Some hikes are about waterfalls, overlooks, and photo ops.

This wasn’t one of those.

This was a walk-into-it kind of hike, quiet, steady, and surprisingly grounding.

I took Zina and Remi out to the Camp Hoover Trail area, starting near Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park. When I pulled in, my car was the only one in the lot. Always a good sign… or a sign that everyone else made better life choices that morning. Hard to say.

The First Miles: Fire Road Reality Check

I started off the hike on a gravel fire road. No drama. No instant forest immersion. Just a wide, solid footing and long sightlines.

We passed a group of deer standing out in the open fields, completely unbothered by us, living their best “we own this place” lives. Other than that, it was quiet. No crowds. No rush. Just movement.

If you’re expecting immediate magic, this stretch might feel boring.
If you’re okay letting a hike warm up, it works.

Turning Into the Woods

At about 1.3 miles, you finally turn off the fire road and into the woods, and that’s when it starts to feel like a hike instead of a walk.

Still gentle. Still steady. Just quieter and more enclosed.

At roughly 2.5 miles, you’ll hit an intersection where you can detour to a waterfall. I skipped it.

Why?
Because it’s about 0.8 miles out-and-back, and I’m not a fan of backtracking. Also, and I know this is controversial, my hiking isn’t really about chasing views. It’s about doing the thing. Being in the forest. Letting the miles stack up.

If waterfalls are your love language, take the detour. If not, keep moving.

Water Crossings + Cold Reality

There are a couple of small water crossings. Nothing wild.

Big, stable rocks make it easy to step across, but with temps hovering around 30°, cold water is no joke. I picked up Remi so he wouldn’t get wet and freeze. Zina handled it like a professional and kept moving.

If you hike with smaller dogs, plan to carry them here in winter.

Blazes, Switches, and Downhill Miles

You’ll follow yellow blazes early on if you start from the fire road. Eventually, those end, and you switch to blue blazes, which take you downhill.

Heads up: downhill feels great until it doesn’t, especially if you’re coming back the opposite direction. Poles wouldn’t be a bad idea here.

Later on, you cross Skyline Drive, and for a brief stretch, you’re technically on the Appalachian Trail before looping back.

You’ll also pass near Taylor Cemetery and return to, you guessed it, another fire road for the final stretch, before briefly tracking to the forest some more, and you come out on Skyline Drive to cross the road back to the car.

A Note for Dog Hikers: Horses

Important heads-up: parts of this trail are horse-friendly.

I didn’t realize that beforehand. Thankfully, we didn’t encounter any riders, but if you hike with reactive dogs (looking at you, Zena 👀), this is something to consider when choosing your route seriously.

Had I known, I might’ve picked a different trail that day.

Final Stats + Honest Take

Because I skipped the waterfall, the full loop came in at 5.8 miles, completed in about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

This isn’t a “wow” hike.
It is a solid, quiet, winter-friendly loop with space to think, dogs to manage, and miles that do their job without demanding applause.

Sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed.