Shenandoah National Park
An amazing amount of views and vistas from the Skyline Drive road through Shenandoah National Park
USA
In just under a 2 hour drive from Washington DC we arrived at Shenandoah National Park. The park is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, offering stunning views and a variety of outdoor activities.
Established in 1935, the park spans over 200,000 acres and features a diverse ecosystem, including forests, meadows, and wildlife. The scenic Skyline Drive runs its length, providing breathtaking vistas of the Shenandoah Valley and the Appalachian Mountains.
One of the key times to visit the park is in the fall where visitors are treated to a variety of colours on the trees as the leaves change to their deep orange, yellows, and reds. We arrived just a bit early for the full colours but the views of the valley's below were still very pretty.
Finally at the end of our first day we caught the sunset at The Point Overlook.
We started our second day early and the temperature had dropped so we layered up as we stopped to view a few more roadside overlooks.
After taking in the views from some of the roadside viewpoints we then made our way to the Compton Peak Trailhead. This trailhead had a small parking area off the side of the vista road where you could park and start your hike on this section of the Appalachian Trail.
The hike was about 4.5km long and took about 2 hours round trip. The trail was well maintained but did have some rocky sections. We took our time to soak up the views and admire the columnar jointing geological rock feature.
We then made our way to the Big Meadows, where several visitors were flying kites in the strong winds that blew across the plains. Aliya enjoyed pointing them all out as we walked along the trails worn into the grassy meadows.
We then made our way to the Loft Mountain Wayside, which is a small general store at the Frazier Discovery Trailhead. Parking was easy early in the morning and there was a mobile visitor center setup in the parking lot which provided information on the trail.
The hike took about an hour and we came across many other visitors who were coming off the adjacent Appalachian trail with all their gear after spending several nights camping. The trail had a moderate elevation gain and provided several points to view the valley's below.
After spending two days traveling through Shenandoah National Park we found it to be absolutely stunning.
The park has many roadside overlooks for people just passing through to catch a glimpse of the scenery but also over 800km of trails throughout the park to explore if you have more time. With such flexibility it's easy to put Shenandoah National Park on your list to visit. Happy Exploring!
