Shenandoah National Park is one of Virginia’s best attractions. It features over 200,000 acres of forest, bringing you countless hiking trails and incredible views across the Blue Ridge Mountains.
A newbie traveler recently went on a fantastic drive-thru trip to this park during the fall season, and came back with her travel story -
Come with me as I journey through Shenandoah National Park in the middle of fall and relive one of the best trips of my life, through my road trip journal.
Visiting Shenandoah National Park in Fall Season
You’re probably wondering, did I specifically wait until fall to visit Shenandoah National Park, and the answer is yes! It was a calculated decision because this park is at its best during the autumnal months.
Loads of people choose to visit it between the end of September and the start of December for a few key reasons:
● Much More Bearable Temperatures - It gets hot in the summer months and cold in the winter months. Shenandoah National Park’s average summer temperature is around 87F. That’s not aggressively high, but it feels sweltering if you’re walking around for hours. Wait until fall, and the average dips to around 60-70F. Much more bearable and perfect for hiking!
● Stunning Fall Visuals - The main thing that drew me to this park was the gorgeous fall foliage. The leaves turn various shades of red and orange, creating a canvas of stunning hues for you to take in. It’s genuinely breathtaking and makes for some gorgeous photos.
● More Animals - Shenandoah National Park is abuzz with animal activity in the fall. This is when a lot of animals come out and prepare for winter hibernation. They’ve had a whole summer hiding in the shade, so expect to see more deer, bears, and other wildlife at this point in the year.
One thing I will say is that loads of people had the same idea as me! They all knew the benefits of visiting Shenandoah National Park in the fall, so there were a few crowds. I mistakenly decided to go on a weekend - I hear that weekdays are a lot less busy.
Journal entries from my Road Trip through Shenandoah National Park
The beauty of Shenandoah National Park is that it has one continuous road going through it. This makes it ideal for road trips as you can drive along, park up, see loads of things, etc. The route is called Skyline Drive, and the hardest part is getting on it. Once you’re on the road, it’s a complete breeze - just follow it along!
I started my trip at the Front Royal Entrance Station, which is officially Mile 0. I then went the full 105-mile route through the park, and here are some of the key highlights from the trip.
The Best Panoramic Views
Skyline Drive has around 75 places where you can park and look out across the nearby landscape for views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley. It’s fair to say I stopped a good few times to get the best views possible!
I won’t talk about every stopping point, but two of the best were Range View Overlook on mile 17.1 of my trip and Jewell Hollow Overlook on mile 36.4. Range View gives you a stunning backdrop with some of the best mountain views possible. Jewell Hollow is a must-visit for the best sunrise and sunset in Shenandoah National Park.
Waterfall Hikes
Another wonderful thing I found while driving through Shenandoah National Park was how close the driving route was to some great waterfall hikes. These hikes lead you to some beautiful spots where towering waterfalls crash down and create the most wonderful scenes. I only had time for one, so after much deliberation I went for the Dark Hollows Falls Trail. It’s situated around mile 50 on the trip and consists of a short but steep hike to a gorgeous 70-foot waterfall.
I thought it was one of the most magnificent scenes I’ve ever seen - and the photo backs this up.
The combination of these rushing waters and the golden leaves made for an experience I’ll never forget. If I have time to come back to Shenandoah National Park in the future, I’ll definitely add another waterfall hike to my itinerary.
Scenic Hiking Trails
As you can imagine, this National Park is full of different hiking trails. I saw lots of opportunities along the Skyline Drive route, and a friend of mine recommended two easy trails to try. They each took around 30 minutes to get there and back and are easy for anyone to do.
Stony Man Trail was the first one, coming up at mile 41.7. It’s a short 1.6-mile look and brings you to one of the best vantage points in the park. The summit gives you outstanding views of the entire area - and the autumnal leaves make it look like a sea of orange and red is undulating ahead of you.
Bearfence Mountain Trail was the second trail, and it was a bit shorter at 1.2 miles. All you had to do was navigate a little rock scramble to feast your eyes on panoramic 360-degree views. Again, well worth the effort and the perfect place to take a moment and soak in the natural beauty surrounding you.
Picnic Time
Approximately half-way through the road trip, I came across Big Meadows. It’s a huge open meadow with loads of picnic areas and is designed for you to put your feet up and relax for a bit. The foliage here was gorgeous at this time of year - and I even saw a few deer grazing nearby.
It was the perfect spot for a little picnic. I had my usual road trip snacks and sandwiches before heading to the Byrd Visitor Center. I spent a bit more time in there than expected as it had so much information on the park’s history. I loved looking at different exhibitions, and I treated myself to a few things in the gift shop to remember my stay!
Wildlife Spotting
I tried looking for wildlife throughout the whole trip and I did see a few things up until my picnic stop. As I just said, there were a few deer around Big Meadows - and I’ve heard this is usually one of the best places to go to see animals. So, if that’s what you’re after, aim to get there around dawn or dusk to see most of the animal action.
Following my brief foray into the visitor’s center, I was armed with more information about where to see different deer, black bears, foxes, and birds. I’ll be honest…I forget about birdwatching for the first half of the trip. It just wasn’t on my mind, but after the lovely guide in the visitor’s center told me I could see birds of prey at most overlooks, I made sure to look above at the next stop.
This came at the Baldface Mountain Overlook where I saw a couple of eagles and hawks flying above. Side note: it also gave some unbelievable fall views of the orange trees spreading for miles!
Then, it was back in the car to the main wildlife spot: Loft Mountain. The Loft Mountain Overlook is located on mile 74.5 of the journey, but the entire area around it is full of wildlife. I saw a few black bears from the car, as well as plenty of deer grazing in the area. When I got out at the overlook, I even saw some curious foxes poking their heads out and seeing if they could scrounge a snack or two.
By complete chance, I managed to plan the trip so I would approach this area at dusk. This meant the park was a wee bit quieter and there was more animal activity. A complete fluke, but I’ll take it!
A Spot of Stargazing
I finished this trip the only way I knew how: with some stargazing! Shenandoah National Park is known for impeccably clear night skies, meaning the stars show with so much prominence. It’s far from the best overlook in the park, but I stopped and looked at the stars at McCormick Gap Overlook (mile 102.5). It’s the final overlook on this road trip - and I was staring upwards anyway, so it didn’t matter about the park views.
I’ll give myself credit for this one and say I genuinely did plan the trip to finish at night. I think it’s a waste to visit any National Park without doing some stargazing. As I sat there and gazed at the wonders of the universe, I realized what a fantastic experience this was.
And so concludes my digital road trip journal from Shenandoah National Park in the fall. I saw so much and would 100% go back again. The only things I’d change would be to visit during the week and to go for a couple of days. I feel like there are so many cool trails and things I could do if I have more time!
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