Day Hike, Eastern Approach Trail, Blue Ridge Tunnel and Western Approach Trail, Waynesboro, VA

This 2.5, 3.0 or 5 mile day hike took place on Friday, March 13, 2026. It was sponsored by

Shenandoah Take A Hike Group

and was led by me.

This was the first time that I had led a hike since November, 2022. We got an inch of snow in Manassas, VA on Thursday, March 12 and I was concerned about slipping and sliding while driving to this hike as well as hiking the trail itself. I had a few people cancel by phone due to various reasons. So I took a chance and left Manassas, VA at 6:30 AM. I made it to the trailhead at 9:05 AM.

It seemed that all was well when I arrived. The first vehicle that pulled in were two fellow hikers from Strasburg, VA. They gave me a ride to the western trailhead to place my vehicle there as a shuttle and drove me back in time to meet the other hikers. We had 13 hikers for this one. The majority of those hikers were from Strasburg, VA, which was 84 miles away. I gave my leader spiel at 10:00 AM and we then started the hike. I gave everyone the option of doing either the entire 2.5 mile trail, the entire trail up and back, which was 5 miles or the eastern approach and tunnel, then retracing one’s steps, which was 3 miles.

We did a leisurely pace on this one. It was slightly above freezing temperature wise when we started. Once we got into the tunnel, it was actually warmer than the outside air. We had one new hiker named John that was from Alexandria, VA but had a vacation residence in nearby Bryce, VA. We took a break on the eastern edge of the tunnel to get out our flashlights, then at some picnic tables about .2 miles past the western edge of the tunnel.

At this point, 5 people decided to do the 1.5 miles up, 1.5 miles back option and departed us. So the rest of us did the 1 mile western approach trail. It was steep and had between a 6% and 19% grade. And the hills that we had to trudge over (there were 4 of them) were about 80-100 feet tall. So we made it to the western approach trailhead by 11:30. Another 5 people decided to do the 2.5 mile up, 2.5 mile back option. That left just myself and the 2 hikers that helped shuttle me over in the first place. I shuttled them back to the eastern trailhead in my vehicle.

Everyone was commending me on this being a good hike. So I was happy. I opted not to join the others for the dutch lunch at The River Restaurant in Waynesboro because I wanted t get home. So I left for home around 12 noon and made it home by 2:30 PM. At this point I have completed leading the first of three hikes this year for the Shenandoah Take A Hike Group. The next two will be:

• Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 7.1 mile shuttle hike from the south end to the north end of Short Mountain, which is located east of I81 between Edinburg and New Market, VA. Strenous. Meet at 9:00AM at the Edinburg Gap RD parking area right where the Masenutten Trail crosses this road. We will shuttle a few vehicles about 5 miles south to where the Masenutten crosses FR374. We will then climb the mountain and hike north and back to our vehicles.
• Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 3 mile up, 3 mile back hike from Waites Run RD Tuscarora Trail Crossing to where the Tuscarora and Great Eastern Trails diverge and then back to Waites Run RD. Moderate to Strenous.

Please join me for one of these hikes or use the

Contact Form

for more information.

Mike C

Map of where we hiked