Shenandoah National Park · VA
Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail
Live · updated
Today
Marginal conditions for trail running.
Today's best: trail running
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
Skip the hiking plan today.
Trail running
Marginal conditions for trail running.
Score breakdown
- · 75°F air — Within comfort range, outside ideal
- ✓ Trail: prime — No meaningful rain in the last 48 hours. Trail surface is dry and tacky — prime traction.
- − 46 min of daylight — You need at least 194 min with margin. Bring a headlamp or start tomorrow.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 8.34 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2678 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- easy
Trailhead
Coordinates
38.5348, -78.4034 — VA.
Park
Part of Shenandoah National Park (official site →).
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Nearby Trails
Frequently Asked
How long is Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail?
Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail is a 8.34-mile route with 2678 feet of elevation gain — easy — gentle grades, generally suitable for families and beginners with normal fitness. 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 Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail?
Skyland-Big Meadows Horse 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 Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail is in Shenandoah National Park, which is managed by the National Park Service. Closure and advisory data on this page comes from the live NPS alerts API for this park unit. Always confirm against the park's own page before driving — emergency closures can post faster than scrapers refresh.