Virginia trails · Massanutten South
Massanutten South
A 19.6-mile out-and-back in Virginia, with 1,870 ft of climbing. Reaches Pitt Spring and other pass/spring/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 44% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 6.5. It gives back about 3,567 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Pitt Spring (spring)
- Fridley Gap (pass)
- Runkles Gap (pass)
- Overlook (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Massanutten South access. 38.45409, -78.69706 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:15 a.m., the sun rises at 6:42 a.m. and sets at 7:46 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:13 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 04 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 39.2-mile round trip works out to roughly 16 h 24 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Bird Knob + Massanutten South — 3.8 mi loop, 488 ft gain
- Massanutten South + Roaring Run + Browns Hollow Trail — 10.0 mi loop, 2,504 ft gain
- Brows Hollow Trail + Massanutten South + Roaring Run — 9.4 mi loop, 2,417 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Brown Mtn Trail — 11.3 mi
- Jones Mountain Trail — 15.3 mi
- Furnace Mountain Trail — 16.0 mi
- Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail — 18.2 mi