Day 3: Rose River Falls to Dark Hollow Falls, White Oak Canyon Trail, and Sunset at The Point
I started Saturday, April 23, 2022, by hiking the Rose River Falls to Dark Hollow Falls loop, a scenic trail that connects two of Shenandoah’s most popular waterfalls just off Skyline Drive. I arrived at Fisher’s Gap (mile marker 49.4) around 8:30am and was one of the first cars there. After crossing Skyline Drive, I followed the yellow-blazed equestrian trail east, then turned right onto the blue-blazed Rose River Trail to begin the loop clockwise, stopping often to photograph the waterfalls along the way.
At the halfway point, I reached the upper section of Dark Hollow Falls.
Unfortunately, at the time, I didn’t realize that what I was seeing was only the upper section of the waterfall, and that it was a short, but steep, descent to reach the base of the falls. Had I known, I would have continued down to take in the full view. Instead, I continued down the fire road back to my car to head toward White Oak Canyon Trail. Oh well. I was still happy with what I saw and all the waterfalls I’d encountered on the hike!
According to AllTrails, my total time on the 4.5-mile loop was 3 hours and 38 minutes, with 2 hours and 26 minutes of actual moving time.
White Oak Canyon Trail
Around 1pm, I drove to the White Oak Canyon parking area (mile 42.6) to hike White Oak Canyon trail.
From the parking area, I followed the White Oak Canyon trail, ensuring to stay on the trail as I passed the junctions for the Old Rag Fire Road and the Limberlost Trail. About 2.3 miles in, I had read I’d come to a rocky ledge that offers an excellent view of the upper falls. Instead, I came to the view below.
I believe had I continued on to the bridge in the photo, I would have seen the upper falls. But, I was already exhausted from hiking so much the day before and earlier in the day, I decided to stop and eat a late lunch and head back to the car instead. I hadn’t necessarily planned on hiking Whiteoak Canyon Trail, so I didn’t know what I was missing. I was happy with all that I saw, at least!
