"Just a few miles past Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive—but a world apart in terms of the crowds—you’ll find Massanutten Mountain, a long series of ridges running parallel to the Blue Ridge. Walking these ridges will offer you the distilled essence of the Virginia ridge ramble. Marvel at the wide open views of the North and South Forks of Shenandoah River below, the Blue Ridge to the east, the Alleghenies to the west, and— most of all—the solitude all around.

From where Massanutten Trail (MT) descends off Signal Knob and reaches VA 678 in Fort Valley, you’ll walk a long, flat ellipse, hiking about 32.4 miles south to the Duncan and Strickler Knob area. Just a few miles north of US 211, you’ll climb Waterfall Mountain, turn north, and return via the western ridge of Massanutten. Signal Knob—a prominence that dominates the area and was used by both sides in the Civil War—is your final highpoint and the sign that you are nearly home."

--Michael R. Martin, AMC's Best Backpacking in the Mid-Atlantic (Appalachian Mountain Club Books).