Dickey hill, Virginia

Dickey Hill (W4V/SH-027) is the first summit one can activate in Shenandoah National Park from the Front Royal entrance. While an easy and short hike, it does offer some great views and plenty of parking at the trail head.

Summit Information:

Summit Name: Dickey Hill, (W4V/SH-027)

Location: Front Royal, Va

Latitude/Longitude: 38.8547,-78.2055

Date: November 26th, 2020

Parking: Free

Points: 4

County: Warren County

Grid: FM08vu

Weather: Sunny, 54 degrees

Permit: Yes, $20 Entrance fee

Full Trip Planning Guide

Difficulty

Views

Solitude

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Dickey Hill is a nice summit for when you want to get out of the house and kick back in nature and make some contacts. It is the first SOTA summit when entering SNP from the north and is a short walk from the trailhead.

The weather was pretty decent considering it was the end of November. My wife tagged along and helped me set everything up. There is a nice spot off the trail that has a nice overlook of the valley below. The trail doesn’t get that much traffic making for a relatively quiet outing.

One of the interesting facts of SNP is that prior to being a national park, Virginian’s lived on the mountain ridge and were pretty isolated from the rest of the area. SNP has a webpage with information about the people and culture of the area. Some of the their homes, cementaries and other evidence of human settlements can still be found in the park.

On Dickey Hill, there is a farmhouse that is still standing and is on the back side of the trail. On the actual summit is an FCC aircraft navigational aid. Overall, a pretty easy and chill summit with an interesting history.