Shenandoah National Park
Skyline Drive, waterfalls, quartzite peaks, oak forests, wildlife, and more than 500 trail miles protect a long mountain corridor above the Virginia Piedmont.
Artwork inspired by P. Buckley Moss
Shenandoah’s scenic road reveals the scale of the Blue Ridge, but the park’s deeper interest lies in the changes hidden within that long green corridor. Elevation, slope direction, quartzite peaks, streams, fire, former settlement, and recovering oak forest continually reshape the landscape, turning a seemingly uniform ridgeline into distinct ecological and historical settings.
Experience the park in sections, pairing a high overlook with a waterfall, summit, or forest route below the road. Moving slowly makes wildlife crossings, shifting weather, and traces of displaced mountain communities easier to recognize. Because entrances and services are widely separated, a focused district offers more understanding than a hurried drive along the entire ridge.
- Drive
- 105-mile Skyline Drive
- Trails
- More than 500 miles
- Allow
- 1–3 days
Quick guide
- Choose
- One park district
- Pair
- Overlook with a trail below road level
Make the visit count
- Check closures
- Ice, storms, wildfire, and maintenance affect Skyline Drive.
- Carry water
- Ridge weather changes quickly and services are spaced out.
- Give wildlife room
- Bears and deer belong off roads and away from food.
- Read old homesites
- Park history includes displacement and mountain communities.
Good to know
Entrances and services are far apart, cell coverage is unreliable, and popular trailheads fill early. Old Rag requires a separate day-use ticket during the managed season.
Notice these
- Skyline Drive
- Old Rag
- Dark Hollow Falls