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With a long weekend ahead of us we were looking where we could spend a couple days away. We probably should have stayed home to prepare for our big trip to Europe in a couple of weeks. But we just couldn’t resist the draw to a weekend away. We finally settled on a trip up to Virginia to do some hiking around Shenandoah National Park.

Visiting a national park over a long weekend means expecting it to be busy. Everyone is out enjoying the weather and kicking off the summer season. But even with the crowds it was well worth it to spend a couple of days in this beautiful park.

May and June are great times to visit Shenandoah. All the wildflowers are beginning to pop with color, the weather is perfectly comfortable, and all the activities are available. That said though, anytime I see rolling hills of trees I can’t help but think how beautiful a visit in the fall would be. Maybe October will see us back again in Virginia.

Shenandoah National Park

• Visitor Information
• History of Shenandoah
• Skyline Drive
• Harry Byrd Sr Visitor Center
• Story of the Forest Nature Trail
• Dark Hollow Falls Trail
• Big Meadow
• Lewis Falls Trail

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Visitor Information

• LOCATION: Shenandoah National Park is in northern Virginia, close to Washington DC. The park follows the Shenandoah Valley to the west and Virginia Piedmont to the east. Shenandoah includes parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains as well as the Appalachian Trail.

• PARK OPERATING DATES: The park is open year round, unless inclement weather closes the main road. The facilities at the park are open from March to November.

• ENTRANCE FEE & PASSES: There is an entrance fee for the park. Be sure to keep your receipt as that will allow you in the park for the next 7 days. The entrance fee is either paid per individual or per vehicle. If you plan on visiting multiple national parks during the year, consider getting the National Park Annual Pass.
  • Individual Entrance Fee- $15/person
  • Vehicle Entrance Fee- $30/vehicle
  • National Park Annual Pass- $80/year
• FACILITIES & EVENTS: Shenandoah has lodges and campsites for visitors to stay in. There are also a few restaurants, snack shops, and park shops. There is even a gas station at the visitor center. The park hosts a lot of different events and activities for any interest. Be sure to check out what is on the calendar and take part in them.

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History of Shenandoah

Shenandoah had a long road to becoming a national park. In 1901 there was a bill put forth to create a national park in the Appalachian Mountains. The National Park Service had not even been formed yet and wouldn’t be created till 1916.

Even though the bill had the support of President Roosevelt, it failed to pass. Yellowstone became the first national park with other western parks created in the years after. It would not be until December 1935 that Shenandoah National Park was designated.

Part of why it took so long to establish the park was funding it. The park would not be funded by the government but had to be funded by private donations. Raising the needed funds was difficult, especially during this time when so many were struggling financially.

The other part was working with the families that lived within the boundaries of the park. Some families were paid to move, while others adamantly refused to leave. Finally an agreement was met that they would sell their property to the creation of the park, but could remain in their homes for the rest of their lives.

Soon after the park was designated, the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway began. This parkway would serve to connect Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park which had been created the year before.

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Skyline Drive

Skyline Drive is the main road that goes throughout Shenandoah National Park. From one end to the other is 105 miles. This road is the very heart of the park with beautiful views and the beginning of any activity.

We arrived at the park late in the day and decided to drive the entire length of Skyline Drive. The road winded in and around the hills caught between the lush greens and the blue sky. This drive naturally makes you want to slow down and just enjoy a long peaceful drive.

There are many overlooks along the drive. Stop at a few of them and take in the incredible views of the park and the valleys below. There will also be many parking areas for the various trailheads.

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Harry Byrd Sr Visitor Center

The next day we got to the park to be met by a long line of cars at the entrance. We knew it was going to be busy, and everyone figured they would get there early too. Every parking area was full to the brim with cars spilling out on the road in every direction.

We pulled into the visitor center and found what may have been the very last parking spot in the park. With our spot secured we went to the visitor center to see what nearby trails we could enjoy. Any trail we did would have to be close by so as not require driving and finding another parking spot.

Luckily there were a few trails that were all within walking distance from the visitor center. Before hitting the trails though, our daughter wanted to do the activities to become a Junior Ranger. She completed the activities booklet and was sworn in at the desk. The National Park Service has done a great job in creating these programs for kids, teaching and encouraging what it means to be a good steward of the park.

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Story of the Forest Nature Trail

Our first venture was the short trail from the parking lot called the Story of the Forest Nature Trail. This is a short, easy trail that is really beautiful. The path crosses over rocks in the creek and the ground is covered in ferns.

The wildflowers are blooming right now and there were waves of golden flowers filling the greens below the trees. The air had a tinge of floral smell. What a great beginning to our time in the park.

The Story of the Forest trail connects to the beginning of another trail down to the Dark Hollow Falls. There were few people on this trail which was nice. Most had skipped this small pretty trail to walk down the road to the next trail. We were glad to have had this part mostly to ourselves.

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Dark Hollow Falls Trail

We connected onto the Dark Hollow Falls Trail. This trail is much more moderate as it follows the creek down through the rocks. If you keep following the trail, eventually you will come to the valley floor. Most people though will stop at the falls and start making the way back up.

Falls is a rather loose term for the Dark Hollow Falls. It is not some big towering waterfall like in other parts of the park. These falls are more a small creek trickle down a sloping rock face. Beautiful, but not all that majestic.

This trail though did have thousands of budding pink azaleas all along the trail. The bunches of pink everywhere were so pretty. Where the falls were slightly disappointing, the trail was made all the better with azaleas blooming everywhere.

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Big Meadow

The Big Meadow is right next to the visitor center. The meadow is full of dirt paths going in every direction. There were groups set up for an afternoon of painting, families playing follow the leader, and lone wanderers who peacefully veered down a path. The paths are quite cathartic to just wander down and then another.

Patches of flowers and little ponds fill the meadow and every path felt different and inviting. Every turn just made you want to walk every path to see where it would lead. I really loved all the pops of color throughout the grass.

We took all the dirt paths we could through the meadow. Some of the paths were far wetter and squishier than we realized. Then we walked along the access road that goes around the meadow and into the forest.

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Lewis Falls Trail

We got back to our car and had a picnic there in the parking lot. We felt really lucky to have a parking spot as we watched so many others drive through without findind one. Then we walked down the road a short way so we could end the day on the Lewis Falls Trail.

The best part of this trail was coming upon a bird nest out on a lone branch right at eye level. Mama bird was poking her head out of the nest, looking out for any threat to the eggs she was protecting. We also loved the knobby trees along the trail.

The Lewis Falls Trail is a moderate trail with many switchbacks along a rocky path. The trail starts with an access road and then narrows to the rocky path. You can hear the water rushing down as you hike which is lovely.

The trail had so many interesting parts to it. A door set into the hillside that you could hear water behind. And a couple of trees that looked like a magic portal. They seemed to beg to be part of some story or another.

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Shenandoah National Park has over 500 miles of hiking trails to enjoy. We were disappointed to have only one day to really enjoy the park, but what a beautiful day it was. Even with the crowds of people, we managed to escape for a little while into the beautiful wilderness of Shenandoah.

Shenandoah is a Native American term, although the origin and meaning is unclear. One of the interpretations thought it meant ‘spruce stream’ referring to the river running through the spruce trees. But the more popular, and probably romanticized, meaning is ‘beautiful daughter of the stars’ coming from a legend of a lake that reflected the stars. Daughter of the stars feels more in line with what Shenandoah is to all who visit her.

Thanks for coming along on this visit to Shenandoah National Park. May you be surrounded by flowers, meadows, and trails that feel like a gift from the stars.

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