George Washington National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
1,220 acres2.7 mi of trail
Kaylor Ridge
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Massanutten
Massanutten has 20 miles of mapped trails, 2.0 for every square mile of land
19% of Massanutten’s land is conserved, about 1,220 acres. The biggest trail networks: George Washington National Forest (2.7 mi).
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,220 acres · of 9.9 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.1 mi
2.1 mi lanes
Highest peak
2,638 ft
Hartman Knob
What kind of outdoors town is Massanutten?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Massanutten have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Massanutten is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Massanutten’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4APark land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13DParks close to home0% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%D−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 44%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is George Washington National Forest, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
1,220 conserved acres
19% of Massanutten’s land. Who manages Massanutten’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service1,220 ac
National Forest · 1,220 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 1,220 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Massanutten
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Massanutten
Mountain Peak Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Massanutten
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Massanutten
Hartman Knob2,638 ft elevation · In George Washington National Forest
DirectionsFirst Mountain2,546 ft elevation · In George Washington National Forest
DirectionsPiney Mountain1,496 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 8.6 mi
Kaylor Ridge0.9 mi
1 Peak Ridge Trail0.2 mi
3 Kaylor's Knob Ridge Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
2.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
9Golf
7Tennis
6Pickleball
2Basketball
1Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Massanutten: April and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 47 | 55 | 66 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 77 | 67 | 56 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Massanutten →
Questions about parks and trails in Massanutten
Where can I hike in Massanutten?
The longest trail networks: George Washington National Forest, 2.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Massanutten is conserved land?
19% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Virginia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Massanutten’s trails?
George Washington National Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Massanutten?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.1 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Massanutten?
37,630 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Massanutten or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Massanutten have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Massanutten neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →