Thornton Hollow Hike

Thornton Hollow Trail - SNP, Virginia


	Printable Topo Trail Map
	Click for location shots
	Click for Parking/Start location
	Hike trail
	Other trail

Length	Difficulty	Streams	Views	Solitude	Camping
12.8 mls
Hiking Time: Elev. Gain: Links: Resources:	6.0 hours plus a half hour for lunch 2,250 ft Shenandoah National Park Printable Topo Hike Map (PDF) Sperryville Weather Forecast Graphic Precip/Temp Forecast Current Weather Radar Loop (Java) Garmin (GDB), GPS eXchange (GPX) (What's this?) 3D View of Route!
From:	e.g. 12000 Government Center Parkway 22035 or Fairfax VA Note: Only two parking spots on 612/Hull School Rd.

This hike is rated 5 because of the distance. Taking just over 7 hours you will definitely feel tired when you're done! There are great wooded areas with two different rivers the Thornton and Piney.

With only two close parking spots near the end of RT 612 make sure to get an early start. Enter the park on yellow-blazed Thornton River Trail and climb gently for 1.4 miles where you reach the intersection of the Hull School Trail.

Turn Right on the Hull School Trail ascending more steeply to the ridge line in another 0.7 miles. Turn left onto the blue blazed Fork Mountain Trail and ascend the ridge line for 1.2 miles before coming to the junction of the Piney Ridge Trail that comes in from the right.

Continue straight on what is now called the Piney Ridge Trail for another 2.0 miles before coming to a service road junction. Continue straight another 100 yards to the junction of the white blazed Appalachian Trail where you will turn right. Take the Appalachian Trail for 0.5 miles before it meets back up with the service road for 50 yards then veers to the right. Stay on the Appalachian Trail for another 0.5 miles until you get to the intersection of the Pole Bridge Link Trail.

Turn right downhill on the Pole Bridge Link Trail crossing a stream in 0.7 miles and arriving at the junction of the Piney Branch Trail in 1.2 miles.

Turn right downhill on the Piney Branch Trail for 1.2 miles crossing the Piney River and passing the junction of the Piney Ridge Trail at 1.8 miles. Continue downhill on the Piney Branch Trail crossing Piney River again in 0.3 miles and coming to the junction of the Hull School Trail 0.5 miles further. Continue downhill and re-cross Piney River for the last time 100 yards from the last intersection. 25 yards after crossing Piney River you will come to the intersection of the Hull School Trail where you will turn right uphill for 1.0 miles to the Piney Ridge line junction that began the loop earlier.

Continue straight downhill, retracing your steps from earlier turn right on the Thornton River Trail and return to the parking area in another 1.2 miles.

Interactive Hike Map Below Printable 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 Thorton Hollow hike:

Your Weight: lbs = Calories burned | What is your daily caloric requirement? Find Out Here

Hiker Reviews For The Thorton Hollow Hike (5 Most Recent)

Review the Thorton Hollow hike here! Average Review Rating:

By: Jeff	Rating:	Date of Hike: Sunday, July 06, 2008
This was a great hike. While I was hiking it was raining and covered everything with a fine mist. This made for good animal sightings and I saw multiple deer, lizards, and even a black bear (it ran away from me as quickly as it could....thankfully). The write up about the hike is very good, although i will say it didn't take me quite 7 hours either. My only suggestion about the directions. After you get to the Appalachian Trail, you are on it for .5 miles before crossing a service road and then continue on it for another .5 miles. While I agree with this, I didn't ever come across the Pole Bridge Link Trail. I am not sure if the name changed or anything, but the trail I took was actually the Piney Branch Trail, which is what you are on for much of the remainder of the hike. All in all great hike. No great views, but there is something great about walking in the woods.

By: Atouk	Rating:	Date of Hike: Sunday, May 28, 2006
Warning To Backpackers: The two parking spots are now accompanied by a 'No Parking From Dusk To Dawn' sign, and a derth of 'No Parking Anywhere Else Either' type signs. I was planning to split the hike into two half day hikes, with an overnight camp in the backcountry... which is a very poor plan if you can't park overnight. Anyway, if you are planning an overnight trip, you can park at mile 21 of the Skyway inside of Shenandoah, and do essentailly the same hike from the northernmost point. The hike itself was nice, and the foot traffic was almost non-existant (especially if you're hiking in the evening and early morning like an overnighter). My hiking dog gives this hike 3 or 4 barks up... with a side of growl for the parking situation.

By: NickLucci	Rating:	Date of Hike: Saturday, December 03, 2005
A great walk in the woods. I particularly enjoyed the ridge-line section towards the summit, and the riverside descent on piney branch. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised by the posted mileage and hiking time -- they both seem a bit padded. 8 hours?! I know I pace faster than most, but including a 20 minute lunch and several photo-stops, I managed to finish this one in just over 5. hmm... The network of trails can get a bit tricky, so for safety and peace of mind, be sure to print out and bring along hikingupwards' trail summery (which is superb by the way). Also, it's probably not a great idea to embark on this trek during a thaw or after heavy rains -- the three river crossings are described as such for a reason. Otherwise, bring plenty of water and a tolerance for black bears, it's likely you'll need both for this one.

Late April