How to break down Shenandoah National Park to see it all in 3 days!
A Park in our own back yard–sort of
We live in eastern NC and have visited over 40 National Parks in our quest to visit all 63 parks. We even have a map on the kitchen wall in our house that we use to pin all the parks we’ve been to. When people visit our house, they are always incredulous that of all the parks we’ve visited we have not yet been to Shenandoah National Park. We decided we need to get on the ball and get there! So, last week off we went. It was only 5 1/2 hours from our house to reach the Rockfish Gap (south) entrance just down the road from Charlottesville on 64.
A SHORT Shenandoah National Park History
Shenandoah National Park is 200,000-acre that spans the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated Shenandoah National Park on July 3, 1936. Addressing several hundred spectators, Roosevelt declared: “We seek to pass on to our children a richer land, a stronger nation. I, therefore, dedicate Shenandoah National Park to this and succeeding generations of Americans for the recreation and for the re-creation which we shall find here.”
Shenandoah National Park was built by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a government jobs program created during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Workers constructed the rock walls, overlooks, picnic grounds, campgrounds, trails, and Skyline Drive. If you are a National Park junkie like we are you absolutely appreciate the CCC. These men were amazing and built some of the most amazing roads, trails, inns, lodges, visitor centers and so much more. I wish I could publicly thank some of them in person but I imagine there are very few still living. Many parks have monuments to the CCC.
One of the Shenandoah National Park’s most famous features, Skyline Drive, offers drivers 105 miles of scenic overlooks, trailheads, picnic areas, and campgrounds between Front Royal in the north and Rockfish Gap in the south. If you are really adventurous you can hike the over 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail that runs through Shenandoah National Park.
As a huge fan of AT (Appalachian Trail) hikers I loved seeing the AT signs on trails we hiked and it was neat to do just a small park of the AT. This park is a great part of the AT because it offers hikers several areas to hop off the trail and grab a meal or snacks. Two of my boys and I are going to backpack 35 miles of the AT in April. I’m even more excited about it after seeing this park.
Shenandoah National Park Map
One fun detail
We love to listen to travel apps while we do drives. One that I like is Shaka Guides. For $9.99 we bought the Shenandoah National Park guide and it works with GPS to give you info as you drive. It will pick up wherever you are and this one helped us with trail info, good overlooks (there are so many overlooks) and lots of fun history and stories.
Day 1 in Shenandoah National Park
We entered the park from the south Rockfish Gap entrance station. You will pay $35 to enter the park and this is good for a week. If you will be visiting several National Parks in the next year you should consider getting an America the Beautiful pass. It’s $80 for a year and it’s well worth it because it’s good for all 63 National Parks and 100’s of National Park sites. We get one every year. If you are 62 you can pay for a year and it’s good for a lifetime.
First things first
When we get to a National Park our first task is a picture with the sign. It’s just what we do. We also like to visit the Visitor Center for hike suggestions, history and of course, the gift shop. In Shenandoah National Park there are two Visitor Centers. One is in Big Meadows and one is near Front Royal both up north, so we didn’t get to one till later in the trip. Keep that in mind if you have lots of questions or need hiking maps etc. You may want to decide to enter in a different location.
You can enter Shenandoah National Park from the North at Front Royal entrance station (Front Royal), the West at Thornton Gap entrance station (Luray), the West at Swift Run Gap entrance station (Elkton) or the South at Rockfish Gap (Waynesboro). Keep in mind that the speed limit on the Skyline Parkway is 25 or 35 and it’s quite curvy. This parkway is 105 miles, and you have the 2 end entrances and the two in the middle. So, you need to plan for food and lodging accordingly.
There are a couple way stations with bathrooms and snacks and one restaurant in Shenandoah National Park. I will get into more detail later.
We got our pics and headed into the park with our app going. The app recommended the best overlooks to stop at. However, we are total park nerds, so we stop at all of them. The views were just amazing because the leaves were just starting to turn, and it was stunning. Our first day was overcast but the views were not affected. The overlooks have plenty of parking, most have information signs and several had little trails that would take you to slightly different views or my favorite thing, rocks!
This section of Shenandoah National Park has the fewest overlooks and you just meander through enjoying the drive and stopping at the few overlooks you see. There are a few hikes in this area and we decided to tackle one since we had driven all morning to get to the park and wanted to get some exercise.
We tackled Blackrock Summit Trail which is about halfway through the lower third of the park. This trail is just 1.2 miles and about 200 feet of elevation with views from the top with of course, rocks. It’s a perfect trail for just about everyone and it’s good to get out and move your body a little. It’s a good midway stop on today’s itinerary. Here is the AllTrails link for this hike.
After our hike we finished the last part of bottom third of Skyline Drive and exited out of the park at the Swift Rock Gap western exit and headed north to Luray. We rented a VRBO house in Luray and Luray is in my opinion the best home port for a visit to all the sections of Shenandoah National Park. There are a decent number of places to eat and stay and you are right in the middle of the park area so it’s easy to head north or south.’
It was about an hour drive to Luray after we exited the park and we found an Italian spot, Il Vesuvio Restaurant & Pizzeria, in Luray that was lovely. I would definitely recommend it.
Day 2 in Shenandoah National Park
On Day two we started from Luray and it’s only about 15 minutes to the Swift Rock Gap entrance station. We entered there and headed south to do the entire middle section of the park. This requires an early start because this part of the park has the most overlooks and definitely the most hiking. We used our driving app again and it had a lot of good information, history, and suggestions for day two.
Tunnel Overlook
The first stop right after we entered the park today was the Tunnel and Tunnel overlook. The tunnel is pretty neat and old looking and the overlook on the other side is gorgeous with views to the east.
Stony Man Trail
After stopping at the Tunnel Overlook we continued south until we got to the Skyland Resort entrance and the Stony Man Trail. This trail is 1 1/2 miles and about 350 feet of elevation change. There is not a lot of parking in the lot but when we passed by on the weekend, we saw people parking all down the road into the resort so I don’t think that’s a problem if it is crowded when you go. I really recommend this trail. It’s pretty and the views at the top are great. We sat on the rocks at the top and just soaked in the sun and the views.
There is not a ton of room at the top of this hike and even with about 15 people up there with us it seemed crowded. During the weekend was saw literally 100 cars parked and I can’t imagine how crowded it must have been. If it was me, I would skip this hike if there were quite a few cars in the road because I just don’t think I would enjoy the hassle up top. There are lots of other hikes you could do and then come back for this one later.
Skyland Resort
After the Stony Man hike, we were ready for lunch, and we were wanting to check out this one resort in Shenandoah National Park. The resort looks lovely and has a Starbucks for a coffee stop on your trip as well as a cute gift shop. The views are stunning. The restaurant views did NOT disappoint, and the food was quick and yummy. BUT the Mile High Black Raspberry Ice Cream Pie was to DIE FOR. I mean it. If you do nothing but stop and get a piece of this pie to share do it. Just fantastic.
The Limberlost Trail
After we rolled away from our ice cream pie we needed to walk some more. Next up was the Limberlost Trail. This was a quick, flat, lovely 1.5-mile trail through a beautiful forest which was even better with the fall colors. This is an ADA accessible trail which is flat, wide, and well maintained. There are many benches and places to park wheelchairs and scooters near the benches. I was very impressed with the trail.
Hawksbill Loop Trail
Hawksbill Loop Trail will take you to the very highest point of Shenandoah National Park and it was worth the walk. It’s a 3-mile loop and has about 800 feet of elevation. If you take the trail clockwise you get those 800 feet in about a mile. If you take the route counterclockwise you spread it out over 2 miles. There aren’t many views along the trail but the view from the top was amazing. We did this on a weekday, and it wasn’t too busy. I imagine on the weekend it’s crazy.
After the Hawksbill Loop Trail we were off to the Big Meadows Visitor Center which is just lovely. There is lots of parking, restrooms and big rocking chairs inside to enjoy the views. We got all the goodies we usually get at the visitor center before continuing our day. They had about 15 different hiking maps for people to take with them so if you are looking for even more hikes just ask there.
Bearfence Mountain Trail
Our last hike of the day was the Bearfence Mountain Trail just a few miles past the visitor center heading south. This is just a short 1 mile trail with about 242 feet of elevation and boy is it fun. Well, it’s fun if you like rock scrambling and I do. My hubby? Not quite as much. It’s not extreme rock climbing and lots of people would enjoy it. It was getting later in the afternoon and the sun was just lovely at the top.
Ending day two
We headed out for the end of day two through the same exit as yesterday to head back to Luray. As we drove back to Luray, we stopped in at Ruby’s Diner in Shenandoah and had the most amazing burgers and house cut fries. We hiked 8 miles today but with the burgers and fries and the ice cream pie earlier we may have needed to hike even farther.
Day 3 in Shenandoah National Park
This was really our fourth day because day 3 my hubby was SICK. We didn’t leave our VRBO house, and I just ordered pizza in from Mrs. B’s in Luray. I don’t know if it was just because I was hungry from not really going out to get anything earlier or what, but I thought their pizza was pretty darn awesome.
On day three we drove up to the Front Royal entrance station on back roads outside the park to enter from the north and drive south to complete all three sections of the park and Skyline Drive. It was a quick drive from Luray. We weren’t thinking about the fact that it was the weekend in the fall and the lines were long to go through the entry station. We probably waited 30 minutes, but it wasn’t terrible.
Driving South on Skyline Drive
Today was beautiful but windy and cold. The top third of the park has fewer overlooks than the middle section but some gorgeous views of Shenandoah Valley. Listening to our app in this section was nice because while there weren’t as many stops, there were some stories on our app that were very interesting. Today felt like a fall day for sure.
We spent the morning exploring the north third of the park and checking out various overlooks. There are not anywhere the hikes of the middle section and since my hubby was just feeling a little better, we did not hike today. We stopped at the north side Visitor Center and overlook and enjoyed the day. (Note, there are food way stops at the visitor centers and near two of the campgrounds with basics and snacks you might need).
While we were driving, we commented that it seemed like the leaves had gotten even more colorful in the four days we had been in the park. It’s crazy how fast they change.
More mile high black raspberry ice cream pie
After a morning of exploring the northern part of Shenandoah National Park we headed back to Skyline Resort in the center section to have more of their amazing ice cream pie. Yes, it was that good. There was an hour wait for a table at 1:00 p.m. on a Saturday (plan ahead for food) so we ordered two pieces to take out and ate in the sunny truck in the parking lot. It was perfect.
Luray Caverns
After our ice cream pie, we headed back out of the park and to Luray Caverns. Just fYI, the driving app we used also included the Luray area. We visited the Luray Caverns and the neat memorial tower in the town of Luray. Be sure to check out both if you have the time.
Thornton River Orchard
One of our last stops on our trip to Shenandoah National Park was just outside the Thornton Gap entrance station in Sperryville, VA. We wanted to buy several bushels of apples for our annual applesauce making with our girls! We hit up Thornton River Orchard & Market.
This was the most adorable little farm market. We poked around while they were boxing up our apples and found they had the most AMAZING homemade donuts. The ones we had were still warm. We ate one there and got one for the road. They also had gorgeous mums, pumpkins, apple cider made fresh, honey and so many types of apples. It was just the perfect fall scene. If you are nearby you have to stop by. Everyone who worked there was super.
Heading Home
We finished day three by heading back to NC. It was a great trip even with not feeling 100% for some of it. What an amazing National Park. I think the fall colors may have ruined me for it in the future. But I’ll be back there to backpack part of the AT in the spring and I am sure it will be beautiful then too!
Bonus Hike
One of the premier hikes in Shenandoah National Park is the Old Rag Mountain Loop. You must have a permit to hike Old Rag and it just costs $1 to get in advance and you do need to plan in advance especially for the weekend dates. We had permits to hike it the day my hubby was sick and weren’t able to do it. It was also raining that day, and this is a rock scramble hike so it can be slippery for sure. We will plan to do it next spring. It’s supposed to be gorgeous. It’s 9.3 miles with 2600 feet of elevation change. It’s rated as hard on AllTrails. See the link above.
Here is the link to buy your permit to hike Old Rag. They are required March to November.
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I hope this helps you plan an amazing journey to Shenandoah National Park. Please like, comment on and share this post. I would so appreciate it. If you have questions, I am happy to try and answer them.
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Keep exploring,
Stephanie
It looks like a beautiful park. Thank you so much for the visit. I am definitely going to have to go and try the blackberry ice cream pie!
Shenandoah NP is so beautiful. We only had one day in the park, but loved it. There were waterfalls and so many overlooks, it must be gorgeous to see the fall colors.
We generally find us travelling away from home in Toronto in the Fall and miss the changing of the Fall colours. This post is a great reminder of what we are missing. And a reminder that we have yet to visit Shenandoah National Park. It looks like we would need a few days to really do the park justice. I love all the spots for great views.
Absolutely you can see everything pretty well in 3 days unless you want to do extra hiking. Thanks for the read!!!
Just found your blog, this is the first post I’ve read, but I love your writing style and pictures! It wasn’t too much or too little. I’d love to eventually visit all the national parks too. I live in Texas and we have 88 State Parks that I’m working my way through too and that’s been an adventure (:
Oh my goodness this made my day. Thanks you. Texas is big for sure. We were in Big Bend in April. It was awesome. Have a son and daughter in law who live in Midlothian. I hope you will follow my blog and we can share exploring.
I’ve got Shenandoah National Park on my list and fall looks like a beautiful time to explore. Perfect three-day guide!
Aww thanks! Glad you liked it. You will love the park!!!