Shenandoah

Snapshot

Planning Your Visit

When we visited the park
We visited Shenandoah at the beginning of July.  It was beautiful everywhere we looked.  The whole mountain had this sweet honey smell that I fell in love with.  It was warm during the days, but very comfortable in the morning or evening for longer hikes.  I feel the summer would be the best time to visit, or maybe late spring to see all the flowers blooming and coming to life. 

weather-us.com

​Things to Consider
1. The first thing to know is, the Skyline Drive has countless overlooks, some facing the west and some facing the east.  Try to catch a sunrise and/or sunset here.  It is breathtaking from the high elevations in the park.  
2. We stayed in the park, and our loding was very comfortable with unmatched views.  However, the room was clearly dated with some updates needed.  It was still worth the experience.  
3. The Skyland part of the park has a breathtaking restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  They also have a limited Starbucks operating from the lobby!  
4. Skyland also has an amazing gift shop next to the restaurant.  We could have shopped souvenirs all day there!  
5. The waterfalls here are stunning-try to plan a waterfall tour! 

How to Get There
Driving From Washington, D.C. Metro Area
Thornton Gap Entrance
Travel west on I-66 to exit 43A. Take US-29 South to Warrenton, Virginia. Take US-211 West to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive.
Driving From Richmond, Virginia
Swift Run Gap Entrance
Travel west on I-64 to Charlottesville, Virginia. Take exit to US-29 North. Take left onto US-33 West, and follow 14 miles to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive.
​More Maps provided by Park

Where to Stay
Inside the Park
Skyland Resort
This lodging offers rooms of a various size depending on your group, ranging from $129-$397 a night to reserve a room.  Booking early will help to ensure you get the desired room.  This is where we stayed, and we found the rooms to be average, but the restaurant area to be a great addition to our experience. There are traditional rooms, premium rooms, and small detached cabins available to reserve. 
Big Meadows Lodge
This lodge is located further south from Skyland.  It offers lodging that ranges from $119-$275 a night for a reservation.  Advanced reservations are recommended.  This is a busier part of the park, with the campground, wayside, Rapidan Camp, visitor center, and amphitheater located here.  There are traditional rooms and small cabins available to reserve.  
Lewis Mountain Cabins 
These small cabins are rustic and available to rent for $155-$185 a night.  
Outside the Park
There are many small towns along Shenandoah National Park.  They offer many options for lodging outside of the park.  Below are links to their tourism page for lodging.  Luray, VA and Sperryville, VA are more central to the park, Front Royal, VA is at the north of the park, and Waynesboro, VA is at the south of the park.  

Luray

Sperryville

Front Royal

Waynesboro

​Camping
Big Meadows Campground
This campground is centrally located and near facilities and a general store.  There are 221 sites available that support tent and RVs.  All sites are nonelectric and cost $30 a night to reserve.  Reservations can be made through recreation.gov. 
Lewis Mountain Campground
This campground is the smallest in the park, more private, and operates on a first-come, first serve basis.  There are 30 sites available that cost $30 a night.  You have to physically be at the campground to reserve a site by scanning a QR code, and paying through recreation.gov.  Tent camping is only available here.  
Mathews Arm Campground
This campground is located the furthest north in the park and has 165 sites available to reserve.  The campground has tent and RV sites (nonelectric) available and costs $30 to reserve.  47 of the sites operate on a first-come, first-serve basis, and you need to physically be present to reserve a site through recreation.gov.  This campground does not have showers available.  
Loft Mountain Campground
This popular campground has 207 sites, some you can reserve ahead of time, and some are first-come, first-serve.  It is located in the southern part of the park.  The campground has tent and RV sites available, but all are nonelectric.  It costs $30 a night to reserve a site.  This campground offers many amenities and access to nearby trails, waterfalls, and wilderness areas.  
Dundo Group Campground
This campground is located in the southern part of the park and has 3 group campsites available to reserve for $75 a night. There are limited amenities available here, and the sites are more primitive.  

Patio view from Skyland room

What We Did
​We began by entering at the Thornton Gap Entrance, with the intention of driving to Skyland Resort.  However, there were some absolutely stunning overlooks on Skyline Drive, and we started stopping as we went.  We finally reached the Harry F. Byrd Sr. Visitor Center in Big Meadows.  This unique meadow on top of the mountain begs to be walked through.  There were researchers working in the fields, and I so wanted to talk with them about what they were counting and cataloging.  However, we kept our distance.  Across the street, we went to the visitor center and learned about different hikes to do with the kids.  The rangers were extremely helpful here!  
We decided to go to the Hawksbill Summit from the upper hiking area.  This hike takes you to a stunning overlook, and is more gradual than the lower trailhead.  The hike is about 1.2 miles roundtrip.  This is a popular hike, but we didn't feel like it was crowded.  
After the hike, it was time to get checked into our hotel room.  We drove back to Skyland, and checked into the resort.  I had reserved a room that had a west facing view off the mountain for what I hoped would be a stunning sunset.  I was so glad we had this view.  It was quiet here, an there were many options for the type and size of room you could reserve.  Our room was very comfortable, however there were some deteriorated areas of the room that needed some updating.  I still would reserve a room here again, just for the views.  I also found the convenience of the restaurant, Starbucks, and gift shop a wonderful addition to staying in the park.  We got Starbucks on our way out in the morning instead of sitting down for breakfast.  It was nice to have options.  However, the restaurant in Skyland is stunning and deserves to have a meal here to take in the views.  

---

We ended our time at Shenandoah National Park by hiking one of the most popular trails, Dark Hollow Falls Trail.  This is about a 1.4 mile hike, round trip.  It is straight down the whole way, and I do not say that lightly.  There are some gradual parts of the hike, but there is still a decline or incline the entire time.  We were warned at the the ranger station, that the way up is challenging, so take your time.  We still tried this, because we love a good waterfall.  Things would have gone well if my one year old hadn't decided to quit walking 0.2 miles on the return hike, but also refused to be put in her carrier.  We made it back up, but we were hot and sweaty by the time we reached the car.  However, I would do this hike again because the waterfall was worth it at the end.  The kids got to splash around a little in the pool as well, helping them to cool off.  
After climbing back up the slope the entire hike out, we enjoyed a snack in the parking lot before heading out.  We proceeded down Skyline Drive to the southern part of the park.  This area continues to have stunning views and overlooks for people to get out and enjoy them. 
Future Visit
There is clearly more to be explored here, and a place we really want to return.  I know when we come back I want to do the Rapidan Camp Tour of President Herbert Hoover's summer home.  This is a ticketed tour, and you can reserve a spot ahead of time through recreation.gov.  I also want to explore some of the wine country east of the park.  While driving in from D.C., I had no idea the number of wineries that were in the area.  It looks like a fun adult trip to take some time.  In addition to an adult trip to this area, I would also look into getting a ticket to climb Old Rag Mountain.  This is about a 9.5 mile, strenuous hike that requires scrambling over rocks, walking along ledges, and summiting for 360 degree views.  It sounds amazing, but not for young kids.  You need to have a ticket prior to your arrival to be able to hike here.  There are 800 tickets given out each day, half available 30 days before desired date and the other half available 5 days before desired date.  For more information, the link to tickets is below.  

Rapidan Camp Tour

Old Rag Mountain Ticket

Where this fit in our Road Trip
This was the fourth park we visited on our extended road trip.  This was a stopping point on our way home from the Atlantic Ocean and Washington D.C.  It was a great place to get out and explore with the kids before we had to make some longer drive days to get home.  After our stay in Shenandoah, we headed to New River Gorge for a short stop, before making our way home.  

Southeast US Road Trip Itinerary

NPS App and All Trails Maps
I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking.  There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful.  These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere.  The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information.

Don't forget to follow along on Instagram @wanderlust_with_three

Instagram