Sky Meadows State Park · VA
North Ridge Trail
Blue-blazed climb through cow pasture and forest to the Blue Ridge crest and Appalachian Trail; one of the park's steeper, rockier trails and the ascent leg of the classic loop.
Live · updated
Today
Skip the hiking plan today.
Today's best: hiking
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
Skip the hiking plan today.
Trail running
Skip the trail running plan today.
Dog walking
Thunderstorms in today's forecast — dogs panic and trails become dangerous.
Score breakdown
- · 84°F air — Within comfort range, outside ideal
- − Thunderstorms — Get off exposed ridges before they arrive
- ✓ Trail: prime — No meaningful rain in the last 48 hours. Trail surface is dry and tacky — prime traction.
- − 83 min of daylight — You need at least 110 min with margin. Bring a headlamp or start tomorrow.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 1.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 978 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- hard
Trailhead
Coordinates
38.9960, -77.9791 — VA.
Park
Part of Sky Meadows State Park.
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Nearby Trails
Frequently Asked
How long is North Ridge Trail?
North Ridge Trail is a 1.7-mile route with 978 feet of elevation gain — hard — significant elevation gain, technical terrain, or both; come prepared. The trail facts panel on this page lists distance, surface, and access tags as they appear in OpenStreetMap.
What's the trail surface like at North Ridge Trail?
North Ridge Trail is natural dirt singletrack — soft underfoot, holds water, slow to dry after rain. Today's mud rating, derived from recent precipitation and the surface type, is shown in the conditions panel above.
Who manages North Ridge Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
North Ridge Trail is in Sky Meadows State Park, which is managed by the managing agency. Closure and advisory data on this page comes from the agency. Always confirm against the park's own page before driving — emergency closures can post faster than scrapers refresh.