National Park Week 2025 – Shenandoah National Park!

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia is one of a handful of major national parks on the East Coast, just about an hour southwest of Washington, D.C. It encompasses the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains and is most famous for the Skyline Drive, a 100-mile scenic route along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains with many gorgeous overlooks of the surrounding mountain scenery.

There are many opportunities for outdoor activities within Shenandoah, including exploring Luray Caverns, waterfalls, picnic areas, campgrounds, and hiking trails, including a stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Most of these are accessible right off Skyline Drive, starting at Front Royal, VA, at its northern entrance and going down to its southern entrance at Waynesboro, VA.

As usual, we had to stop in the Visitors Center first to learn more about the park. There is a small exhibit and a park video in there.

We mostly drove the length of Skyline Drive, stopping at many scenic overlooks along the way this time. On this visit, we lucked out with clear blue skies and amazing views as far as the eye can see, so it was mostly a photography trip. However, we’ve been here several times before, where we did some hiking and visited Luray Caverns. This park is especially gorgeous in the Fall when the leaves change into the Fall colors, but it is still beautiful any time of year.

Skyline Drive is often rated as one of the most scenic drives in the country. You’ll often see it listed in those Top 10 Scenic Drives type lists. I took a million pictures along the way. There was another gorgeous view around every corner.

You can drive part of the route or the entire length of Skyline Drive or even continue south along the Blue Ridge Parkway if you take Skyline Drive as your scenic route to your next destination. This area provides many touristy and recreational opportunities if you’re staying for a few days. There are many other activities in the surrounding area, such as the Udvar-Hazy Museum in Chantilly, which is part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, tons of multi-cultural restaurants, and many museums and attractions in Alexandria and Washington DC, which are doable as day trips.

I hope you get a chance to explore the national parks, including some lesser-known parks that may not get the attention they deserve. For more details on this park, visit the Shenandoah National Park page.

Please contact me if you would like to chat about planning a National Park trip.