Fox Hollow Second Trail Post: The Fox Family
in Virginia · centroid 63 mi from Washington
The family that chose this hollow as their home were named Fox. Thomas and Martha Fox started farming here - on this ground - in 1856. Their son Lemuel Franklin Fox and his wife, Lucy, planted bluegrass pastures, corn, and wheat after Lemuel returned from the Civil War.
Lemuel's grandson Lemuel Fox Jr. courted his future wife, Maude Vaught on the family property. By the time of the establishment of Shenandoah National Park, the Foxes and extended family lived in several frame houses built between the cleared pastures and fertile fields of the hollow.
Today, the Fox Hollow Trail winds through places where everyday life and memorable events took place, from plowing with draft horses to weddings and burials. Time and the forest have camouflaged much of the Fox family farm. Look closely, can you find clues of the past?
- States
- Virginia
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Washington, DC · 63 mi · ~1.8 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.8749°, -78.2057°
About Shenandoah National Park
This trail is inside Shenandoah National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/fox-hollow-second-trail-post-the-fox-family.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Fox Hollow Second Trail Post: The Fox Family and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Fox Hollow First Trail Post: Tour Introduction
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Fox Hollow Third Trail Post: Out in the Clearing
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Massanutten Trail
14 miles from this trail's centroid
Stony Man: The Appalachian Trail
21 miles from this trail's centroid
Limberlost TRACK Trail - Kids' Activity
22 miles from this trail's centroid
Old Rag Fire Rd. - Limberlost Trail Junction
22 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.