The Park Shenandoah National Park protects a
long, narrow strip of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Unlike most parks, Shenandoah's land was
mostly settled, and a significant portion of it was deforested before the state of
Virginia began to piece the park together. The park was established in December 1935, and
since then, most of the forest has returned, and there are few signs of earlier
inhabitation by settlers.
In a Word "Lush"
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Park Review
Our Visit I visited Shenandoah twice in one year, once in early May and
once in June while on separate trips to Virginia. In May, I took a half-day excursion into
the southern part of the park where I split my time between driving on Skyline
Drive and hiking one of many trails in the narrow but deceptively long park. In
June, I entered the north half of the park about an hour before sunset and drove Skyline
Drive between Front Royal and just south of Thornton Gap.
Our Weather The weather in May was cool (low 60s) and overcast with a little
rain (typical for spring in this park). The weather in June was a little warmer (upper
70s) but the skies were full of scattered thunderstorms.
Overall Impression Shenandoah is a beautiful and peaceful place not far from
eastern farmland and urban sprawl. Despite its past, full of settlements and logging,
Shenandoah's forests feel pristine. While the mountains, forests and streams are beautiful
any time of the year, Shenandoah's beauty is mostly seen in the fall when the hillsides
turn red and orange. Most visitors only see the park from Skyline Drive which runs right
up the middle along the ridgeline. To really experience Shenandoah, though, you have to
park the car and take a little excursion along a trail (including the Appalachian
Trail which runs the length of the park).
Favorite Spot the Upper Doyles River Falls
Minimum Time Required About 2 hours to 1/2 a day. Whether coming in from the
north or south, this is enough time to drive through at least 1/3 of the park, experience
several overlooks and take a short hike.
A Longer Visit 1-2 full days is probably plenty to see the park. Unless you're
backpacking through the park on the Appalachian Trail (a very popular
thing to do), you'll be able to drive all of Skyline Drive and take a couple of day hikes
to waterfalls or peaks in a day or two. Decide up-front what you want to do. If your
desire is to drive the entire Skyline Drive through the park and see the sights from the
roadside overlooks, you'll need most of the day to do it. The speed limit is 35 MPH
throughout the park, and the road winds its way along the ridge making the drive much
longer than it appears on a map.
2. One of many overlooks from Skyline Drive. This is the Ivy Creek overlook (May)
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If you're starting and ending at the same point in the park (i.e. you're not driving
through to get somewhere), I recommend sticking to one half of the park and exploring
trails along the way. You can pick up trail maps at the visitors centers or the entrance
stations. While not very detailed, they give good descriptions of the trails including the
distance and time needed to complete each hike. I visited the southern half of Shenandoah
on a cloudy day, so I looked at the descriptions and chose a trail that would take me to
one of the park's nine waterfalls. I started from Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro. I spent
most of the morning meandering up Skyline Drive and pulling off at every
overlook. I didn't have to fight any crowds on this spring Tuesday, so it was easy to pull
off, take a picture and pull right back on. There are overlooks everywhere, and from what
I saw, there was very little to differentiate one from another. They all overlooked
mountains and trees, so don't worry if you miss one. My favorite overlook in the south was
the Moormans River Overlook because the scenery seemed a little
"deeper" with fewer signs of civilization, and there was a little bit of water
to add interest. I then spent two hours hiking down the Doyles River Trail
from the parking lot near Big Run Overlook.
The trail guide says to budget three hours for this trail, but I made it round trip in
two including time for photos. While only three miles round-trip, this trail descends, and
then ascends, 1,000 feet of elevation. It's worth it if you're in decent shape, just keep
in mind that you're not only walking three miles but climbing the equivalent of the Empire
State Building as well. The trail is well marked, but it includes several small stream
crossings. You can use rocks to avoid getting your feet wet if you're careful. The trail
to the Upper Doyles River Falls is pretty straightforward, but the 1/2
mile between the upper and lower falls can be a bit slippery and difficult when wet. Ever
though the lower falls is taller, I found the upper falls to be the more picturesque of
the two, so don't feel like you're missing too much if you only get to the upper falls. I
got rained on, and then I was sweating profusely on the way back up, so the rest of my day
was spent drying off. I exited the park at Swift Run Gap to avoid the
long drive back along Skyline Drive.
You can plan the same kind of trip on the north side. Starting at Front Royal, work
your way down Skyline Drive and take one of many trails to either a
mountain top, old cabins or alongside a stream. The hiking options in the northern part of
the park are somewhat limited to longer hikes, so the central portion of the park is
better if you want a variety of hikes. If you want to see waterfalls and don't want to
hike more than 4 miles, your best bet is the 1.4 mile Dark Hollow Falls Trail
in the Big Meadows area in the middle of the park. Like the southern
portion of the park, Skyline Drive is the major thoroughfare, and it is littered with
overlooks. My favorites in this half of the park were Hazel Mountain Overlook
and Jewell Hollow Overlook because they not only overlook great vistas
but have interesting foreground in the form of rock formations just off the road.
4. Hazel Mountain Overlook after a heavy rain (June)
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Suggestions Skyline Drive offers some great views, but it can be crowded,
especially in the fall. Be careful when turning left to enter an overlook area as there
are many blind curves. Also, this is a very popular biking area, so keep your speed down
and your eyes on the road when driving.
When you've taken in enough of the views from the overlooks (which don't differ much),
get off the road and take a trail. On a sunny day, hike up to a mountain peak for
spectacular views. On a cloudy day, hike down alongside a stream. The clouds accentuate
the deepness of the forest, and you can use the diffused lighting to get some great photos
of wildflowers and waterfalls.
What you will see in the park depends greatly on the time of year you visit. Most visit
in the fall for the brilliant colors. Spring is another good time to visit because many
trees will be flowering, adding to the mix of wildflowers on the forest floor.
Unfortunately, there don't appear to be any places where there are fields of wildflowers,
just plants here and there, and the weather in spring can be uncooperative.
I talked with one couple at an overlook, and they said that of the five times they'd
driven Skyline Drive, four were overcast and rainy. Bring a jacket, and prepare for rain
any time of year (and some snow in the winter). Also, beware of thunderstorms, especially
in the summer. Skyline Drive is up on the tallest ridge, so it can leave
you very exposed when the lightning rolls in. On my second trip, there was a tornado watch
in the county just west of Shenandoah, and I felt a bit frightened for about 15 minutes
when it was poring, the black clounds were rolling in, and I had nowhere to go for
shelter.
Stories You can run from the tornado, but you'll
only die tired
Nearby Towns Front Royal, Waynesboro, Stanardsville, Sperryville, Elkton, Luray
(Virginia)
Other Nearby Attractions Washington D.C., National
Mall, Manassas NBP
Official NPS Website Shenandoah
NP
