Shenandoah National Park, VA

“Hiking: the art of experiencing what the world has to offer one step at a time” – Unknown

If you’re on the East Coast and have been wanting to visit a National Park but feel like you have to travel out West to go to one, you’re not alone! I feel all I ever heard about was going out West to a National Park, but the East Coast also has some hidden gems and underrated parks to visit. Shenandoah National Park is one of those underrated parks. It was absolutely beautiful and definitely worth visiting!

Shenandoah National Park is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and spans 105 miles from Front Royal to Waynesboro. Front Royal is the northern entrance, while Waynesboro is the southern entrance. In addition to these entrances, there are 2 more to help you gain access to the park. On this trip, I entered from the southern entrance because I was coming from North Carolina.

There is an entrance fee to the park which is $30.00 USD per car and the pass is good for 7 days. The fee can be paid in advance online or at the entrance station. There are other fee amounts depending on the type of transportation you are using to gain access to the park. All the information about the fees and passes can be found here.

One of the top recommended things to do is drive on Skyline Drive, it is breathtaking! This is the only road that goes through the park and it shares some pretty amazing views. There are many pull off areas to stop and take in the scenery.

There are so many trails to explore within the park. The park website has a list of all recommended day hikes ranging in difficulty and length, you can find that information here. The hike I chose to do on this pit stop, was Stony Man. The trailhead was not far off Skyline Drive and very close to Skyland Lodge. There was plenty of parking near the trailhead as well, I did read that parking may fill up quickly here. Since I was coming from North Carolina, I did not arrive to the trailhead until about 6:30pm.

The Stony Man trail was an easy hike. It was an out and back with a small loop at the top. The total time spent hiking and enjoying the view was about an hour. The hike from the parking lot to the overlook was about 20/25 minutes. On the way up, I stopped to watch a deer graze that was very close to the trail. The view at the peak was incredible. The Stony Man trail crossed over the Appalachian Trail. My dad joked that we crossed the Appalachian Trail twice! This is a must do hike if you are visiting Shenandoah and don’t have a lot of time to put in a lot of miles.

After the hike, my family and I went to the Skyland Lodge to the restaurant that also had stunning views of the valley below. The food was tasty and much needed after the long drive and short hike. There was also a gift shop inside where I bought a local bottle of wine. I’m not much of a wine drinker and I have no idea what to look for when it comes to wine, but this was pretty tasty and I would definitely get this again.

Since the plan was to drive from NC to go to the hike, staying the night was the best option. You can choose to stay in the park if you are visiting for a few days. You can camp or stay in one of the lodges in the park. When I was researching and planning this trip I was looking both in and outside the park. The Skyland Lodge was going to be my spot if staying inside the park since it was close to the trail I wanted to hike. There were Airbnbs outside the park, but some of them were 30-60 minutes away (at least where I was looking). You can read all about lodging, camping, and backcountry camping in the park here.

The option I went with for this trip was outside the park. A very cute Airbnb cabin in Broadway, VA, which was about an hour away from Shenandoah National Park. I also picked an Airbnb because it was the halfway point in between Franklin, WV and Shenandoah National Park. While planning this trip I was hoping to make it over to West Virginia to do more hiking, but that plan got squashed when the smoke from the wildfires in Canada made the air quality and visibility questionable. Nonetheless, this Airbnb was perfect! I loved the screened in porch and the beautiful picture windows. The hot tub was also nice to relax in after a long day of sitting in the car and hiking.

This quick trip was so worth it! Shenandoah is definitely a hidden gem and a National Park that doesn’t the attention it deserves. There are so many other trails I cannot wait to explore in this park and can’t wait to go back!

Some helpful tips to keep in mind when visiting Shenandoah National Park:

• Plan ahead. Have an idea of what you want to see and do while in the park. You can pre-book your entry pass online. There is also spotty cell service in the park and on the trails. Having all your information mapped out and pre-downloaded can prevent any mishaps.
• Bring water. You should always bring water with you while hiking.
• Make sure you keep an eye on your gas levels. There is only 1 gas station in the park. If you are looking to drive all of Skyline Drive, make sure to watch your gas so you don’t end up stuck in the park with an empty tank.
• Wear adequate hiking shoes. Having a good shoe is important when trekking in different terrain. The trails can be rocky and steep, having a good shoe will prevent from any unwanted injuries.
• Don’t get too close to the wildlife. On this hike there was a deer very close to the trail. Many people stopped to take photos and such, which is fine, but it is still a wild animal and getting too close may result in unwanted injuries. Let the animals do their thing at a comfortable distance.

Below is the video I made for my TikTok account. Fun fact: the artist that wrong this song LIKED my video on TikTok!! How cool is that? I was super excited about it! I hope you enjoy! Get out there and get exploring!