White Oak Canyon and Cedar Run Hike

Name: White Oak Canyon & Cedar Run Hike - Syria, VA | MyHikes
Address: Syria, VA, US
Rating: 4.42

This hike has some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Shenandoah National Park. Combining two out-and-back hikes, White Oak Canyon & Cedar Run, this loop starts at the bottom of the valley and cuts over near the top of the ridge. With five major falls, numerous smaller cascades and pools, this circuit hike is one of the best.

Begin up the blue blazed White Oak Canyon (WOC) Trail, at the top of the upper parking area next to the SNP ranger station. Shortly cross a steel footbridge, then arrive at the intersection of the Cedar Run Trail that will be your return route. Stay straight on the WOC Trail as it winds to the right, then crosses another steel footbridge over WOC Run.

Follow the blue blazed trail on the right side of WOC Run reaching the WOC/Cedar Run Connector Trail in 0.6 miles. Stay straight on the right side of WOC Run for another 0.7 miles, cross a small stream, then arrive the base of the first set of major falls.

The trail will now make several switchbacks as the grade gets steeper, then reaches the second set of falls in 0.6 miles. Again, the trail will switchback several times, then become less steep, and arrive at a concrete marker for the base of the main WOC falls. To see the falls from the base, follow the side trail straight for 100 yards. Continue uphill on the WOC Trail as it steeply climbs the last 0.1 miles to the main WOC falls overlook.

Continuing uphill from the main overlook, and shortly arrive at the yellow blazed Bridge Path Trail that comes in from the right. Stay straight, then cross WOC Run in another 40 yards at the horse rail. If WOC Run is high, continue up the right side of WOC Run and cross a footbridge in 120 yards.

After crossing the run follow the wide yellow blazed WOC Fire Road/Horse Trail. In 1.6 miles the WOC Fire Road/Horse Trail will veer right. Stay left on the narrower yellow blazed trail, marked on a concrete post as "Horse Tr To Big Meadows". In 0.6 miles the horse trail intersects the blue blazed Cedar Run Trail.

Turn left downhill on the blue blazed Cedar Run Trail, then in 1.3 miles cross Cedar Run. In 0.2 miles after crossing Cedar Run reach the top set of main falls at Halfmile Cliff known as "The Slide". 60 yards below the main falls is a pool where Cedar Run passes through a narrow gorge.

Continue downward on the Cedar Run Trail for 0.5 miles where the blue blazed trail makes a sharp left to cross Cedar Run for the last time. After crossing Cedar Run follow the trail for 0.3 miles to the intersection of the WOC/Cedar Run Connector Trail. Turn right downhill on the Cedar Run Trail towards RT600, and in 0.4 miles arrive back at the WOC Trail intersection. Turn right, re-cross the steal footbridge, and arrive back at the parking area.

Know Before You Go

The White Oak Canyon and Cedar Run loop hike (7.7 miles) in Shenandoah National Park features multiple spectacular waterfalls, cascades, and pools, making it a highly recommended trail.
The loop begins on the blue-blazed White Oak Canyon (WOC) Trail, ascends to the WOC falls, transitions to the yellow-blazed WOC Fire Road/Horse Trail, then descends via the blue-blazed Cedar Run Trail, passing Halfmile Cliff ("The Slide").
The hike involves stream crossings, steep switchbacks, and sections of both narrow trails and wider fire roads, requiring hikers to pay close attention to trail blazes and junctions for accurate navigation.

Weather Forecast

Tonight

Low 39°F

Mostly Cloudy

Wednesday

High 51°F

Chance Light Rain

Wednesday Night

Low 20°F

Chance Rain And Snow

Thursday

High 29°F

Sunny

Thursday Night

Low 15°F

Mostly Clear

Friday

High 34°F

Mostly Sunny

Friday Night

Low 25°F

Partly Cloudy

Saturday

High 41°F

Slight Chance Light Snow

Saturday Night

Low 19°F

Slight Chance Rain And Snow then Partly Cloudy

Sunday

High 28°F

Slight Chance Light Snow

Sunday Night

Low 15°F

Mostly Clear

M.L. King Jr. Day

High 34°F

Mostly Sunny

Monday Night

Low 14°F

Partly Cloudy

Tuesday

High 28°F

Sunny

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<strong>Trail map and elevation chart not rendering in print mode?</strong> Simply scroll to the trail map section, then try printing again!

Total Change

2,234'

Ascent

2,421'

Descent

2,415'

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Features

Vista / Lookout Point

Dogs

Waterfalls

Camping

Water Source

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Points of interest

Parking

38.538848, -78.347947
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Main Trailhead

38.539539, -78.349257
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Safety information

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

Hazards

Lyme and Other Tickborne Diseases (CDC)

Snakes (Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, others)

Poison Ivy or Poison Oak

Availability

All seasons

Surface type

Dirt

Trip Reports (Reviews)
Routes

Trip Reports (Reviews)

Rated 4.42 out of 5 based on 229 ratings.

Ready to help fellow hikers? Add a trip report to share your experience and provide valuable insights for other hikers!

By: Luanne

7.7 miles / 12.4 km

October 01, 2019

As we were approaching the parking area, there was a sign posted about 3 miles away "White Oak Trail Closed". The inside the car immediately became quiet. Apparently, they are replacing a bridge right next to the parking area. This was closed beginning Sept 15 and don't know when it will reopen. You are now forewarned.

Legacy Review

By: Erin

7.7 miles / 12.4 km

July 21, 2019

I hiked this circuit with my dog on Sunday - which also happened to be one of the hottest days of the year! We parked at the Hawksbill Summit/Cedar run parking inside the park. At 10am there were still spots left but it filled up quickly. We started down the Cedar Run trail and mostly had the trail to ourselves until the lower falls. I agree with other reviewers that this trail is more 'rustic'. There were a lot more rocky areas to scramble over and tree branches in the path. I was definitely glad to have good hiking boots on! In several places we had to jump over fallen trees and sometimes it was hard to know where the trail continued because the fallen trees obscured it. Fortunately my dog can smell where other people went and let the way! At the falls, we encountered a few other hikers/bathers, but just a few. They had come up from the lower parking lot and since it is a MUCH tougher climb to the Ceder Run falls (as opposed to the White Oak falls), very few come up that way. Its nice if you prefer a quieter hike. In some cases, we had the falls all to ourselves, even on a hot Sunday in July! After descending Cedar Run, we took the link trail over to White Oak. At some point we lost the marked trail and had to ford a river in the absence of any marking. I could see hikers on the other side going up White Oak but could not find the path. We scrambled up a muddy bank on the far side which would not have been passable in the rain. We then took White Oak all the way back up to the Fire Road, stopping at various falls. The White Oak falls were all pretty crowded as they are popular bathing areas. We saw a copperhead snake on the trail at one point...and others saw copperheads too...so be careful with kids and dogs. We took the Fire Road/Bridal Trail back over to Cedar Run, at which point it began raining buckets. Fortunately the Fire Road is an easy path and we made it back to the car where dry clothes and cold drinks were waiting. All in all, it was about 7.5 hours and pretty strenuous, but a great sense of accomplishment when we completed it!

Legacy Review

By: Alan from DC

7.7 miles / 12.4 km

April 20, 2019

Parking lot was at 10:15am when we arrived. We ended up parking at the private overflow lot and paid the guy $10. There were two cars there at the lot when we arrived. So you might luck out with a free spot before 10. This like old rag now where you have to pay $10 to park in the overflow lot. There’s no White Oak Canyon loop on the free map so we ended up hiking all the way up and down the Appalachian trail back to Cedar Run instead of taking the shortcut across using the fire road to Cedar Run. Wife was not too happy about my poor research on this hike. The water were strong and high during our hike. We had to wade over the river at multiple places. Our hiking boots were wet from it. We should have taken it off. The views were pretty nice but I enjoyed the waterfalls on the cedar run side more.

Legacy Review