One of the premier national parks on the East Coast is Shenandoah National Park, a true gem of Virginia. Established in 1926 with the purpose of “preserving and protecting the natural and cultural resources and scenic beauty […] of the northern Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains,” Shenandoah National Park offers visitors the opportunity to explore the woodlands of the Shenandoah Wilderness through an extensive network of trails (over 500 miles) that venture into the park’s highlands and valley heart. But that’s not all! Along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains runs Skyline Drive, a renowned scenic road that stretches for 105 miles, leading to numerous excellent viewpoints showcasing the park’s splendors and beyond.
In this article, I aim to provide you with some tips on how to make the most of your available time, selecting the best trails categorized by length and difficulty, and offering a wealth of useful information for organizing your on-the-road adventure on Skyline Drive.
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How to Get There
As mentioned earlier, we are in the midst of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northern Virginia. The nearest major city to the northern entrance of the park is Washington DC, at a distance of approximately 75 miles. There are four entrances to Skyline Drive, which is the sole road within the park:
- NORTH – Front Royal Entrance Station: The northern entrance is the most commonly used access point to the park and is located near the town of Front Royal.
- Thornton Gap Entrance Station: This access point is not far from Luray, a town famous for hosting Luray Caverns, a classic stop during journeys along Skyline Drive.
- Swift Run Gap Entrance Station: The least frequented entrance to the park, ideal for those looking to avoid traffic during peak seasons but somewhat distant from major points of interest.
- SOUTH – Rockfish Gap Entrance Station: In most cases, this marks the end of your on-the-road adventure. However, if you are approaching from the south, it will serve as your gateway to the park.
The closest Visitor Center to Washington, DC, is the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center (17065 Skyline Dr), located a short distance from Front Royal. The other is the Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center, situated in the heart of the park, roughly halfway along Skyline Drive in a highly popular area called Big Meadows. Here, you will also find various amenities, including a gas station, a lodge, and a grocery store with a picnic area.
Shenandoah NP Entrances and Visitor Centers Map
Admission Fee and Hours of Operation
The park entrance fee is $30 per vehicle and is valid for 7 consecutive days from the first entry. If you’re traveling on a motorcycle, it costs $25.00 per motorcycle, and if you enter by any other means, it’s $15.00 per person. Park passes are accepted at the entrance gate.
Entrance is free on the following dates:
- January 16th
- April 22nd
- August 4th
- September 23th
- November 11th
Shenandoah National Park is always open 24/7, but many facilities have seasonal operating hours, with openings typically in March and closures at the end of November. These include the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, the Skyland and Big Meadows Lodge accommodations, the three grocery stores within the park, two of the five picnic areas, and the campgrounds (3 out of 5 campgrounds open in May).
The Byrd Visitor Center & Park Store is generally open in the summer every day from 9 am to 5 pm, while in winter, it is open from Thursday to Monday from 9 am to 4:30 pm.
Ho to Visit Shenandoah National Park
There are primarily two ways to visit this park. The first is the “scenic” route, which involves driving along the Skyline Drive, selecting the best viewpoints among the over 70 available, and optionally choosing 1-2 more or less challenging trails to hike, leaving your car at the trailhead parking lots.
The second method is recommended for hiking enthusiasts and sports enthusiasts in general. It requires more organization and much more time, especially for longer and more challenging trails or activities such as biking, horseback riding, fishing, birdwatching, or climbing.
The amount of time you’ll need for your visit mainly depends on one factor: what type of stop Shenandoah National Park is for you.
- Is it just a stopover during a long East Coast trip or a coast-to-coast journey? For example, if you’re traveling from Washington DC to Nashville, Atlanta, or Florida, you can decide to only cover a portion of the Skyline Drive, entering from the Front Royal Entrance Station and exiting from one of the intermediate entrances to continue your journey on faster roads. Depending on your needs, the time required for the visit can range from 2 to 4 hours.
- On the other hand, if Shenandoah National Park is a significant excursion during a stay in Washington or Virginia, you can also choose to spend a night inside the park or in the towns near the park entrances (mainly, from north to south, Front Royal, Luray, Elkton, and Afton/Staunton). This allows you to visit the park at your leisure, covering the entire scenic drive and taking 3-4 hikes.
Best Time to Visit Shenandoah
The autumn months are undoubtedly the best time to witness the stunning foliage in Shenandoah, but don’t underestimate the springtime blooms either. If you visit the park in the summer, the shade of the woods along Skyline Drive offers cooler temperatures compared to the valley.
Skyline Drive
The Skyline Drive is considered one of the best scenic roads in the United States, thanks to the numerous overlooks of the valley and the Piedmont region, which stretches east of the park. Running almost entirely through the Shenandoah Wilderness, the Skyline Drive shines brightest in the autumn months when the foliage is adorned with warm colors typical of the fall season, such as brick red, amber, bronze, brown, and ochre yellow.
As we always say, this road deserves a separate article… and indeed, we’ve published one. So if you have a road trip planned and want to delve deeper into the topic, read our article on the Skyline Drive (upcoming), which contains many tips and a selection of the best viewpoints and trails to explore along the route.
Best Trails in Shenandoah
In the article about the Skyline Drive, we briefly mentioned some trails that can be comfortably explored by parking your car along the road. Below, we describe them in detail and add some options for those who want to embark on more challenging hikes, starting from areas outside the scenic road.
Old Rag Mountain Circuit
Let’s start with the most famous and challenging hike in the park, so if you’re experienced hikers, take note. If you don’t have adequate athletic gear or sufficient time, you can skip to the next section. The Old Rag Mountain Circuit is an extremely strenuous loop hike that takes you to the rocky summit of a mountain, offering a 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. There are numerous passages over large rocks that require technical skills, so you need to be well-prepared and in good shape.
- Length: Approximately 9.3 miles
- Duration: 7-8 hours
- Elevation Gain: About 2,346 feet
- Difficulty: Extremely challenging
- Trailhead: Map (NOTE: It’s located outside the Skyline Drive!)
On the official park website, you’ll also find a slightly more manageable (but still very challenging) alternative route to reach the summit without the rocky sections: Old Rag Mountain via Berry Hollow.
WARNING: Due to the popularity of this hike, a daily permit is required for all access points to this trail. Here’s a link with all the info.
Upper Hawksbill Trail
If you cannot afford to reach the summit of Old Rag, there are 2-3 more affordable alternatives. One of them is the Hawksbill Summit, accessible through 3 trails of varying difficulty. The most accessible is the Upper Hawksbill Trail, which will take you to the Byrd’s Nest Shelter and, shortly after, to an observation platform facing the Shenandoah Valley (western side of the park).
- Distance: Approximately 2.1 miles
- Duration: About 1.5 hours
- Elevation Gain: About 500 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Map
Stony Man via Appalachian Trail
Another alternative is reaching the summit of Stony Man. The uniqueness of this short hike is that it takes place along a brief section of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,190-mile-long trail that runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The Appalachian Trail runs parallel to the Skyline Drive for its entire length, but in this case, you can hike it to reach the rocky peak of the mountain, from which you can enjoy a stunning view of the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain, expecially in the fall.
- Distance: Approximately 1.6 miles
- Duration: About 1 hour
- Elevation Gain: About 325 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Map
Bearfence Mountain Trail
If you’d like to tackle an ascent with rock scrambles – but one that’s less challenging in terms of duration and elevation gain than Old Rag – try the Bearfence Mountain Trail. However, be warned: if you suffer from vertigo, this is definitely not for you. But those who embark on the hike will be rewarded with a 360-degree view among the best in the park.
- Distance: Approximately 1.4 miles
- Duration: About 1 hour
- Elevation Gain: About 300 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Map
Dark Hollow Falls Trail
Among the more popular trails in the park is the Dark Hollow Falls Trail, which follows the course of a small stream to a lovely waterfall in the woods. While this hike is much shorter than the previous one, it should not be underestimated, especially the return to the car, which takes place on a steep and rocky path.
- Distance: Approximately 1.4 miles
- Duration: About 1 hour
- Elevation Gain: About 440 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Map
Other Areas and Attractions
In addition to the mentioned trails, there are other interesting areas and historic buildings in Shenandoah National Park:
Big Meadows
The heart of Shenandoah National Park is Big Meadows, an area of the park that features a beautiful green meadow that will surprise you after a long drive through the woods. This area, due to its central location between the two park entrances, is usually considered a strategic stop along the road trip.
Here you will find the main Visitor Center of the park (Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center), a convenience store (Big Meadows Wayside) with a picnic area, a campground, and a lodge (Big Meadows Lodge). Additionally, by spending a few hours in this area, you can explore several trails. In addition to the mentioned Dark Hollow Falls Trail, the following are noteworthy:
- Lewis Falls Trail (about 3.3 miles, 3 hours), leading to one of the most scenic waterfalls in the park.
- Story of the Forest Trail (about 1.8 miles, 1.5 hours), offering an easy stroll through the woods.
Rapidan Camp
From the Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center, some ranger-led tours start with a shuttle to Rapidan Camp, an area of the park closed to car traffic and known for hosting President Herbert Hoover’s summer residence. The area can also be reached via a 4-mile trail starting from here.
In the rooms of a charming house nestled in the woods near a stream, numerous decisive political meetings took place during the Great Depression crisis. The historical significance of this place is so great that it became a National Historical Landmark in 1988. On-site, inside the Brown House and the Prime Minister’s Cabin, there are exhibits and informative panels that recount the political and private lives of the President and First Lady Lou.
Shenandoah NP Guided Tour
If you find yourself in Washington DC without a car (or rental car), you can still enjoy the scenic views of Shenandoah National Park by joining an organized tour lasting approximately 8-9 hours. This tour includes a drive along the Skyline Drive and a hike, as well as a visit to the Luray Caverns, one of Virginia’s most famous attractions.
Places to Stay in Shenandoah National Park
Your choice of accommodation depends on your itinerary. For a full immersion experience in Shenandoah National Park, you can opt to stay inside the park at the available facilities:
- Skyland Resort: A historic accommodation founded by George Freeman Pollock at the end of the 19th century. The building is located in an enviable panoramic position. In the immediate vicinity of the resort, you will also find the residence of Pollock’s wife, Massanutten Lodge, worthy of a photo.
- Big Meadows Lodge: An ideal solution for those who want to be close to the services of Big Meadows.
If you do not plan to stay inside the park, you have numerous options in nearby towns:
- If you start your Skyline Drive journey early in the morning from the north, it would be convenient to find accommodation in Front Royal unless you have already spent the night in Washington.
- If you enter or exit through the Thornton Gap Entrance Station, look for a hotel in Luray, where you will also find the famous Luray Caverns.
- If you enter or exit through the Swift Run Gap Entrance Station, you will find some possible accommodations for or an intermediate overnight stay a few miles away in Elkton.
- If you are interested in staying near the southern entrance, look for lodging in Afton. Since the availability of budget-friendly accommodations is limited, a good alternative is Staunton, where you can find solutions for all budgets.
