The Ultimate 48 Hour Guide: Shenandoah National Park

“America’s Most Colorful National Park”

We decided almost on a whim to take a weekend trip to Shenandoah National Park as we have heard so much of it’s beauty and scenic overlooks and hikes. From where we live (Northeastern Pennsylvania) it was about a 5 hour drive to the park and 6 hours to our campsite. It was a great decision and well worth the trip. Now as for us, we are dog parents. So I am gearing this post towards visitors who will have their furry friends accompanying them. There are plenty of dog friendly hikes within the park as it is known as one of the most dog friendly National Parks in the United States.

Day 1 at Shenandoah

Skyline Drive

North Entrance Shenandoah National Park Sign

Arriving from the North Entrance to the Park you will find yourself on the absolutely scenic and stunning Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive runs 105 miles and cuts right through the center of the park from North to South. The Drive encompasses the entire length of the park, and is the only public road accessible in the park. Beautiful views of the Shenandoah valley to one side, and the Majestic Blue Ridge mountains on the other, winding turns, and breathtaking overlooks make this one of the most scenic roads in the United States. We took our time on the drive taking the sights, stopping at a few overlooks and taking in the sights.

Arguably my favorite part of the drive was the abundance of wildlife visible from the road. Deer, birds, ground hogs, owls and on a rare occasion (if you are lucky…or not) black bears are visible from your drive. Most visitors of the park know that these animals inhabit the area and use the road to cross, so a nice easy slow drive is to be expected.

Big Meadows Campground in Shenandoah

Tent Set Up Shenandoah National Park Yeti Cooler.

LUNO Mattress Camping Shenandoah National park

Big Meadows Campground is Shenandoah National Park’s most popular campground. Sitting just off the Appalachian Trail it is a popular destination for those hiking the trail, and visitors looking to check off a section of the trail from their bucket list. Sitting just south of the center of the park, Big Meadows Campground is fixed with everything campers need to enjoy their stay Shenandoah.

A Visitors Center, and camp store are located just off the turn to Big Meadows from Skyline drive. the campground has a Ranger Station is located at the entrance, make sure you check and follow the instructions for reserving a site (reservations are allowed to check the the rangers to see what spots are available). The Campground has an amphitheater where presentations, specifically for the Junior Ranger programs take place, picnic areas, full bathrooms, coin operated showers, laundry, and a small general store for snacks and most importantly, fire wood!

We set up our tent, arranged our gear and hammock, and were very excited to try out our new LUNO Mattress for our Rav4. We planned on car camping on the first night and bounce back and forth between tent and car for the remainder of the trip.

Passamaquoddy Trail

After setting up our site, we decided to head out on a hike. Now as mentioned before and if you couldn’t tell from the photos above, we were accompanied by our dog children for the trip, which made picking hikes that were moderate and not too strenuous for them a little challenging.

We settled on the Passamaquoddy Trail. Located north of Big Meadows Campground, this 2.5 mile moderate out and back offered manageable terrain, and not much elevation gain (633 ft) which was perfect for getting our loose after hours in the car. The hike offered a very scenic view of the Shenandoah Valley at the end with a few spots to stop and take the sights.

Some Delicious Campfire Cooking

Campfire Food Shenandoah National Park Virginia

Arriving back at our campsite after the hike, the pups were exhausted and we were ready for some food. As per usual we came prepared with our kitchen essentials for our meals. We brought our favorite camping stove, the Eureka! Ignite Portable Stove, but chose to use the camp site grill and fireplace to cook up our meal for the evening.

After starting or fire from the local wood we purchased for the camp store, we mixed up our ingredients and made our meal we had stored in our favorite YETI Tundra Cooler. Shrimp, mushrooms, asparagus, onions and potatoes. A delicious meal it was! After enjoying our meal and having some good conversation with our neighbors and each other, we were off to watch the sunset.

Sunset

A short drive form Big Meadows Campground, Spitler Knoll Overlook was our choice for the sunset. Spitler Knoll Overlook is located a few miles north of Big Meadows Campground and offers scenic views of the Shenandoah Valley in the distance. During the day you may not catch many visitors at the overlook as it is not one of the most popular, but it is one of the best spots to catch a sunset in the park. We were lucky enough to be one of two cars (well camper) there to enjoy the sunset.

We took the sunset in, and boy was it a sunset, and headed back to camp to relax, rest and gear up for our next day of adventure in Shenandoah National Park.

Day 2 at Shenandoah

Sunrise, Breakfast and morning Shenandoah stroll

There really isn’t anything like waking up with the sun in the outdoors. Birds chirping, the sounds of campers around gearing up for the day, and the breeze cutting through the trees is like music to our ears. We woke up, took the pups for a morning stroll though the adjacent fields, and prepped our breakfast. Some delicious eggs, brewed some morning coffee brewed in our beloved JetBoil, was our breakfast choice and after, we scanned the park map for our days activities and hikes.

Turk Mountain Trail

After breakfast we decided to head down to the southern part of the park. Not having made the trek south yet, made the decision easy for us. We settled on the scenic Turk Mountian Trail, located just north of the Southern entrance to the park. Turk Mountain Trail is a 2.5 mile out and back offering views of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east.

To start, park in the parking lot to the east side of the road and cross Skyline Drive to the trail entrance. The hike offered moderate terrain with some steep elevation gains. This is a popular hike for this with pets or just looking for a moderate trail. The hike was not populated on this occasion although every now and then we would pass a few hikers and pups.

Arriving at the summit of the hike, we scaled over rocks and boulders, stopped at scenic over looks and took in the sights. We met a few hikers at the top and traded stories of the journey and talked about the beauty that Shenandoah held. We relaxed, hydrated and made our descent toward the bottom of the mountain.

Big Meadows Lodge

After finishing our hike, took a nice leisurely drive up through the park. We periodically stopped at overlooks offering great vantage points of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the East. We did a few small out and backs off Skyline Drive and made our way to our campground.

Before making our trip to the park, we had heard that must do when staying at Big Meadows, was to grab dinner at Big Meadows Lodge. Big Meadows Located at mile 51 on Skyline Drive and just north of the campground with trails leading the entrance, is a scenic lodge with pet friendly and deluxe rooms, as well as cabins for patrons to book. The restaurant is located inside the main entrance and has an outdoor dog friendly patio which gives you a great view of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance and is a great spot to catch a sunset.

We were lucky enough to beat the rush and secure and outdoor spot with the pups. The staff was great and or waitress was incredibly helpful. They cooked up kids patties for our dogs, and we ordered a delicious avocado pasta, baked chicken and Caesar salad dinner. We enjoyed some local wines, ciders and of course the view.

If traditional camping is not your ideal scenario but still wish to visit Shenandoah, I highly recommend booking a room at Big Meadows Lodge or in nearby Harrisonburg and Front Royal for more of a city feel with an easy drive to the park.

Day 3 at Shenandoah

Lewis Falls Hike at Shenandoah

Lewis Falls Hike Shenandoah National Park Dog Hike

Lewis Falls Hike Shenandoah National Park Plant

Again, waking up with the sun we readied our campsite, and took the dogs for a little morning stroll. Once our little ladies did their business we packed up our campsite and got ready for our morning hike before we departed beautiful Shenandoah. We chose the Lewis Falls Trail as it sits just off the Big Meadows Campground. Lewis Falls Trail is a 3.5 mile loop leading to a great view of an 81 ft waterfall. The hike is relatively moderate with a few ups and downs but was a great morning hike to get our legs under us before our long trek home.

Goodbye Shenandoah

After spending a few hours on the trail, and periodically carrying the dogs due to exhaustion, we made our way to our campsite and headed out of the park. Once again, we took in the sites and fresh spring greenery that Skyline Drive had to offer. We stopped at a few overlooks and snapped some pictures. We headed up to Front Royal just outside the North Entrance of the park. We grabbed some bagel sandwiches and a coffee at Main Street Daily Grind located on historic Main St.

Visitor Centers within the Park

Dickey Ridge Visitor Center

Located at mile marker 4.6 just past the North entrance to the park from Front Royal, this is the first Visitor Center in the Northern portion of the park.

Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center

Located at mile marker 51, the Visitor Center is located just across the Big Meadows Campground. The visitor center offers a scenic view of an open deer filled field and museum gallery of the history of the park.

Other Hikes within Shenandoah National Park

North District

Snead Farm Loop

Distance: 2.5 Miles – Elevation Gain: 620 Feet

Moderate scenic hike featuring vistas, flowers, and a great overlook of the Shenandoah Valley.

Little Devils Stairs

Distance: 7.4 Miles – Elevation Gain: 820 Feet

Strenuous hike featuring a few different waterfalls, meadows, impressive rock walls, hemlock tress, and a family cemetery that predates the park.

Sugarloaf Loop

Distance: 5 Miles – Elevation Gain: 1,100 Feet

Moderate hike that features vistas, views of the valley, picnic areas, and passes along the Piney River.

Compton Peak

Distance: 2.3 Miles – Elevation Gain: 820 Feet

Moderate hikes that offers a challenging terrain, and unique geological features.

Overall Run

Distance: 5.5 Miles – Elevation Gain: 1,410 Feet

Moderately challenging hike that features the parks largest waterfall that sits 93 feet above a serene pool.

Central District

Mary’s Rock

Distance: 3.6 Miles – Elevation Gain: 1,420 Feet

This hike crosses the most scenic part of the Appalachian Trail within the park that leads to the Summit of Mary’s Rock.

Hazel River Falls

Distance: 8.7 Miles – Elevation Gain: 2,440 Feet

Strenuous hike that features dense forest leading to Cave Falls, pools, and caverns.

Stony Man Loop

Distance: 3 Miles – Elevation Gain: 920 Feet

Popular hike featuring switch backs,Little Stony Man Cliffs with views of wildlife, Skyline Drive, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. No pets allowed.

Cedar Run and Whiteoak Canyon Falls

Distance: 7.3 Miles – Elevation Gain: 2,770 Feet

Strenuous hike leading to Cedar Run Falls, Whiteoak Canyon Falls, and smaller cascades and pools.

Rose River and Dark Hollow Falls

Distance: 5.1 Miles – Elevation Gain: 1,510 Feet

Moderate hikes featuring views of Rose River Falls, Dark Hollow Falls, cascades, and irks through dense forest and brush. No pets allowed.

Mill Prong, Laurel Prong Loop

Distance: 7 Miles – Elevation Gain: 1,550 Feet

Moderate hike passing though the Radian River Valley, Big Rock Falls, Hazletop Mountain, and passes the Hebert Hoover retreat.

South River Falls

Distance: 2.6 Miles – Elevation Gain: 960 Feet

Moderate hike that leads to South River Falls, an 83 foot cascade .

South District

Doyles River Fall, Browns Gap Loop

Distance: 6.5 Miles – Elevation Gain: 1,780 Feet

Moderate hike that runs through two boulder-strewn canyons and crosses three waterfalls along the Appalachian Trail.

Wildcat Ridge, Chimney Rock Loop

Distance: 9.4 Miles – Elevation Gain: 2,730 Feet

Strenuous and arguably the most scenic hike in the park featuring cliffs, valleys, cascades, and the parks largest swimming holes.

Food and Groceries within Shenandoah National Park

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