Shenandoah National Park
Fox Hollow Trail
FamiliesHistory BuffsYoung Kids
0 mi Distance
1 hours Estimated Time
Out & Back Trail Type
What to Expect
Fox Hollow Trail is a gentle loop near the northern end of Skyline Drive that trades panoramic vistas for something rarer in Shenandoah: a walk through the park's human past. Starting just across from the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center at Mile 4.6, the path drops through hardwood forest past crumbling stone walls that once bordered mountain homesteads. You'll pass the Fox family cemetery, where weathered headstones mark generations who farmed these slopes before the park displaced them in the 1930s. Periwinkle — a garden flower that has no business growing wild on a Blue Ridge mountainside — carpets the old home sites in spring, a quiet reminder that families once tended yards here. The footing is mostly smooth and the loop takes about an hour at a contemplative pace. This one's perfect for families with curious kids, history buffs, and anyone who wants a Shenandoah hike that tells a story beyond the scenery.
Trail Details
Estimated Time 1 hours
Trail Type Out & Back
Pets Not allowed
Season Year-round
Trailhead Fox Hollow Trail
Pro Tips
Trail Tip
Grab the free TRACK Trail brochure from the box at the trailhead — it turns the hike into a scavenger hunt for kids, pointing out rock walls, old fence lines, and plant clues that most hikers walk right past.
Trail Tip
Time your visit for late April through mid-May when the periwinkle blooms carpet the old home sites in purple. It's the most visually striking season for this trail and makes the human history feel tangible.
Trail Tip
Pair this with a stop inside Dickey Ridge Visitor Center before you hike. The exhibits on mountain families who were relocated give the cemetery and stone walls real emotional weight — without that context, you might walk past them.
Photos
NPS
