Hiking Dark Hollow Falls & Rose River Falls

Dark Hollow Falls

Rose River Falls

I don't know that we could have picked a cooler day to hike this wonderful little loop. My entire drive to Shenandoah National Park was cold, rainy and overcast but as I made my way up the mountain to the Swift Run Gap entrance the clouds began to get thinner and thinner until I was completely above them and basking in the sunlight! The drive along Skyline Drive to the trailhead was sunny, warm and I could see the clouds in the valley below to the east and west. We started our hike from the Dark Hollow Falls parking area and followed Dark Hollow Falls Trail from the parking lot. We saw Dark Hollow Falls and a few other cascades before arriving at a concrete post and continuing on the Rose River Trail. We followed this trail beside a beautiful mountain river with lots of cascades that were gushing from recent rainfall. After getting to Rose River Falls we continued on the trail and hiked up to Skyline Drive. From here we crossed the road on the yellow blazed horse path and followed this south until we arrived back at the Dark Hollow Falls Parking Lot. I think the entire loop was around 5 miles! The trail was so pretty winding along the side of the river and since we went on a day that proceeded a week of rain the waterfalls were full and beautiful.