The Massanutten Ridge Trail has great views of the Billy and JJ’s favorite snowboarding slopes!
Why, oh why have we not done the Massanutten Ridge Trail (MRT) before?
The rock where Mickey proposed to me, almost 13 years ago!
First off, it is very close to home. Secondly, it is a really unique hike. And for the third and perhaps most important reason of all: about 100 yards off the entrance to the trail, Mickey proposed to me. So, in some respects, the MRT is our family origin! This probably should have been the first hike we ever did, and we probably should have repeated each year (according to JJ on the anniversary of the proposal). And yet, the first time we have ever done it at all was this past weekend. However, in our defense, the proposal was well before we became hikers. We had just come to the peak to watch the sunset. The only hiking we did was up the stairs and about 100 feet off the trail to a beautiful clearing (there are many on this hike). And a rock…..where I was offered and then accepted my very own rock! But, then again, maybe the proposal thirteen years ago was a foreshadowing to our hiking family!
Why do I consider this newt cute….but snakes so scarey!
It has from time to time crossed our minds to check out the MRT. Yet, in what I found while researching the trail has always left me a little leery. First off, I could never fully ascertain the distance of the hike, or the overall feel of it. And then further, there is this: I think I remember it as practically a direct quote…..”be prepared to see snakes on the MRT. They might be sunning themselves on rocks…..or hanging from trees” Seriously? The last thing I ever want to see is a snake hanging down from a tree on a hike. That might make this hike lover hang up her boots forever. Maybe subconsciously I have just always rejected the MRT because that quote, and its reality, remains so vivid in my mind! However, I really am trying to turn over a new leaf with regards to fearing snakes. As I ponder the number of times we have hiked (maybe 50) and compare that number to actual snake sightings (4), odds are pretty good that we will not have an encounter on any given hike. So, I gathered up all my positive self talk, and yoga breathing techniques……and out we set on the MRT. And sure enough this time, no snakes sightings for us, either high nor low. We saw a few newts, however. But, I found those to be cute.
Now that we have discovered The Massanutten Ridge Trail, (or should I say re-discovered it) it is definitely on our list to do again. Maybe each August, as JJ suggested. And may we never encounter those snakes in trees. Or on the path. Or sunning themselves on rocks.
To get to the MRT, pass the police gate at the base of the mountain, and head into Massanutten Resort. Continue up the mountain towards the ski slopes. At about the snowtubing park, turn right onto Del Webb drive, and follow it as it winds up the mountain to a parking lot. Follow the stairs up the hill, turn left and off you go, following the blue blazes. The hike winds along the ridge of the Massanutten kettle bell. At various places along the MRT, the hiker is treated to nice view of Massanutten Resort and the ski slopes to the southeast. Billy and JJ are aspirational snowboarders, and they do most of their runs at Massanutten. So, they really enjoyed the slopes from this vantage point, and they were able to find their favorite trails in the distance.
Mickey’s geography lesson
At about 1.5miles into the hike, a great view of Harrisonburg can be seen to the southwest. If you are directionally gifted like Mickey, you can even pick out a number of landmarks. I could only recognize the red roofs of buildings at JMU and Mole Hill in the distance. He, however, was able to point out a lot to the boys….even the general vicinity of our house.
Billy and JJ enjoying the view on a break in the action
The hike progressively moves towards the top of the ski slopes and the radio towers. In researching this hike, I found conflicting information, as mentioned before. It seemed to me that the prevailing wisdom was that the MRT is a 2 mile hike out to the ski slopes and cell phone towers (making it 4 miles round trip). However, when we got to the 2 mile mark, the slopes looked to be at least another 1.5 miles further, depending on how windy the trail gets. I think the MRT is predominately used by residents of the mountain and guests of the resort. And because the resort takes people to the drop off point, and then are directed to walk down the slopes to finish the hike, I can see why the MRT is reported as a 4 mile hike.
So at this point, the length of the MRT is till a bit of a mystery to virginiavinesandtrails, but one day we will clear it up for ourselves, and our faithful readers. On this day, however, we opted to turn around and keep our hike at 4 miles. We were all a bit tired, and truth be told a bit grumpy. Billy had just returned from a 4 day scout camp, and we all had stayed up late the night before with movie night. Plus, we were running out of water, which is a major no no in hiking. And, really we had only planned on a 4 miler, so we did want to push our luck.
Rocks abound on the Massanutten Ridge!
The Massanutten Ridge Trail hike has very little elevation change, which makes it a nice change of pace compared to most of the hikes we do. However, by no means is this hike easy. It is rocky throughout….and at about the one mile mark, we dubbed it a ‘baby bearfence’! At points, it becomes a rock scramble for short periods of time and then goes back to just being ‘rocky’. The terrain definitely keeps you engaged in the hike. Be careful as you get further into the hike, and tired that you do not trip and fall on the rocks……keep your focus and balance. We learned that the hard way.
J-Wow handled the rocks pretty well, but by the end, she was growing tired of them. Whenever possible, she opted to go ‘around’, as opposed to ‘over’…so much so that it was quite obvious what she was doing. I would say this was not the greatest hike for dogs…..because of the rocks, but also because there is no natural water source. Since they are pretty much wearing a fur coat, it is always nice for them to encounter a mountain stream to cool off and grab a drink. Our sweet girl was a trooper, but it was obvious she was towards the end of her limits for about the last half mile. If you do take a dog on this hike, be sure to factor in the water the dog will need with how much you bring overall.
As with most hikes, The Massanutten Ridge Trail would be a great one to do in the fall. It is on our list next time as a training hike for Old Rag. Billy is thinking he wants to attempt Old Rag sometime in the next year, which is quite an undertaking. While the MRT does not have the elevation change of Old Rag, if we did the entire 8 mile loop, it gets close to it in distance…..and it has the continuous rocky terrain that is so challenging with Old Rag. We plan to pack enough water, and make it all the way to the slopes (and back!)
Mickey had to resort to carrying JJ at the end to improve his mood!
Rantings 3.4 (out of 5) for Massanutten Ridge Trail
JJ – 2. (Disclaimer, he was tired and grumpy this day!) “It was too long, and the rocks made me mad that they were not full scrambles. They were just annoying!”
Billy – 4. “It would probably be a 5 if I was not so tired. I liked seeing the snowboarding slopes”
Minnie -4 “Really unique. I liked the views on both sides. And it was fun to show the boys where Mickey proposed to me”
Mickey – 4 “A good mix….it was difficult, but not too many steep climbs. And I liked the views of Harrisonburg.”
J-Wow – 3 “There were lots of critters in the woods, but no water source to cool off in. I got really hot. The rocks were fun at first, then I agree with JJ!”
virginiavinesandtrails 