At 2,856 feet, Rockytopis one of the largest peaks in the South District of the Shenandoah National Park and part of the Big Run watershed. South District has few trails, so it is much less used than the other of the park’s districts. The trails running through the Big Run pass through gorgeous landscapes of high cliffs, talus slopes, clear trout streams, and sandstone outcrops. This is wild area, with common sightings of bears. The high ridge of Rockytop dominates the view as seen from the Big Run Overlook, from Skyline Drive.

It forms one of the walls of Big Run Canyon. The trail through Rockytop runs along the ridgeline, crossing a number of talus slopes, the main attractions of Rockytop since they provide excellent views of parts of the park. The talus slopes contain interesting specimens of fossilized wormholes that are 500 million years old.

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