Stony Man Summit Trail

Stony Man is the second highest peak in Shenandoah National Park, rising to 4,011 feet along Skyline Drive's central section near Skyland Resort. The summit is distinctive for its exposed cliffs of greenstone, a metamorphic volcanic rock that gives the peak its gray, stony profile when viewed from the Shenandoah Valley below. The trail begins at the Stony Man Trail parking area off Skyline Drive at mile marker 41.7 and follows a moderately steep path through northern hardwood forest of red maple, yellow birch, and American beech. Near the summit, the vegetation transitions to exposed heath barrens with wind-flagged red spruce and Catawba rhododendron, which blooms brilliantly in mid-June. The clifftop viewpoint at the summit offers unobstructed views westward across the broad Shenandoah Valley to the Allegheny Mountains, and eastward over the Piedmont toward the Blue Ridge foothills. On clear autumn days, fall foliage color transforms the valley into an extraordinary mosaic of crimson, orange, and gold. The trail can be combined with the Passamaquoddy Trail for a more varied loop experience. Dogs are permitted on leash on this trail.