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Stony Man Trail

The hike to Stony Man Lookout at Shenandoah National Park near Luray Virginia is a relatively easy hike that can be done as an out-and-back or a lollipop loop. I hiked it as a lollipop.  

Parking:
This hike is located in the Central District of Skyline Drive's Shenandoah National Park at mile 41.7 near the Skyland Resort, at the coordinates provided. The parking area is large and although I had it all to myself in the early morning, but I assume this trail does get busy.  

Pets:
As of July 2024, signage indicated no pets allowed.  

Hike:
There is a trail kiosk visible from the parking area and the trail starts off being blazed light blue and white for the Appalachian Trail.

(.4 mile) The trail will split from the AT at the concrete AT pillar with Stony Man Trail continuing straight with the blue blazes.

(.48 mile) Stony Man will split into the loop, I headed left to hike this portion counter-clockwise. 

(.65 mile) The trail will come to a sign and the trail goes out a short distance to a rock outcropping and a spectacular view (or at least I assume, I was mostly fogged in but did get some brief moments of a view).

Once you are finished enjoying the view and exploring the rock outcropping, you can retrace your steps back to the loop and continue your hike completing the loop or going the same route back to the parking area.
Explore 99 trails near Luray, VA

Know Before You Go

  • Stony Man Trail is a 1.5-mile hike in Shenandoah National Park near Luray, VA, accessible from Skyline Drive at mile 41.7 near Skyland Resort.
  • The trail can be hiked as an out-and-back or a lollipop loop, starting on the Appalachian Trail before branching off, and leads to a rock outcropping with scenic views (weather permitting).
  • Pets are not allowed on the trail as of July 2024, and although parking is plentiful, the trail may get crowded.
Interactive topographic map for Stony Man Trail located in Luray, VA. Click the "View Map" button to load GPS coordinates and trail markers.
Get directions
Distance
1.5 mi
Difficulty
Easy
Type
Loop
Est. Time
45 min
Elev. Gain
306'
Rating
5.0
Added
July 30, 2024
Updated
August 02, 2024

Weather Forecast

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Total Change
294'
Ascent
306'
Descent
306'
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Features

Vista / Lookout Point
Mountain Summit
Appalachian Trail logo Appalachian Trail hike

Points of interest

  1. Parking

    38.592851, -78.375917
  2. Main Trailhead

    38.593137, -78.375554

Safety information

For your own safety: plan ahead, let someone know where you'll be, and hike at your own risk.

Hazards

Snakes (Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, others)

Markers

Blaze Color

Blue

Availability

All seasons

Surface type

Dirt

Trip Reports (Reviews)

Rated 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating.

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1.5 miles / 2.4 km
August 18, 2025
We did this hike as an easy loop hike. The trail was well marked and easy to follow. The substrate was not difficult at all and in lots of sections of the trail the path was wide and flat. It was also kind of fun to learn that we were hiking on part of the famous Appilachian Trail.During our visit it was extremely foggy. Even though the weather was not great, there were still plenty of other hikers. There's lots of parking at the trailhead and we had no trouble finding a spot. We were hoping that we would get some nice mountain views, but the fog was really so thick we could not see much at all. When we are faced with such a dilema, we do what we learned to do while scuba diving.....shift your focus. Instead of focusing on the big views, we looked for small things along the trail. What different birds where we hearing? What was that new plant? What is that insect ? What is that fungus? It's never a bad day when you get to spend part of it in nature with people who love and appreciate a beautiful outdoor space.
Hiking

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