Though there are few national parks on the east coast, Shenandoah National Park is a great one. I have visited several times and although I have not hiked all the trails (there are more than 500 miles of trails), I do have some favorites. Here is what we found to do!
No trip to Shenandoah National Park would be complete without a drive along Skyline Drive. For some visitors, that is all they do. We like to venture off the road and have found hikes we like for all skill levels.
Dark Hollow Falls
A favorite to hike with kids is the Dark Hollow Falls trail. It is short, shady, and offers a 70 foot waterfall. Though pretty steep, you arrive at the falls after only .7 miles.
Parking for the Dark Hollow Falls trail is between mileposts 50 and 51, here. After a hike, the Byrd Visitor Center just down Skyline Drive makes a great stop.
For more information about this trail, visit the NPS site.
Stony Man
We took advantage of a free, range-led hike from the Skyland area of the park to the Stony Man viewpoint. These programs change often, check the NPS website to help you plan for your own trip. This 1.6-mile round trip hike takes you along a portion of the Appalachian Trail as well. You can read more about this hike here on the NPS site.
Rose River Falls
The hike to Rose River Falls was a 4-mile circuit making it longer than both the Dark Hollow and Stony Man hikes. The waterfall, though over 60 feet high, was obscured by trees and it was not easy to access its base. Still, we liked this hike because it followed the shallow Rose River for quite a while giving us ample opportunity to rest, cool off, and just reflect.
Parking for Rose River Falls can be found between milepost 49 and 50 near the Fisher’s Gap overlook. For a more detailed map, see the NPS page here.
Hawksbill Summit via Upper Hawksbill trail
Hawksbill Summit is the highest point in Shenandoah National Park at 4049 feet. There are 3 different ways to hike to the summit. Two of the trails start at the Hawksbill Gap parking lot between mileposts 45 and 46. The third hike begins from the Upper Hawksbill parking area past milepost 46. We chose this 3rd route because our kids were small at the time and this 2.1-mile hike was less steep or shorter than the other options. All 3 trails are clearly marked on the NPS site here.
Old Rag
For my favorite hike in Shenandoah National Park, we left the kids at home! The hike up Old Rag is a very strenuous 9.4 mile circuit, that sometimes requires scrambling over large boulders with all 4 limbs.
Trail access for Old Rag does not start from Skyline Drive, a detailed map and parking directions can be found at the NPS site here.
Where to Stay
We have stayed in 2 different areas when visiting Shenandoah National Park. I love in-park lodging because it gets you that much closer to the trails. For that reason, we chose the Skyland Resort on our first visit.
On our trip to Old Rag we stayed outside the park, near the trailhead. We found a great B&B online, Sharp Rock Vineyards.
