White Oak Canyon (via Cedar Run Trail) Loop Hike

Introduction

AllTrails link to White Oak Canyon Trail Hike

The White Oak Canyon trail hike is a waterfall hike that can be broken down into the Upper Whiteoak Canyon Falls and Lower Whiteoak Canyon Falls and can also be done as a loop via the Cedar Run Trail. (We hiked both parts via the Cedar Run Trail). The brilliance of this hike is not the spectacular mountain summit views but the waterfalls that you encounter along the way. There are ten major and several smaller waterfalls that you will come across along this hiking trail, with the highest waterfall reaching 86 feet!

Link to White Oak Canyon Area Trail Map

This was day 2 of our second Shenandoah National Park get-away.

Basic Information

Date of trip: 03/25/2022

Difficulty level: hard

Distance: 9.5 miles round-trip

Elevation gain: 2,408 feet

Location: Shenandoah National Park, near Syria, VA,

Our Impressions

This hike was different from our usual hikes in many ways. First of all, instead of a constant steep climb, it involved a lot of “ups and downs.” Second, we were enjoying grand waterfalls along the way instead of the usual mountain summit. Overall, this was a very enjoyable hike and challenging due to its length as well as the numerous streams that need to be crossed. Hiking boots and hiking sticks are an absolute must for this hike as you constantly need to balance on wet and very slippery rocks. If you are blessed with Sheldon’s height and long legs, you may have an easier time brook hopping than I did. Enjoy watching my trials and tribulations of crossing some of these streams in the videos, below.