John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Location

In the western part of Virginia (not in West Virginia), at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, running north-south between the towns of Front Royal and Waynesboro.

Size

304 square miles. For comparison, the size of the Isle of Man is 221 square miles. Shenandoah National Park extends for about a hundred miles from north to south, but for only a few miles from east to west.

What to See and Do

Drive Skyline Drive, which continues northwards directly from the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesboro for just over a hundred miles.

There are various points of interest along Skyline Drive including numerous overlooks and a small number of waterfalls.

The views on Skyline Drive are normally somewhat restricted compared to those on the Blue Ridge Parkway. However, a particularly fierce hurricane in the mid 1990's stripped numerous branches from many of the trees, leading to considerably improved views. Doubtless the trees will recover by themselves over the next few years.

Dark Hollow Falls is the nearest waterfall to Skyline Drive. The parking lot is in the Big Meadows area. There is a fairly steep hiking trail down to the top of the falls, and then a short further hike down to the bottom of the falls which is well worth taking since it gives by far the best view. The round trip from the parking lot to the bottom of the falls and back is about 1.5 miles, with the return upward climb being quite strenuous.

A good idea is to take a day trip from Front Royal or Waynesboro, first taking Skyline Drive through the National Park and then returning via the very scenic US340 which runs through the Shenandoah Valley to the west of the park. Alternatively, a full day in the park driving down Skyline Drive and stopping at all the points of interest would certainly be worthwhile.

I imagine that there is an impressive foliage display during the autumn along Skyline Drive.

Some Ideas for Places to Stay

Entrance Fee

The entrance fee for Shenandoah National Park in the summer of 1997 was $10 per car.
Virginia

Historic Trails, Named Roads, etc

Mountain Roads

National Parks

Scenic Roads

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As with all the other pages on this personal web site, all the information on this page is solely the opinion of the author, who has no connection whatsoever with any of the companies and organisations mentioned other than as an actual or potential customer.
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Most recently modified 25-Oct-99