Shenandoah National Park · Virginia

Sugarloaf Trail

1.4 mi of trail, end to end · 650 ft of descent · 2,716 ft–3,354 ft · earth surface · trail class Developed · hiking

3,354 ft 2,716 ft · 1.4 mi high 3,354 ft

Sugarloaf Loop the Park Service's write-up

6-7 Hours · dogs allowed

Start North District (Mile 22)

A hiker walks down a trail with a large tree trunk in the foreground.

Sugarloaf leads to a viewpoint. In the early summer, the showy white flowers of mountain laurel bloom in abundance here.

Distance: 5.0-mile circuit hike

Difficulty: Moderate (explanation of our hiking difficulty scale )

Hiking Time: 7 hours

Elevation Gain: 1,120 feet

Hike Description

From the trailhead at the Piney River Parking Area (mile 22), take the Piney Branch Upper Trail to its intersection with the Pole Bridge Link Trail.

Go left on the Pole Bridge Link Trail.

Turn left onto Sugarloaf Trail. This will bring you out near Skyline Drive, above Hogback Overlook.

Turn left to take the Appalachian Trail (white-blazed) back to your starting point.

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.