First time visiting Shenandoah National Park: driving on Skyline Drive and camping at Big Meadows Campground

I have just returned from a road trip in the United States which allowed me to explore different trails in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. But most importantly, I was able to do something I had dreamed of for a long time: hiking and camping at Shenandoah National Park.

Located in Virginia, Shenandoah National Park protects part of the state’s Blue Ridge Mountains. This long, narrow park stretches 169 kilometres (105 miles) between Front Royal (to the north) and Waynesboro (to the south) and offers superb views of the Shenandoah Valley and the Virginia Piedmont.

Since the park also includes more than 800 kilometres (500 miles) of trails and I was only going to spend one night there, I knew that I would only have the chance to explore a tiny part of it. But this first short stay in Shenandoah National Park allowed me to get a little glimpse of it, and made me want to come back and explore it even more one day!

A bit of history

Shenandoah National Park was dedicated in the 1930s, as some planners sought to give residents of the East Coast access to the same awe-inspiring experience found in national parks of the West. As early as 1901, a plan to create a national park in the Appalachian Mountains was presented to the U.S. Congress, but it would still take several decades before the funds necessary for the creation of the park were raised.

At the time, the majority of land where Shenandoah National Park is located today had been held as private property for over a century. Virginia Governor Harry F. Byrd convinced the legislature to appropriate $1 million for land acquisition and other work, and then the state slowly began to buy the land, sometimes encountering refusals from families who had lived there for several generations.

Despite all, Shenandoah National Park finally officially opened its doors in 1936. Although nature has now reclaimed its rights and the farms, orchards and fields of yesteryear have disappeared, traces of the place’s past can still sometimes be seen in the forest. It is also possible to learn more about the history of the creation of the national park by visiting the Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center, located in the center of the park.

Skyline Drive

When I visit a park this big, I always wonder where to start. At Shenandoah National Park, the answer is simple: it all starts with Skyline Drive, which is arguably the best-known attraction of the park. This road, which winds along the entire length of the park, attracts more than a million visitors each year.

Our original plan was to start following Skyline Drive from Front Royal at the north end of the park. But a wildfire that broke out the week before our visit forced the temporary closure of a section of the road, prompting us to change our plans. So we entered the park through the Thornton Gap entrance, and followed the Skyline Drive to Big Meadows, where our campsite was.

And while I was mostly looking forward to visiting Shenandoah National Park for its hiking trails, I admit that driving on Skyline Drive completely blew me away. The road winds through the mountains at dizzying heights (at its highest point it reaches an elevation of 1,121 metres / 3,680 feet), offering majestic views as far as the eye can see. You have to drive slowly as the road has many dips and curves and there is a good chance that you will come across white-tailed deer (one of the over fifty species of mammals found in the park).

Fortunately, Skyline Drive makes you want to slow down and take your time, and there is no shortage of overlooks to stop at! The road also serves as a starting point for many hiking trails (including the trail to the summit of Hawksbill, the highest mountain in Shenandoah National Park).

Camping at Big Meadows Campground

We chose to camp at Big Meadows Campground because it opens early in the season (we were visiting at the end of March, so some of the campgrounds were still closed) and also because it is centrally located, near the Byrd Visitor Center. The campsites aren’t very big, so I was a little worried that they wouldn’t offer much privacy, but it ended up not being too bad (especially since we were staying only one night).

But what I loved most about camping at Big Meadows Campground was the proximity to several hiking trails. The famous Appalachian Trail passes nearby and we took the opportunity to hike a small part of it. From our campsite, I also followed the Story of the Forest trail (a fairly easy trail where I encountered several deer), as well as the trail leading to the summit of Blackrock (which offers a superb view of the Shenandoah Valley).

After this first successful night at Big Meadows Campground, we unfortunately had to hit the road again. We continued to follow Skyline Drive south (continuing to avoid the many deer along the road), then exited the park at Swift Run Gap, heading toward the Shenandoah Valley. Regretfully, I said goodbye to Shenandoah National Park. But I already know that I will come back!

Please note – You have to pay an access fee to enter Shenandoah National Park (at the time of writing this is $30 per vehicle) and these are not included in the camping fees. The park is open year-round, but some of the facilities and campgrounds are closed during the winter.