Dark Hollow Falls is a 75-foot tiered waterfall on Hogcamp Branch in the Central District of Shenandoah National Park, Madison County, Virginia. A short but steep trail from Skyline Drive leads down to the falls, and National Park Service records rank it among the most traveled trails in the park.
The falls
Hogcamp Branch, draining the area around Big Meadows, drops in three distinct steps over greenstone and metaconglomerate of the Catoctin Formation. Lidar surveys place the total drop at about 75 feet with a tallest step of 35 feet, while official park statistics cite 70 feet; earlier inventories noted 145 feet. A smaller lower falls sits a short distance downstream and is counted as a separate waterfall.
Getting there
The trail starts at the Dark Hollow Falls Parking Area at mile 50.7 of Skyline Drive. It descends about 0.75 mile along the stream to the falls and returns the same way: 1.4 miles in all, with 440 feet of climbing on the way back, taking about 1 hour 15 minutes on a moderate grade.
The hike itself needs no reservation or extra fee, but the park entrance fee applies: $30 per private vehicle for seven days, $25 per motorcycle and $15 per person aged 16 and older on foot or by bicycle. A $55 park annual pass and federal interagency passes are accepted, and payment is cashless.
When to go
The trail remains open year-round.
On site
The path is short but steep and rocky, becoming slippery when wet; take the climb back slowly and know your limits. The route does not meet accessibility guidelines. Pets are not allowed on this trail, though service animals are. In August 2003 a 10-year-old who went missing after a hike to the falls was found nearly 33 hours later in the neighboring Rose River drainage, dehydrated and with minor injuries.
Nearby
Rose River Falls is about 1.2 miles away, Lewis Spring Falls about 1.4 miles and Big Rock Falls on Mill Prong about 1.6 miles.
Distances are straight-line.