hikes completed
| The Mileage | All Trails Link | Additional Notes | |
| Stony Man via Appalachian Trail | 1.5 miles | Explore Stony Man via Appalachian Trail | AllTrails | Really amazing view – great bang for your mileage buck. Hike is very easy. |
| Old Rag Mountain Loop | 9.4 miles | Explore Old Rag Mountain Loop | AllTrails | My favorite hike that I’ve done in Shenandoah. Challenging, amazing views and some fun/scary/challenging scrambles. Requires a ticket. |
| Rose River and Dark Hollow Falls Trails | 5.5 miles | Dark Hollow and Rose River Falls, Virginia – 1,511 Reviews, Map | AllTrails | I was not overly impressed by the falls but they are a favorite of many. It was a nice option for cloudy/rainy days when the mountain hikes are difficult or views are scarce. |
| Hawksbill Loop Trail | 2.7 miles | Explore Hawksbill Loop Trail | AllTrails | Views were good but this was not one of my favorites |
Bearfence Trail | 1 mile | Bearfence Mountain Trail, Virginia – 4,771 Reviews, Map | AllTrails | This one was a surprise and wound up being one of my favorites. I spotted this one randomly while driving along skyline drive and decided to do it quickly since it was only 1 mile long. It took MUCH longer than I thought because it is a ton of scrambling and is tough for people like me, who are afraid of heights but the views were absolutely incredible! |
tips and lessons learned
🌄 Skyline Drive is very beautiful, and you can see many of the views in the park without even leaving your car! There are also many short hikes right off the drive so be sure to keep your eyes out for those hidden gems!
🌄 Not all of the campgrounds have showers and those that do are seasonal, coin-operated showers (as I discovered while camping at Loft Mountain) – so double check that you have some cash on hand!
This post is a mish mosh of my two trips (so far 😉) to Shenandoah. One took place in the spring (May) and the other in late fall (November). In May, I stayed at the Loft Campground and in November, I stayed at an Airbnb with some friends. The Loft Campground was nice – the site I stayed at felt relatively isolated (for a campground) and I was able to enjoy the nature around me. There were bear lockers to store food and the Appalachian trail was a short hike away so I spent most of my mornings and evenings taking little jaunts on the trail. The only real downside to the campground was the coin operated showers, which I presume they had to instate because of the numbers of folks hiking the AT. However, the showers were very clean, and I had a great stay overall at the campground.
Most of my time at Shenandoah (both times) was spent hiking. I listed the hikes that I completed above with some notes. The visitor center areas were also fun to explore – they have some food for sale and some shops. There are also a few restaurants in the park- be sure to check hours ahead of time as not all of them are open all season long. I visited Big Meadows both times and it was a nice, central area to grab some food (and even gas) and sit outside.
Old Rag was my most favorite “attraction” within the park. It is a park favorite for a reason and does requires a ticket to day hike. The views were incredible, and the scrambling was a lot of fun (and maybe a little scary).
All in all, Shenandoah might not be the most scenic of all the national parks but is a little gem on the east coast and worth a long weekend visit for sure. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions/ thoughts!
