Hawksbill Gap to Crescent Rock Overlook - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park

During our late September 2020 trip to Shenandoah National Park, we hiked the 0.4 mile segment of the Appalachian Trail from Hawksbill Gap to Crescent Rock Overlook.

Parking at Hawksbill Gap is available on both sides of Skyline Drive with the west side of the road having a small paved area and the east side having gravel. There are no designated spots, but the paved area has space for 8 to 10 vehicles. The gravel lot has space for more than a dozen vehicles. With multiple trails intersecting at the gap, the parking areas quickly fill up. 

The access trail from the Hawksbill Gap parking area to the AT is 220 feet long and very well maintained. Once at the AT, we turned right and headed north. The trail climbs about 100 feet between access points yielding an average grade of less than 5%.

As we only had access to one vehicle on this trip, we couldn't shuttle ourselves between access points on the AT. So we had to backtrack south back to Hawksbill Gap making this the only segment of the AT in Shenandoah that we've hiked twice.

Topographic map with GPS route

Elevation profile

Parking area

Access trail and Skyline Drive

Appalachian Trail junction

Typical trail conditions near the gap

Passing below a rock bluff

Gradual ascent

A few more rocks on the path

The trail transitions to a completely rock tread

Still a lot of green leaves in late September

Continuing the climb

A short stretch of gravel tread before it's...

...back to the rocks

Crescent Rock Overlook access trail junction

The access trail is much steeper than this part of the AT

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 https://www.appalachiantrail.org/.