Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park encompasses nearly 200,000 acres along a 105 mile stretch of Skyline Drive. The long and narrow park follows the crest of the northern section of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. You can marvel at the beauty of the mountains and valleys below at 70 overlooks along the way or engage deeper through a network of 516 miles of hiking trails, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

With its close proximity to Washington D.C. (75 miles) the park is a popular local getaway and brings in some 1.4 million visitors a year. However, we visited in the less crowded month of April, which was beautiful with the trees coming back from their long winter rest and wildflowers about. A 105-mile park with a singular road passing through it can be difficult to explore from one basecamp, so we split our time up with a week at the southern edge in Charlottesville at a rustic KOA and a week further north in Luray at Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views.

Along with the north and south entrances to the park, there are two roads that traverse across the park, dissecting it into three Districts and providing two additional entrance points. This makes it easier than it might seem to get around the park. We spent most of our time in the South and North Districts.

South District

Charlottesville provided a great spot for our basecamp to explore the South District and more. The park is enjoyable by simply driving Skyline Drive and stopping at the many overlooks to take it all in. It’s a leisurely drive with a 35 MPH speed limit, meant to be a slow roll and enjoyed. This section of the Blue Ridge Mountains is mostly a singular ridge with vast valleys below to the east and west. The views don’t get old.

There are many hiking opportunities along the way on Skyline Drive, and as a bonus most of them are dog friendly. Many of them are in the 3–4-mile range and typically have some significant altitude gain, so would categorize most of these hikes in the moderate category. An exception to this is the Blackrock Summit Trail which was a good easy warm-up trail for us. It’s not often you find a short trail like this with an incredible payoff view at the end. It also provides an opportunity for some scrambling at the end on the talus rock field for even better views.

Our next hike was the Hightop Peak (Summit) Trail. This was a bit more challenging at 3.5 miles and over 900 feet of elevation gain, but with even more amazing views at the end. It’s one of those spots where you can just hang out for hours sitting on the rocks. We enjoyed a light lunch to refuel and hung out with some great folks we met on the trail.

There are two bonuses to staying around Charlottesville, one of which is that you are at the northernmost point of the 469 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway. Actually, Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway is the same stretch of pavement, one direction goes to Shenandoah National Park and the other (eventually) makes it to Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Although we only drove about 30 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway, it was a quite enjoyable drive with more expansive mountain views, more similar (as we later found) to the North District of Shenandoah.

The other “must see” while in this area is Monticello. Although often referencing the entire geographic region, Monticello is most notable as the home of Thomas Jefferson. This mid 18th century home on top of a hill is an amazing place to tour. Although you can technically walk the grounds without an admission fee, it is well worth the cost of a formal tour of the house. Not only is the house and grounds magnificent, but you also get to learn so much more about Jefferson. The tour guides are a wealth of information and are happy to answer any questions. We learned about Jefferson’s passion for reading and his innovative designs in the house such as adding skylights and a hidden wine dumbwaiter.

Consider walking back down the hill on the trail and seeing more of the grounds and other sites such as Jefferson’s gravesite. Back at the bottom is a small museum and short film which is extremely informative as well. When you’re done, you will deserve a hardy meal at Michie Tavern down the street. This historic tavern knows how to do up some home cook’in!

North District

We found the North District of the park to be even prettier than the South District and Luray sits in a beautiful remote area but offers all of the conveniences needed. The mountain range here is broader with smaller valleys between the ranges, creating even more dynamic views. The drive along Skyline Drive is otherwise similar with many overlooks and hiking trails along the way.

Again, many of the hikes are in the 3–4-mile range with a good amount of elevation change. However, for those looking for more of a challenge, the Old Rag Circuit Hike, often described as “brutally awesome’ is for you. As I was still recovering from Covid 2.0, I passed on this one, but we enjoyed a couple of other options more in line with current ambitions.

Compton Peak Trail was a great hike that had a bit of everything. This trail is an out and back hike with a “T” at the end. One direction goes to a magnificent overlook and a great place to stop for lunch. Backtracking to the other direction brings you to a bit of a downhill rock scramble and a remarkable rock formation adorned with hexagonal columns formed by ancient volcanic activity.

After numerous mountain vista views, we were in the mood for something a bit different, so we went to check out Whiteoak Canyon Falls. There are several ways to do this hike, but we did the trail to the lower falls via the Whiteoak Canyon trail. Although technically this trail is in the Central District, you get to it from the east, not off of Skyline Drive. It was a bit of a drive to this remote area of the park but well worth it. The trail follows the Robinson River and is beautiful the entire way with many swimming holes which the dogs loved. The falls are gorgeous and with a little rock scrambling you can get even closer or if you dare, swim right underneath the falls.

Just under an hour and a half north of Luray in West Virginia is Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, a very worthy day trip. Harpers Ferry is both a civil war era historic site and a place of natural beauty located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. The rivers, historic railroad crossing over the Potomac, rocky hillside and historic town make it a unique spectacle worthy of any camera lens. This is also the theoretic midpoint of the Appalachian Trail which cuts right through town. But more so than its natural beauty, what Harpers Ferry is most famous for is the 1859 rebellion led by John Brown in an effort to end slavery. Although the raid that ensued was a failure, his actions ultimately heightened the slavery debate and led to the civil war. The conversation of whether John Brown was a villain or a hero is still discussed today.

Harpers Ferry is a day trip with opportunities to visit the historic buildings and museums in town, walk across the pedestrian bridge over the Potomac River, hike to Jefferson Rock and visit some of the civil war battlefields. Start at the Visitor Center for guidance and a map, then take the free shuttle to the historic town. As you stand at the historic viewpoint along the Appalachian Trail your view spans the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and three states, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.

We also found some really fun off-roads just outside of Luray. Peters Mill Run is a Jeep “Badge of Honor” trail that goes through the George Washington National Forest. There’s nothing too challenging for most high clearance vehicles to handle. We enjoyed the adventure and then exiting via CR 758 brought us to the Woodstock Fire Tower, with some more spectacular views.

We’ve spent three weeks in Virginia now and have been in awe of just how beautiful the state is. Plush valleys with farms and magnificent homesteads, mountainsides and rolling hills with rivers twisting throughout the landscape portray a postcard view in any direction. Shenandoah National Park splits right through the state and offers a great experience for casual sightseers and avid hikers alike. Add in Monticello and Harpers Valley and there is certainly something for everyone.

Consider a trip to Shenandoah National Park and be sure to check out the rest of our pictures.