Trip report
May 19, 2016 — The Cedar Run and Whiteoak Canyon Loop is a classic Shenandoah National Park hike that leads through two hollows to form a scenic loop with an overwhelming number of waterfalls. You could start the hike from the east side of the park from the Whiteoak Canyon Trailhead, but I was already on Skyline Drive and decided to start from the high point, the Hawksbill Gap Parking Area. I did the hike clockwise, starting down Cedar Run. The wateraflls along Cedar Run are smaller, but very interesting. There are pretty cascades, a narrow gorge in the watercourse, and even a slickrock waterslide.
After passing the lower trailhead, I continued north along the Whiteoak Canyon Trail, which has a bunch of more intense, taller falls. Most are named some variation of "Whiteoak Falls", and all are delightful. From the top of the trail, I took a left and followed the Whiteoak Fire Road. This ook me back to my trailhead, but it's a wide and pretty boring portion of the hike.