trail towards Big Devils Stairs, as it heads north around the mountain for 1.4 miles to the intersection of the blue blazed Big Devils Stairs trail.
Continue down the trail for another 120 yards to the second overlook. Be cautions to watch your footing as the trail is narrow and passes close to the ledge in this section. The second overlook is the turn around point. From here the trail continues down to the stream and park boundary. There is no public access from the lower section of the trail.
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Reviews For The Big Devils Stairs Hike (5 Most Recent)
Reached the trail head around 11 a.m. , knowing there wasn't a great deal of day light I was slightly concerned by the time estimate provided by sign (at around 5 hours) but all of the other information we'd seen estimated a far shorter time. The hike out was surprisingly low key, no stretches of uphills or downhills for any significant duration. I'd guess we arrived to the overlook in just over an hour. The second overlook provided a great view of the falls and gorge and offered a nice flat spot for some lunch. The hike back had some low grade inclines for a nice elevated heart rate at a quicker pace. Temperatures were in the upper 30's/ & low 40's so it was cool, we only ran into a single hiker and one small group on our way back. Including lunch we finished this hike at just about 3 hours. I'd recommend this hike for anyone who wants to squeeze in a quick out and back with a nice view of the valley, or for folks who may not be as experienced or fit for some of the more difficult hikes. Solid 3-star
By:
1 ExFed
Rating:
Date of Hike: Thursday, December 15, 2011
Started from the parking lot at 8:30 AM with a partly cloudy sky. The absence of leaves really makes this hike worthwhile. About 1.5 miles into the hike I observed a doe being tracked by a coyote. Unfortunately, the coyote saw me as soon as he came into view, flipped in the air reversing his course, and disappeared over the ridge from whence he came. Upon leaving the park I stopped and spoke with a Park Ranger who confirmed that coyotes have been reported in the area. What a thrill, what a day!
By:
Priyanka
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, November 12, 2011
Well let me start by saying am a beginner in terms of hiking ...i started the hike at 10.30 am and finished by 3.30 pm..5 hours..and we took like one hour break in the stream and the second overlook...the hike is pretty easy on you way towards the stream..even though we saw most of the hikers return after the second overlook, we went ahead and went downhill towards the stream..on our way back , we took more than 3 stops as i was out of breath,which is expected as i am not much of a hiker..it was overall a moderate hike in terms of physical activity, and the trail till the first overlook was very easy and after crossing that, it became narrow and downhill...At this time of the year there is no greenery at all, the dry leaves are all over...it had its own beauty...we saw like 1 big group of people and then few couples...so not many hikers which was nice..the solitude was a plus, even though i expected more people as it was the veterans weekend and the park had free entry. Overall a fun hike!
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, October 02, 2011
Spectacular view from the overlook. We continued down the ravine after the second overlook despite the stacked rocks (signifying the end of the stairs). We did this hike after the Harris Hollow Trail, very eager to hike this one again.
By:
MikeA
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, September 03, 2011
Getting to the trailhead is easy enough. The trail itself is well marked and easy to follow. It's a little rocky but altogether not that bad. It's really not too difficult of a hike, especially at an easy pace. The 'decent' down the Big Devils Stairs to the overlook isn't too steep, so coming back up isn't too strenuous but will get your heart going a bit. Took us 2.5 hours total, not including a stop at the overlook for a snack.
The overlooks are nice enough, though there isn't a heck of a lot to see--the 2nd overlook is the turnaround point. A helpful hiker has marked this with a small stack of rocks--if you see it, you're at the end. you can continue down into the ravine along the blue blazed trail, but as other reviews have said, not a lot to see and a steep hike back out. We saw a few groups at the trailhead and 1 other group on the trail but mostly had it to ourselves.
It's an OK walk through the woods--not a lot of sights along the way, nothing overly challenging, and the overlook is less than spectacular.
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