Buzzard Rock Trail
Buzzard Rock Trail is a long-distance hiking route in the Elizabeth Furnace area of the George Washington National Forest near Front Royal, Virginia. The route follows white-blazed trailway leading up to the Buzzard Rock cliffs and then back out to your turnaround (or to the longer variation if you’re continuing past the main cliff area).
Length depends on where you turn around, with a commonly used range of about 4 to 7.3 miles out-and-back. One longer option described for the Elizabeth Furnace side starts from the Elizabeth Furnace Day-Use Area and goes via Shawl Gap before joining the Buzzard Rock Trail for the climb to the rocks.
The character is rocky and uneven, with a steep push as the trail gains the ridge near the northern end of the route. Expect rocky climbs, stony footing, and sections where staying on the correct white blazes matters because the trail can be easy to miss in the rocky jumble.
From the ridge, the trail delivers multiple overlook points: an east-facing outcrop reached by a short spur near the 3.1-mile mark (for views toward the Front Royal area) and a longer ridgeline run along stone outcrops before the final steeper descent back off the ridge.
On the cliff approach, the route follows the rocky ridge toward Buzzard Rock; many hikers choose to turn around around the cliff area, while others continue farther along the ridge to a northeastern-tip viewpoint area near the fish hatchery vicinity along Mountain Rd./VA 619. Plan extra time if you go past the main rock outcrops, since you’ll have a steep return.
Practical route notes from the trailhead side: parking is at a small lot off Mountain Road (VA-619) near the fish hatchery, with limited spaces (around 15 vehicles) that can fill by mid-morning on weekends. The trail surface is described as dirt and rocky in places, and it’s consistently signed with white blazes.
More information: Buzzard Rock via Shawl Gap (George Washington National ..., Buzzard Rock Hike - Virginia.org, Buzzard Rock Trail: Hike to Scenic Views Near Front Royal