Yellow Cliffs

New Market, VA

Kid Friendly: Yes! Mostly steep grades, but short and not hazardous.
Dog Friendly: Yes, with caution during the winter months and not for older dogs with hip and maneuvering problems due to mild rock scrambling.
Baby-Wearing Friendly: Yes, no major obstacles
Will my kids whine?: Probably. Most of this is pretty steep uphill that they’re perfectly capable of, but less seasoned kids will definitely whine.

Yellow cliffs is a stunning and lightly trafficked area in the Massanutten mountains. I hesitate to even write about it because it’s been a place of solitude and beauty for me for years.

The trail to the overlook is short enough to be done on a whim but steep enough that one should not take it too lightly, especially in the ice and snow.

Parking at the seemingly abandoned Massanutten visitor center off Rte 211, you have a few trail options here. One is a short interpretive trail called the Massanutten Discovery Trail. The other is the Massanutten South Trail (orange blaze) which also has a bit of signage, primarily about Wildflowers in the area. You’ll want to take this one.

Initially, you’ll descend moderately for about 0.35 miles. There you’ll see an intersection and turn right sharply, where you’ll start to ascend.

The first .25 miles has a grade of 20-29%, ice can be tricky (especially if you have dogs) so watch your footing in the winter.

Around .75 miles in the terrain levels out a bit, with a small glimpse through the trees, and starts to climb steeply again, resuming 15-20% grades.

Between miles 1 and 1.5 on the ascent, there’s a mild amount of rock scrambling. Again, if you have dogs especially when it’s cold this can be tricky. Otherwise, for most dogs, this isn’t a giant problem. If you have a pup prone to hip dysplasia use caution.

You’ll reach the top of this short hike at the 1.5-mile mark. There’s a beautiful outcropping of rocks that overlook the Shenandoah Valley and New Market, as well as the 211 descent into town.

Sunsets here are to die for, and this is absolutely one of my top 5 favorite places to watch it.

Camping here isn’t crowded and hammock camping is easy as the trees back right up against the rocks for a beautiful, serene view that photos do no justice.

This is an out-and-back hike- so you can return the way you came. There is also plenty of more trails that continue on (as well as a gorgeous pond further back into the forest) if you choose to do so.