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| By:
Dan
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Date of Hike: Saturday, August 28, 2010 |
| Great hike and a great website. We hiked the loop clockwise starting at the Wildcat Parking lot finishing going south on the AT. I think this is easier than ending from Wildcat Ridge. About 5 hours with a break for lunch. The swimming hole was very low due to the dry weather. Great views and a fair number of people hiking the trail.
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| By:
Chris
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Date of Hike: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 |
| coming from Luray, Va my gps listed going on Brown Gap Road to get to Skyline drive to get to the trail head. There was an unremovable chain blocking Brown Gap Road. I tried to find an alternative path and the gps continued to insist on using Brown Gap Road. Thus, no hike.
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| By:
JStra
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Date of Hike: Saturday, June 12, 2010 |
| Great hike! The views were wonderful and the swimming hole looked like alot of fun. I would definetly do this hike again.
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| By:
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Rating:  |
Date of Hike: Monday, April 19, 2010 |
| Wonderful hike. Our weather and season were perfect. Foliage was part way out, so we had greenery, but plenty of visibility. Trail was very well marked, and footing was good (not much rock scrambling). I had my eye out for litter and saw only two items - a tiny scrap on the trail, and an Aquafina bottle off the trail. My son and I were in the area and used this as a training hike in preparation for our trip to Philmont this July (that's the Boy Scout backpacking facility in New Mexico). So we carried pretty heavy packs. We started at the Wildcat Ridge parking lot and hiked the loop counter-clockwise. The first three segments (north on the AT, west on the Riprap, and south on the Riprap) were pretty easy. Ending with the eastbound Wildcat ridge segment which is a long climb, although not terribly steep. I think this loop would be a bit easier done clockwise, or started from the Riprap parking lot. We started at the Wildcat parking lot to enable lunch about midpoint at the lookout spots, but lunch down along the riprap stream (somewhere south of the waterfall) would have been quite pleasant.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Friday, November 06, 2009 |
| 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.
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| By:
Scott D.
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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.
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| By:
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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.
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| By:
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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.
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| By:
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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.
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| By:
blueridgetreks
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Date of Hike: Saturday, December 06, 2008 |
| A great winter hike!! Temperatures never got past 30F all day. As per a previous reviewer's recommendation, we parked at the Wildcat Ridge Parking area (near MP 92) and went North on the AT instead of starting at the Riprap Parking area. This put us back at the car after the toughest part of the hike (Wildcat Ridge Trail) at the end of the day. It also put Chimney Rock near the half-way point and a great place to stop for lunch. A colleague visiting from the Czech Republic plus another friend did the hike with me. The water was flowing well at the waterfall. The swimming hole was full and would be a great place to cool off in the summer. We had snow flurries for the hike up Wildcat Ridge and ran into 6 backpackers heading to the Blackrock AT Hut to spend the night. They were tougher and much younger than me!!
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, November 22, 2008 |
| My wife and I and good friend started this hike at 10am this morning and the temps were in the 20's with a intermittent wind. We started at the Wildcat Parking area as suggested by the local ranger. We took the AT route for the first part of the hike and were suprised at how easy it was, though it was very cold until we got a mile or two in and caught the sun. This hike remains fairly easy throughout with great payoffs at Chimney Rock and the ridge just beyond. The mountain streams were beautiful with many icy formations in the small waterfalls. The swimming hole at the low point of the hike looked inviting for a return summer hike. The ascent back up the mountain with daypacks on and being pre-fatigued at 7 miles or so was pretty tough, but at least the trail conditions were nice. I would highly recommend this hike, just save a little energy for the last couple of miles. Beautiful.
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| By:
Osnap
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Date of Hike: Saturday, November 08, 2008 |
| We did the trail backwards from the directions suggested and parked at Mormon's Overlook parking - Great Hike - It took us just over 4 hrs, we stopped for a while for lunch but kept a good pace.
Going backwards - the trail is very well marked just watch the transition from the App Trail to the Wild Cat trail just below the parking lot (its not hard). Also the be on the look out for the second creek crossing (going backwards) you might miss the turn, just look for the trail on the other side of the creek - if you go too far you go to a cave (not a big deal and its not far). If you're going the way suggested it shouldn't be a problem. All the creek crossings were fairly easy. This trail has a lot of nice overlooks - a water fall and a nice swimming hole (if it was warm). The App. Trail part was fairly flat compared to the other trails - which was nice because it was a long hike.
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| By:
David & Liz
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Date of Hike: Sunday, October 26, 2008 |
| We arrived at Rip Rap around 11:30am Sunday morning and the weather could not have been more perfect. Since this was the first Hike for Liz and I we decided to take the North path to the first Vista point and back. This was a great hike for the both of us and we enjoyed it eminsly. Overall route from parking to the First Vista and back took us no more than 2 1/2 hours. I would recommend this hike to any beginner as well as anyone else who loves a good hike. We had an added bonus on our return hike with a deer crossing our path as well. Happy Trails..
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| By:
Ron
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Date of Hike: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 |
A chilling 20 degree and windy start from the RipRap parking lot heading down the trail on a beautiful day. Great views from the rocky overlooks. Cold Creek Hollow was a nice walk before the return climb. We saw two rustic caves as we began the Wildcat Ridge ascent which were well worth investigating. We were amazed at the size of the stones put in place to shield from the elements. Campfire smoke trails were evident on the ceilings
The ascent back up Wildcat Ridge was tiring but once we got to the AT it was smooth sailing. Back at our cars after a little over four hours the temperature had "soared" to 27 degrees.
All in all this is a very nice hike with a good walking surface. I would recommend it when follage is not blocking the views.
Enjoy!
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| By:
Matthew
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Date of Hike: Sunday, October 19, 2008 |
Views from Chimney Rocks were excellent as was descending on the RipRap Trail through '98 and '99 forest fire damage. I'd recommend parking at Wildcat and descending Wildcat Ridge first, then ascending RipRap and walking the extremely easy AT section back to the car.
I parked at Wildcat and hiked AT - RipRap - Wildcat in just over 3 hours. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Monday, October 13, 2008 |
What a great hike! It was a warm, clear day with the autumn leaves near their peak. This is a moderately challenging hike, but my wife and I (both in our 40s, pretty fit but not athletes) had no problem finishing it in just under five hours including a brief lunch. The Wildcat Ridge climb is pretty tough, but mainly beacuse it is long (over two miles) and unrelenting it is not all that steep and the trail is very smooth and flat. All the trails in Riprap Hollow were well groomed, the views of the Shenandoah Valley were spectacular, the creek and small waterfalls were charming. The only minor negative was that there were a fair number of other hikers, so we didn't feel very solitary. We'll be coming back, maybe in the summer when it would be fun to jump into the creek and swimming holes. Thanks to all the other reviewers who convinced me this would be a fun hike, and thanks also to the owners of this great website.
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| By:
Mary and Mabel
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Date of Hike: Friday, July 18, 2008 |
| This is my favorite hike in the SNP. The swimming hole is still cold even though the day was hot. Dunking in it before hiking out of the valley made the hike a little cooler. It was too hot and sunny to sit on Chimney Rock to enjoy the view. I saw something on Wild Cat ridge but I couldn’t tell what it was, not a deer, not a bear. It trotted through the under brush and had mottled markings. Wish I had gotten a closer look.
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| By:
Sally
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Date of Hike: Sunday, May 25, 2008 |
I have hiked the Wildcat trail a couple of times and so I thought I would start this hike there instead of from Rip Rap parking. I highly recommend this route to anyone who is doing their first longer hike. I really enjoyed doing the entire loop this time. It took me a little longer than I had orginially planned (6 hours) but I stopped and took pictures quite a few times.
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| By:
John Doe
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Date of Hike: Sunday, May 25, 2008 |
I thought this trail was excellent! Although I did pay a $15 parking fee to get into shenandoah national park, it was well worth it! the valley was very soothing and the creek fun to hike beside. Both viewpoints listed in the description had breathtaking views, but don't forgot to look between the trees, you can get some great snapshots!
Again, like other commenters have previously said, there is a VERY sharp right turn after crossing the creek the last time. I made the mistake and went the wrong way, after I noticed I went back to same creek I came from, I quickly turned around. Other than that, the trail was easy to follow, I loved it!
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| By:
Smartz
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Date of Hike: Sunday, May 25, 2008 |
| We hiked from the Riprap parking lot up to Chimney Rock & back down and it was INCREDIBLE! The trail followed a stream for most of the way and there was a major swimming hole that you pass early in the hike. The view on top on Chimney Rock was a perfect picnic spot & then we hiked back down. Definately one of our best day hikes yet!
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Saturday, May 10, 2008 |
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!
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| By:
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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).
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| By:
John
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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.
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| By:
Chris
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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.
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| By:
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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!!
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Sunday, September 30, 2007 |
Me and my friend decided to go on this hike on a Sunday. The temperature in SNP was in low 70s. We couldn't ask for a better weather for hiking. We started the hike at 12:20 (was way too much late than what we had planned but I will tell you about that later). We saw about 3-4 different groups which we expected as the weather was just gorgeous, and also we were taking the longest circuit (9.6 miles) which was a mix of several smaller trails. We saw only 1 other group that were taking the entire 9.6 mile trail. There are great streams (can't imagin how good they would be in spring), great views. The difficulty level is 3, and stream and views should be 5. An excellent entire day hike. And best part, when you start driving out back , you have so many great look outs on the skyline drive. Just be careful about the driving direction that google suggests you if you are coming from 64E.
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| By:
Eric
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Date of Hike: Saturday, September 29, 2007 |
| One of my favorites in the Shenandoah National Park. I live in Afton, VA and do this hike several times a year. It's 9.8 miles and offers two nice overlooks. The Rip Rap Hollow area has a stream (although not so great this year) and offers an interesting vibe as the air is a little cooler in the hollow; probably due to the rocks and stream. There's also a wild blue berry patch shortly after Chimney Rock overlook if you're heading southbound. I saw a large black bear in this patch on my last trip. The bear didn't notice me and after I quietly watched it feed on berries for a bit, I moved on down the trail. Lucky enough, I saw two more black bears on this trail within one hour of the first bear that day. The second bear saw me and ran up the hillside to the top ridge and watched me pass at a safe distance. The third bear didn't see me and I watched if from a pretty far distance for a bit. Truly an exciting hike with the wildlife that day. Even without the wildlife, this is a great trail for intermediate hikers. It's not too difficult, but you do have to climb out of the hollow on either the north or south side when heading back up to Skyline Drive. This portion may be challenging for people who are in average shape. Given the 9.8 mile round trip, bring plenty of water and give yourself plenty of time to complete it.
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| By:
Nate
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Rating:  |
Date of Hike: Thursday, September 20, 2007 |
| Good hike, very long. We took the full circuit. One thing I disliked however was how the hike started at a high elevation, then went to a low elevation, leaving you a long uphill hike before you finish. Climbing a mountain backwards. Chimney rock was really nice with lots of buzzards circling overhead. Going into the hollow was very cool, as the scenery and vegetation gradually changed. There were but a few small hemlocks beggening to grow next to the stream, and I can only imagine how the flora and fauna will change as the park grows older. The water hole marks the lowest part of the hike, and the shelter was nowhere to be found. The water hole was very cold and was somewhat of a letdown, however we have been having a drought and there were small trout in it. Toward the end there was a lot of bear scat on the trail, which must mean that bears use the trail as well. Overall a nice hike however I would definitly explore other ones before considering going back.
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| By:
Kyle
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Date of Hike: Saturday, September 15, 2007 |
| My fiancé and I went on the Riprap circuit hike on Saturday September 15, 2007. The weather was absolutely perfect. We took many long breaks to enjoy the scenery, so it took us 7.5 hours to complete the trail. Riprap is definitely on my top ten list for Shenandoah National Park. Chimney rock and Calvary Rocks offered amazing views, although the rest of the trail was not full of great vistas. This trail was certainly a challenge. It is good to know that I can still go on a 9.8 mile hike and live.
I want to thank HikingUpward for providing such a good map and excellent directions; the most helpful I found on the internet.
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| By:
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Date of Hike: Friday, September 14, 2007 |
I want to thank Hikingupward for the fantastic directions and description for this circuit hike. I did the circuit on September 14, 2007. It was a cloudy and drizzly day.
First, the good. I am the kind of hiker that needs constant reassurance that I'm not lost! The markings on each of these trails was absolutely splendid. You couldn't walk more than a minute or two without seeing the comforting blue blaze (or white on the AT). At each significant decision point, a milepost gave you directions so you knew if you were continuing the Rip Rap or moving on to the rest of the circuit. There was only point where I got confused, after crossing the stream about 1/2 mile into the wildcat ridge trail the path veers off to the right, however, a path also appeared to veer off to the left. No markings were visible and I took the false path for a minute or two but didn't see the familiar blue blaze so I went back and tried the other path and saw the blaze after two minutes.
Next, the bad. The hike itself did not offer tremendous views after Chimney Rocks. The waterfall and swimming holes, at least when I went, were a little disappointing. The last 2.8 miles, on the AT, were often within sight of Skyline Drive and you could hear cars. The signpost hints that the circuit will take 8 hours. Maybe, but I'm not in great shape and I did it in 4 and I wasn't moving tremendously fast. Also, for what it is worth, I had a cellphone signal for most of the hike.
In summary, the hike is a great circuit if you are looking for a challenge (the three mile uphill was intense) but not so great on scenery on a cloudy day.
A big THANK YOU again for the owners of this web site for the description of the hike. Having some idea of what was ahead was fantastic!
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| By:
ricenpeas
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Rating: |
Date of Hike: Saturday, August 11, 2007 |
a really great hike! the humidity that had been ruining outdoor activity for weeks mercifully lifted for my hike down riprap hollow. it must have been no more than 75 degrees under the canopy....perfect. this hike has a little of everything. some great views from chimney rock and the other vista near it, a gentle, nearly rock free descent into the hollow, a waterfall (that was running low due to the drought), a fine swimming hole (also with just enough water to make it worthwhile), and a buttkicking 3 mile climb that is steady most of the time with several steeper sections. great stuff.
directions here are perfect, except that the initial turn off of the AT onto the RipRap Trail is not 0.1 from the parking lot, more like 0.3 or 0.4. so just keep going, it's well marked, you can't miss it.
HikingUpward.com: Thanks ricenpeas, the error has been corrected.
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