Doyles River-Jones Run Loop Waterfall Hike in Shenandoah National Park
The Doyles River-Jones Run Loop is easily my all-time favorite waterfall hike in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. An occasionally strenuous circuit hike, this loop trail takes you past three large waterfalls and countless smaller ones.
You can start this wonderfully woodsy waterfall hike at various points along Skyline Drive. The Jones Run, Browns Gap, Doyles River Overlook and Doyles River parking lots are all options. It doesn’t really matter where you start.
However, you’re recommended to hike this trail in a clockwise direction. And if you don’t want to leave the strenuous climb back out of the hollow for last, I suggest starting the hike at the Doyles River parking lot.
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Hiking the Doyles River-Jones Run Loop
From that parking lot, you’ll first cross Skyline Drive and the Appalachian Trail before descending into the woods. After almost a mile (1.6 kilometers), you’ll cross the Browns Gap Fire Road.
From then onward, the trail basically parallels the Doyles River. You’ll soon hit the first stop-worthy waterfall. It doesn’t officially have a name, but it’s definitely pretty.
A little further down the trail awaits Upper Doyles River Falls, a 28-foot (8.5-meter) multi-level cascade that’s awesome for selfies (if you’re into those).
About 0.2 miles (300 meters) past that waterfall is Lower Doyles River Falls, a gorgeous 63-foot (19-meter) waterfall.
This was my personal favorite waterfall on the Doyles River-Jones Run Trail and possibly even in all of Shenandoah National Park. Dark Hollow Falls is a strong contender, though.
The trail then continues paralleling the Doyles River, passing many more small cascades on its way.
At 2.1 miles (3.4 kilometers), the Doyles River Trail intersects with the Jones Run Trail. Follow this trail, which will take you back up along the Jones Run. About 0.7 miles (1.1 kilometers) after the intersection, you’ll come across the 42-foot (13-meter) Jones Run Falls, the third and last major waterfall on this gorgeous hike.
After 4.6 miles (7.4 kilometers), you’ll find yourself at the Jones Run parking lot on Skyline Drive. To get back to the Doyles River parking lot, turn right on the Appalachian Trail and follow this legendary path for another 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers).
This last section is fairly level and makes for pleasant walking. A couple of scenic overlooks add to the all-round greatness of this highly recommended waterfall hike in Shenandoah National Park, which is one of the the best national parks for waterfall hunting in the USA.
In summer, the many natural swimming holes in both the Doyles River and Jones Run offer welcome cooling-down opportunities on this trail.
Doyles River-Jones Run Loop Details
Trailhead: Doyles River parking lot at MP 81.1 on Skyline Drive
Distance: 7.8 miles (12.5 kilometers)
Duration: 4 hours
Alternative: For a shorter loop hike, you can take the Browns Gap Fire Road. This circuit also takes in all the waterfalls you’ll find on the full Doyles River-Jones Run Loop, but is about 2 miles (3 kilometers) shorter. The suggested starting point for this loop is the Browns Gap parking lot at MP 83.0.
The Browns Gap Fire Road’s origins go back to the 1700s, when the Brown family constructed a road to transport their produce from the Shenandoah Valley all the way to Richmond.
During the American Civil War, the road was famously used by Stonewall Jackson and his troops. Although nothing about the road nowadays reminds hikers of these events, it’s still nice to inject some local history into your hike.
Note: When Caroline and I did this hike, we saw two rather large snakes near the Upper Doyles River Falls. One, a non-venomous black racer snake, crossed the trail right as we walked by.
The other one, a unidentified brown-colored snake, possibly a rattlesnake, was sneakily hiding behind some rocks. It freaked us out at first, but in the end, it was a pretty memorable wildlife sighting—one of the many reasons I love Shenandoah National Park so much.
I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that both of them were hanging out near the water, but I thought I’d mention it. Just watch where you place your feet.
You may also want to look into the following hikes in Shenandoah National Park: Big Meadows, Turk Mountain, Trayfoot Mountain-Paine Run, Dark Hollow Falls and South River Falls.
The waterfall is absolutely beautiful
Thanks so much!
What a delightful hike … as a waterfall fan, I’d love to do this one someday soon!
Great blog its informative thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
Thank you for such a detailed and informative review on Doyels River-Jones run loop waterfall hike. Would it be even less strenuous if we park at MP 83, hike Browns Gap Fire road shortcut to all three falls (ending at Jones Run falls) and retrace back rather than going uphill towards Jones Run parking?
Jay, while that’s definitely also an option, that’s not necessarily less strenuous. Distance-wise, retracing your steps and doing the Browns Gap loop is about the same. However, since you’ll have to hike back up to Skyline Drive either way, and Jones Run Falls is already a ways up from the lowest point on the hike (which is where Doyles River and Jones Run meet), you’ll do quite a lot more climbing if you retrace your steps (that would mean descending a bit again before hiking back up alongside Doyles River). I recommend the Browns Gap loop! Hope this helps.
Which map do you like for Shenandoah Park?
I usually just use the map they hand out when you enter the park. You can find a whole bunch of different Shenandoah maps here: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/maps.htm
I hiked this trail last December. It was absolutely gorgeous. I will hike it again. Video here: https://youtu.be/UwtA6rZBDKI
Hi Ron! Yes, I totally agree. The Doyles River-Jones Run hike is my all-time favorite hike in Shenandoah!