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Massanutten Mountain Trail

Trail Running Route

Hard
70.79 mi
13,297 ft
71 miles of rugged singletrack atop some of Virginia's rugged ridgelines.

The Massanutten Mountain Trail, sometimes listed as the Massanutten "Ring" or "Loop," is a 71-mile circuit touring many of Virginia's finest ridgelines between Front Royal and Luray. The "trail," which the locals simply nicknamed "The Ring," "is hard, rocky, and slow," and though portions of the loop "have been around for centuries," the circuit was not officially completed until 2002. Today, it's considered one of the most epic undertakings available to a trail runner anywhere in Appalachia.

According to the local trail club, "the selective amnesia of most trail runners is an amazing thing to behold." They note how "virtually every finisher touches on these three themes before they drift off to sleep after completing their 71-mile run: the aid stations and volunteers were great; the finishing descent down Signal Knob sucks; and thank goodness that this is done, so that I never have to do it again. Yet somehow many do return to beat themselves up on the rocky Massanutten Trail yet again."

Those who successfully complete the circuit are then welcomed into "The Fellowship of The Ring," a registry of all who have completed the run. Originally, there were even unofficial restrictions on running it more than once each year, though that policy has since been lifted. According to []( some of the fastest supported efforts hover around the 14-hour mark, while *unsupported* times range from 16 to 23 hours.

Seen here, the version of the route begins on Edinburg Road near Woodstock. Several road crossings allow vehicle and crew access along the way, and any of them could be chosen as a start point based on where you are driving from. Late summer and early fall are the most common time of year to attempt the run, though early spring is preferred by others.

Sources:

Written by Brendon Voelker
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
MMT Edinburg Gap to Woodstock Tower7.99 mi1,017 ft0.6%
Waonaze Peak Climb - Northbound1.72 mi1,047 ft11.5%
Powell Mountain Trail Climb0.53 mi236 ft8.4%
MMT Woodstock Tower to Powells Fort5.05 mi-614 ft-2.0%
high on Boyers Lite1.06 mi-151 ft-0.5%
Unnamed Road Climb0.78 mi135 ft3.2%
Tuscarora Trail Pop Out MMT Fire Road1.23 mi577 ft8.8%
Signal Knob Descent to Ft. Valley Road4.29 mi-1,516 ft-6.0%
Fort Valley Rd Climb0.39 mi167 ft7.9%
Old Shawl Gap wagon road - Pig Iron Trail to Massanutten/Tuscarora switchback0.18 mi138 ft14.0%
Massanutten/Tuscarora Trail - lower wagon road switchback to middle wagon road crossing0.35 mi184 ft9.7%
Massanutten/Tuscarora Trail - middle wagon road crossing to upper wagon road crossing0.95 mi469 ft9.3%
Massanutten/Tuscarora Trail - upper wagon road crossing to Shawl Gap0.27 mi154 ft10.5%
Massanutten/Tuscarora Trail - Shawl Gap to high point between Shawl & Sherman1.26 mi456 ft6.8%
Massanutten/Tuscarora Trail - Shawl Gap to Sherman Gap Trail West2.14 mi459 ft2.2%
Lie Down In Darkness2.29 mi482 ft1.9%
Fort Valley Rd Climb0.43 mi253 ft11.1%
Panhandle Rd Climb0.53 mi315 ft11.0%
Cater Ln Climb0.32 mi217 ft12.6%
in my dreams i'm dying all the time2.90 mi-978 ft-6.4%
Pilgrims Way Climb1.08 mi712 ft12.4%
Veach Gap Climb - west side0.91 mi604 ft12.5%
Unnamed Road Climb0.28 mi131 ft8.8%
Many Waters Lane Climb0.47 mi171 ft6.8%
Massanutten Trail - Indian Grave Ridge Trail to Habron Gap Trail3.29 mi-223 ft-0.4%
Old Barn Lane Climb0.28 mi131 ft8.9%
Old Barn Lane Climb0.34 mi184 ft10.2%
Stephens Ln Climb0.27 mi161 ft11.2%
St Davids Church Rd Climb0.34 mi135 ft7.2%
Lazy River West Rd Climb0.33 mi171 ft9.7%
Rumley Rd Climb1.67 mi427 ft4.8%
Duncan Hollow Climb4.50 mi1,375 ft5.8%
Duncan Hallow climb2.45 mi909 ft7.0%
Crisman Hollow Road Climb0.56 mi725 ft24.5%
Crisman Hollow Road Climb0.46 mi154 ft6.3%
Kerns Ridge4.54 mi213 ft0.3%
Short Mountain Climb - Northbound1.14 mi709 ft11.8%
F R 374 Climb0.49 mi154 ft5.9%
F R 374 Climb0.46 mi171 ft6.9%
Edinburg Gap Road Climb0.25 mi161 ft11.9%