Shenandoah National Park · Virginia

Nicholson Hollow Trail

5.8 mi of trail, end to end · Nicholson Hollow: 8 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · about 2,200 ft of climbing · 916 ft–3,113 ft · earth surface · trail class Developed · hiking

933 ft 3,081 ft · 5.6 mi high 3,081 ft

Nicholson Hollow 8 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

6-7 Hours · dogs allowed

Start Old Rag Parking Area (Park Boundary)

An old, decaying log building is shrouded in fog in the middle of the woods.

An alternate option for visitors with pets who still wish to hike from the Old Rag parking area. This hike takes you through the Shenandoah Wilderness to Corbin Cabin, an old homesite built by a former resident, and features several stream crossings along the way. There are several stream crossings on this hike.

Distance: 8-mile round trip hike

Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous ( hiking difficulty scale )

Hiking Time: 7 hours

Elevation Gain: 1,240 feet

Hike Description

From the Old Rag parking area on the Park boundary, look for the Nicholson Hollow Trail concrete marker across the road.

Follow the Nicholson Hollow Trail to Corbin Cabin and retrace your steps to return.

Accessibility This trail does not meet ADA accessibility guidelines.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 317 trails in Shenandoah National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.