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Elliott Knob Hike

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Distance:
8.1 Miles / 13.0 km
Type:
Out-and-Back
Difficulty:
Moderate
Time to Hike:
4 hours, ~5 minutes
Features:
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
George Washington National Forest
Town:
Augusta Springs, Virginia
Directions:
38.161268, -79.269962
Added:
January 25, 2025
Updated:
April 04, 2025
Guide by:
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2,389'

Total Change
2,428'

Ascent
2,428'

Descent

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Key Takeaways

  • Elliott Knob is an 8.1-mile hike in Augusta Springs, VA, featuring waterfalls, scenic views, and a unique grass-covered summit.
  • The hike begins on Falls Hollow Trail, following an old logging road and requiring careful navigation at key turns, particularly the left turn off the old FS road and the return from the access road.
  • The trail includes varied terrain, from stream crossings and waterfalls to steep climbs along an access road, culminating in a summit with a decommissioned lookout tower and sheltered campsites.

Elliott Knob Hike

Elliott Knob is the highest point in Augusta County, and one of the highest peaks in Virginia. Just west of Staunton and secluded in Buffalo Gap, this hike features two waterfalls, several great views to the west and east, and a grass covered summit. If you're lucky, this hidden treasure can be all yours for a day.

From the small parking area pass the closed gate and head up Falls Hollow Trail. The trail is marked with both yellow blazes and yellow plastic diamonds, and follows an old logging road for the first 1.5 miles.

At 0.4 miles pass a small logging road on your right, the first of four. In 0.6 miles from the parking area the trail makes a turn to the left before entering the first of three small clearings at 0.8 miles.

Pass through the clearings and arrive at Falls Hollow Run on your right in another 0.6 miles. Continue up the trail, cross the run, and in 50 yards reach the first of the two main falls. Cross the run again, where the trail becomes steep, then arrive at the largest set of falls in another 0.3 miles. There is a yellow diamond on a tree, and small pile of rocks marking the falls.

In another 0.1 miles the trail turns off the old FS road to the left. The turn is marked by three yellow diamonds. The old Falls Hollow Trail continues straight and is no longer navigable.

After turning left on the yellow blazed trail continue 0.8 miles, crossing two small spurs, and passing through a utility clear cut before arriving at an access road. Turn right uphill on the yellow blazed dirt access road for the steepest part of the hike before arriving at a spring and small pond in 1.0 miles.

Continue along the road as it passes a small stand of spruce, winds back to the right, then to the left, passes the yellow blazed North Mountain Trail and transmission station, then enters another stand of spruce and flatter area.

At this point the dirt road you have been following turns to the right towards the transmission station. Turn left onto the trail that climbs on the west side of the mountain and up to the grass covered summit in another 0.1 miles. The lookout tower was built in 1958 and hasn't been used since the early sixties. If you are doing this hike as a backpack there are two sheltered campsites under a stand of spruce at the summit.

To return retrace the route you took up. However, be alert for the left turn off the steep dirt access road onto the trail that leads back towards the run. There are three yellow diamonds making the intersection, take the immediate left onto he trail.

Explore 45 trails near Augusta Springs, VA
  1. Parking

    38.161268, -79.269962
  2. Main Trailhead

    38.161268, -79.269962
No community routes found. To add your own hike as a Community Route for this Trail guide, leave a Trip Report with an attached GPX file.

Hazards

Ticks - Lyme Disease More Info (CDC)
Snakes
Poison Ivy/Oak

Seasons

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Blaze Color

Yellow

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Trip Reports (Reviews)

Rated 3.36 out of 5 based on 76 ratings.
By: Lauren
8.1 miles / 13.0 km
March 29, 2019
The first couple miles walking through the woods were lovely! Waterfalls, nice spots to sit by the stream, pleasant trail. But when you hit the gravel access road, the hike gets BRUTAL. The road is incredibly steep, and if you go on a hot sunny day, you will be extra sad as there is no shade at all. The meadow at the top is pretty, and the tower is neat with nice views, but not sure the views are worth walking that access road. Consider making this a 5ish-mile hike and only doing the first part of the hike, turning around at the access road.
Legacy Review
By: Zachary Robbins
8.1 miles / 13.0 km
July 08, 2018
The first half of the hike is somewhat pleasant along a forest road, although the creek is nothing to write home about. Unless the water is really up, none of those small waterfalls look impressive. The upper two also have steep scramble trails to the bottom with deadfall, nettle, and mud to deal with. For most people I'd recommend skipping them. The connector trail is an actual trail, and although narrow had good tread. The final climb on the gravel forest road lives up to its reputation. The gradient is easily 1000 ft/mi, and completely exposed to the sun. Fortunately I chose to do this hike on a low humidity day after recent storms, and the temperatures were in the low 70s with a nice breeze at the summit. With the low humidity the visibility was excellent for mid-summer, you can pick out almost every significant peak from central Shenandoah to Lynchburg. Highly recommend checking out Elliott Knob when the skies are clear, and plus there are 4 approaches to the summit so you can mix it up on repeat visits.
Legacy Review
By: Diana Mateos
8.1 miles / 13.0 km
June 30, 2018
Elliot Knob is actually one of the only hikes in the MD-DC-VA area that I have found to be remotely strenuous. I'm from the Southern California area and am used to hiking mountains with moderately intense inclines. I've visited many trails out here because local people have assured me that these will deliver a "tough" trek but I have always been left feeling unsatisfied because these trails always seem more like a stroll through a park. This trail is pretty pleasant through the first 3 miles as you walk along a stream most of the time and are shaded by the tree canopy. If you camp out overnight, make sure you fill up during this part. (There is also another pond near the camping area towards the summit but it was filled with fish and I didn't like the idea of pumping my drinking water out of here.) The last portion, which is a little over a mile, is the difficult, much steeper part of the trail and you are pretty much exposed to the sun until you reach the top. This is what makes Elliot Knob a semi-rigorous hike but in my opinion, is well worth the effort. FYI-we came across a rattlesnake that rattled at us but as long as you're observant and steer clear, you'll be fine. We decided to camp out at the top where there are a few fire pits and lots of shade provided by the trees. There is a satellite station near the campground which is quite noisy but if you ignore that, the area is just beautiful and it is so much cooler than the base of the mountain (when we were there, it was about 91F a the base, and it was roughly 75F at the top and breezy). We had a wonderful time and especially loved that there wasn't much traffic on the trail -- we only saw 2 other hikers the 2 days we were there. There are also a ton of insects and tics but we kept a campfire going all day to keep them away from us.
Legacy Review

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In Augusta Springs, VA

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