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 was an awesome hike! Lots of great views and a constantly changing variety of flora and geological features. We espescially liked the long, gradual descent beside Meadow Run from Chimney Rock. A few crossings of the run were challenging since there's been alot of rain this spring. I would recommend packing a pair of lightweight nylon water shoes to change into for the crossings (all 6 of them)! We did this hike in 8 hours, but really took our time to stop and look, eat, talk and just enjoy the beauty of the forest. It could be done in 5-6 hours if you keep a steady pace. We actually didn't reach the top of Wildcat Ridge till almost dark cause we stopped to visit with some friendly deer and have our pictures taken with them! So the last three miles back to Riprap parking we walked on the Drive under a beautiful starlit sky. What a day!
The only problem we encountered was at the last crossing right before the Rock Shelter. After crossing the stream, the trail takes a sharp right and you have to scramble up about 15-20 yards of rock before you see the next blue blaze to get you back on the trail. Other than that the trail was well marked and well maintained. Enjoy!
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Sunday, April 06, 2008
We were a little weary when we drove from Richmond to find out the forcast called for rain all day, but once we started the hike we realized it was worth it! We are kind of new to the hiking thing, but have really taken to it. We found the hike at Riprap Hollow to be challenging but beautiful. Our only complaint was that it was so foggy that we could not see the amazing views that we had heard about. Needless to say we will be visiting Riprap again but, next time hopefully it will be clear!
Note: the "wild cat ridge" portion of the hike is kind of intense for us new guys and is all up hill, but once you reach the App. trail its smooth sailing from there. Also, watch out, after you cross the stream for the fourth time, the trail goes to the right (the blue blaze is kind of hidden).
By:
John
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, November 10, 2007
This is a great hike to take. We went out there from Richmond this past weekend for an overnight, back country hike. The weather was about 29 degrees but we still had a great time. If you start out at the Rip Rap parking lot and head North to Chimney Rock you're in for great views! The trip starts with a pretty good up hill climb to get to the views and then descends pretty quickly. We didn't go all that far (about 3 miles) and found a great camping spot near the creek. The hike out the next day is pretty streneous (we didn't do the entire loop, just headed back the way we came). Totally worth while and a nice hike.
Couple things though. First DO NOT follow the Mapquest or Google directions to get to skyline drive via Jarmans Gap. it will send you up a dirt road up the mountain that looks like a scene out of Deliverance. Second, the ranger said that there were no open fires even though the website says the ban has been lifted.
By:
Chris
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, November 03, 2007
My family and I walked this trail on the first weekend in November. Temperature was in the mid 30's at our mid morning start and warmed to the lower 50's. We wore wicking base layers and light fleece and were quite comfortable with light daypacks. This is a very nice trail and the foliage was spectacular in places and I would guess it will stay that way for about another week or so. The views from Chimney rock were excellent with great visibility. Light hiking boots or shoes will work fine for this hike. It does cross the stream in several places but you can make your way across without getting your feet wet. The trail is mostly downhill for the first several miles and then climbs for the 2nd half of the hike. It took us about 5.5 hours to complete it and we were in no hurry. We stopped on numerous occasions to take pictures as well as have lunch. If you are in reasonable shape, you should have a very enjoyable hike on this trail. Our only disappointment was a complete lack of wildlife. At the end, we didn't even recall seeing any birds, but it was still a very enjoyable experience, though not terribly physically challenging.
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, October 27, 2007
What a wonderful hike! My gf and I had never been hiking before and decided to take on this beautiful challenge. We started on the trail backwards and glad we made that desicion. There was alot of bear poo on the first part! I was crossing my fingers just to get a glimpse of a bear but no luck. I think my gf was happy about that. The trail was very easy to follow. We only really saw other hikers when we got to the waterfall but I don't think alot of them go all the way around RipRap Hollow's 9.8 miles. Not a whole lot to see in the first half of the hike but plenty of views going back up the mountain. We found going back up the mountain was alittle bit of a challenge for us bc we never thought it was going to end! We did finish this hike in about 5hrs. We thought that was pretty good considering we never have done this before. I would recommend this to everyone this time of year! Also if you do this trail backwards you leave the best sights for last, which takes your mind off the challenging upward hike! thanks hikingupwards for all your help!!
icon 
