Fridley Gap Loop

George Washington National Forest, VA Shenandoah + Northern Blue Ridge Mountains

Trip stats

Distance
6.4 mi
Net Gain
1,900 ft
Time
3-5 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 1
Route
Loop

Ratings out of 10

Effort
2.8/10
Personality
4/10
Beauty
5/10
Solitude
2.6/10
What do these mean? →

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

38.496789, -78.709407

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Jun 24, 2018 — Fridley Gap is a loop hike in Virginia that weaves around forested ridges. It doesn't really have a destination, but serves as a nice hike through the area. The hike begins by passing the Mountain Run Swimming Hole. I chose to do the loop clockwise so I took a left at a junction, where I followed the pink-blazed Fridley Gap Trail. It ascended a hill to a ridge, passed over the ridge and then descend the other side. Here I picked up a forest road heading south that leads to the Massanutten South Trail, and back up the same ridge I previously descended. The trail continues west through the forest and the road/trail gets more narrow and becomes a nicely wooded and lush trail as it passes Fridley Run's tributaries. Along the descent on the Massanutten South Trail leading back to the trailhead, I passed a pretty overlook which I marked on my attached map.

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Photos

30 photos

  1. Starting along the Fridley Gap Trail.
  3. Mountain Run Swimming Hole.
  5. Junction with the Fridley Gap Trail / Massanutten South Trail. I headed left first.
  6. Ascending the trail.
  8. Near the top of the ridge.
  9. At the bottom of the other side of the ridge, following a forest road.
  11. Forest road ascends back up the ridge along the Massanutten South Trail.
  13. It's not very interesting for a while.
  14. Some views along the forest road/trail.
  17. The Massanutten South Trail narrows from an old roadbed into a trail.
  19. Flooded trail next to one of Fridley Run's tributaries. It was drizzling, so ignore the water splotches on my lens.
  20. Crazy moss-covered rocks along the way.
  22. Light coming through the trees.
  23. Approaching the high point of the hike, just before descending to complete the loop. The high point isn't a peak or anything, just a point along a slope.
  24. Go slightly off-trail to get to a pretty overlook.
  25. Close-up from the overlook.
  26. View looking north-ish from the overlook.
  27. Continuing back down the trail.
  29. Forested ridge walk to get back to the trailhead, completing the loop.

Photo 1 of 1

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Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

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