Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Virginia / Northern Virginia

Appalachian Trail: Front Royal to Harpers Ferry (the Roller Coaster)

Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Northern Virginia (US 522 near Front Royal to Harpers Ferry, WV)

North of Shenandoah National Park, the Appalachian Trail runs from US 522 near Front Royal through Northern Virginia to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where it crosses the Shenandoah River into town. Its best-known stretch is the Roller Coaster, a run of short, steep climbs between US 50 and Virginia Route 7.

SectionHiker covered the whole 54 miles in about three days in the spring of 2016, from Mountain Home Hostel on US 522 to Harpers Ferry.

The hike

Virginia Trail Guide hiked the southern part in reverse, from Ashby Gap to US 522. Going north from Front Royal, its mileages put a spur to the Mosby campsite about 3.4 miles in and the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter about 5 miles in; the authors called it “one of the plushest we’ve seen along the trail,” with a solar shower. A road walk follows, under I-66 and past Tuckers Lane, before the trail climbs to Manassas Gap Shelter, which has a spring downhill. Past a reliable spring and the Trico Tower spur, the trail reaches the Dicks Dome Shelter, about a third of a mile off the AT across Whiskey Hollow. “It was built by a scout group in 1987 and has seen better days,” the guide wrote.

The AT then crosses the mountaintop of the G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area, which the DWR says carries seven miles of the trail, and Sky Meadows State Park, where Virginia Trail Guide ate lunch at a viewpoint off the Ambassador Whitehead Trail, before dropping to US 50 at Ashby Gap.

Go Hike Virginia describes the Roller Coaster as 13.5 miles from US 50 to Route 7, and says some consider it among the hardest sections of the AT. Virginia Trail Guide counted about 10 significant climbs of 250 to 450 feet. Its mileages from US 50 put the Rod Hollow Shelter spur at 3.6 miles, the Morgan Mill Stream footbridge and campsite at 7.1, Sam Moore Shelter at 9.7, and Bears Den Rocks and hostel at 13.5. Both Virginia Trail Guide and SectionHiker found it easier than its reputation: “Despite its reputation, the Roller Coaster isn’t really that hard of a hike,” SectionHiker wrote.

North of Route 7 at Snickers Gap, the trail passes Raven Rocks and Wilson Gap to the Blackburn Trail Center, 0.3 mile off the trail. Virginia Trail Guide then passes Buzzards Rock, the David Lesser Memorial Shelter spur, Keys Gap, and the state-line sign at Loudoun Heights before crossing the Shenandoah into Harpers Ferry.

From Harpers Ferry the AT continues into Maryland; see Turners Gap to Harpers Ferry. To the south, see the Shenandoah National Park AT page.

Tips

Camping

No permit requirement was found for this section. Guides describe shelters at Jim & Molly Denton, Manassas Gap, Dicks Dome, Rod Hollow, Sam Moore, and David Lesser Memorial, plus campsites at Mosby and Morgan Mill Stream. The PATC says hikers can stay free in the Blackburn hiker cabin, first come, first served, and may use the lawn picnic tables and porch but not the house; no pets. The ATC says Bears Den, a hostel on ATC land managed by the PATC, sits near Route 7. The DWR says an access permit is required on its wildlife management areas for anyone 17 and older and that WMA camping needs a free authorization; no exemption for AT hikers was found.

Inside Intel: Virginia Trail Guide’s Christine calls the Morgan Mill Stream campsite “a pretty good mid-point” on the Roller Coaster. Her 2015 group also camped on a ridge above the Blackburn Trail Center, which they called a “prime campsite,” and wrote that “the Blackburn AT Center was a welcome respite – cold sodas, clean well water, comfy chairs, and friendly people.”

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Rocky ground on the Roller Coaster:

Section hikers report small, stony tent sites between Front Royal and Harpers Ferry, so a tent that stakes out well on hard ground helps. See the tents reviewers trust.

Read the full guide →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.