Dark Hollow Falls and Bearfence Mountain

On a crisp morning in January, we headed up to Shenandoah National Park to complete two more trails off of the list of the top 20.  Since we were a little pressed for time on this day, we thought it would be advantageous to combine two very short hikes that are near each other.  So, we started with Dark Hollow Falls and finished with Bearfence Mountain.

Dark Hollow Falls begins just below Big Meadows and we saw large herds of deer in the meadows this morning as we were driving by.  When we arrived at the parking lot for Dark Hollow Falls, we saw a rare sight:  an empty parking lot.  Dark Hollow Falls is one of the most popular hikes on the Skyline Drive because it is fairly short with a big pay-off and attracts lots of visitors.

Today, we got to see not only beautiful waterfalls with strong flow, but also beautiful ice falls.

 

 

The trail follows the stream all the way down to the spectacular falls with lovely pools along the way that would be very inviting during the warmer months.  Arriving at the top of the falls, one can carefully climb on the rocks and gain a vantage point of looking down the falls.  Taking the trail down the steep incline, you arrive at the base of the major falls which in the summer is almost always full of people.  We enjoyed the solitude of having the falls to ourselves today.

 

 

 

As you continue down the path, the trail ends at the Fire Road that is part of Rose River Loop (see our last post for a review of Rose River Falls here .

 

 

And here is a short video of the beautiful waterfall:

 



 

Jeanine says:  Dark Hollow Falls never fails to please because even when the streams are running lower, the falls are impressive.  The trail is well-maintained and is very family-friendly.

 

Kathy says: 

This trail is usually full of people. The real treat is in the winter as the water flowing over the side of the rocks is frozen over and very few people venture out. The trail provides two vantage points: one at the brink of the falls and one at the bottom of the falls. The falls are quite breathtaking and it's worth walking the extra yards to see the falls from the lower vantage point. The hike to the falls is an easy downhill stroll, but the hike back to the parking lot is a strenuous climb.

 

After the steep climb back out of Dark Hollow, we made the short drive south to Bearfence Mountain.  Bearfence is another very short hike, but has the unique feature of being a somewhat challenging rock scramble with nice views.

 

The initial climb up Bearfence is somewhat steep and just before you get to the rocks, there is a nice view of Massanutten Resort.

 

 

 

At this point, the fun begins as you have to scramble across the rocks.  This part of the hike reminds you a little of a mini- Old Rag except that the rocks are not worn and smooth but very sharp and jagged.  This does make it a little easier to obtain foot-holds and hand-holds as compared to Old Rag which has been worn down over time and by the thousands of people climbing the rocks.

 

 

 

After scrambling along the rocks, you finally make it to the summit which has some pretty nice views.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Bearfence Mountain was ranked number 14 on the list of top 20 and Dark Hollow Falls was ranked number 15.  We had a great day doing both but on this day, I think we would have ranked Dark Hollow Falls higher than Bearfence.  Of course, it is not often that you have Dark Hollow Falls with great flow all to yourself, either.

 

 

 

Information about Dark Hollow Falls can be found here.  Information about Bearfence Mountain can be found here.