South River Falls Trail, Shenandoah National Park

Awesome hike down to a beautiful waterfall. Easy access parking lot with restrooms. Pets ARE allowed on leash. Hike loses about 900ft down and then 900ft back up so it could be a bit tough for the littlest hikers in the group. Our 7 and 9 yo had no problem. Be aware there are a few narrow exposed areas as approach the overlook so keep little kids close. The creek follows the trail for the lower half which keeps it very interesting. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The hiking was great fun, not really crowded when we discovered the waterfall, it was a calm and serene experience with the gushing sound of the water taking all the stress away. Parking to the waterfall, approx 1½ hours, always bring essentials like water, snacks for kids etc. Plan according to the weather. Avoid hiking on a rainy day and especially in snowy places.

Beautiful trail with a great view of a waterfall as well as a pretty stream. Trail can be muddy and slick; it's definitely worth going past the overlook and putting the extra effort to get to the base of the falls. Bear in mind that since this trail loses elevation, you will have to regain all of it going back up.

This was a beautiful trail and not super difficult if you are used to hiking. The parking lot has toilets and picnic tables. My wife and I started this one morning and the weather was perfect. We did the trail counter-clockwise, which worked out since the end of the trail wasn't as steep as the start and the trail was mostly gravel. The hike to the falls adds about an extra mile but it is definitely worth it. Unfortunately this extra hike to the falls is a little more challenging then the rest of the hike since it is rocky and requires a little bit of climbing over the rocks. Take care when at the falls as some of the rocks are very slippery. Would definitely recommend this trail with the waterfall extension!

Great hike! I recommend the all trails app to help with navigation on this hike. It’s pretty steep as well so for the folks over 60 it can be a bit harder than expected.

Great hike, challenging. If you don't do a lot of hike, just make sure you're prepared with good shoes and lots of water. They way down can be tough on the legs, but we took the fire road trail back up. More of a steady incline and smoother terrain which I recommend. We did not do the full trail all the way down to the base of the waterfall, which would have been quite the hike back up. The view from above the falls is ok, sure it was much better at the bottom.

This was one of the hardest hikes my family has been on. I am a 340 pound man, my wife is disabled and my kids are 3 and 5. We knew it was going to be rough on the way down but we were determined to get down to the falls and we did! Coming back up was pretty rough for us. Younger more agile people did not seem to be having such a hard time. You got this! On the way back up, don't consider the ENTIRE distance you have to traverse to get back to your vehicle. Pick close points in the distance and make small goals. Pace yourself slow and before you know it, you will be back in the parking lot with THIS notch in your belt. The view was well worth the pain I'm going to feel for the next few days lol. Beautiful hike!

This is a good hike and you can loop back, which I always prefer to out-and-back. Nice views and waterfall gazing.

This was a wonderful trail with scenic views in the descent and a challenging uphill on the return. My husband and I enjoyed the solitude but also seeing a few others enjoying the trail. The waterfall was beautiful! Since the foliage was gone we could see down to the waterfall from up above. One of the perks of no foliage I guess.

Not a bad little hike. You can do a 4.8 mile loop, or a 10 mile loop, or what we did was hike down and back up which was about 3 miles total. The trail starts out with some relatively steep switchbacks. It’s a well kept trail but it can be quite rocky in parts. You’ll come to a nice overlook before arriving at the falls at the bottom. The falls are quite tall for Shenandoah. There’s a small swimming hole under them and a few rocks to sit on.