The Hightop Mountain summit out/back hike has a beautiful panoramic vista, and is also one of the lesser known summit hikes in the Shenandoah National Park. The Swift Run Gap hike start area was was crossed by Virginia Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood leading the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe expedition on September 5, 1716 as they passed into the Shenandoah Valley for the first time. Monuments to this crossing are erected on the southern side of VA33 at Swift Run Gap.

The main out and back hike from Swift Run Gap is 5.6 miles and 1,480ft of elevation gain. You can also shorten the hike by starting at the Hightop Mountain parking area on Skyline drive. This reduces the hike to 2.3 miles and 940ft of elevation gain.

Mile 0.0 - Start the hike from the southern end of the bridge that crosses VA33 on Skyline Drive. Cross Skyline Drive then start south uphill on the Appalachian Trail (AT). Shortly pass a stream on your right as the trail gradually passes over the first rise. The AT will then level out before passing over another rise, then descending to Skyline Drive and the Hightop Mountain parking area.
Mile 1.3 - Cross over Skyline Drive and and continue on the AT as the trail now more steeply ascends Hightop Mountain. Pass a section of large granite boulders, then as the trail nears the summit make several switchbacks.
Mile 2.75 - Arrive at the first of of the two vistas. The first vista is a more obscured view to the western Shenandoah Valley.
Mile 2.8 - Arrive at the main vista. There is a short trail that leads out to commanding views to the south and west. This is the turn around point. Retrace your route back down the AT.
Mile 5.2 - Arrive back at the parking area on on Skyline Drive at Swift Run Gap.

By: Tom R

5.2 miles / 8.4 km

June 03, 2017

Nice hike. We did as described. Wonderful view @ the summit. My main reason for writing is that we had wonderful coincidental interactions with so many individual (or in pairs) Northbound (NOBO) AT thru-hikers from all over the country.. We started @ the trailhead @ 7:55 AM, and began meeting them since most had broken camp earlier that morning at Hightop Hut. They were about 900 miles into their trek.

Legacy Review

By: Kate

May 20, 2017

Spring foliage was beautiful. Great camping area if you take the trail to the left @ summit marker.

By: Fergus & Henri

January 28, 2017

We had beautiful sunny weather for this Saturday hike. Did the 5.6 mile version. Our overall assessment is that this is a great short-to-moderate length day hike with a TON of visual payoff at the top (especially during winter when leaves are off trees) for very little work. If you’re looking to introduce friends to hiking, this would be a great starter trail! Read more about our hike & see lots of photos here: https://fergusandhenri.com/2017/01/30/hightop-mountain/

By: Dan

January 04, 2017

I did the longer (5.6 mile) hike, and really enjoyed it. The view at the 2nd overlook is fantastic. Navigation on this hike is straightforward, although a sturdy pair of hiking boots is advisable. Once you cross Skyline Drive (mile 1.3), it's a steady climb until you reach the top, but not too difficult.

By: Jen

October 30, 2016

We did the full 5.6m out and back and thought the distance and effort required was just perfect for a couple hours on an unseasonably warm day. I was worried we missed the peak foliage due to Heather's 10/24 comments, but other than a few bare trees it was gorgeous. The view from the overlook is quite expansive. We were fortunate there weren't too many people up there given the outcropping isn't as spacious as others. The first mile and change on the AT to the Hightop Mountain parking area was a pleasant warmup -- I think we would have felt the hike was too short without it, but it all depends on how much time you have to spend. One word of wisdom is that they really do mean the parking area across the bridge from the park entrance...it looks more like a pull over area than a parking area as it's all parallel parking. We missed it at first!

By: Heather

October 24, 2016

Not many leaves left on the trees at this point in the year. We drove up later afternoon just looking to grab a quick view, it was so windy and clear in the sky. The view was 10/10 worth it for the effort of hiking up. The hike was perfect for a quick walk up to a lovely view. The trail is easy to follow. I don't know what you'd gain by parking all the way down at the entrance station area- we enjoyed the hike from the high top parking area.

By: Sean

September 23, 2016

Very nice shorter hike along a portion of the Appalachian Trail. Ran into about 5 AT section hikers. Everyone seemed in a good mood, I think because cooler fall weather was here. :) Great views from the second overlook. No streams or other water on the hike. I brought a quart but the weather was nice enough and the hike short enough I didn't need it. I don't understand the "N/A" rating for "Camping" as I saw several campsites near the top.

By: Mona

May 28, 2016

We did the shorter hike because it was HOT out, so we started in the parking area off Skyline drive and did an out and back from there. There is quite a bit of elevation gain and the view at the top is nice (go to the second view the first one at this time of year has trees blocking it). For folks with bad knees, hiking back down can be a little painful, but take it easy and you'll be fine. Very green at this time of year and great tree coverage from the sun.

By: Cam

March 05, 2016

Did this with my girlfriend last Saturday. There was no snow at the parking area but the trail became all snow as we got closer to the top (2-3 inches). It was a steady climb never got too strenuous. The view was really great from the summit. Even on a cloudy day we could see out to Massanutten, all of Elkton, and down to Skyline Drive. It was a great shorter hike to do in a couple of hours or so. Trail was well maintained and well marked the whole way.