Trails / Virginia / George Washington National Forest

Wild Oak National Recreation Trail

George Washington National Forest (North River Ranger District, near Stokesville and Braley Pond)

The Wild Oak Trail is a white-blazed loop of about 26 miles in the North River country of the George Washington National Forest; Wikipedia says it begins at the headwaters of the North River. The Forest Service lists it at 26.25 miles, from 1,600 to 4,350 feet, and the Secretary of Agriculture designated it a National Recreation Trail in 1979.

Hiking Project says it’s commonly backpacked in two to three days. It’s open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horses, except in the stretch through the Ramseys Draft Wilderness, where bikes aren’t allowed.

The hike

The Forest Service directions lead to a parking area on FR 95 near Stokesville, which MyHikes calls the main lot; MyHikes describes the loop clockwise from a second lot on FS 96 near Braley Pond. From there, the trail climbs Dividing Ridge, steep at first, to a wildlife pond and the Bald Ridge Trail junction at 2.3 miles, entering the Ramseys Draft Wilderness, where MyHikes says the trail is often overgrown because maintenance is by hand only. After a viewpoint at 3.1 miles, it drops about 2.5 miles past the Hiner Springs Trail junction to Camp Todd at 5.6 miles. Wikipedia says Camp Todd was a herdsman’s cabin and fire guard station.

Just beyond, the trail crosses the North River. In high water, MyHikes and the Virginia Wilderness Committee describe walking the road to a bridge and picking up a spur trail built in 2010. The trail then climbs to Little Bald Knob, the high point of the loop at 4,351 feet per Wikipedia. The Virginia Wilderness Committee calls the ascent “relentless, but not too steep.”

The next miles follow the ridge past the Grooms Ridge Trail to the Little Skidmore Trail junction at 13.4 miles. It’s unsigned, and both MyHikes and Hiking Project warn that hikers easily stray onto the wrong trail here; turn sharply left to stay on the white blazes. The trail descends to the FR 95 lot at about 15.5 miles and crosses the North River on a suspension bridge at 16.1, the low point of the loop.

The second half climbs over Lookout Mountain, passes the Shaffer Hollow and Bear Draft trails, and follows FS 425, which MyHikes calls the least interesting part of the loop. It then crosses Hankey Mountain and passes a rocky outlook with views southwest and southeast, per MyHikes, before a final descent to Braley Pond Road. MyHikes warns of a missing sign at a fork near the end; take the fainter trail climbing to the right, not the Dowells Draft Trail.

For the wilderness the trail passes through, see the Ramseys Draft Wilderness loop.

Tips

Cache water at the FR 95 lot or carry plenty past the North River bridge.
Watch the Little Skidmore junction and the fork near Dowells Draft.
Yield to horses. The Forest Service says horses have the right-of-way, and bikes yield to hikers.
Expect views to be limited in summer. A Hiking Project user found trees blocked most views in late July.
Check for ticks. MyHikes lists ticks, snakes, and poison ivy.

Camping

No permit or designated sites were found. The Forest Service’s forest-wide order limits camping to 14 days in any 30-day period and bans camping within 300 feet of a developed parking area. In the Ramseys Draft Wilderness section, groups are limited to 10 people. The Forest Service says no drinking water is available, so treat all natural water. Store food where bears can’t reach it.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific site were found. MyHikes’s trail description lists sites at miles 2.8 and 3.4, around Camp Todd and across the road near the North River, small sites at 13.5 and 14.7, and one at the Shaffer Hollow junction, and says the Camp Todd area is among the few campsites with easy water access.

Trail facts

Distance: 26.25 miles (Forest Service); 25.6 to 28.2 by other sources
Route type: Loop
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Dispersed; Camp Todd area, North River, ridge sites
Water: Very limited; North River at Camp Todd and the suspension bridge; treat it
Permits: None found
Group size: 10 in the Ramseys Draft Wilderness section
Uses: Hikers, mountain bikes (not in the wilderness), horses
Trailheads: FR 95 near Stokesville (main); FS 96 on Braley Pond Road
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

Cooking on a dry ridge loop:

Water is scarce once you leave the North River, so a stove that sips fuel and boils carried water efficiently fits the Wild Oak Trail. See the stoves testers rate.

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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.