Loading...

๐ŸŽ† 50% off 4th of July sale on Supporter Accounts โ€” now through July 6! Learn More.

Grooms Ridge and Chestnut Ridge Hike

Directions
Map
Pictures
Send to App
Distance:
9.0 Miles / 14.5 km
Type:
Loop
Difficulty:
Hard
Time to Hike:
4 hours, ~30 minutes
Features:
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
George Washington National Forest
Town:
Mount Solon, Virginia
Directions:
38.367014, -79.164465
Added:
January 25, 2025
Updated:
April 04, 2025
Copy Trail Link Hiking this trail? Send a friend or family member a link to this trail guide for your own safety. Hike at your own risk (disclaimer)
Loading...
Loading...
1,755'

Total Change
2,085'

Ascent
2,078'

Descent

Download the Trail Route for Offline Use

Supporters get exclusive access to download trail routes to the MyHikes app for offline use. Stay prepared on your adventure, even without an internet connection! Become a Supporter today to unlock this feature and hike with confidence.

Send to App

Grooms Ridge and Chestnut Ridge Hike

The Grooms Ridge-Chestnut Ridge loop hike in the GWNF Todd's Lake Recreation Area is a great workout with almost 2800ft of elevation gain and an equal amount of loss. The initial 1.7 mile climb up Chestnut Ridge is relentless and will get your heart pumping, no switchbacks! Mountain Laurel is all over the place on this hike and will be beautiful when blooming in June. Some other great hikes in the Todd Lake area include: Trimble Mountain, Sandspring Mountain, North River Gorge, and Hardscrabble Knob.

There are a couple of nice year round viewing spots, and some more during the winter months when the leaves are down. There are not a lot of good campsites on this loop, but you could do some base camping at Todd Lake or the North River primitive campground that are close by. There are also many campsites next to North River along FR95. These are our favorite secluded spots to car camp when in the Todd Lake area.

  • Mile 0.0 โ€“ The hike begins at the Wild Oak National Recreation Trail parking area, head back to FR95 and take a left back towards Tillman Road (gravel road) reaching it in 0.1 miles, bear left onto Tillman, reach Grooms Ridge Trail intersection on your left in 0.9 miles
  • Mile 1.0 โ€“ Grooms Ridge Trail (TR 424) on the left, wooden sign for trail is about 10 yards in from the road, on the opposite side of the road is room for 2 to 3 cars in the event you want to start your hike here. We wanted to get the gravel fire road walk out of the way first and not at the end of the hike.
  • Mile 2.6 โ€“ Climb 1250ft in 1.6 miles reaching a nice view point. This is a relentless climb with no switchbacks, catch your breath. Look for an unmarked path on the left to go down 100ft to Cameron Rocks for a nice view of Middle Mountain and over to Chestnut Ridge. This is a steep and small viewing area so be careful. Continue uphill on the Grooms Ridge Trail.
  • Mile 3.0 โ€“ In 0.4 miles arrive at a campsite on the left, no water source. The next section prior to reaching the pond is a little over-grown but not too bad.
  • Mile 4.9 โ€“ Small pond on the right.
  • Mile 5.2 โ€“ Intersection with Chestnut Ridge Trail , bear left. Grooms Ridge Trail goes straight and becomes part of the white-blazed 27 mile Wild Oak National Recreation Trail (WONRT). The Chestnut Ridge Trail is white-blazed as it is also part of the WONRT.
  • Mile 6.0 โ€“ Begin a steady descent on the Chestnut Ridge Trail reaching an obscured overlook in 0.8 miles. Little Bald Knob is to the northwest and Hardscrabble Knob (4282ft) almost directly to the west.
  • Mile 7.0 โ€“ V-intersection, Little Skidmore Trail (yellow blazed) goes straight. Take sharp left onto an unused fire road and then very quickly turn right, back onto the single track white-blazed Chestnut Ridge Trail.
  • Mile 7.7 โ€“ Top of Grindstone Mountain, this is the last climb of the day.
  • Mile 8.0 โ€“ Great view on the right looking down to Stokesville and east into the Shenandoah Valley.
  • Mile 8.8 โ€“ Parking area Spur Trail intersection, bear left, WONRT continues straight.
  • Mile 9.0 โ€“ Return to the parking area.
Explore 44 trails near Mount Solon, VA
  1. Parking

    38.367014, -79.164465
  2. Main Trailhead

    38.367132, -79.164391
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

All

Trip Reports

Trail Guide By:
HikingUpward user profile picture
9.0 miles / 14.5 km

Weather Forecast

In Mount Solon, VA

Explore Hiking Trails

You May Also Like

New York's Best Waterfalls - Whether you're planning a day hike, roadside stop, or a leisurely short walk, this guide provides hikers, travelers, and locals alike with 63 different locations to over 100 scenic waterfalls to help plan your next adventure!
Explore

New York's Best Waterfalls

Whether you're planning a day hike, roadside stop, or a leisurely short walk, this guide provides hikers, travelers, and locals alike with 63 different locations to over 100 scenic waterfalls to help plan your next adventure!

Read
25 Best Day Hikes in North Carolina - Discover the top 25 best day hikes in North Carolina, from breathtaking waterfalls to mountain peaks. Explore hidden gems, scenic views, and trails suitable for all skill levels, perfect for your next outdoor adventure.
Explore

25 Best Day Hikes in North Carolina

Discover the top 25 best day hikes in North Carolina, from breathtaking waterfalls to mountain peaks. Explore hidden gems, scenic views, and trails suitable for all skill levels, perfect for your next outdoor adventure.

Read

Before you boogie...

Find our trail guides useful? Consider becoming a Supporter to unlock perks!

MyHikes is an indie platform that makes exploring public trails easier for everyone. The platform has no investors, no ads, and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller. Dave has personally mapped and written over 1,800 trail guides on MyHikes for the public to explore. MyHikes has helped millions outdoor enthusiasts plan their next adventure.

But it takes a lot of time ๐Ÿ•ฆ, money ๐Ÿ’ฐ, work, and espresso shots โ˜• to run MyHikes, including hiking , mapping , writing , and publishing new trails with high-quality (accurate) information... along with software engineering (coding) the platform like building new features, website and mobile app development (iOS and Android), site maintainance . and much much more.

Supporters unlock website and mobile app perks with an annual one-time payment of $25 (you renew) ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ‘. Or you can simply make a Donation of your choice. Otherwise, you can support us by telling your friends about MyHikes - both quick and free ๐ŸŽ‰

Admin user profile picture

Dave Miller
MyHikes Founder