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Dickey Ridge Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 174 Google reviews · Running trail in Front Royal, Virginia · Open 24 hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Distance
- 2.5 mi
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Open 24 hours
Confirmed from Dickey Ridge Trailhead's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Mountainous hike in Shenandoah National Park featuring picnic areas & scenic valley views.
What runners say about Dickey Ridge Trailhead
“Wish there was some better signage about how far destinations are but it was a beautiful trail and well taken care of.”
“Family friendly for all ages.”
What a great trail to hike! Wish there was some better signage about how far destinations are but it was a beautiful trail and well taken care of. We found out from the trail head to the over look is 8 miles round trip!
Lovely trail, we’ve been going here somewhat regularly over the past 20 years. It’s much more heavily traveled now but still lots of quiet times during the week. We don’t typically go on weekends. Lovely wide trail, nice for running or walking. Family friendly for all ages.
No matter where you pick up the dickey Ridge, it's a neat little trail. The trailhead at the entrance to SNP is an easy in/out almost 3 mile hike if you turn around at the trail marker where it turns significantly more uphill. It follows a creek for most of the way.
Really nice trail with a chipper little stream at the beginning and some great views later on. Outbound is a not too aggressive uphill for quite some miles which also means it's downhill all the way to the car. And it's 3 minutes from Spelunkers. Win Win.
Trail conditions & character
“Wish there was some better signage about how far destinations are but it was a beautiful trail and well taken care of.”
“The trailhead at the entrance to SNP is an easy in/out almost 3 mile hike if you turn around at the trail marker where it turns significantly more uphill.”
“Mostly a moderate incline from the trailhead at Skyline drive to the intersection with the Appalachian Trail near Compton Gap.”
“The trailhead at the entrance to SNP is an easy in/out almost 3 mile hike if you turn around at the trail marker where it turns significantly more uphill.”
Plan your run at Dickey Ridge Trailhead
The practical stuff
- AccessOpen 24 hours — no gate to beat, so a 5am or a 10pm run both work
- Distance2.5 mi as reported — check whether that is one way or a round trip before you commit
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- Websitenps.gov
- Social Instagram · Facebook
Hours
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
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