Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Virginia / Shenandoah National Park

Riprap and Wildcat Ridge Loop

Shenandoah National Park, South District (Riprap parking, Skyline Drive mile 90)

Riprap is the deep hollow below Skyline Drive at the southern end of Shenandoah National Park. The loop drops past two rock viewpoints into Cold Spring Hollow, where a spring-fed stream fills a swimming hole, then climbs Wildcat Ridge and returns on the Appalachian Trail.

The park’s own trip guide (#33) describes it as a “popular circuit with good views, cascades, excellent swimming hole,” split into two short days.

The hike

From the Riprap parking area at Skyline Drive mile 90, walk the AT north about 0.4 mile and turn left on the blue-blazed Riprap Trail. MyHikes reaches the first vista at about 1.1 miles and Chimney Rock 0.3 mile later. Virginia Trail Guide passes a talus slope and the Calvary Rocks viewpoint, then descends about a third of a mile to Chimney Rock. Reviewers on MyHikes mention fallen trees and old fire damage near Chimney Rock.

The trail then follows a ridge down into Cold Spring Hollow. MyHikes describes a spring-fed stream dropping about 20 feet over a waterfall roughly 1.7 miles past Chimney Rock, then a swimming hole about 50 feet wide 0.3 mile farther. Virginia Trail Guide calls the pool the author’s favorite spot on the trail: “The swimming hole displayed beautiful rhododendron reflections and was full of brook trout.” Just past it, MyHikes notes an overgrown side trail to the site of the old Riprap Shelter.

About three-quarters of a mile of level walking with a couple more crossings leads to the post marking the Wildcat Ridge Trail. The NPS gives 3.6 miles for the whole Riprap Trail. Turn left, cross the stream again, and climb. The NPS gives Wildcat Ridge Trail 2.7 miles to the AT; Virginia Trail Guide called it about three miles of climbing. MyHikes reviewers describe the climb as long and steady, and some hike the loop the other way so the vistas come at the end. Back on the AT, turn left and walk 2.8 miles north to the car.

The NPS hike page gives 9.8 miles and 2,365 feet of gain. With two cars, the trip guide says you can cut it to about 7 miles by leaving one at the Wildcat Ridge parking area at mile 92.1. The guide also notes the hollow is narrow and busy on weekends, and suggests the wider Big Run valley for weekend trips, “saving the relatively narrow Riprap and Wildcat for a weekday.”

In November 2025, the Bear Den Mountain Fire briefly closed the AT from Rockfish Gap to Turk Gap and Skyline Drive from Rockfish Gap to Loft Mountain; the ATC reported both reopened on November 19, 2025. For the full AT through the park, see the Shenandoah National Park AT page.

Tips

Camping

A backcountry permit is required, bought in advance through Recreation.gov or by phone. Under the park’s 2026 compendium, groups are capped at 10, and you may camp no more than two consecutive nights at one location. Camp at least 10 yards from water, 20 yards from trails, 50 yards from other parties and building ruins, and a quarter mile from Skyline Drive and the park boundary. Campfires are prohibited outside hut and shelter fireplaces, and food must go in a bear-resistant container or be hung at least 12 feet up.

The NPS trip guide suggests camping along the Riprap Trail in the mile or so before the Wildcat Ridge junction, in the first mile of the Wildcat Ridge Trail, or by the stream where Wildcat Ridge turns uphill.

Inside Intel: MyHikes reader Chris (2011) found “several excellent sites down at the bottom of the hollow,” including a large clearing less than 200 yards downstream of the swimming hole, across the creek, that he said fits four or five tents and has good sitting rocks. Reader James (2011) camped at the old shelter site above the pool but said there was “really only room for one tent” and found a better site downstream.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Cool air pools in Cold Spring Hollow:

Camping beside the trout pool puts you low in a shaded hollow where nights stay damp and cool. See the sleeping bags testers like.

See what testers chose →

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.