Elkwallow Gap to Rattlesnake Point Overlook - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park

Our early June 2019 trip to Shenandoah National Park concluded with another hike on the Appalachian Trail. This time we hiked from Elkwallow Gap north to Rattlesnake Point Overlook. According to my copy of Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion, this is a 1.5-mile hike. My Garmin GPS showed it as 1.6 miles plus the access trail at the beginning and the road walk at the end.

We parked east (road north) of the Wayside and walked about 500-foot on the flat Elkwallow Trail to reach the AT. Upon making a right turn and crossing Skyline Drive, the AT climbs 460 feet in about 0.85 miles yielding an average 10% grade to a fire road crossing. Over the next 0.4 miles, the trail dips 20 feet and then climbs 75 feet before merging with the fire road for a very short distance. After veering right, the AT is relatively flat for 0.2 miles to the Piney Branch Upper Trail junction. The final 0.2 miles has a 100-foot rise producing an average grade of 9½%. Once we reached Skyline Drive, we walked north on the road about 400 feet to the Rattlesnake Point Overlook.

Elkwallow Trail marker at the edge of the paved parking area

Typical trail conditions

AT marker

Second AT marker approaching Skyline Drive

Crossing Skyline Drive

Another trail marker on the east side of the road

Typical trail conditions below a white blaze

Another white blaze

Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Utility lines create an opening in the forest canopy

The understory quickly fills in the gap

Downed tree leads to a step-over

A straight trail with a smooth tread is a hiker's delight

Approaching the trail marker for the fire road 

Fire road down to the Range View cabin and Piney Ridge Trail

The AT crosses the fire road at an angle and continues to the right below the white blaze

Another white blaze

Trail marker for the path down to the Range View cabin

Ferns line the trail

Stream crossing

A small hole in the canopy

Approaching the fire road again

The AT merges into the right rut...

...before quickly veering off to the right

Trail marker leaving the fire road

A green tunnel

Trail marker for the Piney Branch Upper Trail

Another white blaze means we are on the AT

Another small hole in the canopy

Trail marker on the east side of Skyline Drive

Rattlesnake Point Overlook is just up the road

The AT continues across Skyline Drive, but we don't for now

A Shenandoah National Park entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Shenandoah Annual Pass for $55. 

The Shenandoah National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail website is https://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy website is http://www.appalachiantrail.org/.