Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park view

After the completion of a long and intense project, Natalie and I decided to treat ourselves to a little trip. She’s been tracking her visits to our National Parks and wanted to check another one off her list. With a drive time of about six hours from Columbus, Shenadoah National Park in Virginia was the perfect fit for a three day trip.

View of the Shenandoah Valley from the Shenandoah National Park.
The park provides amazing views of the Shenandoah Valley and the mountains beyond.

Arriving in Shenandoah National Park

In early October, we arrived before the peak of autumn color. Though a few trees had begun their transformation, the mountains remained mostly green. The advantage of travelling ahead of the season was avoiding the crowds.

Sign from the Thornton Gap Entrance to the Shenandoah National Park.
Natalie posing next to the national park sign. She’s trying to collect these from each of our national parks.

On the drive in we payed the fee at the gate and pulled onto Skyline Drive. The drive itself is a real draw for the park with amazing views. The road runs the length of the park along the ridge of the mountains with a low stone wall following along for most of the drive. There are several pull-offs that offer astounding views of the mountains and valley. We pulled off at a few to snap some photos.

Shenandoah National Park History

In addition to the drive, there are a number of activities available in the park. You can stay in the park at one of the two lodges, Skyland and Big Meadows, or camp at one of the five campgrounds. While our main focus was hiking, other recreational opportunities abound. Horseback riding, back country camping, bicycling, rock climbing and more are available in the park. The Appalachian Trail runs through the park for 101 miles.

A view of the Shenandoah Valley and mountains from the Shenandoah National Park.
A view of the Shenandoah Valley and mountains from one of the Skyline Drive overlooks.


To find out more about how Shenandoah National Park came to be, click through to their site. In short, the park was formally opened on July 3, 1936 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Much of the work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

Stone wall running along Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. It was built by young men serving in the CCC.
This low stone wall runs nearly the entire length of Skyline Drive. It was built by young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) at the height of the Great Depression.


The history of the CCC is fascinating and a longer version is available by clicking through the National Park Services site. In short, young, healthy men between the ages of 18 and 23 were employed doing manual labor for the establishment of Shenandoah and other national parks.

They worked five and a half days weekly and were payed the sum of $30 monthly. Of that, they were allowed to keep $5 with the remaining monies to be sent home to their parents. The United States was held in the grip of the Great Depression and the CCC provided financial relief for the young men and their families.

Skyland Lodge

After a few stops, we continued on to Skyland. Unlike one large lodge, the Skyland resort area is broken up into a number of buildings. We checked in and were given the key to our room in the Raven’s Nest building. The room was simple, showing its age but clean and came with an impressive view over the mountains. Decor was park themed with photos of the early days of the area.

The lobby of Skyland Lodge in Shenandoah National Park.
The lobby and check-in for the Skyland Lodge provides a restful place to take in the view.


After we settled in, Natalie and I made our way to the dining hall at Skyland. Due to the layout of the park, you seem to be a long way from the outside world.

Skyland Lodge and dining hall in Shenandoah National Park.
Skyland Lodge and dining hall.

Restaurants and store are easily a 20 to 30 minute drive back down the mountain. It seemed easier to stay in the park and dine at the historic lodge.

Our room at Skyland Lodge in the Shenandoah National Park provided comfortable accommodations and a beautiful view.
Our room at Skyland Lodge provided a beautiful view of the Valley. Though the room definitely showed its age, it was clean and comfortable.

Natalie ordered the Turkey Dinner, hold the cranberry chutney, because she hates cranberries. She seemed please with the food, it was good, hot and filling. I ordered the Blue Ridge Pulled Pork and was happy with my selection as well. The highlight of the meal was the chocolate decadence cake with blackberry compote. It was incredibly rich, so half was about all I’d want.

Chocolate cake from the dining hall at Skyland Lodge in Shenandoah National Park.
The gluten free chocolate cake with blackberry compote was the star attraction at our dinner. Bonus for me: Natalie hates blackberries!

Shenandoah National Park Stables

The next morning we woke up ready for our reservation at the onsite stables. We had booked ahead, which we did with a phone call, and they linked the reservation to our room.

A young woman and horse at the Skyland stables.
Natalie making friends with one of the horses at the stables.

The staff at the stables were welcoming and friendly. We filled out some paperwork and then they invited us out to meet the horses. As soon as the other riders arrived, there were maybe eight of us, we mounted up and headed out. Our guide was friendly and talkative and obviously knowledgeable of the area. It was a nice day for a ride and we saw deer along the trail.

After the ride, we headed into town. We wanted to try a local restaurant, but we wished afterward we would have stayed at the lodge. The food was okay, but not remarkable.

Exploring the Park

Back into the park, we took a short drive to explore and ended up near the Big Meadows Lodge. From there, we hiked the short Blackrock Trail to a nice view of the valley. This was a quick 0.4 mile hike just off the Big Meadows parking lot.

Big Meadows Lodge at the Shenandoah National Park.
Big Meadows Lodge.


It was getting later in the day but we wanted to get in one more short hike. On the recommendation of one of our fellow trail riders, we decided to hike Stony Man. Though most of the Shenandoah National Park is pet friendly, this trail is not. It’s a 1.6 mile round trip to a rocky outcrop at the top of Stony Man Mountain. The view at the top is amazing and you get a great look at the Shenandoah Valley and of Massanutten Mountain in the distance.

A deer in the Big Meadows Lodge parking lot.
We saw a number of deer. This one was in the Big Meadows parking lot.

Tired from hiking and still a little full from lunch, we headed back to our room. We showered and headed to bed early.

Another Hike – Loft Mountain Wayside

The next morning we made it to the dining hall for breakfast. The food was hot and good, a basic breakfast to fill us up enough to get in one more hike before heading home.

A young woman hiking along a Shenandoah park trail.
Left: Natalie along one of the trails on our hikes. Right: Little touches like the compass, leaf prints and animal tracks in the concrete at Skyland made the experience special.

We headed to the Lot Mountain Wayside and headed out on the Frazier Discovery Trail. The hike was nice, easy but with some strenuous uphill patches. As with most trails in Shenandoah, this led to an incredible view. On the hike back down, we came upon a group of deer. We stopped to watch quietly. They seemed unbothered and eventually passed by us and continued on their way.

A buck we encountered during our adventures in Virginia.
We encountered this buck during our travels.

After a stop at the Loft Mountain Wayside store to shop for a few souvenirs, we were ready to head home. Keep in mind there are several areas within the park where cell service is limited. This section of the park offered us no service, so we headed back into the store to at least get pointed in the right direction.

FindingOhio and Beyond

If you have a few days, Shenandoah National Park is an easy drive for a weekend trip. Natalie and I had a great time with her only disappointment being that we did not see a bear on our hikes. I, on the other hand, was quite relieved. I highly recommend staying within the park where you are immersed in the natural beauty of the park and close to everything you’ll want to do.

Young woman poses alongside a National Park Service sign and also on horseback.
Natalie and I had a fantastic time in the Shenandoah National Park.

If you’re looking for adventures within the Buckeye State, head over to our Day Trips section where you’ll find plenty of Ohio adventures.

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