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White Oak Canyon - SNP, Virginia


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Length Difficulty Streams Views Solitude Camping
4.8 mls
Hiking Time:
Elev. Gain:
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4.0 hours plus a half hour for lunch
1,200 ft
Shenandoah National Park
Printable Topo Hike Map (PDF)
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e.g. 12000 Government Center Parkway 22035 or Fairfax VA

One of the best waterfall hikes in the Park. This hike isn't difficult and can easily be completed in under four hours. You can also see White Oak Canyon falls from a more difficult loop hike that also descends Cedar Run and starts at the bottom of the mountain. For a loop route see the WOC/CR hike.

Although this hike can be steep in sections it is still ok for younger children as the trail is well maintained and doesn't require any creek crossing without footbridges. Being one of the most popular hikes in the park it can be very busy in the peak seasons of spring and fall.

Start on a gentle grade downhill on the White Oak Canyon Trail and cross the Limberlost Trail in 0.3 miles. Continue downhill and re-crossing the Limberlost Trail and coming to the first footbridge footbridge in another 0.3 miles.

White Oak Run is now off to your left. As you get closer to the main falls, 1.0 miles after crossing the footbridge, White Oak Road will come in from your right.

Turn left over the footbridge and continue downhill for another 200 yards to arrive at the best waterfall overlook in the park and a great place for a picnic lunch.

To return just retrace your route.

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Calculate roughly how many calories you could burn on the White Oak Canyon hike:

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Hiker Reviews For The White Oak Canyon Hike (5 Most Recent)
Review the White Oak Canyon hike here!   Average Rating:   Share Hike: 

By: Rating: Date of Hike: Saturday, January 07, 2012
This was my boyfriend and I's second hike on this trail. We first hiked it in October 2010 with my younger siblings and we all loved it! The scenery is beautiful and the waterfalls were breathtaking! The hike to the upper falls was moderate, while the hike to the lower falls was much more challenging! We enjoyed taking pictures of the waterfalls, and yesterday the weather was great! It got up to 65 mid-day, then around 2pm a cold front moved in. I recommend this hike to everyone!

By: Rating: Date of Hike: Monday, January 02, 2012
Great day hike, temps were in their mid twenties but provided the right amount of chill, this hike follows the creek and their are some nice falls to keep the trail interesting. Would recommend to anyone, not too difficult, just remember you gotta hike back up!

By: Rating: Date of Hike: Sunday, October 09, 2011
Took my two kids out today for a hike on a beautiful October day. We went to White Oak Falls, but since I had never done it down form Skyline Drive we decided to try it. We just went down to the upper falls. The hike was great. My two kids 12 and 7 had a great time. The hike was easy soft earth intermixed with a few rocky places and plenty of water views. We stopped several times to see a interesting rock. or cool bridge. The trip down and back, including a several stops for pictures, snacks, and just breaks took us about three hours. Could not have picked a better day to go. This hike is well worth the climb back up.

By: Lex Rating: Date of Hike: Friday, February 11, 2011
What an awesome day for a hike! We had beautiful weather and the trail was in good shape. Early in the morning the ground was frozen and there were some slick spots. In the afternoon things warmed up and things got a bit muddy in spots, but nothing too serious.

By: VaMorley Rating: Date of Hike: Sunday, October 24, 2010
Perfect day, blue sky and mid sixties and great leaf colors. We started from the lower end and made it to the upper falls with our 2 boys (5 and 7) and dog. However last push to the top was a stretch but the boys loved the falls and checking out the stream. Highly recommend coming from the base, especially if you have younger kids and make sure to have plenty of water.

    View all 23 reviews for the White Oak Canyon hike
Photographs

Taken by Dennis at
N38.56330
W78.36328
JaFalls.jpg (91437 bytes) JJTrail.jpg (124412 bytes) JaView.jpg (68328 bytes)
Mid October (photos courtesy of Iris)