Riprap Hollow is one of the best circuit hikes in the southern section of the Shenandoah National Park. The views from Chimney Rock, and along the ridge of Rocks Mountain, offer great vistas to the west and north. The spring fed stream in Cold Spring and Riprap Hollow is very scenic, and has a 50ft wide swimming hole fed by yet another mountain spring.
From the Riprap parking area walk the 50 yards along the blue blazed trail to the intersection of the white blazed Appalachian Trail. Turn right uphill on the white blazed trail for 0.4 miles to the intersection of the Riprap Trail.
Turn left on the blue blazed Riprap Trail as it descends through a hollow on the ridge before climbing and arriving at the first vista point in 0.7 miles. In another 0.3 miles reach the second vista and Chimney Rock. From Chimney Rock the trail will begin to descend into Cold Springs Hollow. In 1.7 miles from Chimney Rock the spring fed stream that has come in on the left of Riprap Trail will pass through a small gorge and over a 20ft waterfall.
After passing the waterfall follow the blue blazed Riprap Trail for another 0.3 miles to a large swimming hole. Just past the swimming hole the trail will cross the stream, and pass a trail marker and an overgrown trail that leads to an old Riprap Shelter on the right. Continue straight on the blue blazed Riprap Trail next to the stream for another 0.7 miles to the intersection of the Wildcat Ridge Trail.
Turn left on the blue blazed Wildcat Ridge Trail and shortly cross the stream again before the trail starts heading uphill through a small gorge. In 0.6 miles the Wildcat Ridge Trail will make several switchbacks and become much steeper, as it follows the Wildcat Ridge for another 2.0 miles to the four way intersection with the white blazed Appalachian Trail.
Turn left on the while blazed Appalachian Trail for the remaining 2.8 miles back to the Riprap 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 Click the icons in the map below for location shots
Calculate roughly how many calories you could burn on the Riprap Hollow hike:
=
Hiker
Reviews For The Riprap Hollow Hike (5 Most Recent)
This hike was amazing, I never saw one person throughout the 9 miles. I did encounter a black bear but once it got 50 yards from my dog and I, it ran away. It was very peaceful at the outlooks and along the stream. The water hole looked really fun but it was way too cold for me to jump into but not for the dog! This trail would be great in any weather. It took me 4 hours but I picked up the pace after the 3.4 mile marker.
By:
Scott D.
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, August 23, 2009
This will easily become one of my favorite hikes in SNP. We took a Scout Patrol of 3 boys and 3 Leaders. We were unable to find any suitable sites to camp along the AT in close proximity to the Rip Rap parking area. A Quick drive back down to the Wildcat parking area found several nice spots for our small group. I was very upset at the amount of trash and debris that I encountered along the trail. I simply could not pick it all up. I found most of it along the stream after the swimming hole. Soiled toilet paper and cigarette butts littering the paths are less than appealing. We only encountered one group of 2 hikers on the trail. We met the same group on the AT as they were hiking the loop opposite our direction. One group of 3 hikers on the AT wrapped up our trip as we made our final leg into the parking area. I would recommend this hike for any one with moderate ability and especially Scout troops who want something quiet and tranquil.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, May 30, 2009
I've done dozens of hikes in the SNP and this one is easily my second favorite after Old Rag. The 9.5 mile length feels more like your typical 6 mile hike due to the long stretches of (relatively) level trail. The first stream you come upon is considerably different from most streams in the park in that it is very quick moving, lacking much sediment, and crystal clear. When you reach the falls it's in rock-walled cove like area reminiscent of White Oak Canyon, but it feels less crowded and almost hidden. There are countless whirlpool-esque breaks in the cascades that could be sat in, but when we went the water was so cold that our feet hurt after the stream crossings. The best part was the swimming hole, and even though we didn't go in, it was like something you'd expect to see somewhere tropical--much bigger than the pictures suggest.
The biggest negative about the hike was the overabundance of hikers/campers who weren't following the park rules. One large group of people decided to plop themselves with their tents right along the river--in violation of the National Park rules for backcountry camping which define a buffer of 30 feet between campsites and streams, and a limit of 10 people in a party. Not exactly a consistent visual feature along a tranquil cascade.
I like dogs, but it is worrisome to constantly have them unleashed and running toward you with no owner in sight--which happened at least twice. This is also against park rules (leashing dogs for an entire hike is kind of unrealistic, but at least keep an eye on them).
I got the feeling a lot of people come in from the boundary without paying the entrance fees and just kind of go off the momentum of breaking that rule and go on to do whatever they want, which doesn't seem to be as common in the other areas of the park.
Overall, with the mountain laurel abundantly blooming, and the weather perfectly mild--this hike easily made my top three in the SNP.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, May 16, 2009
My first serious mountain hike and it was great! A cloudy cool morning with fog in the hollows turned into a mid-seventies sunny spring day as I left the parking area at 9:30AM. Doing the circuit as described on the site, I enjoyed the overlooks but would have stayed there longer if I had realized that they were the few valley vistas visible through the foilage. The descent into the hollow was tough for me, downhill bothers my knees more than the climbs, but for a 57 year old in good shape it was doable, even with a 30 lb pack. Once the stream came in on the left, the scenery absorbed my attention and the variety of flora and fauna was beautiful. Either mountain laurel or rhododenron was in full flower and the moss was an almost electric green. The swimming hole and the stream crossings were nice too. I saw very few hikers on the way down into the hollow. Once the climb up to Wildcat Ridge began, I kept my head down and maintained a pretty steady pace, enjoying the sounds and smells of the woods as I hiked alone. The climb was a steady uphill and I did it without pause. Once I reached the ridge I looked up and spotted an adult black bear on the trail ahead, maybe 50 yards away. After a mutual stare down, he ambled into the woods and I proceeded to the turn off to the AT and my return to the parking lot. I was tired but glad that I was in shape and wearing good footwear. I look forward to my next hike, I hope it will be as enjoyable as this was.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, February 08, 2009
Definitely one of my favorite hikes now. I had been wanting to do this hike for sometime but never got a chance until this past weekend. We took advantage of the daylight savings and headed out after noon. We can't imagine doing this hike during the summer with all the leaves. It was so great seeing all around us and taking in just how low into the valley we were going and all the peaks above us. Had we done this hike during the summer we'd have missed some really amazing rock walls and other geological features. We started from the Riprap parking area and followed the directions posted here. We opted for this starting point so we wouldn't hit the climb at the end, where we would have been fatigued after 7 miles of hiking. We enjoyed taking it easy on the AT to cool down on the way back to the car. We can definitely see doing this hike during the summer to take in the nice pools and to take advantage of the nice camping sites we saw that may not have been visible with leaves on the trees. Highly recommend. Do bring lots of water though and plenty of snacks as the hike is long and the climb tough. Definitely worth the effort for the awesome views and beautiful scenery.
icon 
