The
first two miles of the Little Devils Stairs hike in the Shenandoah
National Park can be tough if the day
is warm. The best time to do this hike is the early spring when water levels are at a peak, making the numerous waterfalls along the run that much nicer. At one point the trail even passes through a small set of falls.
The trail will begin up the right side of the parking lot
on the blue blazed Little Devils Stairs Trail. After 0.9 miles
the grade will increase sharply as the trail climbs
the ravine, and starts crisscrossing Keyser Run.
The Little Devils Stairs Trail is
hard to spot in places and you have to look for the blue
blazes on the trees. However, if you believe you've lost the trail it's difficult to go too far off track, as the gorge is very narrow and trail
runs along one side or the other of the stream. As you climb up the gorge there are several spots that require hand over hand climbing.
At 1.8 miles the Little Devils Stairs Trail becomes less steep, then makes several switchbacks before leveling
off completely and arriving at the intersection of the Keyser Run Fire Road, and four way junction.
Turn left down the yellow blazed Keyser Run Fire Road and in 2.0 miles enter an old hemlock
forest before arriving at the Bolen Cemetery
and intersection
of the for the the Hull
School Trail.
Stay left down
the yellow blazed Keyser Run Fire road as it becomes steeper
for the final 1.1 miles back to the parking area.
Interactive Hike Map BelowPrintable
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Hiker
Reviews For The Little Devils Stairs Hike (5 Most Recent)
I hiked Old Rag in the morning, ate some lunch and started this hike in the early afternoon. Parked at the bottom at the end of SR 614. I have done this hike a few times and always enjoy the views of the gorge, the sheer walls and the small waterfalls (which provide a nice breeze). I think that this hike is most scenic in the winter when the trees have shed their leaves and you can better see the rock walls. This time I decided to go up Little Devil Stairs and go past fourway on to Piney Branch Trail. I enjoyed this route more than the shorter loop. This way you get some extra stream crossings and are only on the fire road for about a mile. Very enjoyable!
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, July 01, 2007
It hurts to say but, I am an over weight (20-30lbs) 41 year old male, who quit running about two years ago. (So you get some idea of fitness level). My wife, a daughter (12), and I hiked Little Devils Stairs today. We arrived at 1100: there were 7 cars in the lot. We made the trip up around and back down the fire road in just less than three hours. There were still 7 cars but several had changed shape and color. We didn't stop to eat lunch however; several rest breaks were needed during the ascent. We made the entire decent without stopping. The walk down the fire road peaceful and the air was full of scents. We could smell wild flowers near the top and as we enter the area with pine trees we could definitely smell them. The water levels allowed for the nice babbling of water during the ascent. The decent was nearly silent, except for an airline that passed over. ***One thing we missed until the trail head notice was the entry fee requirement. We filled out the form and paid for the annual fee. The thirty dollars covers four family members for a year.
By:
tawlk
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, June 30, 2007
We got to the parking lot around 10:30 on a Saturday and there were 4 other cars in the lot. When we left there were about 8...not too bad for a holiday weekend. I liked the hike better in the winter; you could see more of the rock formations and cascades as you ascend the trail. We ended up finishing the loop in about 3-hours. As I mentioned in my previous review, I highly suggest following the loop as posted on this site. Going up the falls and down the fireroad makes a lot more sense than the other way around. The only notable event on this hike was the nice size bear tracks we saw on the fireroad, man I wish we could have seen him!
By:
crunchy
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, June 16, 2007
awesome awesome weather for a good summer hike! When I got to the parking area around noon, there were only 2 other cars and a motorcycle! Pretty easy hike overall. They have a low scenic rating for it, but I think thats subjective. Sounds like the ratings are only based on vista views, because I thought alot of the waterfalls and rock scenery was awesome. The hike description also mentioned "hand over hand climbing" in some spots, which I'm not sure what they mean, but never once did I have to put my hand on a rock to climb up. Only saw a couple other people on the trail when I was there which was nice also. I didn't time my hike, but it couldn't have been more than 2.5 hours which included a little lunch break. If you are new to hiking, this might be a good precursor hike to Old Rag. (altho I don't think old rag is too difficult)
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Wednesday, May 30, 2007
It was a sunny, hot and humid day with very little wind. Little Devil Stairs was a harder hike than I expected but very enjoyable. Originally I'd planned on returning via the Piney Branch trail but decided to return via the Keyser Run Fire Road. I found with careful route selection and liberal use of trekking poles, that there were only a very few places that I needed to do hand over hand climbing. The one problem that I see with this hike is that after climbing little devil stairs I would liked to have been rewarded with a nice view. There were some spot that you could see through the trees on the fire road. Maybe in the early spring the views would be better.
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