Shenandoah
A long, forested ridge in the Blue Ridge Mountains with Skyline Drive running its length
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, all year
- Entry
- $30 per car
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- About 200,000 acres
Shenandoah Weather Now
Loading the forecast for Shenandoah…
Shenandoah protects a long, narrow stretch of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia, about 75 miles from Washington, D.C. Its ridges are made of some of the oldest rock in the region, including ancient granite and volcanic basalt that now shows up as greenstone cliffs. The land was farmed and logged before the park was created, and many families were moved out to make way for it. Today most of the park is forest again, and about 40 percent of it is designated wilderness.
Most visitors explore by car along Skyline Drive, stopping at overlooks and short trails to waterfalls and summits. There are more than 500 miles of trails, including about 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. The park has one of the densest black bear populations in the country, so sightings are common. Skyline Drive and many of its stone walls and overlooks were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- Mid-October brings peak fall color, and late May and June offer wildflowers, waterfalls with good flow and fewer crowds.
- How long to stay
- One day covers a scenic drive and a hike; two or three days lets you see both ends of the park.
- Getting there
- Washington Dulles (IAD) is about an hour from the Front Royal entrance, and Charlottesville (CHO) is about 40 minutes from the Swift Run Gap entrance; Reagan National (DCA) is about 1.5 hours away.
- Wildlife
- Look for black bears, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, barred owls, bobcats and many kinds of salamanders.
Plan and book
Some links below are affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How this works
Where to stay
- Hotels in Luray (opens in a new tab)Virginia
- Hotels in Front Royal (opens in a new tab)Virginia
- Hotels in Charlottesville (opens in a new tab)Virginia
- Lodges inside the park (opens in a new tab)Official NPS list
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Shenandoah
- Hiking boots with good gripMany trails are rocky, and the Old Rag scramble needs solid footing.
- Rain jacketFog and passing showers are common on the ridge, even in summer.
- Bear spray or bear-resistant food bagBlack bears are common, and backcountry campers must store food properly.
- Offline map or trail guideCell service is spotty along Skyline Drive and on most trails.
- Fleece or light insulated layerThe ridge is often 10 degrees cooler than the valley below.
A first day, start to finish
- Enter at Thornton Gap and drive south
- Stony Man loop near Skyland
- Lunch at Big Meadows
- Dark Hollow Falls hike
- Sunset at an overlook along Skyline Drive
Don't miss
- Skyline DriveA 105-mile road along the crest of the Blue Ridge with about 75 overlooks and a 35 mph speed limit, so plan on at least three hours end to end.
- Old RagA tough 9.4-mile circuit with a long rock scramble near the summit, and a $2 day-use ticket required March through November.
- Dark Hollow FallsA 1.4-mile round trip down to a 70-foot cascade near Big Meadows, with a steep climb back up.
- Hawksbill SummitThe park's highest point at 4,051 feet, reached by a 2.1-mile loop or a shorter, steeper route from Hawksbill Gap.
- Stony ManAn easy 1.6-mile loop near Skyland to a cliff top with wide views over the Shenandoah Valley.
Know before you go
Do
- Bring a card or buy your pass online, since entrance stations do not take cash.
- Get your Old Rag day-use ticket ahead of time and allow extra walking from the overflow lots in 2026.
- Fill your gas tank before you go, since there is no fuel along Skyline Drive.
Don't
- Speed on Skyline Drive, where the limit is 35 mph and deer and bears cross often.
- Leave food in your tent or car window view; store it properly in bear country.
- Count on cell service along much of the drive; download maps before you arrive.
The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round, but sections of Skyline Drive close during snow, ice and other bad weather; you can still walk in to hike when the road is closed. Byrd Visitor Center at Big Meadows is open through November 29, 2026, and Dickey Ridge Visitor Center near Front Royal is also open, both 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Most lodges, restaurants and campgrounds open in spring and close between November 1 and November 29. In 2026 the Old Rag main parking lot is closed through about November for construction, so hikers use the overflow lots.
On busy fall weekends, enter at Swift Run Gap or Rockfish Gap in the south, where lines are usually shorter than at Front Royal and Thornton Gap.Trekker's tip